This is a collection of some of my favorite films, based on their visuals and cinematography.

The Batman

Reeves and Fraser created an immersive world draped in darkness and mystery that makes most modern blockbusters look bland. The lighting, color grading, and new approach to digital cinema with the use of 35mm film are all important things in building the story. They also shot The Batman using anamorphic lenses and worked in post to perfect the images.

They did active things, like wetting the streets in every scene so the city always looked like it had just rained. Fraser says, “When everything is wet you subconsciously register that it’s constantly raining, that the city never dries. It underlines that it’s a very difficult place to live in.” To expand on this urban environment, they had to find a color to go along with the noir aesthetic. Fraser says, “There is color, but it’s not as saturated as most movies. I wanted the colors to be dusty and a little dirty.”

All of this gives the movie a tangible point of view. We see the city as Bruce sees it. So few other movies even try this, but this laser focus of saturation and darkness is what we want. We can identify with Batman's task of cleaning a city where he sees endless filth. We get how he can't concentrate on anything else, because we cannot either. It builds the story perfectly. We become as obsessed with solving a case, we become as immersed.

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Blade Runner 2049

Casual friends and inspiring collaborators Denis Villeneuve and Roger Deakins have made something special with Blade Runner 2049. This film is so dense with visual and auditory delights that filmmakers will be picking it apart and replicating its tricks for years.

Part of the reason the film has won so many awards and received such acclaim is the incredible attention to detail and plot development. Whether it’s the use of certain colors to evoke certain emotions or simply knowing how the audience’s eyes move, these filmmakers have definitely brought a new approach to dystopian science fiction. So, let’s take a look at how the contributions of world class production design, virtuous directing, and innovative cinematography can create one of the most visually stunning films ever made.

Villeneuve uses yellow as a source of information and enlightenment for our hero, K. Anytime a major plot point gets revealed or a new twist happens, yellow is in the composition somehow. Whether it’s a fire, a light in the background, or a simulated cake, the color acts as a subconscious cue for the audience — and our hero. Notably, the information bank and Niander’s lair are golden, representing their importance — and the importance of the characters that dwell therein.

Once K gets to Vegas, the entire city is bathed in a mysterious orange fog that continues until he leaves this setting. Using this color as a backdrop creates a sense of warning and caution. Often associated with transformation, this scene acts as a transition between act two and three as our hero meets Deckard, leading to another big reveal that K has been searching for.

Villeneuve uses green almost every time Joi, K’s robotic companion, is on-screen — as well as anytime we see one of Wallace’s creations. Green typically connotes life and vibrance, which only plays to how the Blade Runner franchise explores the idea of “life.” You could also take the above scene as an example of using green to convey discovery. K is looking for answers, as his lifeless girlfriend helps from his side. Even though every aspect of his life is artificial, it’s under the disguise of appearing real.

These are just some of the innovative ways the Blade Runner 2049 team changed the sci-fi game by creating an original, breathtaking sequel worthy of repeat viewings.

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Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse

When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released five years ago, its web of 2D and 3D animation became a box office hit and went on to win the Oscar for best animated feature. Incredibly, the return of Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) in Across the Spider-Verse has lived up to the hype, earning over $270 million worldwide in ticket sales (at the time of publication).

Visually, the sequel continues to marry artistic styles to make it feel as if a comic book has come to life, but this time around, there is more of it. A lot more. The story is bigger, more villainous, and a heck of a lot more Spider-y. Thankfully, the emotional arc doesn’t get lost in the multiverse – it’s only Miles who physically gets trapped and tries to sling and swing his way out. The new story brought in a fresh trio of directors (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson) and behind-the-scenes creatives to reinvigorate the success of the original.

“They wanted something entirely fresh,” says character designer Kris Anka about the approach to the visual language. “The whole thinking was just because the animation of the first film was good doesn’t mean it can’t be better.” Anka was one of several character designers on Across the Spider-Verse and oversaw the creation of Miguel (voiced by Oscar Isaac), a Spider-Man-like superhero responsible for producing the multiverse travel technology that has Miles and Gwen (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), along with new characters, Spider-Punk Hobie (voiced by Daniel Kaluuya) and Jessica Drew (voiced by Issa Rae) fighting a portal-jumping “villain of the week” named Spot (voiced by Jason Schwartzman).

Anka spent around 15 months in creating Miguel, adding new layers to the suit design and silhouette of the character. “Depending on how close you are to him, you see different layers of detail. At the macro level, it’s this simple red, black, and blue design, but as you get closer, there’s patterning on everything,” says Anka. The designer added layers of cultural specificity to Miguel’s suit. “I went on a deep dive into Mesoamerican patterns and tried to find ways to add culture to the suit.” In using textiles and familiar patterns, the design language was grounded in something tangible instead of arbitrarily conceived.

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Everything Everywhere All At Once

EImagine you have to create a specific visual atmosphere for your film world from scratch. Now multiply this times 10. (Actually, make it 50). Don’t forget to include the weirdest variants and peculiar lighting ideas. You get the point, right? “Everything Everywhere All at Once” didn’t get a nomination for “best cinematography”, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t outstanding. There were a lot of creative choices indeed.

The film’s cinematographer, Larkin Seiple, explains that he and Daniels (the name they call the director-duo of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) didn’t just try to visualize the coolest and most extraordinary looks. No, each of the universes should encapsulate the emotional states of Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh). For example, the protagonist hates being in a reality where everybody has fingers that look like hotdogs instead of human fingers. It’s too bizarre for her, so the filmmakers created a kind of “Netflix comedy” atmosphere, as Larkin calls it, with flattering grading, ketchup-mustard tones, and a 2:1 aspect ratio.

Compared to this, the reality in which Evelyn is an action star needed to be hypnotic and alluring. And the so-called alpha-verse, where people develop crucial technology to track the direction of other universes, possesses strong “Star Wars” vibes with a 16mm halation effect and a more dramatic film stock choice.

The cinematographer uses all available tools to visually separate the worlds from each other as well as to support the story. For instance, in one of Larkin’s favorite scenes – the beginning – he goes for mixed lighting. This is his way of underlining how much chaos is in the protagonist’s life: she literally cannot focus on anything, and cold-warm lights in one room only add to this feeling.

Another interesting detail in Seiple’s cinematography is his love for the vintage Harrison diffusion filter, though not for aesthetic reasons. He uses this filtration art (his favorite!) when it comes to fluorescent lighting or highlights that are too mean and harsh. As you can imagine, there were a lot of scenes with fluorescent lights, especially in the IRS building.

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