Anyone inspired to photograph after watching a movie

Fellini's 81/2. Not only one of the greatest films ever made but also beautifully shot in b&w.

But then again almost all Italian movies are visually stunning, I guess the visual aspect of Italian culture has something to do with it, and its art history.
 
I'll chime in that anything set in NYC makes me feel this way, but the last film to specifically inspire my still photography was The Graduate. I saw it for the first time less than a year ago (which is crazy, I know), and I was struck from the very first scene by the way Nichols set up his shots like moving photographs. I kept remarking on it throughout the movie, annoying everyone else in the room with me. Nichols didn't even have a background in photography or cinematography—he came in to the profession via performance—but I wonder if he ever picked up a rangefinder back in the day. I'm pretty sure he would've taken to it immediately.

mrs-robinson1.jpg
 
^Cinematographers are the unsung heroes of a lot of films. There is speculation that the cinematographer of Citizen Kane was primarily responsible for the look of that film, but then Orson Welles proved himself again in a few other films so we could say it was a great collaboration.

Find out who was the cinematographer for The Graduate and check out his other films.

Edit: The cinematographer for The Graduate is Robert Surtees and his credit include Ben-Hur and The Last Picture Show... enough said.
 
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I think these have already been mentioned but, Michelangelo Antonioni's "Blow Up" (1967) was probably the first probably because I was studying photography at the time also. Someone mentioned "The Graduate" which also came out that year but the main thing I got out of that movie was the hots for Anne Bancroft that I had for a lot of years and I am not sure I am quite over it yet. Sergei Eisenstein for sure but I am most effected by Akira Kurosawa's films. Many of his frame compositions would make beautiful stills. I am all ways blown away by his movies. Jim
 
It's not a movie, but I'm constantly impressed by the cinematography in the TV show 'Breaking Bad'. It's wide, panning shots of suburban America are reminiscent of colour art photography. I believe the cinematographers have won multiple prizes for their work on the show as well.
 
There are tons of movies that come to mind, but most recently, I was really impressed with how The King's Speech was shot. Especially the use of stationary ultra wides in interiors (distortion and all) and the attention to framing the subject in ways more reminiscent of still photography than your typical cinema. Some of the scenes were as if an amazing still photo had come to life... a really brilliant job by Danny Cohen and Tom Hooper.

Also, I recently re-watched Easy Rider which makes me want to grab my camera and shoot everything directly into the sun...
 
guoshuo said:
nobody mentioned L'Avventura?
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i think nobody mentioned under fire either :angel: frankly, i don't remember ever wanting to make pictures after seeing other people's pictures--maybe i click from lack rather than from abundance--but that one always reminds me that dragging a pood of 70s' nikon junk in a worn-out domke can be done with a certain... panache? even purpose? well, it's more of a bodybuilder's inspiration i guess (or should i say chiropractor's)

i can't believe i flipped through this entire thread, yay! what do i win? :rolleyes:
 
Kurasawa used several cinematographers, but I tend to be think that I'm lost between two of them

Takao Saito handling most of is color work and Kazuo Miyagama who shot many of Kurasawa's B&W work and juggled several films from Kenji Mizuguchi & Kon Ichikawa. My favorite being Yojimbo, which has to be the best scope (ala Tohoscope) aspect film ever shot.

http://www.cinematographers.nl/GreatDoPh/miyagawa.htm


I'd also add, if you want to see some fun Japanese films, check out the work of Seijun Suzuji, especially "Branded to Kill" "Youth of the Beast" and "tokyo Drifter.

JimG said:
Almost every postwar BW Italian movie I have ever seen. Kurasawa's films to. Sometimes the American Film Noir B movies of the 50's surprise and inspire me as well. Jim
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As one of those guys who watched Blow Up when I was 13 and wanted a life where I get to roll around with would be models, I'd have to say that was my major influence. I even went so far as to visit the park where the outside scenes were shot last time I was in London. It hasn't changed in all those years.

So many great, inspiring films have been mentioned in this thread such as The Third Man, The Birds etc.

I would also say the following make me want to step outside and take masterpieces. The first three also by Antonioni, although I could easily add more of his:

L'Eclisse - that last 9 minute sequence has to be the most inspiring sequence in a movie for a b+w stills photographer

L'Avventura - especially the scenes with Monica Vitti on the island

Red Desert - absolutely brilliant use of colour and design

Lawrence of Arabia - not just for the incredible wide landscapes, but for the placement of people and COLOUR

Knife in the Water by Polanski - sense of dread so beautifully conveyed by his b+w cinematography

Le Samouraï by Jean-Pierre Melville - use of very subdued colour to achieve a disquieting, sinister feel

Alphaville by J-L Godard - just sensational b+w cinematography in a noir vein
 
mto'brien said:
There are tons of movies that come to mind, but most recently, I was really impressed with how The King's Speech was shot. Especially the use of stationary ultra wides in interiors (distortion and all) and the attention to framing the subject in ways more reminiscent of still photography than your typical cinema. Some of the scenes were as if an amazing still photo had come to life... a really brilliant job by Danny Cohen and Tom Hooper.
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Well put, I was thinking the same when I watched it.
Under Fire for me, but maybe this was more of a "gear" movie, come to think of it.
 
chut said:
Recently, I found 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' to be very inspiring. The cinematography by Roger Deakins was sumptuous.
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One of my favorite films.

Sometimes I think back on good movies and think "boy that was shot well" but most of the time it was specific scenes that were really well done but most of the moive was not so great. So Ill try and pick out films that are good the whole way through, which is tougher. I alsowant to contribute some films that may not commonly be thought of:

The Passion of the Christ (note I am talking ONLY about the cinematography for this one)
The Fountain
The City of Lost Children
Last of the Mohicans
Dances with Wolves
 
Guinevere, starring Sarah Polley, Stephen Rea and Nikon F2.

The Weight of Water, starring Catherine McCormack, Sean Penn, Sarah Polley, Elizabeth Hurley and a Leica.

Both brilliant movies.
 
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