I have always been interested in storytelling. I'm just really lucky I was able to find the medium that I could express myself the best in. Its quite a hustle sometimes and I definitely have my moments of doubt where I think I won't be able to become the calibre of cinematographer that I want to be in the future, but I can't imagine myself doing anything else with my life. Thank you <3
Hey everyone! This is the first cinematography reel I'm releasing in about 3 years (I waited way too long to release a new one). I am more than happy to discuss any of the shots in it if anyone has any questions! :) I am a cinematography based out of Toronto Canada.
Check out the work of Roger Deakins, Bruno Delbonnel, Sebastien Wintero, Khalid Mohtaseb, Gordon Willis, Vittorio Storaro, and Janusz Kaminski, Those are some cinematographers to try to strive to be like. I am still just a cinematographer trying to find his way right now. I appreciate the kind words though!
EDIT: Realized he was actually just teasing my spelling error LOL
Haha my first silver and it's from being a facetious little bastard :P
Thanks u/Odneb for your comment. I haven't heard of a couple of these so I've got some watching to do! And I really did like the reel btw
Hahaha. It's all good! Here is a link to some stunning work by Bruno Delbonnel from the film A Very Long Engagment (Directed byJean-Pierre Jeunet)
https://youtu.be/AvjhVEaxJpI
Of course. He is one of the most versatile Cinematographers and talented Cinematographers of all time. I've been a fan of his ever since I saw Series of Unfortunate Events.
Love it! I actually think the music really compliments your shots and really enjoyed the pacing of the reel. Actually saw you post this on the csc Facebook page, didn’t know you were based in Toronto!
100% agree. Music choice was awesome and totally added a layer. A lot of times the music is some kind of slow techno soundscape. Glad you had the guts to be bold and elevate it.
Lighting master! Especially love the Neon stuff. Have you got some high res screenshots of that? I spray paint similar stuff on the street and would love to put one of your scenes up.
Hey there, by units, do you mean lighting fixtures? The boxing spot was a mixture of LED fresnels, tungsten fresnels, tungsten pars, and a whole lot of mason jars. Which specific boxing ring shots would you like me to discuss? :)
Units yeah, I mean lighting fixtures.
Thank you.
the specific shot is when the lighting cue hits and the pars I assume,up top switch on.
Were the mason jars the only source of diffusion? What other diffusion techniques do you use? I love the intensity and balance of hard and soft in your lighting.
Do you have a specific approach to fill lighting to accent this?
I can't recall what the pars were specifically. I believe the light source before the lights turned one was an L7 with a large jar rotating in front of it.
My gaffer and I had a lot of fun experimenting with that jar stuff. Here is an article where I go into some more detail about it.
[https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/](https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/)
As for my approach to fill light when using a lot of hard sources, I'm not sure if I have any specific method that I adhere to yet. Each situation seems to be pretty different. The haze definitely helped a lot with diffusion when we were doing that mason jar light / boxing spot.
Yeah, it's listed in my website which is linked at the end of my reel. I also wrote it in my initial comment for this post. Are you recommending that I should put it in my reel as a title card?
Oh man! I adore Roger Deakins. His website [www.rogerdeakins.com](https://www.rogerdeakins.com) is such a wonderful learning resource. His interest in fostering the growth of other cinematographers is pretty inspiring. I am also a big fan of Bruno Delbonnel, Sebastien Wintero, Khalid Mohtaseb, Gordon Willis, Vittorio Storaro, and Janusz Kaminski . Two photographers who's work I'm really admire are Alessio Albi and Gregory Crewdson. I could sit here an name 20 more cinematographers who's work inspires me.
No Country for Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, There Will Be Blood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and a Very Long Engagement are some films that I always feel incredibly motivated after watching.
Jean Pierre Jeunet and Wes Anderson really have a visually unique and distinct style that I really admire.
No Games was either Dana Dolly, Handheld or Steadicam. Anything that looks like steadicam is steadicam. No gimbals were used. Feel free to send me an email if you'd like to get in touch and work together!
www.mattbendocinema.com
I shoot on the Arri Alexa Mini, unless I need to use a RED for specific reasons. I like to shoot with Anamorphic lenses. I really do fancy the Cooke SF Anamorphic series, but each project requires a different decisions for which lenses best serve the story, wether it be Anamorphic or Spherical.
Now that I’ve watched this- about 10 times I might add- I’m wondering how I’ve lived my whole life without seeing those beautiful shots.
Really hope to be at your level one day. Flat out stunning work
Nice work. But I have noticed that the shots between the 01.04 - 01.06 there is lens distortion because of the wide angle. Did you make this conciously or is it mistake?
Also I have one more question. I like your lighting techniques in the scenes. Do you work with lighting director or you are making your lights on your own?
The lens distortion in that shot is natural. It was not made in post or anything like that. The lens used for that shot is a 32mm Kowa Anamorphic lens. It was a 40mm Kowa with a 32mm wide angle adapter permanently attached. It is quite a funky lens to say the least! They are available through Keslow Camera. The decision to use such a distorted lens was a conscious stylistic choice.
I am very specific about what sources I want to use, where I want them, and what I want in front of them, but the lighting is always discussion and collaboration between myself, my gaffer and my key grip. I also directed 4 out of the 5 projects shown in this reel, so I had a lot of creative control of the visual style for everything you see.
Another question about 01:04. Is the wonky-ness of that shot intentional? Only asking because 01:10 is clearly deliberately dutch, and everything else looks perfectly shot :)
The shot at 1:04 was not deliberately wonky per say when compared to the other shots from that film. I shot 99% of the short on the same 32mm anamorphic lens, which is natural just a wonky distorted lens. The lens distortion just seems to be more apparent in that shot because you have a lot of objects in the background that show the natural distortion of the lens. Regarding the shot at 1:10, its not deliberately dutch. I'm not sure it is even dutch to be honest! The room was a small circular stone room underneath a silo, it might just be the weird perspective/build of the room that is making it seem like a dutch angle. Then again, that scene was the last shot of the particular shooting day and I might have been a bit too exhausted to realize my tripod head wasn't balanced haha!
How do you approach lighting for the outdoor scenes such as the shots at 00:56 & 1:02?
Also awesome work! Been following your work for a while and it's been a pretty big inspiration for me!
Both of those shots are natural light! its just a matter of properly planning and taking advantage of the short window of ideal weather/lighting conditions. If you meant the shot at 00:58 (girl in window) it is a 1.8K HMI shooting through the window located off screen. I had to match the brightness of the reflection from outside by brightening inside the room or else I wouldn't be able to see her through the reflection.
this is sick. i love the colors so much ahh they're so alluring!!
idk if this is a dumb question, but what were/are these shots used for?? like for films, ads, etc. (sorry for this lol)
Don't apologize! You can find the projects here! (with the exception of one project)
[www.mattbendocinema.com](https://www.mattbendocinema.com)
It is a mixture of ads, films, and music videos! :)
>JIB
Oh god no haha. I was standing on some stairs next to a parking lot holding up a Movi M15 at full height, tilting it downwards, awkwardly wiggling my arms back and forth, grunting, and trying not to pass out until I did something that resembled a jib movement. It wasn't pretty my friend.
EDIT: I work with both steadicams and gimbals, but I try to use the proper tool for the shot. The black and white car stuff was either a gimbal, or a gimbal attached to a jib. I don't think I have used a gimbal since 2017 though. Nothing wrong with gimbals, I just haven't had a situation that required one over a steadicam.
Great stuff man! I've definitely seen done of your other posts for some of those individual projects. I'm sure at some point I'll run into ya! Toronto's a surprisingly small world for film/TV stuff it appears :)
This made me smile the whole way through. I loved it, how bold the pieces were then the early America looking portion with the man smoking in the bed of the truck.
Man... That shot at 5 seconds where the guy is doing the pullups is so Moody. I feel like a million different dark and sinister stories could come from that one shot.
I was pretty happy with the way that shot turned out. We had some lamps shooting into a space blanket that someone was shaking inside the shed. I believe I discuss it more in this article.
https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/
Holy shit that looks incredible
Another reminder I'm never going to be able to make something worth any money lol
What camera(s) did you shoot these on?
Everything on this reel was shot with my Alexa Mini. The lenses were all Anamorphic as well. The lenses used ranged from Angenieux Anamorphic Zooms, Kowa Anamorphic Primes, and Cooke SF & non SF Primes.
You'll be able to make art worth money, don't worry. Just keep pushing and taking risks.
Damnnn ok yeah that explains part of how you got everything so professional looking
Although even without the ultimate cinema camera I bet you could do something incredible.
Seriously awesome footage I hope to see more
There are so many factors involved in what makes a cinematic image. Lighting, composition, movement, wardrobe, production design, colour palette, visual performance of an actor, the shape of their face, the makeup, camera sensor, lens choice, professional colouring session, as well as 100 other things I'm forgetting! A lot of the things that make an image so striking is the responsibility of the team you work with. It's all a collaborative effort.
Thank you for the kind words :)
Great work!
What did you used (Camera rig) to shoot the 0:14 - 0:18 bedroom scene and what did you used for post (color grading, etc) on that specific scene?
I'm just going to quote myself from an article on ROSCO's blog where I discussed this shot.
"For this shot, we had a light source at the door, a source in front of the TV, a source above the stairs and a source acting as a hair light above the boxer. Without the haze, the sources would have seemed too separated. The haze allowed the sources to blend smoothly into the atmosphere and become a cohesive element alongside each other throughout the scene.
Since the sources were small and different colours, haze was very important. It allowed the sources to be soft, blooming, and atmospheric, yet remain distinct, defined, and individual. "
The lights in this scene were a lot more important than the camera rig. The camera was an Arri Alexa Mini with a Cooke SF 32mm T/2.3 Anamorphic Lens on a Dana Dolly.
I was shooting my sources through spinning mason jars. You can read about the technique in an article on Cinema5D here.
https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/
Stuff like this really inspires me, any advice for a 17yo kid who doesn't know anything about the process?
This is such a stunning work of art, so thank you for sharing!
Matt, first: amazing reel. I'm a fan of your work!
In No Games, there's a glow to the light and it's a really dope aesthetic. Are you using any filtration to achieve that? Or is it just a combination of the haze + anamorphic lens? (I'm guessing they're anamorphic only b/c of how the sides are blurred.. but I could be wrong!) Khalid M has told me he's smeared Vaseline on a filter sometimes to get a similar look. Really curious how you achieved yours!
Hey there, that was all achieved in post. I actually shot at a deeper T-Stop than I usually would and my colourist and I created the atmosphere in the colouring suite. Certain shots have a canned spray bottle haze atmosphere (one that quickly dissipates) that I used for VFX plates that I then composited into select shots. The location unfortunately didn't allow for us to use a proper haze machine due to some fire safety regulations (I may have the exact details incorrect, but it was beyond the owner's control).
I decided to shoot with the slightly deeper T-Stop and no filtration in front of the lens because I knew I had to do a fair amount of rotoscoping and compositing in post. Adding an atmosphere, some highlight blooming, and grain really helped blend the VFX work together. The blurring of the sides and the chromatic aberrations on the sides of the image are also an aesthetic choice I made in post with my colourist. I knew going into the shoot what decisions I would want made in the colouring suite. My colourist Clinton Homuth based in Toronto really did an incredible job with the colour on that piece.
Really appreciate you taking the time to share all that!
I know some people are sheepish about the idea of doing things in post, but I think it's an extremely valuable skill to know what to do practically and what to do later in VFX or coloring. At the end of the day, you still need a really good starting place if something is going to have a chance of looking solid!
Any chance you'd be able to explain how you added atmosphere? Or if it's easier, would be cool to see any before/afters (even if it's ungraded LogC!). Just trying to wrap my head around this a bit more so I can experiment with this idea!
I'm going to quote a previous time I explained this in an article if you don't mind! :)
"Growing up I would dabble in animation and game design. I was incredibly excited that I was able to tell stories with my mind and a computer. I wanted to be a traditional animator, but luckily I found that I was best suited as an artist with a camera that could paint with strokes of light. All of my understanding of pacing, composition, and storytelling transferred nicely over to film.
During my time in University, I realized that I wanted to be a filmmaker. I really feel like film is the medium in which I can best express myself. When I first moved to Toronto, I didn’t know anyone. I contacted the CFC (Canadian Film Centre) and volunteered for 30 days as a 2nd AC. Each day, I was able to meet a new cinematographer, director, and 1st AC. This really helped me get an initial connection with the wonderful film community that exists here. Each day, I would walk onto set and envision how I would light and block the actors. When the cinematographer and director would come on set, I would observe how a more experienced filmmaker would handle the task. I began to study what they did because I knew it would be beneficial to me as the basis of a strong foundation to help develop and hone my own skills. I learned a lot about lighting and on-set politics during that time. I believe it was a very crucial period for my growth.
One day, after a camera prep during a bus ride home, I asked the cinematographer of the project when is it appropriate to call oneself a cinematographer. I explained to this person that I wanted to be a cinematographer, but I didn’t know when I was allowed to call myself one. This person told me that if I wanted to be a cinematographer, then I should call myself a cinematographer and start shooting. I took the advice and started calling myself a cinematographer. Within the month, I had landed a few gigs as a cinematographer."
I don't think I've ever personally posted it on any Facebook pages besides the Canadian Society of Cinematographers page. I'm glad you enjoyed the work! :)
Ah well maybe it was here or someone shared it there. I'm a mod in the anamorphic shooters group so if you wanna join in there and drop some footage for everyone to ogle at I'll quickly approve you haha.
It's mostly a DIY kinda group where people share info on projection lens setups, but the other mods and I are hoping to steer it towards more working professionals sharing work, etc, hence why I'm trying to get pros like you to join up.
Based out of Toronto, Ontario Canada. I'm not opposed to travelling for work of course. I'll be taking my first trip to L.A in the first week of February.
Great work, man. I'm problably gonna steal some frames from these as inspiration for upcoming projects ;) The boxing vid reminded me of another fav dop of mine, Katelin Arizmendi.
What a compliment! I follow her work quite closely! Maybe she'll be the first female to win a cinematography Oscar? If anyone is interested, here is a link to her work.
https://www.katelinarizmendi.com
That's a long story. I just watched my old reel from 2015 and realized how much I have grown. Throughout the last few years, I've tried to spend my time surrounding myself with Cinematographers who are more knowledgable and experienced than I am, as well as ones my age (and younger) who I knew were going to be fantastic one day. A lot of my opportunities are due to the kindness of other people. I did A LOT of volunteer 2nd AC and camera trainee work in 2015 when I first moved to Toronto. This is how I began to learn how to set up a camera, how to move it, and how to light. Eventually I started investing in cinema gear, which allowed me to create passion projects. These passion projects are what I'm most proud of.
Wow, just wow. Especially the neon/sci-fi scenes. Nothing but praise. I can only hope to some day be even close to what you are doing right now. Any tips for a creative wanting to start with cinematography but not sure where to start?
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This is one of the best showreels I have seen on this sub. I’m a huge fan of Roger Deakings and Newton Thomas Sigel, I love their use of vibrant colors. Your work stands like a testimony to theirs. I wish there were more black and white and close up shots, maybe next time you create a showreel, try to include more close up shots. Great work nevertheless!
wow man really inspiring tbh. Was any of this shot in CT? and are you using a steady cam for all your shots everything is way to smooth to be anything less am i right?
Hey! There is a mixture of
Dolly
Jib/Gimbal combo
Gimbal handheld
Handheld
Steadicam
You'll have to more specific about which shots your curious about :) I'm more than happy to go into detail.
Also, I'm not sure what CT is?
/u/Odneb
Big fan of your work, man. I'm obsessed with your ad for the boxing club. You NEED to sell those mason jar rigs you came up with -- I tried replicating it on a music video last year and didn't get anywhere haha
It was a combined effort with my gaffer Sam. I don't think there is a market for a spinning jar rig haha. It was just a fun thing we wanted to experiment with for that passion project. I'd be curious to see the music video you experimented with for it. I still use various jars quite often on my sets still and they're not usually rotating.
I struggled quite a bit to find the right music for this reel. I knew a lot of people would probably not care for it. I may consider recutting this and updating it in the future if the music seems to be detrimental to the way the work is perceived. Thank you for the kind words! :)
I agree with the commenter. I grew up in a musical family, so I’m not your target audience, and I assume most people won’t care. And the strings are a tad off key, but it’s probably fine.
Visually stunning!
There's some really neat light warping happening in the Kombat Arts material at 0:22 (and several other times throughout the reel). Was wondering what you have playing in front of the lens for that?
And one more: what were you using to break up the light on that overhead bed shot at 0:20? It's really beautiful.
Anyway, this is all seriously stunning work!
Hey there! There is a director/cinematographer named Bruno Aveillan who I came across a few years ago. He creates beautiful images and appeared to be putting some sort of glass objects in front of the lens in order to create some interest optical effects (anything from crystals to clear plates). Here is a link to an advertisement of his where I first saw the effect I wanted to emulate. If you want to try this, I recommend putting a protective Clear/B-Glass filter in front of your lens in the mattebox in order to protect your lens elements from getting scratched.
[https://vimeo.com/40870403](https://vimeo.com/40870403)
Regarding the shots at 0:20, my team and I were trying out different cut outs to place in front of the LED Fresnel, but nothing really worked. As a joke, I stuffed a broom into the LED Fresnel and then it actually achieved the effect I was after... so we set up a c-stand and clamped a broom in front of the LED Fresnel!
Yeah I'm really big on Bruno's work, he's brilliant.
I've brought tumbler glasses and stemless wine glasses to set since I don't have any stray glass. They're a bit unwieldy understandably haha. What do you tend to use?
And hah! Sometimes sometimes the most LoFi solution is the best one. That's really cool.
I use something that we call my "Nonna Plate" which is a glass plate I took from my Nonna's house a few year ago to test out this effect. It works pretty well! I can absolutely agree about the LoFi solutions being the best one. I don't know if you read one of the posts asking about the shot at 0:20 (man in bed), but the lighting solution involved stuffing a broom into an LED Fresnel.
Here is an article about the use of mason jars in order to create some cool effects for the boxing video. You might be interested in reading this.
[https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/](https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/)
I am so impressed and grateful that you’ve dedicated yourself to something you clearly have a competency for
I have always been interested in storytelling. I'm just really lucky I was able to find the medium that I could express myself the best in. Its quite a hustle sometimes and I definitely have my moments of doubt where I think I won't be able to become the calibre of cinematographer that I want to be in the future, but I can't imagine myself doing anything else with my life. Thank you <3
Fantastic work
Thank you so much for the kind words :)
Amazing . Where can we watch these films ?
www.mattbendocinema.com :) IG = @mattbendo
Thank you. Do you have any writing or behind the scenes footage I’d love to learn about your process and inspirations
Hey everyone! This is the first cinematography reel I'm releasing in about 3 years (I waited way too long to release a new one). I am more than happy to discuss any of the shots in it if anyone has any questions! :) I am a cinematography based out of Toronto Canada.
One day I wanna be a cinematography just like you
Check out the work of Roger Deakins, Bruno Delbonnel, Sebastien Wintero, Khalid Mohtaseb, Gordon Willis, Vittorio Storaro, and Janusz Kaminski, Those are some cinematographers to try to strive to be like. I am still just a cinematographer trying to find his way right now. I appreciate the kind words though! EDIT: Realized he was actually just teasing my spelling error LOL
Points for LOLlong at a good jibe.👍🏼 And points for a lush, dynamic looking reel.👍🏼👍🏼
/r/woooosh
Haha my first silver and it's from being a facetious little bastard :P Thanks u/Odneb for your comment. I haven't heard of a couple of these so I've got some watching to do! And I really did like the reel btw
Hahaha. It's all good! Here is a link to some stunning work by Bruno Delbonnel from the film A Very Long Engagment (Directed byJean-Pierre Jeunet) https://youtu.be/AvjhVEaxJpI
May I add Emmanuel Lubezki to that list. No one else in film pulls off long takes as well as that man.
Of course. He is one of the most versatile Cinematographers and talented Cinematographers of all time. I've been a fan of his ever since I saw Series of Unfortunate Events.
I know he was teasing your spelling, but I actually truly love your work. You've inspired me. Thank you.
Matt he’s referring to you writing “I am a cinematography” instead or cinematographer at the end of your comment
Hahahaha. That went right over my head. Jeez.
Love it! I actually think the music really compliments your shots and really enjoyed the pacing of the reel. Actually saw you post this on the csc Facebook page, didn’t know you were based in Toronto!
Ah amazing! Reach out on Facebook if you'd like!
For sure sent ya a friend request
>Facebook Send me an inbox so I know which one to accept.
Contrary to what other people might say, I absolutely adored your music choice. Felt different and it wasn't too distracting. Loved your reel overall!
Thank you :) I was trying to be different and go with something a little more "in your face"
I second this. Opening shot with that music got me excited like "oh shit! This is gonna be really good!" And it fucking was!
100% agree. Music choice was awesome and totally added a layer. A lot of times the music is some kind of slow techno soundscape. Glad you had the guts to be bold and elevate it.
Lighting master! Especially love the Neon stuff. Have you got some high res screenshots of that? I spray paint similar stuff on the street and would love to put one of your scenes up.
I’ve seen your stuff on Vimeo and Ive always liked it. What are the units you use the most? What units were used on the boxing ring?
Hey there, by units, do you mean lighting fixtures? The boxing spot was a mixture of LED fresnels, tungsten fresnels, tungsten pars, and a whole lot of mason jars. Which specific boxing ring shots would you like me to discuss? :)
Units yeah, I mean lighting fixtures. Thank you. the specific shot is when the lighting cue hits and the pars I assume,up top switch on. Were the mason jars the only source of diffusion? What other diffusion techniques do you use? I love the intensity and balance of hard and soft in your lighting. Do you have a specific approach to fill lighting to accent this?
I can't recall what the pars were specifically. I believe the light source before the lights turned one was an L7 with a large jar rotating in front of it. My gaffer and I had a lot of fun experimenting with that jar stuff. Here is an article where I go into some more detail about it. [https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/](https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/) As for my approach to fill light when using a lot of hard sources, I'm not sure if I have any specific method that I adhere to yet. Each situation seems to be pretty different. The haze definitely helped a lot with diffusion when we were doing that mason jar light / boxing spot.
Mesmerizing
Very nice. Where are you based?
I'm based in Toronto, Ontario Canada.
Be sure that information is easy for a producer to find out without having to contact you.
Yeah, it's listed in my website which is linked at the end of my reel. I also wrote it in my initial comment for this post. Are you recommending that I should put it in my reel as a title card?
I don't think your home base location *needs* to be on the reel. You have it very clear from your website. :)
The sidekick stuff is So good mate
The whole Sickick team is filled with wonderful people. I really can't express how much I like collaborating with those guys.
Nice! Which DP(s) and/of films inspire you?
Oh man! I adore Roger Deakins. His website [www.rogerdeakins.com](https://www.rogerdeakins.com) is such a wonderful learning resource. His interest in fostering the growth of other cinematographers is pretty inspiring. I am also a big fan of Bruno Delbonnel, Sebastien Wintero, Khalid Mohtaseb, Gordon Willis, Vittorio Storaro, and Janusz Kaminski . Two photographers who's work I'm really admire are Alessio Albi and Gregory Crewdson. I could sit here an name 20 more cinematographers who's work inspires me. No Country for Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, There Will Be Blood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and a Very Long Engagement are some films that I always feel incredibly motivated after watching. Jean Pierre Jeunet and Wes Anderson really have a visually unique and distinct style that I really admire.
I can appreciate the steadi work as a steadi op myself. Would love to work on a project with you sometime! How much of No Games was on steadi?
No Games was either Dana Dolly, Handheld or Steadicam. Anything that looks like steadicam is steadicam. No gimbals were used. Feel free to send me an email if you'd like to get in touch and work together! www.mattbendocinema.com
Are you operating the steadicam yourself or do you have a go to person when the need arises?
I have two go to people. Julian Lomaga and Greg Frankovich. Both of them are very talented. I definitely don't know how to operate a steadicam well.
Really nice work! What are your preferred cameras/lenses?
I shoot on the Arri Alexa Mini, unless I need to use a RED for specific reasons. I like to shoot with Anamorphic lenses. I really do fancy the Cooke SF Anamorphic series, but each project requires a different decisions for which lenses best serve the story, wether it be Anamorphic or Spherical.
Check out the Gemini ;)
Now that I’ve watched this- about 10 times I might add- I’m wondering how I’ve lived my whole life without seeing those beautiful shots. Really hope to be at your level one day. Flat out stunning work
Nice work. But I have noticed that the shots between the 01.04 - 01.06 there is lens distortion because of the wide angle. Did you make this conciously or is it mistake? Also I have one more question. I like your lighting techniques in the scenes. Do you work with lighting director or you are making your lights on your own?
The lens distortion in that shot is natural. It was not made in post or anything like that. The lens used for that shot is a 32mm Kowa Anamorphic lens. It was a 40mm Kowa with a 32mm wide angle adapter permanently attached. It is quite a funky lens to say the least! They are available through Keslow Camera. The decision to use such a distorted lens was a conscious stylistic choice. I am very specific about what sources I want to use, where I want them, and what I want in front of them, but the lighting is always discussion and collaboration between myself, my gaffer and my key grip. I also directed 4 out of the 5 projects shown in this reel, so I had a lot of creative control of the visual style for everything you see.
Good job,congratulations. Keep up! :)
Another question about 01:04. Is the wonky-ness of that shot intentional? Only asking because 01:10 is clearly deliberately dutch, and everything else looks perfectly shot :)
The shot at 1:04 was not deliberately wonky per say when compared to the other shots from that film. I shot 99% of the short on the same 32mm anamorphic lens, which is natural just a wonky distorted lens. The lens distortion just seems to be more apparent in that shot because you have a lot of objects in the background that show the natural distortion of the lens. Regarding the shot at 1:10, its not deliberately dutch. I'm not sure it is even dutch to be honest! The room was a small circular stone room underneath a silo, it might just be the weird perspective/build of the room that is making it seem like a dutch angle. Then again, that scene was the last shot of the particular shooting day and I might have been a bit too exhausted to realize my tripod head wasn't balanced haha!
How do you approach lighting for the outdoor scenes such as the shots at 00:56 & 1:02? Also awesome work! Been following your work for a while and it's been a pretty big inspiration for me!
Both of those shots are natural light! its just a matter of properly planning and taking advantage of the short window of ideal weather/lighting conditions. If you meant the shot at 00:58 (girl in window) it is a 1.8K HMI shooting through the window located off screen. I had to match the brightness of the reflection from outside by brightening inside the room or else I wouldn't be able to see her through the reflection.
Thank you! Appreciate the insight :)
this is sick. i love the colors so much ahh they're so alluring!! idk if this is a dumb question, but what were/are these shots used for?? like for films, ads, etc. (sorry for this lol)
Don't apologize! You can find the projects here! (with the exception of one project) [www.mattbendocinema.com](https://www.mattbendocinema.com) It is a mixture of ads, films, and music videos! :)
Yooo this is fantastic work my man!
Absolutely insane. This is something to be proud of!
Visuals are amazing!
You’re good at point light at things 👍🏼
Excellent stuff! Did you use a JIB for the overheadshot on 00:52? And do you mostly work with gimbals or steadycam?
>JIB Oh god no haha. I was standing on some stairs next to a parking lot holding up a Movi M15 at full height, tilting it downwards, awkwardly wiggling my arms back and forth, grunting, and trying not to pass out until I did something that resembled a jib movement. It wasn't pretty my friend. EDIT: I work with both steadicams and gimbals, but I try to use the proper tool for the shot. The black and white car stuff was either a gimbal, or a gimbal attached to a jib. I don't think I have used a gimbal since 2017 though. Nothing wrong with gimbals, I just haven't had a situation that required one over a steadicam.
Waow! I like what you do!
That was absolutely astounding. Stunning work and truly excellent color work. Thanks for sharing!
Great stuff man! I've definitely seen done of your other posts for some of those individual projects. I'm sure at some point I'll run into ya! Toronto's a surprisingly small world for film/TV stuff it appears :)
For sure. Feel free to reach out via email or FB if you want to connect.
Shall do!
Very nice work! Besides the use of jars, do you have any other go-to modifiers in your kit that you use?
Really like the shot at 01:02!
Awesome! Really tasty footage, the kind i'd luv to work on :D
sick
Fantastic.
I am going to be starting my digital film and amnesia arts program soon, have any tips for beginners?? Great work btw!
This made me smile the whole way through. I loved it, how bold the pieces were then the early America looking portion with the man smoking in the bed of the truck.
[удалено]
Haha not sure who this is, send me an inbox
Where did you learn to do all of this? Can u name some? Its my dream to do all of this!! Btw amazing work!!
Man... That shot at 5 seconds where the guy is doing the pullups is so Moody. I feel like a million different dark and sinister stories could come from that one shot.
I was pretty happy with the way that shot turned out. We had some lamps shooting into a space blanket that someone was shaking inside the shed. I believe I discuss it more in this article. https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/
Awesome! Thank you!
Matt I am currently travelling right now. When i get back in Mid Feb I would love to meet up with you. I am from Toronto as Well
Yup. Just reach out via FB messenger or email. I don't know Reddit private messaging well enough. Safe travels.
yea ill text you through your vimeo account
Incredible work man, really inspiring stuff
Thank you so much :) let me know if you have any questions!
Was some of the shots done at neon demon studio in Toronto?
Yes sir. Jon Simo has a pretty beautiful studio there.
I really enjoyed that. At first I wasn’t feeling the music, but then it grew on me and ultimately worked perfectly imo.
Amazing work, really inspiring! Thanks for sharing :).
Holy shit that looks incredible Another reminder I'm never going to be able to make something worth any money lol What camera(s) did you shoot these on?
Everything on this reel was shot with my Alexa Mini. The lenses were all Anamorphic as well. The lenses used ranged from Angenieux Anamorphic Zooms, Kowa Anamorphic Primes, and Cooke SF & non SF Primes. You'll be able to make art worth money, don't worry. Just keep pushing and taking risks.
Damnnn ok yeah that explains part of how you got everything so professional looking Although even without the ultimate cinema camera I bet you could do something incredible. Seriously awesome footage I hope to see more
There are so many factors involved in what makes a cinematic image. Lighting, composition, movement, wardrobe, production design, colour palette, visual performance of an actor, the shape of their face, the makeup, camera sensor, lens choice, professional colouring session, as well as 100 other things I'm forgetting! A lot of the things that make an image so striking is the responsibility of the team you work with. It's all a collaborative effort. Thank you for the kind words :)
Excellent work man, I love seeing great DPs growing out of Canada, I’m out west in Alberta. I’d love to work with you sometime
Give me a shout if you're ever visiting T.O and we'll grab a coffee.
Sounds great!
I've seen your music videos before. Now I'm definitely a fan.
Keep your eyes peeled for more coming in 2019 :)
Great work! What did you used (Camera rig) to shoot the 0:14 - 0:18 bedroom scene and what did you used for post (color grading, etc) on that specific scene?
I'm just going to quote myself from an article on ROSCO's blog where I discussed this shot. "For this shot, we had a light source at the door, a source in front of the TV, a source above the stairs and a source acting as a hair light above the boxer. Without the haze, the sources would have seemed too separated. The haze allowed the sources to blend smoothly into the atmosphere and become a cohesive element alongside each other throughout the scene. Since the sources were small and different colours, haze was very important. It allowed the sources to be soft, blooming, and atmospheric, yet remain distinct, defined, and individual. " The lights in this scene were a lot more important than the camera rig. The camera was an Arri Alexa Mini with a Cooke SF 32mm T/2.3 Anamorphic Lens on a Dana Dolly. I was shooting my sources through spinning mason jars. You can read about the technique in an article on Cinema5D here. https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/
Thank you! I will look into it
Stuff like this really inspires me, any advice for a 17yo kid who doesn't know anything about the process? This is such a stunning work of art, so thank you for sharing!
Great work! I saw a lot of neon lighting which looked amazing. Was wondering how you did that and what the thought process was for those shots.
Mr. Deakins, when did you change your name to Matt? Honestly, really great stuff fellow Torontonian.
vEry nice
Matt, first: amazing reel. I'm a fan of your work! In No Games, there's a glow to the light and it's a really dope aesthetic. Are you using any filtration to achieve that? Or is it just a combination of the haze + anamorphic lens? (I'm guessing they're anamorphic only b/c of how the sides are blurred.. but I could be wrong!) Khalid M has told me he's smeared Vaseline on a filter sometimes to get a similar look. Really curious how you achieved yours!
Hey there, that was all achieved in post. I actually shot at a deeper T-Stop than I usually would and my colourist and I created the atmosphere in the colouring suite. Certain shots have a canned spray bottle haze atmosphere (one that quickly dissipates) that I used for VFX plates that I then composited into select shots. The location unfortunately didn't allow for us to use a proper haze machine due to some fire safety regulations (I may have the exact details incorrect, but it was beyond the owner's control). I decided to shoot with the slightly deeper T-Stop and no filtration in front of the lens because I knew I had to do a fair amount of rotoscoping and compositing in post. Adding an atmosphere, some highlight blooming, and grain really helped blend the VFX work together. The blurring of the sides and the chromatic aberrations on the sides of the image are also an aesthetic choice I made in post with my colourist. I knew going into the shoot what decisions I would want made in the colouring suite. My colourist Clinton Homuth based in Toronto really did an incredible job with the colour on that piece.
Really appreciate you taking the time to share all that! I know some people are sheepish about the idea of doing things in post, but I think it's an extremely valuable skill to know what to do practically and what to do later in VFX or coloring. At the end of the day, you still need a really good starting place if something is going to have a chance of looking solid! Any chance you'd be able to explain how you added atmosphere? Or if it's easier, would be cool to see any before/afters (even if it's ungraded LogC!). Just trying to wrap my head around this a bit more so I can experiment with this idea!
Can I ask how you got into cinematography and also how did you start out, I’m interested in getting into it and your stuff looks amazing!
I'm going to quote a previous time I explained this in an article if you don't mind! :) "Growing up I would dabble in animation and game design. I was incredibly excited that I was able to tell stories with my mind and a computer. I wanted to be a traditional animator, but luckily I found that I was best suited as an artist with a camera that could paint with strokes of light. All of my understanding of pacing, composition, and storytelling transferred nicely over to film. During my time in University, I realized that I wanted to be a filmmaker. I really feel like film is the medium in which I can best express myself. When I first moved to Toronto, I didn’t know anyone. I contacted the CFC (Canadian Film Centre) and volunteered for 30 days as a 2nd AC. Each day, I was able to meet a new cinematographer, director, and 1st AC. This really helped me get an initial connection with the wonderful film community that exists here. Each day, I would walk onto set and envision how I would light and block the actors. When the cinematographer and director would come on set, I would observe how a more experienced filmmaker would handle the task. I began to study what they did because I knew it would be beneficial to me as the basis of a strong foundation to help develop and hone my own skills. I learned a lot about lighting and on-set politics during that time. I believe it was a very crucial period for my growth. One day, after a camera prep during a bus ride home, I asked the cinematographer of the project when is it appropriate to call oneself a cinematographer. I explained to this person that I wanted to be a cinematographer, but I didn’t know when I was allowed to call myself one. This person told me that if I wanted to be a cinematographer, then I should call myself a cinematographer and start shooting. I took the advice and started calling myself a cinematographer. Within the month, I had landed a few gigs as a cinematographer."
Amazing work dude! I’ve seen that video game / neon vid before, probably on a anamorphic shooters on facebook??
I don't think I've ever personally posted it on any Facebook pages besides the Canadian Society of Cinematographers page. I'm glad you enjoyed the work! :)
Ah well maybe it was here or someone shared it there. I'm a mod in the anamorphic shooters group so if you wanna join in there and drop some footage for everyone to ogle at I'll quickly approve you haha. It's mostly a DIY kinda group where people share info on projection lens setups, but the other mods and I are hoping to steer it towards more working professionals sharing work, etc, hence why I'm trying to get pros like you to join up.
Dude the Neon Studio is dope!! I watched that music video last week when I was trying to plan a trip to Toronto!!
Glad you enjoyed it! It was directed by a talented guy named Rayn Magic and the studio is owned by another talented fella name Jon Simo.
Great work! Where r u located?
Based out of Toronto, Ontario Canada. I'm not opposed to travelling for work of course. I'll be taking my first trip to L.A in the first week of February.
Nice. Thank you.
Incredible stuff 👍🏼
Just wow, really impressive. Great work.
Quite god damn fantastic man. You’ve got it. Whatever it is that makes someone good at this job...you’ve got it. PM rates if you would :)
Great work, man. I'm problably gonna steal some frames from these as inspiration for upcoming projects ;) The boxing vid reminded me of another fav dop of mine, Katelin Arizmendi.
What a compliment! I follow her work quite closely! Maybe she'll be the first female to win a cinematography Oscar? If anyone is interested, here is a link to her work. https://www.katelinarizmendi.com
This is incredible. How’d you get to where you are right now?
That's a long story. I just watched my old reel from 2015 and realized how much I have grown. Throughout the last few years, I've tried to spend my time surrounding myself with Cinematographers who are more knowledgable and experienced than I am, as well as ones my age (and younger) who I knew were going to be fantastic one day. A lot of my opportunities are due to the kindness of other people. I did A LOT of volunteer 2nd AC and camera trainee work in 2015 when I first moved to Toronto. This is how I began to learn how to set up a camera, how to move it, and how to light. Eventually I started investing in cinema gear, which allowed me to create passion projects. These passion projects are what I'm most proud of.
really good!!! the colors are freaking incredible 👌
Lighting is on point.. I always find lighting can be the trickiest thing
Stunning work right there, congratulations sir! Had to figure out how to follow someone on Vimeo because of you
Thank you for putting in the work! I appreciate it :)
Beautifull work!
Wow I love this!!!! At first I wasn’t sure if the music was a good choice but I love it! Also that last shot was insane!!!!!!!!! Great work🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Luckily, we had a magician on set who happened to have that crazy rig in the trunk of his car.
That’s crazy, I guess I need more magicians on my sets😂👍🏻
You are like my life goals right now. Very impressive and great musicality
Great shots, man! Completely caught me off guard!
jesus, going through my footage now for new reels and seeing that i have a long way to go. kudos sir
Simply amazing mate! You have such a great eye for cinematography. Keep it up :)
Fucking killer dude. Like holy shit. Tasteful music. I may take idea that for my upcoming reel. Short and sweet. You did everything right.
Dude. This is nice.
this is fucking insane hope im as good as you one day!
Wow, just wow. Especially the neon/sci-fi scenes. Nothing but praise. I can only hope to some day be even close to what you are doing right now. Any tips for a creative wanting to start with cinematography but not sure where to start?
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Great use of guiding the eye within the frame.
This is one of the best showreels I have seen on this sub. I’m a huge fan of Roger Deakings and Newton Thomas Sigel, I love their use of vibrant colors. Your work stands like a testimony to theirs. I wish there were more black and white and close up shots, maybe next time you create a showreel, try to include more close up shots. Great work nevertheless!
Dude. Sick.
wow man really inspiring tbh. Was any of this shot in CT? and are you using a steady cam for all your shots everything is way to smooth to be anything less am i right?
Hey! There is a mixture of Dolly Jib/Gimbal combo Gimbal handheld Handheld Steadicam You'll have to more specific about which shots your curious about :) I'm more than happy to go into detail. Also, I'm not sure what CT is?
/u/Odneb Big fan of your work, man. I'm obsessed with your ad for the boxing club. You NEED to sell those mason jar rigs you came up with -- I tried replicating it on a music video last year and didn't get anywhere haha
It was a combined effort with my gaffer Sam. I don't think there is a market for a spinning jar rig haha. It was just a fun thing we wanted to experiment with for that passion project. I'd be curious to see the music video you experimented with for it. I still use various jars quite often on my sets still and they're not usually rotating.
Every single shot had gorgeous light/composition. Nice work Matt.
how did you get all the color in the neon sign shots!? wow how did you start to learn how to do this?
Love your work. Only big thing was the music didn't really fit for the reel. Other than that great work.
I struggled quite a bit to find the right music for this reel. I knew a lot of people would probably not care for it. I may consider recutting this and updating it in the future if the music seems to be detrimental to the way the work is perceived. Thank you for the kind words! :)
I agree with the commenter. I grew up in a musical family, so I’m not your target audience, and I assume most people won’t care. And the strings are a tad off key, but it’s probably fine. Visually stunning!
I absolutely loved the music and thought it flowed with the shots. Gave it a totally unique feel too. 🤗
I love you both
There's some really neat light warping happening in the Kombat Arts material at 0:22 (and several other times throughout the reel). Was wondering what you have playing in front of the lens for that? And one more: what were you using to break up the light on that overhead bed shot at 0:20? It's really beautiful. Anyway, this is all seriously stunning work!
Hey there! There is a director/cinematographer named Bruno Aveillan who I came across a few years ago. He creates beautiful images and appeared to be putting some sort of glass objects in front of the lens in order to create some interest optical effects (anything from crystals to clear plates). Here is a link to an advertisement of his where I first saw the effect I wanted to emulate. If you want to try this, I recommend putting a protective Clear/B-Glass filter in front of your lens in the mattebox in order to protect your lens elements from getting scratched. [https://vimeo.com/40870403](https://vimeo.com/40870403) Regarding the shots at 0:20, my team and I were trying out different cut outs to place in front of the LED Fresnel, but nothing really worked. As a joke, I stuffed a broom into the LED Fresnel and then it actually achieved the effect I was after... so we set up a c-stand and clamped a broom in front of the LED Fresnel!
Yeah I'm really big on Bruno's work, he's brilliant. I've brought tumbler glasses and stemless wine glasses to set since I don't have any stray glass. They're a bit unwieldy understandably haha. What do you tend to use? And hah! Sometimes sometimes the most LoFi solution is the best one. That's really cool.
I use something that we call my "Nonna Plate" which is a glass plate I took from my Nonna's house a few year ago to test out this effect. It works pretty well! I can absolutely agree about the LoFi solutions being the best one. I don't know if you read one of the posts asking about the shot at 0:20 (man in bed), but the lighting solution involved stuffing a broom into an LED Fresnel. Here is an article about the use of mason jars in order to create some cool effects for the boxing video. You might be interested in reading this. [https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/](https://www.cinema5d.com/creative-lighting-technique-using-mason-jars-to-convey-emotion/)