Support NeoGAF

[vpance]

I generally love the sharpness and clarity of modern films for home viewing, but recognize by default we've also lost that softness and therefore dreaminess that analog films have. It's a bit like the HFR vs 24 fps phenomenon.

Of course you could change that in post but I think the public desire to be wowed at home subtly encouraged filmmakers to just run with the kind of look that everyone else is doing. Don't think it's a stretch to say that Marvel movies popularity had a big impact on this. Not just on the ultra clean digital look but the cookie cutter way of cinematography, color grading (or lack of), cuts, dialogue, etc.

 

[Trilobit]

The new Jurassic World is shot on Kodak film, on location, without LED lights

That´s insane. Like how?

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

100%.

The modern movies are too digital looking to the point where it looks fake.

The 80s was the perfect era for movies because the particle effects, machines, puppets, and real sets are unbeatable and timeless. Which is why most of the best movies are in the 80s and also because the world was better and more sane and more creative back then. The 90s were great too despise some bad CGI but for the most part the 90s still uses a lot of real sets or they look pretty legit with the Fifth Element, Judge Dredd etc etc. The early 2000s was still good but not as good as the 80s and 90s movie wise but still better than modern day fake crap. For some reason the digital stuff from the early 2000s looks more legit and better than modern movies.

Everything is more soulless and less interesting now. Compare The 2011 The Thing to the 80s The Thing, the Total Recall Remake to the 90s Total Recall, the Robocop reboot to the old Robocop etc etc. It's just not the same.

And that goes for all genre with the exception of maybe superhero movies.

 

[thefool]

I watched megalopolis yesterday. It's horrible, nobody should waste time with it, it's visually repulsive, repugnant, I had a negative visceral reaction to it.
It's a digital blur.

 

[taizuke]

The last movie that i think looked "real" was Upgrade. Also a great movie btw.

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

It stands as a symbol of our disposable culture.

 

[vpance]

Came up in recommended



Raises some good points. One of which was films having a lot more close ups with low F stop, and the super wide FOVs.

His whole analysis on lighting was spot on. Everything looks so low contrast and flat now, and ironically I think it's a result of the push for HDR. I think because everything is made for HDR film makers put more constraints on themselves to fit a certain dynamic range for a majority of scenes and then just slap in a few bright highlights for the wow effect for home viewers. So the result is many films all look lit in exactly the same way.

 

[EviLore]

Came up in recommended



Raises some good points. One of which was films having a lot more close ups with low F stop, and the super wide FOVs.

Sinners had like 80% of its runtime in close-up tiny depth of field shots of people's faces, A:B shot:reverse shot. A few great scenes in there to break it up, but I'm not impressed by most of the current generation of cinematographers.

Of course people like Roger Deakins, Hoyte van Hoytema, Emmanuel Lubezki are excellent.

 

[Chuck Berry]

Thats why I skip most AAA slop

 

[jason10mm]

Renny Harlin was actually a talented action movie director. The Long Kiss Goodnight is a classic. Deep Blue Sea holds up as a fun and rewatchable subversive shark movie. It was just restored in 4K by Arrow this year, and well shot movies on film can really pop.

I'd add Die Hard 2 in there as a fav of mine from Harlin. BIG soft spot for that film, helped by the very enthusiastic theater crowd when I saw it way back when.

I do think there is strong merit to the theory that flat cinematography we get these days is to service CG. Some of it is probably stylistic, or just a function of the digital medium, kinda like going from the bright technicolor era to the much more muted 70's. Plus scene blocking and camera movements feel much less deliberate and intentional, everything has that "you are in the scene" immediacy and a handheld camera feel. That works for some stuff but not for everything. There is a definite quality jump with some studios though, I can spot a "theatrical quality" film very quickly compared to a "destined for streaming" movie. Netflix is terrible for this, damn near everything they make looks like it was shot and edited by the same guy. All the framing is similar, the lighting is similar, the color grading, the effects quality, all of it. From ultra expensive prestige projects to random Sandler films, it all looks the same. Maybe its the streaming compression they use doing it, I don't often see something on netflix where I have another frame of reference. Kpop Demon Hunters is the only one that immediately comes to mind and that was mostly just the vastly improved sound quality of a theater versus my tv soundbar. But there is definitely SOMETHING they are doing that's weird, like how "motion smoothing" on a TV can take a 24fps "movie that looks like a movie" and turn it into a soap opera looking thing.

 

[EviLore]

I'd add Die Hard 2 in there as a fav of mine from Harlin. BIG soft spot for that film, helped by the very enthusiastic theater crowd when I saw it way back when.

I do think there is strong merit to the flat cinematography we get these days to service CG. Some of it is probably stylistic, or just a function of the digital medium, kinda like going from the bright technicolor era to the much more muted 70's. Plus scene blocking and camera movements feel much less deliberate and intentional, everything has that "you are in the scene" immediacy and a handheld camera feel. That works for some stuff but not for everything. There is a definite quality jump with some studios though, I can spot a "theatrical quality" film very quickly compared to a "destined for streaming" movie. Netflix is terrible for this, damn near everything they make looks like it was shot and edited by the same guy. All the framing is similar, the lighting is similar, the color grading, the effects quality, all of it. From ultra expensive prestige projects to random Sandler films, it all looks the same. Maybe its the streaming compression they use doing it, I don't often see something on netflix where I have another frame of reference. Kpop Demon Hunters is the only one that immediately comes to mind and that was mostly just the vastly improved sound quality of a theater versus my tv soundbar. But there is definitely SOMETHING they are doing that's weird, like how "motion smoothing" on a TV can take a 24fps "movie that looks like a movie" and turn it into a soap opera looking thing.

Yep. Netflix and Amazon productions can throw infinite money at projects but just don't have the priorities, the taste, the legacy. It all comes out looking and feeling like disposable generic slop. And they think it's fine since they're only counting Streaming Minutes.

They don't have the century of filmmaking tradition and the institutional knowledge the legacy studios have.

 

[Trilobit]

100%.

The modern movies are too digital looking to the point where it looks fake.

The 80s was the perfect era for movies because the particle effects, machines, puppets, and real sets are unbeatable and timeless. Which is why most of the best movies are in the 80s and also because the world was better and more sane and more creative back then. The 90s were great too despise some bad CGI but for the most part the 90s still uses a lot of real sets or they look pretty legit with the Fifth Element, Judge Dredd etc etc. The early 2000s was still good but not as good as the 80s and 90s movie wise but still better than modern day fake crap. For some reason the digital stuff from the early 2000s looks more legit and better than modern movies.

Everything is more soulless and less interesting now. Compare The 2011 The Thing to the 80s The Thing, the Total Recall Remake to the 90s Total Recall, the Robocop reboot to the old Robocop etc etc. It's just not the same.

And that goes for all genre with the exception of maybe superhero movies.

I'd also recommend Tremors which has amazing practical effects. RLM had an excellent Re:View about it.

11:30 + 12:22 talk about some impressive sfx.

The last movie that i think looked "real" was Upgrade. Also a great movie btw.

That's a movie I enjoy on every rewatch. Great script and amazing special effects for a low-budget movie.

 

[poppabk]

Came up in recommended



Raises some good points. One of which was films having a lot more close ups with low F stop, and the super wide FOVs.

His whole analysis on lighting was spot on. Everything looks so low contrast and flat now, and ironically I think it's a result of the push for HDR. I think because everything is made for HDR film makers put more constraints on themselves to fit a certain dynamic range for a majority of scenes and then just slap in a few bright highlights for the wow effect for home viewers. So the result is many films all look lit in exactly the same way.

That's a much better explanation of what is going on, without too much judgement. Some of it is just what we are used to - like 24 frames per second looking 'right' and higher frame rates making everything look cheap and fake even though it's the same stuff being filmed.

 

[EviLore]

Mainstream entertainment caters to retarded people now more than it ever has

 

[dsp]

New George Clooney film on Netflix I saw the trailer for looked really refreshing because I could immediately tell it was shot on film. prob gonna watch it just because of that alone

 

[jason10mm]

New George Clooney film on Netflix I saw the trailer for looked really refreshing because I could immediately tell it was shot on film. prob gonna watch it just because of that alone

Clooney does interesting stuff, but for the life of me I can't figure out what that film is even about.

I'm sure Brad Pitt shows up though, at some point

 

[jason10mm]

That's a much better explanation of what is going on, without too much judgement. Some of it is just what we are used to - like 24 frames per second looking 'right' and higher frame rates making everything look cheap and fake even though it's the same stuff being filmed.

The frame rate is important, as is the right lighting, filling the set with smoke, wet streets, and some goddamn contrast.

I'm watching "Your Friends and Neighbors" (Jon Hamm show in Apple) and it is filmed really really well, great shot composition, nice camera work, but then it has that super dim color drained HDR look, making 50% of it damn near impossible to see. And when it's Olivia Munn topless, that's a BIG FUCKING DEAL!!!

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Agree on the visuals, i also find a number of film scores these days forgettable or too samey, as if they are lacking impact and sometimes they should let a scene play out without adding additional music.

Even the true greats like John Williams , compare his OT and Prequel work to that of the sequels. The sequel scores are bland and lack anything that stands out. For a man with such a superb portfolio I was surprised by how meh his work on the three films is.

 

[Trilobit]

Agree on the visuals, i also find a number of film scores these days forgettable or too samey, as if they are lacking impact and sometimes they should let a scene play out without adding additional music.

Even the true greats like John Williams , compare his OT and Prequel work to that of the sequels. The sequel scores are bland and lack anything that stands out. For a man with such a superb portfolio I was surprised by how meh his work on the three films is.

I love movie scores and prefer to listen to them when doing stuff rather than actual classic music. Mostly because they are much more emotional. But I struggle to think of any soundtracks lately that make me go to youtube afterwards. There's rarely anything as good as Moon, Don't Look Up or First Man.

Marvel movies which should have been filled with memorable themes are the equivalent of cucumbers. At least Snyder tried to incorporate something into his DC movies. Wonder Woman's theme was overbearing though. If I hear that throat-singing even once more in my life I'll become Ares myself. Thankfully I can wash my ears with the OST to Man of Steel.

 

[Major Insano]

The push for ultra HD and the 'perfect' digital shots/effects has de-mystified a lot of movies these days imo.