Media Division has a new video titled, Create Cinematic Films – A Recipe to the Magic Sauce that makes a Movie out of your Videos. This video goes for over 2 hours and it is a fascinating look at all the elements that go into creating that overly used catchphrase ‘a cinematic look”. The level of detail and production quality is first class and this is well worth a watch. At least in my opinion, this is one of the most underrated channels on YouTube as it’s not only highly informative but also enjoyable to watch.
Media Division has distilled a decade of experience into 2 hours of super-condensed information. What is important and what is not, where should you invest your time and money, and they deal with the misconceptions. They explain the basics, evaluate cameras & lenses, talk about acting, directing, art direction, choosing locations, costumes, props, lighting, composition, staging, and post with examples and advice. Did we arrive at a point where the camera is neglectable? They go deep into technical qualities like resolution, dynamic range, and of course the relevance of lenses… anamorphic, vintage, spherical… cheap, and legendary. They also pitch kit lenses against vintage and cine lenses. They want you to see if you can tell the difference or is the lens choice largely irrelevant to a cinematic image. They have also included a tutorial on how to emulate film looks and how they created our Silence of the Lambs spoof “Breaking The Silence”.
There are a few obvious plugs for various software, etc. but you can easily skip through anything that isn’t of any relevance to you.
I would argue that not everything needs to be “cinematic”. Depending on the type of work you do, certain creative choices could end up detracting from your intended result. Sometimes the last you you actually want to do is create a sense of disbelief, especially when working in news, documentaries, events, corporate, etc. The right look and feel are entirely dependent on the subject matter and what you personally feel is right. Too many people today tend to be trying to recreate looks or styles instead of coming up with their own.
Topics Covered
- 00:00 – Intro & Contents
- 03:43 – Breaking the Silence Spoof
- 06:25 – What is cinematic PART I – THE BASICS
- 08:06 – About the story
- 09:59 – Frame Rate & Morion Blur
- 14:18 – Your Image is to Sharp PART II – THE GEAR
- 16:22 – The History of Cine Cameras
- 24:29 – The Format
- 26:49 – Resolution
- 29:25 – Dynamic Range
- 35:28 – Cine Lenses
- 43:02 – The Shootout PART III – In Front of the Camera
- 55:59 – Directing
- 1:04:53 – Art Direction
- 1:07:25 – Location
- 1:10:21 – Costumes, Props & Make Up
- 1:14:46 – Lighting
- 1:26:12 – Composition & Staging PART IV – The Post
- 1:35:12 – The Look of Movies
- 1:38:29 – Film Emulation
- 1:43:31 – Tutorial
- 1:59:34 – A Recipe
- 2:02:54 – The Division Salutes Partners & Members
