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Spectre Cinematography

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  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I too, can't understand the yellow filter. As the festival looks to be so full of
    Vibrant colours.
  • 001001
    edited July 2016 Posts: 1,575
    Thunderpussy wrote: »
    I too, can't understand the yellow filter. As the festival looks to be so full of
    Vibrant colours.

    I agree about the awful yellow look. It ruins the film and looks terrible.


  • MalloryMallory Do mosquitoes have friends?
    Posts: 2,057
    Thunderpussy wrote: »
    I too, can't understand the yellow filter. As the festival looks to be so full of
    Vibrant colours.

    Theres a special feature on the blu ray about the making of the DotD fesitval sequence.

    Now that looks good. Its what the film sequence should have looked like, cinematography wise.
  • JWESTBROOKJWESTBROOK
    edited July 2016 Posts: 5,745
    It's been done before but here's a personal example of how I'd prefer Spectre using the same screenshot adjusted in Adobe Lightroom:

    xyllpplras6sbddkybjx.jpg
    qbj6tpmxb6g6h1rcupsn.jpg

    The "painted" scenes in Spectre are really one of the main factors pulling me out of film, particularly the opening. It doesn't look like reality and is a cheap effort at trying to remind the audience the location is "hot".
  • SuperintendentSuperintendent A separate pool. For sharks, no less.
    Posts: 871
    Bond films should always have vibrant colours.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited July 2016 Posts: 23,883
    Superintendent wrote: »
    Bond films should always have vibrant colours.
    I agree. It almost goes without saying. I have no idea what these clowns were thinking, quite frankly. It's Bond 101.

    The only thing that makes any sense at all is if it was done to cover up shoddy special effects work. I see these filters a lot in the heavy CGI films, including those from Marvel/DC & other franchises.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I guess it can hide a lot. :(
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    edited July 2016 Posts: 28,694
    I don't mind color correcting, when you're adjusting saturation to up the vibrancy in ways that look captivating but not too bright in color on the screen. I think SF shows this well, though it seems to be prominently utilizing blue or green filtering at times too, while SP relies on yellow to an excessive degree. I usually don't mind the former, as they produce great color that doesn't impede the visuals too much, but the yellow only works at specific moments when you want to convey warmth or to accentuate dim lighting; it's very, very situational. The Rome scene uses that filter perfectly, but in other areas, I think it gives a bad layer to the visuals which deserved to pop.

    A filterless SP with heightened saturation would've been beautiful, with palettes that matched great camera composition to create a perfect marriage.
  • ggl007ggl007 www.archivo007.com Spain, España
    Posts: 2,539
    An interesting text about "remastering" classic films. I don't know if this is the correct thread... perhaps it is...? http://notonbluray.com/blog/orange-and-teal/
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    edited July 2023 Posts: 4,444
    Half Dutch/Swedish (American) Hoyte van Hoytema wil be one of guest in 3 hour Live program Dutch summer program ''Zomergasten'' of this year. He wil be 2th guest this year and for me personaly there is more goodnews, it is on my birthday 30 July 2023. I think there choose this day because it is also Christopher Nolan his birthday and it is aruond release of Nolan/Van Hoytema new movie Opperheimer. Have it been weak earlier i can't see it Live. Dutch and Belgium people can watch program on NPO2 around 20.15/20.20.

    Source: https://www.vpro.nl/programmas/zomergasten/kijk/afleveringen/2023/hoyte-van-hoytema.html

    Translated version: https://www-vpro-nl.translate.goog/programmas/zomergasten/kijk/afleveringen/2023/hoyte-van-hoytema.html?_x_tr_sl=nl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=nl&_x_tr_pto=wapp

    Zomergasten is interview video program where the guest of week doing a interview (in Dutch) about work and private life including video material that person choose too on bigger screen behind them. After long time with earlier presenter this year movie get new one and go for comedian Theo Maassen. Possible going to talk about Spectre, Let The Right One In and Christopher Nolan.

    Hoyte van Hoytema was not only Dutch link with Spectre, costume designer Jany Temime who also working on Skyfall (And in 2014 in Rotterdam i have seen some of the costume's she made for the movie at Kunsthall Event).
  • Benjamin_Weekly69Benjamin_Weekly69 London
    Posts: 727
    He is American now too? Wut?
  • Colonel_VenusColonel_Venus
    Posts: 486
    Hoyte van Hoytema just won an Oscar for Oppenheimer!! Huge congrats!
  • slide_99slide_99 USA
    Posts: 652
    For me Spectre is the visually-dullest Bond movie. There is no interesting use of color anywhere. Every single scene in monochromatic, with one dominant color used for sets and characters so that everything blends together.

    Spectre-0817.jpg
    This is a good example of what I mean. We're in the desert, but why does everyone need to be dressed in desert-like neutrals?

    Glen's Bond movies weren't known for their striking visuals but even TLD's desert scenes pop more than Spectre's.
    The-Living-Daylights-671.jpg

    Another example. The contrast is better here but why does everyone need to be dressed in black?
    Spectre-0681.jpg

    They were obviously trying to channel Blofeld's lab at Piz Gloria in OHMSS but this is what that looked like:
    On-Her-Majestys-Secret-Service-0632.jpg

    I'm not sure how much of this was due to Mendes and how much was due to Hoytema; I think both because it looks very similar to Skyfall, but I've also seen a few of Hoytema's other movies and I always thought they looked dull, especially Interstellar. He's just not very interesting in terms of lighting and focus.

    I'm not a huge Skyfall fan but Deakins had a few amazing shots in that one, like Bond's reflection suddenly appearing in the glass to Patrice with the changing light. There wasn't anything like that in SP.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,551
    SP's "dull" colors fit the themes of the film (death, loneliness, ...) very well, IMO.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,025
    It’s definitely a deliberate style done to evoke a specific mood for the film. Bond movies have rarely done that with their cinematography, so it’s understandable that it may be off putting to those who are so used to past Bond films shooting scenes with their on set natural colors.

    On a well calibrated set, I think it looks pretty gorgeous. But that’s just my opinion.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,691
    slide_99 wrote: »
    For me Spectre is the visually-dullest Bond movie. There is no interesting use of color anywhere. Every single scene in monochromatic, with one dominant color used for sets and characters so that everything blends together.

    Spectre-0817.jpg
    This is a good example of what I mean. We're in the desert, but why does everyone need to be dressed in desert-like neutrals?

    Glen's Bond movies weren't known for their striking visuals but even TLD's desert scenes pop more than Spectre's.
    The-Living-Daylights-671.jpg

    Another example. The contrast is better here but why does everyone need to be dressed in black?
    Spectre-0681.jpg

    They were obviously trying to channel Blofeld's lab at Piz Gloria in OHMSS but this is what that looked like:
    On-Her-Majestys-Secret-Service-0632.jpg

    I'm not sure how much of this was due to Mendes and how much was due to Hoytema; I think both because it looks very similar to Skyfall, but I've also seen a few of Hoytema's other movies and I always thought they looked dull, especially Interstellar. He's just not very interesting in terms of lighting and focus.

    I'm not a huge Skyfall fan but Deakins had a few amazing shots in that one, like Bond's reflection suddenly appearing in the glass to Patrice with the changing light. There wasn't anything like that in SP.

    Pressing a few keys today (or washing film with dye yesterday) is lazy. Pick your lenses & filters or just deal with colours as they are.
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,691
    chrisisall wrote: »
    slide_99 wrote: »
    For me Spectre is the visually-dullest Bond movie. There is no interesting use of color anywhere. Every single scene in monochromatic, with one dominant color used for sets and characters so that everything blends together.

    Spectre-0817.jpg
    This is a good example of what I mean. We're in the desert, but why does everyone need to be dressed in desert-like neutrals?

    Glen's Bond movies weren't known for their striking visuals but even TLD's desert scenes pop more than Spectre's.
    The-Living-Daylights-671.jpg

    Another example. The contrast is better here but why does everyone need to be dressed in black?
    Spectre-0681.jpg

    They were obviously trying to channel Blofeld's lab at Piz Gloria in OHMSS but this is what that looked like:
    On-Her-Majestys-Secret-Service-0632.jpg

    I'm not sure how much of this was due to Mendes and how much was due to Hoytema; I think both because it looks very similar to Skyfall, but I've also seen a few of Hoytema's other movies and I always thought they looked dull, especially Interstellar. He's just not very interesting in terms of lighting and focus.

    I'm not a huge Skyfall fan but Deakins had a few amazing shots in that one, like Bond's reflection suddenly appearing in the glass to Patrice with the changing light. There wasn't anything like that in SP.

    Pressing a few keys today (or washing film with dye yesterday) is lazy. Pick your lenses & filters or just deal with colours as they are.

    Oh brother.

    In Mexico, Sam and Hoyte waited for the most overcast weather they could get and added smoke to the air to help achieve the look they wanted. These are not lazy filmmakers, and Spectre is as beautiful a film as any we've seen in this series. I don't think anything beats Morocco in this film, L'Americain in particular.

    One's simplistic belief that all films should just have vibrant colors no matter the theme or the desire of the filmmakers just doesn't mean something is bad or lazy.

  • FeyadorFeyador Montreal, Canada
    edited March 12 Posts: 735
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    SP's "dull" colors fit the themes of the film (death, loneliness, ...) very well, IMO.
    Yes, there's a 'noir' feeling throughout much of it. Maybe that's what they were going for ... short of b&w photography itself, which they obviously weren't going to do.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 6,788
    Probably not a very popular opinion, but I find SP's cinematography to be much more atmospherical than SF's. I'm not claiming it is technically better done or anything like that, I just like the look of SP better.
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,691
    slide_99 wrote: »
    For me Spectre is the visually-dullest Bond movie. There is no interesting use of color anywhere. Every single scene in monochromatic, with one dominant color used for sets and characters so that everything blends together.

    Spectre-0817.jpg
    This is a good example of what I mean. We're in the desert, but why does everyone need to be dressed in desert-like neutrals?

    Glen's Bond movies weren't known for their striking visuals but even TLD's desert scenes pop more than Spectre's.
    The-Living-Daylights-671.jpg

    Another example. The contrast is better here but why does everyone need to be dressed in black?
    Spectre-0681.jpg

    They were obviously trying to channel Blofeld's lab at Piz Gloria in OHMSS but this is what that looked like:
    On-Her-Majestys-Secret-Service-0632.jpg

    I'm not sure how much of this was due to Mendes and how much was due to Hoytema; I think both because it looks very similar to Skyfall, but I've also seen a few of Hoytema's other movies and I always thought they looked dull, especially Interstellar. He's just not very interesting in terms of lighting and focus.

    I'm not a huge Skyfall fan but Deakins had a few amazing shots in that one, like Bond's reflection suddenly appearing in the glass to Patrice with the changing light. There wasn't anything like that in SP.

    So the exuberant megalomaniac with a false claim to nobility has a colorful, ornate office, and the icy woman hiding from her past is in that one? Could anything be less bewildering?

    And we're wondering why the two troubled souls who share traumas and defense mechanisms are both wearing black, and not say, contrasting pastels? Primary colors?
  • 007HallY007HallY
    Posts: 2,901
    I suppose it’s worth saying that great cinematography doesn’t necessarily have to be beautiful, as much as Bond films are about spectacle. It has to effectively create a mood or feeling. I suppose SP’s cinematography comes down to taste and how well one thinks it tells the story.

    I’m mixed on it personally. I much prefer SF’s cinematography, although I’d say I actually prefer SP’s to NTTD’s (I find the latter a bit too sleek and surface level - beautiful no doubt but not the very deep).
  • Mathis1Mathis1
    Posts: 6,819
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Probably not a very popular opinion, but I find SP's cinematography to be much more atmospherical than SF's. I'm not claiming it is technically better done or anything like that, I just like the look of SP better.

    I'm part of your small club too @GoldenGun
    Though SF has a few standout scenes visually, I do prefer SP more muted tones.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,034
    The best cinematography helps tell/enhance the telling of the story rather than simply just looking pretty or clever all the time, it's true. It's as much to do with the director's vision as it is the DOPs; the latter serves the former. The same goes for production design and costuming.

    It's good to see Hoyte getting some praise for his work as he's extremely varied in his approaches to fit each project that he works on. I personally feel he deserved his Oscar back in 2012 for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, which was just utterly marvelous.
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,691
    CraigMooreOHMSS wrote: »
    The best cinematography helps tell/enhance the telling of the story rather than simply just looking pretty or clever all the time, it's true. It's as much to do with the director's vision as it is the DOPs; the latter serves the former. The same goes for production design and costuming.

    It's good to see Hoyte getting some praise for his work as he's extremely varied in his approaches to fit each project that he works on. I personally feel he deserved his Oscar back in 2012 for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, which was just utterly marvelous.

    That was a great one too, as was Ad Astra, I thought.


  • UnivexUnivex
    Posts: 6,677
    I've been a critic of Hoyte's cinematography in SP, but I think it will age well, despite my initial reservations. Is the yellowish tone too much? Does it make some for some loss of vibrancy? Well, IMO, yes. But my only complain with that film is the song. I've learned to be more appreciative of the rest.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,869
    I think the cinematography does suit the quieter scenes but when it comes to more grander scenes, I think it mutes the tone too much. Those scenes would've been better with a much more vibrant palette in my opinion.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,691
    Denbigh wrote: »
    I think the cinematography does suit the quieter scenes but when it comes to more grander scenes, I think it mutes the tone too much. Those scenes would've been better with a much more vibrant palette in my opinion.

    I agree. I mean, imagine if OHMSS had blue washes to make everything seem cold, or if Goldfinger had golden tones all over it....
  • UnivexUnivex
    Posts: 6,677
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Denbigh wrote: »
    I think the cinematography does suit the quieter scenes but when it comes to more grander scenes, I think it mutes the tone too much. Those scenes would've been better with a much more vibrant palette in my opinion.

    I agree. I mean, imagine if OHMSS had blue washes to make everything seem cold, or if Goldfinger had golden tones all over it....

    Exactly! Well put.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,551
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Probably not a very popular opinion, but I find SP's cinematography to be much more atmospherical than SF's. I'm not claiming it is technically better done or anything like that, I just like the look of SP better.

    I'm part of your small club too @GoldenGun
    Though SF has a few standout scenes visually, I do prefer SP more muted tones.

    Yeah, I am in that club too. SP looks and sounds better than SF, IMO. Both DPs delivered amazing work, but Van Hoytema's work is my favorite.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,025
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Denbigh wrote: »
    I think the cinematography does suit the quieter scenes but when it comes to more grander scenes, I think it mutes the tone too much. Those scenes would've been better with a much more vibrant palette in my opinion.

    I agree. I mean, imagine if OHMSS had blue washes to make everything seem cold, or if Goldfinger had golden tones all over it....

    Funnily that’s what I thought they did with the Special Edition DVD for GF, giving it a “golden” tone. It wasn’t until I saw the older masters and remasters that I saw the movie was more naturally toned. You can see the difference in the shot with Jill on the bed sheets.

    https://007homemedia.blogspot.com/2019/11/goldfinger-1964.html?m=1


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