Cinematography Style: Erik Messerschmidt

FESTEN is now streaming on MUBI in South Africa and many other countries. Get a whole month of great cinema FREE: mubi.com/indepthcine
Let’s get into how Erik Messerschmidt does what he does, by unpacking his thoughts and philosophy on photography and looking at what gear he chooses in this episode of Cinematography Style.
Source: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJ6mn3hjiLFkqrc
Source: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lX2kkJqFrryJq7s
Source: britishcinematographer.co.uk/erik-messerschmidt-asc-mank/
Source: amplify.nabshow.com/articles/create-erik-messerschmidt-cinematography-the-killer/
Source: sonycine.com/articles/shot-on-venice-2-dp-erik-messerschmidt-asc-paints-a-highspeed-vision-of-ferrari-with-michael-mann/
MERCH:
Official IDC Merch: www.indepthcine.shop/
SOCIALS:
Instagram: indepthcine
Patreon: www.patreon.com/indepthcine
IDC Website: www.indepthcine.com/
My Website: www.graykotze.com/
Discord: discord.gg/pxP8Yzc
GEAR:
Music I Use: bit.ly/3qCRt7u
KZbin Gear I Use: kit.co/InDepthCine/youtube-gear
Editing Software I Use: bit.ly/41oeH2x
MUSIC:
Music I Use: bit.ly/3qCRt7u
Ottom - ‘Hold On’
Stephen Keech - ‘Grand Design’
Nuer Self - ‘Dawn’
Liquid Memoirs - ‘Distant Dream’
Joley - ‘Night Stroll’
I Am Alex - ‘Bonfire’
The Soundkeeper - ‘The View From The Attic Window’
Sero - ‘Mid August’
Chill Winston - ‘The Truth’
0:00 Introduction
1:04 Background
2:06 Visual Language & References
3:44 Perspective & Camera Movement
5:40 Post Production
7:15 Lenses
9:05 Cameras
10:51 Grips
11:33 Lighting
12:28 MUBI
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[@olilaval]

Little mistake, he wasn't the DP of the first episod from Mindhunter, it was Christopher Probst.

[@BayAreaMotorcycleCommuting]

I would love to see a meta video where you apply this same analytical style to your own videos :) "I tend to use solid colors separated by a white line between the content and the background..."

[@ahmedkamal7095]

I LOVE your videos, they are a consistent dose of inspiration, and i cant stress enough how much i LOVE your narration and your video style too, Please keep going

[@juanjosenamnuntavarez7553]

Mubi, increible,Anthony Dod Mantle, le toca una cinematography style

[@manu.waterpolo]

Sich good content! Thank you very much

[@scs54]

You should do Dan Laustsen next.

[@TwangThang57]

FYI, Festen is not currently available on Mubi.

[@aze4308]

nice

[@TinLeadHammer]

Not textured and too dark. _Mank_ is ok, probably because it is black and white.

[@jakewoodrow1348]

Talk about Mike Gioulakis next.

[@roderichemnetrand6423]

Hello, I began to watch your video ablut the 80s movies and kodak. I was thinking about a similar thing. Why is Star Trek The original Series so much more graphically defined and clearer than the Star Trek The Next Generation? Could you make a video about that?

[@zebius4157]

I feel the comments here are the pinnacle of the placebo effect that filmmakers put on themselves about how elements should be done due to their biases that normies don't give a fuck about

[@andreymagnuss]

Probably the same people who would scream at you foaming about how digital ruined cinema and everything has to be anamorphic and done in-camera

[@aleksanderhaugdal2060]

On which project did he work with Ridley Scott? is that a mistake? I know he worked on raised by wolves but not on the Ridley Scott episodes, Dariusz shot those I think.

[@jonaspreissler7429]

Yeah you are right, Dariusz was the DP for the episodes directed by Ridley. I don't think they ever worked together on the exact same project.

[@theroebuck123456789]

The Killer's handheld shots were so obviously added in post. The movement was just too robotic

[@mrotaveria]

That Mindhunter flares were 1. distracting and 2. fake AF. Also, I am not a big fan of digital diffusion. That said, the framing in all his work is the best I've seen.

[@violentinstincts]

.. you know this guy's photography is shit, right?

[@WOLFPRODUCTIONS111]

Really don’t like his work everything just feels fake and plasticky. And lacks a lot of precision in storytelling. The man has managed to make visually bad and boring movies with two of the most visually gifted and iconic directors of all time Michael Mann and David Fincher 😢 He has ruined Fincher movies for me.

[@whateverjustposting]

i wouldnt say his movies are visually boring or bad at all, but i definitely am constantly distracted by the artificial techniques he uses. you say yourself fimcher and mann are visual masters, they wouldnt keep working with him if they dodnt like what he was doing. the average moviegoer isnt distracted by the same things we are, which is an us problem, not a him problem.

[@chrismezza1940]

Agreed. He should have stayed a Gsffer honestly. His work isn’t terrible I guess but it just feels flat.

[@zebius4157]

What's my blud waffling about?😭😭😭😭

[@zacsmith2862]

Agreed. His work also feels strangely over processed. I remember when watching the fight scene in The Killer being distracted by how it shot thinking “I don’t know what’s wrong with this, but everything feels artificial and off” seeing that stabilisation makes so much sense

[@zacsmith2862]

@@whateverjustposting a few of my friends who don’t really know movies said The Killer reminded them of the old “straight to tv movies” in it’s quality I think that’s the most damaging take Ive ever heard for modern Fincher.