As the new Star Wars series, “The Acolyte,” and the latest Doctor Who hit our TV screens, there are important photography lessons we can learn from them and our other favorite productions.
To Boldly Go to a Galaxy Far, Far Away
As a child, I enjoyed watching Star Trek. Something that is often overlooked when celebrated is the cinematography. If you look at the original series now, the photographic direction of Gerald Perry Finnerman is fabulous. He also worked on other classics such as “Moonlighting,” “Kojak,” and “From Here to Eternity.” The composition of each scene worked and complemented the bold colors of the set designs and costumes.
Then, what blew me away was the cinematography of the original Star Wars movie. I saw its first release when it was known as Star Wars, not Episode IV – A New Hope, which wasn’t added until subsequent releases. The visual spectacle of it left me feeling awestruck.
Although they have evolved, the influence of Gil Taylor’s work is still evident in the subsequent Star Wars films and TV series. He also worked on “Flash Gordon” (the version with the fabulous Queen soundtrack), the 1979 version of “Dracula” with Frank Langella and Lawrence Olivier, “The Omen,” “Dr. Strangelove,” and “Ice Cold in Alex.”
Robert Krasker is another classic director of photography whose work I love. It encompasses “The Third Man,” “Brief Encounter,” “El Cid,” “The Heroes of Telemark,” and Lawrence Olivier’s version of “Henry V.”
Leaning From the Giants by Watching It Twice
Whatever your taste in film or television, I highly recommend discovering the work of the cinematography greats. We photographers can learn much from watching well-crafted movies and TV shows. These are professionals at the top of their game. I regularly watch a good movie more than once. The first time just to be absorbed in the story, and subsequent viewings to analyze how some of the shots were taken and how they fitted with the mood of the moment.
I try enormously hard not to notice it when watching something for the first time, but sometimes it is too good and distracts from the other elements that make up the film. To prevent that, the story, characters, soundtrack, and dialogue must be up to the same standard as the cinematography and the subsequent editing. All these elements should fit together to create a coherent whole.
Dealing With Critics
There was a film I enjoyed with my then-young son when it was first released. It was widely criticized for being marred by the style of the cinematography. Critics claimed that overusing a documentary filming style with an ever-moving camera resulted in too much unstable footage. They also said it had too many close-up shots. Consequently, what should have been an enjoyable low-brow adventure became confusing and nauseating.
However, I thought it was an enjoyable escapist romp, and the unusual camerawork didn’t bother me. I have watched it again since, and I still didn’t find it problematic.
There is always subjectivity when deciding what you like and don’t like.
Despite the criticism Tom Stern received – he was the director of photography for the film – he has an admirable career record and has not been stopped by those critics. Furthermore, that movie has grossed over $408 million to date.
Remember, critics are invariably people who can’t themselves create. Therefore, those who denigrate your creative work will be untalented. Sadly, arrogant idiots exist that publicly reject others’ work with uninvited negative comments. You will often see these views expressed in the comments sections of photography websites and social media groups. Although usually driven by jealousy, it’s disturbing that sexism, racism, and other forms of bigotry and prejudice raise their hideous heads here. Those who do it are never very bright, so either ignore them or show them up by highlighting their ignorance.
Without Googling it, can you work out what the movie was? No spoilers in the comments, please.
The Importance of Being Different
Studying the TV series and movies we enjoy, we see that the talented directors of photography and the teams behind creating the look of productions can create their unique style. So, that is something we can work towards achieving too. Finding your style often requires taking risks and dancing to the rhythm of your drum. Not everyone will like it, but someone will and it will help you find your unique style.
How do we do that? There are a multitude of ways. It mostly involves experimenting with what is different. Choose out-of-the-ordinary lighting intensity, angles, and temperature. Pick less common camera formats and lenses. Mix up subjects and their settings. Discover what other photographers do and then mix their styles and techniques, thus creating something new. All great contemporary filmmakers developed their style by building upon those who came before.
Even if you dislike a movie, there are still important lessons to be learned. For example, just as bad effects can spoil a film, a photograph can be similarly ruined. Overblown developments can look appalling, skin smoothing to make plastic-looking complexions in portraits is disturbing, and heavy texture overlays can all detract from the subject. But, just like the careful crafting of a motion picture, done correctly, in a way that complements the photograph can be stunning.
We can also grow by analyzing what we don’t like but heed what I said about critics. Keep your analysis to yourself. If you tell another creative person that you don’t rate their work, they and those who read your comment will think your words are objectionable, which reflects badly on you. If you get such comments on your work, treat them with the contempt they deserve. Rest assured theirs is a narrow-minded view. They lack the intelligence to understand what you created, and they don’t have the talent to match yours. What you are striving for is brilliant.
Putting on the Style
Most of the pictures in this article are snaps I took on various trips with my son many years ago that fit the theme of Film and TV. They don’t fit with my usual photographic styles. I had not thought about style when I pressed the shutter. I captured them solely to preserve memories of events in time, which was the original aim of photography. That purpose is often lost when we think of photography as an art form.
Your approach to creating your work results in your style. Style in photography is the distinctive way photographers portray their subject matter. It is an expression of their vision. Essentially, it’s the photographer’s unique combination of techniques from shooting the image to processing it.
Style is a complex concept. I have even heard some people reject it, saying it doesn’t exist. However, I believe it does. Moreover, it evolves over the photographer’s career. Sometimes that development can change intentionally and quickly as photographers seek a new style they feel comfortable with. At other times, their photos can have a coherent look that lasts years with change only noticeable when you look at images taken a decade apart and they have evolved organically.
A distinct style has advantages. It helps with photographers’ branding and gets their work recognized as theirs. Although all styles have their roots in the aesthetics of the past, finding your look is important. Don’t try to be another (insert name of famous photographer here) because they have already been that and you will be a poor copy. A unique style that doesn’t directly copy another person is worth striving for. However, the quest to discover your distinctive style is worth pursuing.
Style can and should vary greatly between photographers even within the same genre.
Adventures in Style, Time, and Space
The notion of style has long been a historian’s principal means of classifying all art, whether painting, writing, filmmaking, or photography. That’s because styles vary over time and location, changing with different periods, countries, and cultural groups. So, it is useful to consider how your style fits alongside other contemporary photographers in your country.
“Doctor Who” is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running sci-fi series and the most successful sci-fi series of all time. First broadcast on November 23, 1963, the show nearly failed because of the fateful events in America that rocked the world and dominated television everywhere on the previous day. The style of those programs evolved enormously over the years, but it has remained quintessentially British.
Similarly, photography styles evolve too. For example, my family photos dating back to the mid-1800s have a very different style from anything you see today. Also, fabulous images shot by Japanese photographers feel removed from what we in the West shoot.
Unfortunately, because of the internet and the sheer number of photographs being shot, I think individual styles are fading, replaced by generic images that look very similar. Everyone is exposed to the same things and picking up on the same cues. Consequently, we are losing aspects of our cultures. No matter where you are from, your country’s or community’s culture is important. So, researching film, TV, art, and photography from where you live can help your style cohere with and preserve your society.
What Do You Think?
Do you have a style? Do you try to break away from the norms by experimenting with things that are out of the ordinary? Or are you stuck in a rut and hoping to break free from the ordinary? Also, what photography in movies and TV shows inspired you in the past? It would be fantastic to hear your thoughts in the comments about that.
