Cinematography

[BatsAndNights]

**** that… this cowl is perfect. It’s one part Neal Adams, one part ‘66/West, and one part Bermejo.

There is just one thing I'd change with the cowl as it currently exists, the nose. Make it more pointy, ala Arkham cowl. The kinda square shape just looks a bit odd to me

 

[JubJub86]

Yeah, the nose is about the only gripe I have too. Such a minor thing though, I don't really give a crap given the rest is so on-point. Freakin' love how old-school Reeves is going with the aesthetics of this movie.

60s/70s Batman got impregnated by a 90s Fincher or Proyas movie somehow (science!), out pops 2022 Batman.

 

[Rick190293]

I'd change the ears making them thicker, but it's not a problem at all. Gotham is gorgeous, so cool we're having a more gothic setting.

 

[BatLobster]

We'll be able to tell better when it's motion, but it looks to my eye like they're adding film grain in post based on that shot. That's not something that I noticed in the first trailer.

 

[CondimentKing]

We'll be able to tell better when it's motion, but it looks to my eye like they're adding film grain in post based on that shot. That's not something that I noticed in the first trailer.

I noticed that too. Very exciting. The shot just looks so good.

 

[JubJub86]

Kinda begs the question "why not just shoot it on film?" though.

 

[CondimentKing]

Because Greig only shoots digital iirc and he's got his trusty ARRI. Dune is also digital then transferred onto film

 

[JubJub86]

Oh yeah, I know Greig's a digital guy. Still, it's a little odd, the whole "we want it to look like film" mentality with some of these guys, emulating it digitally.

Meh, if it looks good it looks good though, right? Whatever.

 

[Eddie Dean]

It’s way more expensive to shoot everything on film instead of just doing a print of everything you want on film.

 

[JubJub86]

Pretty sure WB could afford the film stock if they wanted it. It'd be a creative choice, not a lack of cash.

 

[BatLobster]

Kinda begs the question "why not just shoot it on film?" though.

I'm a bit of a snob and a lover of the truly authentic film look, so I understand that sentiment-- but to be fair, it's just different tools.

Some directors like the pressure of hearing the film running through the gate and the crew knowing that actual money is being spent every time they roll. They say it makes everyone bring their A-game. Other directors like to enjoy the flexibility that digital offers, the ability to do unlimited takes and review footage with more of an approximation of the 'final' result via LUTs, etc.

While the line is getting more and more blurred in terms of achieving a filmic look with digital, I still think there's an inherent difference between an image that's been touched up digitally in some way vs. one that hasn't that contributes to the truly super-authentic classic film look. For example, it's not just that Nolan shoots on film, but all his films actually go through the old photochemical color timing process where the actual film negatives are developed in a lab. This is the way movies used to be done until the 2000s and it puts a lot more pressure on the DP to get the look right on set and for a director to be confident in their choices. That's super rare though, as even most (if not all) movies that shoot on film these days are still digitally color corrected in Davinci. But I think that end to end film process gives can give a movie movies a look that stand out and can't be 100% emulated (yet) digitally, if you've got a discerning eye for it.

But basically, digital is a tool that gives you a lot more flexibility and endless choices you can make (both on set and in post). While some creators see value in simplifying things and committing to something earlier in the process. Valid reasons for both approaches.

 

[JubJub86]

Right. It's sort of that "Teslas perform better than most cool gas cars". Yep, true. I'd still feel like I'm driving a ****ing iPod with wheels, even if they tried to replicate the engine sounds or whatever artificially. Nope, still not the same.

Come off a little harsh though, I don't really have a problem with digital per se, at least when it's done right and doesn't look all glossy & lazy like a majority of the MCU stuff. Just struggle to wrap my head around the "altering what you've shot digitally to look more like we shot it on film" thing. High-level DPs like this know their stuff, they could achieve the same thing oldschool if they wanted an oldschool look. It's gotta be simply a convenience-of-edit situation, yeah.

I dunno, maybe I'm just a grumpy old fart.

 

[BatLobster]

Right. It's sort of that "Teslas perform better than most cool gas cars". Yep, true. I'd still feel like I'm driving a ****ing iPod with wheels, even if they tried to replicate the engine sounds or whatever artificially. Nope, still not the same.

Come off a little harsh though, I don't really have a problem with digital per se, at least when it's done right and doesn't look all glossy & lazy like a majority of the MCU stuff. Just struggle to wrap my head around the "altering what you've shot digitally to look more like we shot it on film" thing. High-level DPs like this know their stuff, they could achieve the same thing oldschool if they wanted an oldschool look. It's gotta be simply a convenience-of-edit situation, yeah.

I dunno, maybe I'm just a grumpy old fart.

LOL. I hear ya. It gets into this kinda psychological domain, where I intellectually know that what I'm looking at wasn't shot on film, but is trying to pass off like it did and it colors your perception a bit. Like knowing someone's wearing a clip-on tie or something. It's similar to knowing something was shot practically vs. if it was CG, even if it's entirely seamless CG that you can't even tell.

But also to be totally fair, this kind of stuff has been going on with music for a long time too. Music producers regularly use digital tape emulation to give things some of that saturation and warmth that we grew accustomed to hearing from all the classic recordings that were recorded on reel to reel. So creatives using digital tools to emulate the classic analog feel is nothing new. Though it does speak to something interesting about how we seem to gravitate to the 'life' of analog in general.

 

[CondimentKing]

Yeah, emulated tape saturation is used literally all the time. And all digital plugins are emulations of real compression, EQ, etc units anyways. And every single virtual synth ever. It's gotten so good you literally can't tell in 99% of cases.

In this case I feel it's not so much an attempt to emulate film 1:1, it's just to add some grit

 

[BatLobster]

Yeah, emulated tape saturation is used literally all the time. And all digital plugins are emulations of real compression, EQ, etc units anyways. And every single virtual synth ever. It's gotten so good you literally can't tell in 99% of cases.

In this case I feel it's not so much an attempt to emulate film 1:1, it's just to add some grit

I sense a fellow musician.

 

[CondimentKing]

Lol yessir

 

[JubJub86]

*Plays some Kenny G smooth jazz just to piss everybody off* Doo doo doo bee doo doo...

 

[Blade Hoarder]

I love how much reeves appreciates the CinemaScope aspect ratio. That’s his canvas and he chooses to paint within its limits.


Nolan’s movies never had that focus because he had to compose for IMAX shots for half the film.

every shot in this beauty is deliberately framed.

 

[JubJub86]

Yeppers. The best.

 

[TheIronist]

Cinematography is 1A.

 

[BatLobster]

I love how much reeves appreciates the CinemaScope aspect ratio. That’s his canvas and he chooses to paint within its limits.


Nolan’s movies never had that focus because he had to compose for IMAX shots for half the film.

every shot in this beauty is deliberately framed.

True, but seeing full frame IMAX footage with TDK for the first time will forever be one of the most jaw-dropping moments I've ever experienced in a cinema. That single handedly killed the whole 3D movement for me because nothing compared to that immersion. Plus, it's not like there was critical information in the top and bottom of the frame. Everything is still framed for the center, the IMAX was more for the larger than life immersion and unparalleled resolution. The movies still work perfectly as entirely 2.39:1 though, as they're currently featured on HBO Max as.

I totally love the stylized, rain-soaked noir that we're getting here, but Nolan/Pfister's blend of naturalism with iconic, larger than life elements was extremely immersive and a bold direction for the character and genre at the time.

 

[Micromind]

 

[Micromind]

 

[JubJub86]

I don't even care that the Iceberg Lounge scene is so reminiscent of Maroni's place in TDK visually, haha, it looks so very good.

Man I want to hear the music choice for that sequence too, you'd kinda figure it'll be a song rather than score. Go all dorky 80s-synthesizer house/techno or whatever, embrace the cheese.

 

[Micromind]