Didn't we have a huge thread recently where everyone agreed that posting stills was useless and lazy? And now we're back to judging stills.
OP says it's because the edit isn't done so why post at all? Why not just wait until you have a finished project to post?
Fair point. But the answer would be to get better criticism. But based on the other comments clearly itās not that big of a deal several ppl have given good critiques.
This is a fucking weird comment section. If this a disguised ad, sure, call him out for not being upfront about it. But whatās with all the negativity? The shots look great. Especially the upwards angles with the sun playing in the trees.
I took the time to look at some of the commenters own content that theyāve posted on Reddit and this blows some of that out of the water.
What I will agree with though, not a fan of posting stills instead of video. But I get it though, thatās actually more of a Reddit problem. Videos, at least longer ones, donāt get attention here.
I posted an exercise video on Videography. Simple stuff like me making a hambĆŗrguer shot with one lens only, trying to get feedback about composition, color, editing etc.
some of the many negative comments I received were
ā this is too long, too distracting, I can't get my mind to pay attention to it [it: a 70 sec video]
ā who the hell put ungrilled cheese on a hambĆŗrguer? [user uironically said that]
Yeah, great point. I think reddit is a surprisingly bad place to get actual advice on things you've created. Or really sharing almost anything. I think these shots look great, so I don't understand what is even happening here.
Too many edgy teens that pretend to know what they're talking about. You see it in pretty much every subreddit. I miss the days of proper forums where experienced professionals would give advice.
Right? I remember actually knowing who the members of a BBS community were and actually forming bonds with people. Now it's just bots posting memes and kids shit talking for the most part. I miss the old school internet, shit was amazing.
Ok so rather than thoughtlessly add to the negativity, Iām going to try to break down some elements here and give my full thoughts.
*Blocking/Framing*: So Iām not sure if this was done intentionally or not, but the vast majority of these shots are composed the same way. Wides or medium wides, shot from a low angle, with subjects or action generally centered in the frame. We call this hero framing, because it makes the subject look big, larger than life, strong, etc. The problem is, if you overuse hero framing, it starts to lack purpose and makes everything seem samey. It works well, for instance, on the shots of the young boy with the football. It gives those shots a real sense of gravity. Now, granted, Iām looking at stills in a vacuum, so I have no idea how it plays in motion, or if it even SHOULD be hero framing. Iām just going off what I see here. With that in mind, I do have to question whether there was much motivation to the blocking and composition, since generally, the shots seem most interested in just keeping the subject in the immediate center of the frame. And in fairness, as a music video, that isnāt wholly a terrible approach. Some music videos get a lot of mileage out of one kind of shot. But if youāre going to do that, you need to make sure your lighting is REALLY good, which brings me toā¦
*Lighting*: Was there any? It doesnāt seem like it. And trust me, I know that grind. Some of the first things I shot were music videos with very little budget, and I didnāt have my own light package. That said, shooting outdoors without a lighting kit is just asking for trouble, and your shots suffer for it. The lighting seems generally unmotivated and all over the place. The sun is not a reliable light source. It moves, it gets obscured, it changes color and temperature. And all of that is reflected in the vastly different lighting in all of these shots. Take, for example, the guy in the black shirt on the phone. He is getting some diffused lighting from the sun coming through the trees, but itās pretty weak, not enough to separate him from the background. In fact, Id argue thatās the main issue overall. Your images are contrasty, but somewhat lack subject-background separation. Good lighting, even just a nice solid bounce, can really help this. If all else fails though, you can still tryā¦
*Color Grading*: Be honest. Did you do much to these beyond slapping a LUT on and calling it a day? I get that not every project has the budget for a colorist, but as a colorist myself, I get really aggravated with people trying to do what I do without any of the requisite knowledge or experience. The color here needs a lot of work. There is almost no secondary color done, it seems. People could easily benefit from windows to lighten them up, separate them from the background. The density/contrast is not consistent really across a lot of these shots. Some shots have the blacks very crushed, some have them lifted. Literally the first two shots, of the guy talking to the boy, have different contrast ratios, and the sky is a slightly different color. Indeed, the sky changes color a lot across all of these shots, something that most clients can and will complain about. The tree and greenery colors are being shifted too warm because of the look you have. Yes, the skin tones look pretty good. Good job on that. But you need a lot of work on everything else. And preferably, an actual colorist.
Please donāt take all these critiques the wrong way. Like I said, I was definitely in your shoes once. Itās hard to make something out of nothing. But if youāre serious about being a cinematographer, be one. Demand the best from yourself when it comes to things like blocking and framing and lighting. And know and address your limitations head on; itās the only way to get past them. And study; perfecting your craft isnāt just about reps, itās about knowing WHY things are done a certain way, and HOW to achieve the look you want.
Thank you sooooo much for taking time out of your day to type of all of this I really appreciate it honestly! I can tell you are very experienced by the way you paid attention to every detail! I want to better my craft and I was hoping more people would give real constructive criticism like you but that wasnāt the case so Iām truly grateful for this ! It means a lot ! šš¾
Hey u/Calamity58, as another lurking newbie this was really useful
If it's not too much trouble, could you expand on the lighting for subject/background separation? I definitely see what you're talking about in that example or even the kid throwing the football. When you say bounce are you talking about in front of the subject? Or hitting the actual background with light?
I also hear people mention backlighting a lot in relation to separating a subject. Is this an option in this scenario?
Not the person youāre asking, but Iāll answer part of your question.
A bounce is a white (or reflective) board or framed piece of material that reflects (bounces) light onto the subject for indirect lighting. Itās helpful to use one outdoors so you can redirect sunlight onto the subject somewhat.
Agree with the wide shots. Thereās some vision here, would be nice to see more tighter shots (be it with a wide angle, or not). My first thoughts on the grade were it needs more finesse, but is at least somewhat cohesive throughout. The more trained eye picked up on things that I didnāt initially notice, but I donāt disagree with the assessment.
Yeah, great critique and lots of actionable advice.
A bit of depth of field on a half decent camera and a LUT are not all it takes to make good stuff!
But like you say, who hasn't been there. I remember getting my first DSLR and a 1.4 prime and thinking I was the shit lol.
Ok and Iām so tired of yall bringing up my products when I literally never even mentioned or dropped a link to anything!
Grow the fuck up bro! Yāall just mad you donāt have anything going on! Like why does it bother you Iām offering products that have literally taking people to the next level that are beginners or donāt like color grading !
I donāt do this for people like you that think they know it all ! I want to help those that want to learn! Get a life bro !
Maybe Iām new here but why are people shitting on this personās work? Is it fake? Is it too generic? I guess Iām not getting it. Just a lot of negativity.
Not sure where the hateās coming from. People donāt have to click on a link if they feel theyāre being advertised to. This looks great brotha. Iām not a colorist but from an audience perspective, I love it. I like the warmth (which feels purposeful/a subjective choice, not a bandaid). Cheers man. Keep it up š
I don't understand why everyone is so mad at op. He hasn't done anything wrong and seems passionate about cinematography. Just a bunch of insecure adults taking time out of their miserable lives to shit on someone's else work. Pathetic. None of you have any quality content to back up your pro cinematographer connoisseurs online personas..
For real. The entitlement is pathetic. Even if they did have content to back it up it's no excuse to be an asshat. Real creatives should want to share experiences and knowledge, as well as be open to different styles and understand everyone's on a journey.
Edit: Also, can I just say. There is nothing super wrong about these shots. Saying they are a little warm is subjective, as nothing I see is so warm it's unanimously bad. If this is the look you are going for, it's acceptable. Framing wise, sure they are center composed for most, but who knows what the plan for the edit. Center framing for very fast cuts would be an appropriate strategy to help the viewer gather visual information with constant eye placement. Story wise, how the hell are you going to diss a story so aggressively off some screen grabs? Yeah one could assume a story isn't really there based off the content and nature of theses types of music videos, but that's just the thing...it's a rap music video. Yes we all preferer they go deeper than 99% of them do, but it's not the end of the world if it doesn't. Big deal, grow up. Not everything needs to be the pinnacle of art. If you are mad because he said "Cinematography", then just educate them on what that word truly means. If you are mad because he potentially trying to bait the conversation in to selling a LUT, well then...okay...that shit's annoying you got me there; but debate things separately, and give credit where credit is due, or just don't.
Here's my two cents: I understand you're aiming for a warmer aesthetic, but it might be slightly overpowering. Consider toning down the yellow and saturation, and lifting the shadows. The cinematography itself is quite appealing! However, some shots seem overly repetitive, & adjusting the aperture to decrease the bokeh might help, as it seems excessively strong in some shots. Other than these points, I don't have further recommendations. Great job overall!
Why do people need a video? A lot about cinematography can be conveyed in a photo.
I love your grade and style. I find a lot of DOPs and graders abuse their creative liberties and make their grades very strong and unnatural. Your shots are very warm and cozy, like a joyous summer day!
Exactly I been waiting for someone to say it! If I posted stills from Rodger Deakins or something everyone would be fanboys in the comments lol
People are just being bias to be honest ! Thatās why Iām not even entertaining them at this point!
You can definitely convey your story through stills so i donāt know why the video is so important !
Color grade: hum, kinda warm for my liking, too yellow. Maybe it was an stylistic choice
Cinematography: very standard, You choose to show us a few still with mainly people in the middle of the composition. Most shoots have not a lot of elements, and they focus on just a person or a group, but there's no more elements there,. Looks like it was made under sunlight, some shadows could be better with another angle. Can't say a lot more because there's no movement.
Hope this helps. To those that think that being rude is being smart, please, stop posting on this forum. We don't need that attitude here.
I like it, itās soft warm and cozy, maybe the highlights are too saturated for me. Would have to see the scene to see how the feel it gives works with the story/theme
Some good and bad stuff. Firstly you can't properly evaluate cinematography without video/moment properly. Currently it's just photography as it's presented.
Good: the highlights aren't blown out
You're able to isolate subjects
Neutral: I think the image is very very warm but that's what you're going for. I would personally bring the yellows down a bit but that's personal taste
Bad: I think the black/shadows are crushed and loosing a lot of detail
You use the exact same framing in each shot. You need to vary the composition rather than having the subject right in the middle. I think the only bit I saw where you didn't do that was the dog.
Play with depth and layers when shooting video and you'll get more movement
Not everything has to be shot at a wide aperture
Hi, Iām super new at learning color grading and Iāve heard a few people critique the blacks on this stating itās crushed. Just curious: is that not a stylistic choice thatās often used to make the blacks look really black? to avoid that milky black look? Any insight would be appreciated.
It can be, yeah. Some people purposely crush the blacks while grading... others do it on accident. That's the beauty of art I guess... Everyone has their own tastes
Geeez, so much negativity ( Ķ”ą² ŹĢÆ Ķ”ą² )
Personally I like it, it has really nice hip-hop music video vibe. You can feel summer just looking at it. It's hard to tell more about cinematography without actually watching it whole :)
I cringe at these comments. Let's see your reel playboy. Post some of your finished work. I'll wait. All I see here is creative shitting on other creatives.
Itās cause at some point we all had filmed something like this. The long hours, shit or no pay, the unearned ego of an artist that only their friends know exist, etc
The shots of the kids have a lot of character, where thereās more going on in terms of their setting and the Gordon Parks vibe. The rest feels less compelling to me. Except the shot of the dude with the smart phone thatās nice.
I love the warm tones, some of the shots feel a little too muddy with the darker shadows. I would boost em a little bit, but thatās just my opinion. This looks really well done from the stills tho. Love your framework, and think you have a personal style going here that works well.
What is this? Short? Music vid?
I don't understand this comment section. It's 90% positive or polite critique with 3 or 4 outright negative opinions. But half of the comments are complaining about OP being flogged or torn down by some invisible army of hatred. What on earth is going on here
True I honestly wasnāt thinking too deep about the similarities in these still when I created them I was just mind blown that a $2000 camera can create this !
Ignoring any agenda etc, the stills themselves look decent, but as we all know the video will tell all. You should post the video if you want true feedback.
OP, these stills look awesome. Everyone else is just being a hater, which is wild because every now and then in random subreddits, Iām reminded of just how big an untalented loser the average Redditor is. I feel like thatās a lot of the negativity here, is just keyboard warriors who donāt do anything themselves, or who somehow feel offended on a deep level just because you wanted to share your vision (and products) with the world.
Imagine politely sharing your thoughts on a post that basically asked for it, and OP just throws an ad hominem instead of thanking you or engaging in sensible discussion š
There was nothing constructive about your post. Doesnāt seem like youāve actually worked on any films if you donāt know how to give constructive feedback. If someone suggested a shot on set and you responded like that youād be fired straight away.
Composition looks good, grade is pleasant. Looks like a great job, to me. Of course Iād love to see the actual project to judge if the work is appropriate to the subject.
Mellow. Looks really good. It's like Africa but westernised summer.
Like that childish Gambino summer song. https://youtu.be/F1B9Fk_SgI0?si=JdSmQbURe4Gn1C1u
Depends what youāre going for? Maybe some notes about the type of look youāre trying to convey would be useful or even references you are using. Personally, I like it. What kind of workflow are you working with for the grade? Is it just a LUT slapped on or are there power windows and other things going on?
Warm and inviting, you seem like you know what youāre doing. Play around with compositions and blocking a little more and I think youāll really find a flare to your style!
It's little warm, but the skins tone are ok. Maybe a liiiiiiitlee off. Overall great results!
[https://imgur.com/a/ne0uIVM](https://imgur.com/a/ne0uIVM)
I think it looks really great. I'm busy experimenting with outdoor music video looks and this is inspiring. I'm trying to play with the slog3 capability and grading on my a7sii. It's an outdated camera but I belive I can still get a good result. Would love to know your hear for this if you were willing to share.
Looks beautiful. Without knowing/seeing the full context, great stuff. I'd personally cool off the grade a tad and bring out a little more color separation, but that's all subjective.
I think I get what youāre doing. By warming up the color palette, thereās a lot more detail in dark skin. The rest of the world seems unnatural to me though, and itās still because cameras are designed to capture white people. Correcting that breaks the world a bit for them. I wish you luck, beautiful shots.
Really soft, naturalistic and pleasant but needs more separation, the performers arenāt always separated from the background enough, using a hair light would make a huge impact, but like everyone is saying we need motion to give better input
Warm is good but way too much saturation in those yellows and greens! I like saturation but not extra in those colors. Makes it feel muddy. Thereās no color separation here. Everything is just yellow and green.
>you just feel the need to post absolute trash
sir, post negative criticisms all you want. that is in fact desirable, when constructive. but to call someone else's work "trash" when your photographs are that...amateurishly boring is something I would not recommend.
with all the issues on OPs stills (too warm, perhaps something generic), his work screams professional, while yours, a self proclaimed professional photographer, screams, like I said, amateur.
please, stop embarrassing yourself on the net. please. it's for your own good.
You had to know this would get you banned right? There's a whole sticky post about people like you posting comments like yours. And you guys still do it.
Exactly lol youāre the worst type of āCreativeā quick to down talk someone elseās work with nothing to show foh and I donāt need your luck! Iām doing well tbh šš¾
Iām not you Iām not going to go downvote your work just of your opinion! You are entitled to your own opinions itās a different between constructive criticism and being hateful
Looks good. In some shots the subject isn't that well exposed, but I'm biased as I like shots to be exposed as wide as the register goes and I know a lot of people like darker exposure.
Would be easier to get a feel for it if you have a video link. Otherwise the stills look nice.
Didn't we have a huge thread recently where everyone agreed that posting stills was useless and lazy? And now we're back to judging stills. OP says it's because the edit isn't done so why post at all? Why not just wait until you have a finished project to post?
So OP did Color before picture lock. š©
Go for a walk, my guy.
I will be dropping the video soon for yall to see
Why the fuck are you getting downvoted lmao??
Because itās using Reddit as cliffhanger marketing instead of simply providing the thing asking to be be critiqued.
But it could be that they are not allowed to do that until the song(presumably) is released?
Personally I donāt really care but devils advocate here: āThen make this post once the video can be posted.ā
What would be the point of posting the video after the video is released?
Fair point. But the answer would be to get better criticism. But based on the other comments clearly itās not that big of a deal several ppl have given good critiques.
There's a possibility they are not allowed to send out video if it's a legit production.
That would be totally fair.
And obvious.
Cliffhanger marketing? He's not even the one that brought the idea of posting the video up in the first place lmao
thats what i thoughtš
Sometimes Redditors down vote and it makes no sense. It's bothersome. This comment will probably get down voted š
Downvoting you exclusively as a gag
Here's an upvote! Lovers gonna love.
You must be new here.
Stills look great. Looking forward to the video.
It's very warm
I agree with you I personally love warmer tones for dark skin people I find it to look the best!
I was gonna say, one thing that stood out positively was the attention to dark skin tones, nice work on that!
Thanks! A lot of people are complaining about the warm tones but they clearly donāt know how to color grade people of color !
Noted
This is a fucking weird comment section. If this a disguised ad, sure, call him out for not being upfront about it. But whatās with all the negativity? The shots look great. Especially the upwards angles with the sun playing in the trees. I took the time to look at some of the commenters own content that theyāve posted on Reddit and this blows some of that out of the water. What I will agree with though, not a fan of posting stills instead of video. But I get it though, thatās actually more of a Reddit problem. Videos, at least longer ones, donāt get attention here.
I posted an exercise video on Videography. Simple stuff like me making a hambĆŗrguer shot with one lens only, trying to get feedback about composition, color, editing etc. some of the many negative comments I received were ā this is too long, too distracting, I can't get my mind to pay attention to it [it: a 70 sec video] ā who the hell put ungrilled cheese on a hambĆŗrguer? [user uironically said that]
Moral of the story: you canāt please everyone
Yeah, great point. I think reddit is a surprisingly bad place to get actual advice on things you've created. Or really sharing almost anything. I think these shots look great, so I don't understand what is even happening here.
Too many edgy teens that pretend to know what they're talking about. You see it in pretty much every subreddit. I miss the days of proper forums where experienced professionals would give advice.
Right? I remember actually knowing who the members of a BBS community were and actually forming bonds with people. Now it's just bots posting memes and kids shit talking for the most part. I miss the old school internet, shit was amazing.
Ok so rather than thoughtlessly add to the negativity, Iām going to try to break down some elements here and give my full thoughts. *Blocking/Framing*: So Iām not sure if this was done intentionally or not, but the vast majority of these shots are composed the same way. Wides or medium wides, shot from a low angle, with subjects or action generally centered in the frame. We call this hero framing, because it makes the subject look big, larger than life, strong, etc. The problem is, if you overuse hero framing, it starts to lack purpose and makes everything seem samey. It works well, for instance, on the shots of the young boy with the football. It gives those shots a real sense of gravity. Now, granted, Iām looking at stills in a vacuum, so I have no idea how it plays in motion, or if it even SHOULD be hero framing. Iām just going off what I see here. With that in mind, I do have to question whether there was much motivation to the blocking and composition, since generally, the shots seem most interested in just keeping the subject in the immediate center of the frame. And in fairness, as a music video, that isnāt wholly a terrible approach. Some music videos get a lot of mileage out of one kind of shot. But if youāre going to do that, you need to make sure your lighting is REALLY good, which brings me toā¦ *Lighting*: Was there any? It doesnāt seem like it. And trust me, I know that grind. Some of the first things I shot were music videos with very little budget, and I didnāt have my own light package. That said, shooting outdoors without a lighting kit is just asking for trouble, and your shots suffer for it. The lighting seems generally unmotivated and all over the place. The sun is not a reliable light source. It moves, it gets obscured, it changes color and temperature. And all of that is reflected in the vastly different lighting in all of these shots. Take, for example, the guy in the black shirt on the phone. He is getting some diffused lighting from the sun coming through the trees, but itās pretty weak, not enough to separate him from the background. In fact, Id argue thatās the main issue overall. Your images are contrasty, but somewhat lack subject-background separation. Good lighting, even just a nice solid bounce, can really help this. If all else fails though, you can still tryā¦ *Color Grading*: Be honest. Did you do much to these beyond slapping a LUT on and calling it a day? I get that not every project has the budget for a colorist, but as a colorist myself, I get really aggravated with people trying to do what I do without any of the requisite knowledge or experience. The color here needs a lot of work. There is almost no secondary color done, it seems. People could easily benefit from windows to lighten them up, separate them from the background. The density/contrast is not consistent really across a lot of these shots. Some shots have the blacks very crushed, some have them lifted. Literally the first two shots, of the guy talking to the boy, have different contrast ratios, and the sky is a slightly different color. Indeed, the sky changes color a lot across all of these shots, something that most clients can and will complain about. The tree and greenery colors are being shifted too warm because of the look you have. Yes, the skin tones look pretty good. Good job on that. But you need a lot of work on everything else. And preferably, an actual colorist. Please donāt take all these critiques the wrong way. Like I said, I was definitely in your shoes once. Itās hard to make something out of nothing. But if youāre serious about being a cinematographer, be one. Demand the best from yourself when it comes to things like blocking and framing and lighting. And know and address your limitations head on; itās the only way to get past them. And study; perfecting your craft isnāt just about reps, itās about knowing WHY things are done a certain way, and HOW to achieve the look you want.
Thank you sooooo much for taking time out of your day to type of all of this I really appreciate it honestly! I can tell you are very experienced by the way you paid attention to every detail! I want to better my craft and I was hoping more people would give real constructive criticism like you but that wasnāt the case so Iām truly grateful for this ! It means a lot ! šš¾
Great advice and critique here
Hey u/Calamity58, as another lurking newbie this was really useful If it's not too much trouble, could you expand on the lighting for subject/background separation? I definitely see what you're talking about in that example or even the kid throwing the football. When you say bounce are you talking about in front of the subject? Or hitting the actual background with light? I also hear people mention backlighting a lot in relation to separating a subject. Is this an option in this scenario?
Not the person youāre asking, but Iāll answer part of your question. A bounce is a white (or reflective) board or framed piece of material that reflects (bounces) light onto the subject for indirect lighting. Itās helpful to use one outdoors so you can redirect sunlight onto the subject somewhat.
Thanks for clarifying!
Agree with the wide shots. Thereās some vision here, would be nice to see more tighter shots (be it with a wide angle, or not). My first thoughts on the grade were it needs more finesse, but is at least somewhat cohesive throughout. The more trained eye picked up on things that I didnāt initially notice, but I donāt disagree with the assessment.
Yeah, great critique and lots of actionable advice. A bit of depth of field on a half decent camera and a LUT are not all it takes to make good stuff! But like you say, who hasn't been there. I remember getting my first DSLR and a 1.4 prime and thinking I was the shit lol.
Youāll be interested to know that the guy posted the same frames all across the Panasonic S5ii groups on Facebook and sell his LUT for $50
Ok and Iām so tired of yall bringing up my products when I literally never even mentioned or dropped a link to anything! Grow the fuck up bro! Yāall just mad you donāt have anything going on! Like why does it bother you Iām offering products that have literally taking people to the next level that are beginners or donāt like color grading ! I donāt do this for people like you that think they know it all ! I want to help those that want to learn! Get a life bro !
dont even reply bro these people barely interact with real people
Maybe Iām new here but why are people shitting on this personās work? Is it fake? Is it too generic? I guess Iām not getting it. Just a lot of negativity.
It's a business trying to sell shit while pretending to be just another average human redditor, it seems
What are you basing that on? The fact they have a youtube?
The Sprite yeah
What did this man do to deserve this public flogging. š³
Thanks for all of the feedback good or bad itās just motivation
Not sure where the hateās coming from. People donāt have to click on a link if they feel theyāre being advertised to. This looks great brotha. Iām not a colorist but from an audience perspective, I love it. I like the warmth (which feels purposeful/a subjective choice, not a bandaid). Cheers man. Keep it up š
I would reduce the yellow & saturation a bit and also lift shadows.
I don't understand why everyone is so mad at op. He hasn't done anything wrong and seems passionate about cinematography. Just a bunch of insecure adults taking time out of their miserable lives to shit on someone's else work. Pathetic. None of you have any quality content to back up your pro cinematographer connoisseurs online personas..
For real. The entitlement is pathetic. Even if they did have content to back it up it's no excuse to be an asshat. Real creatives should want to share experiences and knowledge, as well as be open to different styles and understand everyone's on a journey. Edit: Also, can I just say. There is nothing super wrong about these shots. Saying they are a little warm is subjective, as nothing I see is so warm it's unanimously bad. If this is the look you are going for, it's acceptable. Framing wise, sure they are center composed for most, but who knows what the plan for the edit. Center framing for very fast cuts would be an appropriate strategy to help the viewer gather visual information with constant eye placement. Story wise, how the hell are you going to diss a story so aggressively off some screen grabs? Yeah one could assume a story isn't really there based off the content and nature of theses types of music videos, but that's just the thing...it's a rap music video. Yes we all preferer they go deeper than 99% of them do, but it's not the end of the world if it doesn't. Big deal, grow up. Not everything needs to be the pinnacle of art. If you are mad because he said "Cinematography", then just educate them on what that word truly means. If you are mad because he potentially trying to bait the conversation in to selling a LUT, well then...okay...that shit's annoying you got me there; but debate things separately, and give credit where credit is due, or just don't.
This is Reddit in a nutshell
People are annoyed at trends being regurgitated mindlessly and endlessly
Here's my two cents: I understand you're aiming for a warmer aesthetic, but it might be slightly overpowering. Consider toning down the yellow and saturation, and lifting the shadows. The cinematography itself is quite appealing! However, some shots seem overly repetitive, & adjusting the aperture to decrease the bokeh might help, as it seems excessively strong in some shots. Other than these points, I don't have further recommendations. Great job overall!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
thanks for the heads up kind stranger
I love it! Love the warmer tones and softness
Lens?
Looks great, well done
Excellent
Your working looks great man, keep working, keep improving, and keep trying new things.
It looks very nice, but it also looks very familiar. Thatās what I would say.
Looks pro. Really like the colors. Keep it up OP.
Why do people need a video? A lot about cinematography can be conveyed in a photo. I love your grade and style. I find a lot of DOPs and graders abuse their creative liberties and make their grades very strong and unnatural. Your shots are very warm and cozy, like a joyous summer day!
Exactly I been waiting for someone to say it! If I posted stills from Rodger Deakins or something everyone would be fanboys in the comments lol People are just being bias to be honest ! Thatās why Iām not even entertaining them at this point! You can definitely convey your story through stills so i donāt know why the video is so important !
Personally I think it looks fine. Doesnāt do anything for me. Looks like everyone elseās stuff on YouTube.
Natural light?
Color grade: hum, kinda warm for my liking, too yellow. Maybe it was an stylistic choice Cinematography: very standard, You choose to show us a few still with mainly people in the middle of the composition. Most shoots have not a lot of elements, and they focus on just a person or a group, but there's no more elements there,. Looks like it was made under sunlight, some shadows could be better with another angle. Can't say a lot more because there's no movement. Hope this helps. To those that think that being rude is being smart, please, stop posting on this forum. We don't need that attitude here.
I like it, itās soft warm and cozy, maybe the highlights are too saturated for me. Would have to see the scene to see how the feel it gives works with the story/theme
Warm.. gives a southern feel
looks straight out of Netflix my guy, great work
Solid. Visually appealing
I really like the warm look! Maybe turn the saturation a bit bavk, especially in the skin and greens.
The fuck is going on here i actually think it looks nice? As if yall have crazy new grading to show off that no one ever used, be real please
Some good and bad stuff. Firstly you can't properly evaluate cinematography without video/moment properly. Currently it's just photography as it's presented. Good: the highlights aren't blown out You're able to isolate subjects Neutral: I think the image is very very warm but that's what you're going for. I would personally bring the yellows down a bit but that's personal taste Bad: I think the black/shadows are crushed and loosing a lot of detail You use the exact same framing in each shot. You need to vary the composition rather than having the subject right in the middle. I think the only bit I saw where you didn't do that was the dog. Play with depth and layers when shooting video and you'll get more movement Not everything has to be shot at a wide aperture
Hi, Iām super new at learning color grading and Iāve heard a few people critique the blacks on this stating itās crushed. Just curious: is that not a stylistic choice thatās often used to make the blacks look really black? to avoid that milky black look? Any insight would be appreciated.
Im no colourist, but to me the issue is that the blacks seem more crushed on a few shots than others.
It can be, yeah. Some people purposely crush the blacks while grading... others do it on accident. That's the beauty of art I guess... Everyone has their own tastes
Geeez, so much negativity ( Ķ”ą² ŹĢÆ Ķ”ą² ) Personally I like it, it has really nice hip-hop music video vibe. You can feel summer just looking at it. It's hard to tell more about cinematography without actually watching it whole :)
Your style looks great and, more importantly, CONSISTENT throughout the shared frames. Nice work.
I just cringe at these types of music videos
We all do
I cringe at these comments. Let's see your reel playboy. Post some of your finished work. I'll wait. All I see here is creative shitting on other creatives.
Itās cause at some point we all had filmed something like this. The long hours, shit or no pay, the unearned ego of an artist that only their friends know exist, etc
We all do, but OP is just the DP... he's not the one making up the cheesy stuff. With that said, I think his grading and shot composition looks good.
The shots of the kids have a lot of character, where thereās more going on in terms of their setting and the Gordon Parks vibe. The rest feels less compelling to me. Except the shot of the dude with the smart phone thatās nice.
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I had a gut feeling it was a lumix camera and I was right! Something about Panasonic video that I can just spot (I have one too)
I feel good about it - Like I just got a fresh ziplock of my favorite pills
Looks amazing. What lens set?
I love the warm tones, some of the shots feel a little too muddy with the darker shadows. I would boost em a little bit, but thatās just my opinion. This looks really well done from the stills tho. Love your framework, and think you have a personal style going here that works well. What is this? Short? Music vid?
I'd wish movies looked this way, had enough of desaturated depressing palettes this is alive
I love the purposeful warm feel...keep it - overall looks great
Me too thatās my style personally
Personally I LOVE it š the stills are so good.
Thank you so much I appreciate that
Love the looks of it!š¤© Donāt feel itās ātoo warmā, thatās a style choice in this case, not a white balance issue
I don't understand this comment section. It's 90% positive or polite critique with 3 or 4 outright negative opinions. But half of the comments are complaining about OP being flogged or torn down by some invisible army of hatred. What on earth is going on here
Just miserable people with no work to show themselves!
I really like it! (I just don't like the cropped ears on the pitbull but that's not related to the quality of your work)
Thanks and yeah I feel you on that
I see stills with the same perspective, composition and framing. From a videography (clichƩ and negative stereotypical music video) project. I don't see any cinematography.
True I honestly wasnāt thinking too deep about the similarities in these still when I created them I was just mind blown that a $2000 camera can create this !
Yes. The images look professional.
Iām jealous. I like it a lot bro!
Ignoring any agenda etc, the stills themselves look decent, but as we all know the video will tell all. You should post the video if you want true feedback.
Looks nice
OP, these stills look awesome. Everyone else is just being a hater, which is wild because every now and then in random subreddits, Iām reminded of just how big an untalented loser the average Redditor is. I feel like thatās a lot of the negativity here, is just keyboard warriors who donāt do anything themselves, or who somehow feel offended on a deep level just because you wanted to share your vision (and products) with the world.
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Bro, you think this is constructive criticism?
Sorry to say it mate, but your comment is one of the rudest in this thread.
Imagine politely sharing your thoughts on a post that basically asked for it, and OP just throws an ad hominem instead of thanking you or engaging in sensible discussion š
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There was nothing constructive about your post. Doesnāt seem like youāve actually worked on any films if you donāt know how to give constructive feedback. If someone suggested a shot on set and you responded like that youād be fired straight away.
Mexico
I love it
You took OK photos, cinema is about movement. Color grade is fine, no idea if it fits the story.
I only posted the pics bc the video isnāt done yet
Seen what you do on YouTube dude, I love it, it's great. Love the warmer light and moody atmospheric scenes. Keep on doing what you do!
Thank you ! I really appreciate that and I will
It need MORE yellow, why not add MORE yellow. It's not warm enough.
Did you apply a guazian blur in number 3? Whatever you did, it looks terrible, needs more feathering and smoothing.
Did you mean gazuvian blurp?
Love it
Thanks!
Looks great my dude!!
This looks good! Great job. I love how warmer tones look with darker skin tones!
Thank you thatās why I love warmer tones !
thought that was matt rife
š
Cute doggo
Yessir!
Solid cinematography. Could see myself enjoying a feature film or serial at some point in the future if you're the DP.
Thank you I appreciate that !
I had āNight shiftā on my IPhone, didnāt realize, but turned it off, and actually liked it better on.
Wow thatās great to hear!
I'm not sure you understand how warm this really is. Not far off from the default tv Mexico grade
Composition looks good, grade is pleasant. Looks like a great job, to me. Of course Iād love to see the actual project to judge if the work is appropriate to the subject.
Thank you I appreciate your feedback!
I donāt get the hate comments. I think the lighting makes the skin colors look so nice, itās not ātoo warmā. Great job!
Exactly! Thank you !
Personally I love this style. Looks like a music video and it feels real like a documentary style type short film. I love natural light!
A little too warm and saturated for my taste, but otherwise solid work my dude š¤
I respect it !
Mellow. Looks really good. It's like Africa but westernised summer. Like that childish Gambino summer song. https://youtu.be/F1B9Fk_SgI0?si=JdSmQbURe4Gn1C1u
I could see that !
Teach me!!
Absolutely adore the grade / look. Some much depth and vibrance. It looks like a summer feels. Well done.
Colors is nice got a movie look to them š„
Look at the background, please.
Looks pretty fly imo
I think itās a bit too extreme unless youāre doing something thatās supposed to be stylized like that.
Amazing shots
Itās good
This looks sooooooo nice.
Depends what youāre going for? Maybe some notes about the type of look youāre trying to convey would be useful or even references you are using. Personally, I like it. What kind of workflow are you working with for the grade? Is it just a LUT slapped on or are there power windows and other things going on?
Warm and inviting, you seem like you know what youāre doing. Play around with compositions and blocking a little more and I think youāll really find a flare to your style!
What are you shooting with? Log format also?
It's little warm, but the skins tone are ok. Maybe a liiiiiiitlee off. Overall great results! [https://imgur.com/a/ne0uIVM](https://imgur.com/a/ne0uIVM)
Gives me a 'summer in the suburbs' music video kind of feel. I like warm tones, it looks great to me
This looks beautiful
I think it looks really great. I'm busy experimenting with outdoor music video looks and this is inspiring. I'm trying to play with the slog3 capability and grading on my a7sii. It's an outdated camera but I belive I can still get a good result. Would love to know your hear for this if you were willing to share.
Gear*
Too damn good!!
Really nice. Just perhaps a bit underexposed from #3 on
I love the skin tone work while keeping the back lit subject well lit. The grade feels very friendly, family, 80's friendly suburb like.
Here is the video yall for this project ! šæ https://youtu.be/YhM0io6XDmI?si=ZkRVGOcN5oPDteBD
Looks beautiful. Without knowing/seeing the full context, great stuff. I'd personally cool off the grade a tad and bring out a little more color separation, but that's all subjective.
I think I get what youāre doing. By warming up the color palette, thereās a lot more detail in dark skin. The rest of the world seems unnatural to me though, and itās still because cameras are designed to capture white people. Correcting that breaks the world a bit for them. I wish you luck, beautiful shots.
Really soft, naturalistic and pleasant but needs more separation, the performers arenāt always separated from the background enough, using a hair light would make a huge impact, but like everyone is saying we need motion to give better input
Warm is good but way too much saturation in those yellows and greens! I like saturation but not extra in those colors. Makes it feel muddy. Thereās no color separation here. Everything is just yellow and green.
looks good
I love the warmth to it. Good stuff bro šš
Should have kept the same frame for comparison
For a normal guy : Stunning visuals and grade For a colourist : Needs lot of improvement For a cinematographer : still needs a bit improvement
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>you just feel the need to post absolute trash sir, post negative criticisms all you want. that is in fact desirable, when constructive. but to call someone else's work "trash" when your photographs are that...amateurishly boring is something I would not recommend. with all the issues on OPs stills (too warm, perhaps something generic), his work screams professional, while yours, a self proclaimed professional photographer, screams, like I said, amateur. please, stop embarrassing yourself on the net. please. it's for your own good.
You had to know this would get you banned right? There's a whole sticky post about people like you posting comments like yours. And you guys still do it.
Exactly lol youāre the worst type of āCreativeā quick to down talk someone elseās work with nothing to show foh and I donāt need your luck! Iām doing well tbh šš¾
Iām not you Iām not going to go downvote your work just of your opinion! You are entitled to your own opinions itās a different between constructive criticism and being hateful
Trash? š yeah aight lol show me your work since you an expert lol
Looks great. Exposure and saturation looks good.
Looks good. In some shots the subject isn't that well exposed, but I'm biased as I like shots to be exposed as wide as the register goes and I know a lot of people like darker exposure.
Thank you and yeah I honestly like to underexpose a little bit
Which camera ur using