Cinematography Style: Jeff Cronenweth

[@mothevision2183]

This man's Such an underated cinematographer, considering the consistency of his work especially when you look how deferent his work is

[@inhalants]

He has two Oscars, idk how you could call that underrated.

[@akelindstrom1786]

@@inhalantsYou can still be underrated by the public. Winning awards isn’t really a good way to measure how the public views him.

[@akelindstrom1786]

@@inhalantsDeakins has the same amount of oscars but is held in much higher regard and is way more famous.

[@inhalants]

@@akelindstrom1786 I guess so, but who in the general public really knows the names of cinematographers anyway? Industry people all know he's great. I guess if you're saying he should be more publicly known then that's fair, but that's probably true of all the notable cinematographers.

[@nicovizzica1919]

Can you do a video about Bill Pope's Cinematography? Great content dude

[@cjkalandek996]

I second this!

[@alextan1478]

And please use the IMAX version of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in the video as well, if you can.

[@chrischapman7405]

I don't work in film but your analysis sheds so much light (pun unintended) on how and why film can be so powerful. Thank you so much.

[@robertobuatti7226]

Great cinematographer, love so many of his works. For a topic may I suggest for people like myself wanting to get into cinematography could you do a basic beginners guide, I have several learning disabilities but would love to learn more about cinematography and do find it quite complex.

[@LeonardoKlotz]

ONE HOUR PHOTO is so underrated

[@quiinceyiv7341]

Holy Cow!! I never knew you were from CPT until you mentioned it. I'm a huge fan of this channel and I've been binging on your videos. Proudly Cape Townian too🙏🏾

[@Jonas_æ]

One of my favorite DPs. Love the aesthetics of low key lighting and Cronenwerth is a master at it.

[@yetanotherbassdude]

Such a hugely influential DP, and even for the new generation of more expressionist DPs I definitely feel his sense of mood carries a lot of weight. I also think he's a great example against arguments of nepotism in Hollywood. We revere a second or third generation cabinetmaker because they've literally grown up surrounded by their craft and have learned so much from that, and it's easy to see that Cronenweth has that in spades in his work. Maybe that's a privilege in itself for something like filmmaking, but it's hard to argue it doesn't produce amazing results from the right person. Great video as always! Keep it up!

[@spideymoin8146]

As usually brilliant work. Please make on Wally Pfister and Bill Pope.

[@CappuccinoLife]

Simply, thank you! :)

[@asandwell]

As well as directors who are their own DPs--Steven Soderbergh, Peter Hyams, Tony Kaye, and Robert Rodriguez.

[@thebreakdownrugby]

You made me love movies and I thank you for that

[@olilaval]

One of my favourite DP. After Darius Khondji and Benoit Debie, you should take a look on the work of Manuel Dacosse, an other Belgian DP who shoot all Cattet-Forzani's movies and latests Du Welz's movies. Very bold DP, you should like it ;)

[@kieranarmstrongproductions4743]

Amazing video as always! So happy to see your channel grow. I don’t think I’ve seen this request yet, but could you do Tommy Maddox-Upshaw? He’s the DP on Snowfall and AC on some of Spike Lee’s work.

[@EverythingFilm]

Just discovered your channel, and your voice is awesome!

[@asandwell]

I renew my suggestions of Dante Spinotti, Adrian Biddle, and Adam Greenberg as subjects of future videos.

[@Aidanhackwell]

I like all these videos before even watching them.

[@DaCarnival]

I think you're not right on the center-crop they did on Gone Girl (and other Fincher-R3D productions) - on a 6K sensor they frame for 5K (not 4K) , to provide an oversampled 4K final image.

[@InDepthCine]

You're right. He mentioned in an interview framing for 4K but it actually seems that he shot 6K and framed for 5K (then down res-ed to 4K or 2K for the final deliverables): www.red.com/news/gone-girl-first-feature-film-shot-in-6K

[@asandwell]

I got a question: according to IMDb and wikipedia, Cronenweth rated and exposed the film 'normally' while shooting Fight Club yet the 'print was adjusted to be underexposed' in postproduction. What does that mean?

[@kameramanhv]

Jeff’s father introduces him to david fincher and squarespace will introduce you to world….. Networking is half part of working in films.

[@daslolo]

a few more frames of fight club and you'd be in trouble ;)

[@katojuakhil9277]

2 min of silence for gef boyl a great loss to Hollywood cinema

[@skylinefilms123]

Robby müller Robby müller Robby müller

[@princepeachfuzz]

DUDE YOU WORKED WITH JEFF CRONENWORTH & DON'T FLEX IT LKKE IT'S NOTHING

[@joelmercado1099]

Cronenweth > Deakins

[@Chaizin]

I have an uncle who's a cinematographer and I hope to get to do what he does as well as become a writer and director when I'm older!

[@thefincheranalyst]

If you are writing, filming, and directing right now, you are already a writer/cinematographer/director. You only have to keep doing it, learning more and more from the stuff you like (don't be ashamed to copy it, at first), gaining experience, getting better and better. David Fincher decided he wanted to be a film director when he was 8, but he never went to film school. He just started doing it until he became an expert and a master of the art and craft. And you have access to incredibly advanced filmmaking tools today that he didn't have in the 1970s...

[@FilmSpook]

@@thefincheranalyst 👍🏾👍🏾 Top Notch, practical advice!! Much appreciated.

[@FilmSpook]

That's Awesome! You ARE cinematographer, if you are doing it and claiming it. There's never been an easier time than now to get into filmmaking. Even using a smartphone camera is a great tool. Best Wishes

[@themikepadua]

If your uncle is a cinematographer, I hope you realize your chances of getting your foot in the door and getting experience on set is astronomically higher than the average person.

[@LeonardoKlotz]

The cinematography of FIGHT CLUB was ahead of its time Cronenweth made it look like something from the late 2000s

[@Thoracius]

Well, that's maybe the only thing I don't like about it. With the proliferation of digital color grading in the 2000s, the orange-teal look became such an ugly and tired cliche. Color palette-wise, Fight Club looks like every single vapid Hollywood movie with a shoddy color grade that came out after it over the next decade, which makes the grade retroactively look cheap and unimaginative.

[@gxrsky]

@@Thoracius can't disagree more. classic banal teal/orange grade from 00's looks nothing like dirty greenish / blueish fight club

[@alanbrito5239]

nah I would say Se7en.... that shit looks like early 2000's and its from 1995 even blue ray and 4k remaster looks fucking amazing

[@maxmeyer6395]

He and his father created what I consider the pinnacle of visual storytelling. You can be very proud of you for having worked with him.

[@familygonzcartwright]

I think he has a misconception with digital projectors. The multiplex in my town can show the same movie in three different rooms and you clearly see that each of the projectors looks different. The calibration and care you have to put in the process of projecting a film is the same in digital and film. There's obviously the fact that film prints may degrade. But there's also an advantage in film projection and it is that at least you have to have someone next to the projector to make sure that the entire movie is shown and that person will notice how a film degrades and, most importantly (and something that digital projections don't do), that person will notice if the projector light doesn't work properly or if the image is calibrated and positioned correctly on the screen. And I must say that there's also a chance of having a degraded or broken DCP because I went to that multiplex to watch Cry Macho and the file was corrupt and had red squares that filled most of the frame during the whole runtime of the film. The technicians had to stop the projection, try again with another projector and then give us a free ticket to use other day because the movie couldn't be watched...

[@neplusultra8830]

I think Jeff Cronenweth's work (like most talented DPs) best reflects the vision of whoever is directing the project. And, because he's been the DP that David Fincher has used more than anyone else in his career; I think people associate that kind style to Jeff's work. Harris Savides once said that he uses one-source lightning as much as he can get away with. I think Jeff Crowenweth follows a very similar template. But, then again, I think David Fincher works with cameramen who have a very similar philosophy to each other, as well as himself. David Fincher typically limits the number of focal lengths on set; he rarely uses anything below 27mm, and above 40mm. He rarely uses long lenses for close-ups, and when does, its usually a 75mm -- usually it's one or two pivotal scenes with one of the main characters. David Fincher likes to shoot with the lens wide open or close to wide open. He prefers to use a shallow depth of field as a tool to selectively focus on things that he wants. It also gives a soft, murky, almost otherworldly look to the image. This can be a burden on focus-pullers. But, David prefers to track with dollies and static tripods for controlled movements anyway - he very rarely uses steadicam, handheld, or crane movements. Darius Khondji said, on Se7en he shot interiors at T2.5, and exteriors at T2.8. Harris Savides said he likes to shoot at around a T2.8. So, its safe to say that was the stop he used when he shot The Game. John Crowenworth said, for Fight Club, the stop for pretty much the whole movie was a T2.3. They only opened the Primo lenses wide open to their stop of T1.9 in the scene in Tyler's house when there was little to no light. Also, Fincher prefers to work in a Super 35 format, weather it be film or digital. I think the only time he shot anamorphic was Alien 3, and he's pretty much disowned that film. The only times he didn't shoot in Super 35 film/sensor was Zodiac, where he shot the whole film with the Thompson Viper camera, which he then used for some scenes of Benjamin Button. The DPs who have worked with Fincher, have done other projects with different looks while still using similar techniques.

[@JacobMcCaslin]

He said in Social Network, “we shot the whole movie at T1.3”

[@neplusultra8830]

@@JacobMcCaslin Yes. He also said he had to really stack the ND filters for when they were shooting outside in order to control exposure and maintain that stop.

[@Trakinasnove]

Great video as always. You said Cronenweth shoots on spherical for a anamorphic aspect ratio, Deakins does the same. Does it look better or is just easier/cheaper to shoot? Or just personal preference?

[@InDepthCine]

With the kind of budgets that he (and Deakins) usually operate at I don't think it's as much a financial choice as it is a practical/stylistic one. Spherical lenses have different optical qualities which some prefer and others don't. Practically, some cinematographers like having lots of focal lengths to choose from when using primes. Spherical lens sets (almost always) offer more choices in this regard. Also, Fincher seems to always shoot with spherical glass so it may be a decision/preference which he dictates.

[@neplusultra8830]

Both. It's both personal preference and money preference. Anamorphic is typically more expensive to rent (depending on the age/brand of the lens) because they're typically more mechanically complex, therefore more difficult to maintenance. Film sets that use anamorphic lenses typically have to be more well-lit because: 1. The addition of the anamorphic elements, and the way they bend light. 2. Anamorphic lenses are notorious for having chromatic abrasion/blurriness/murky softness at wide-open stops. Old rule of thumb with most DPs was to shoot a stop or two down (like a T4 or T5.6) to get the best performance out of the lens. Also, anamorphic lenses tend to be bigger and heavier than spherical lenses. Panavision's old C-Series lenses are one of the lightest sets out there; the 40mm being under 4lbs, it's popular for handheld/steadicam use. Their newer G-Series lenses, are similar in weight, with modern glass and mechanics. Up until the last couple of decades -- if you wanted to shoot multiple cameras using similar focal lengths in anamorphic, you went to Panavision. Back then, most, if not all, non-Panavision anamorphic lenses typically came in sets of five. Sometimes less! Nowadays, companies like Zeiss, Cooke, and Hawk have caught up in recent years with there own lines of Anamorphic lenses. Back before digital cameras and digital intermediate for film, anamorphic was the go-to format if you wanted to shoot in a 2.35/2.39 aspect ratio; because you used the WHOLE negative instead of matting or cropping to get the final aspect ratio you wanted. Therefore, the resolution of anamorphic was much better than Super 35 because the negative was bigger and the film grain wasn't as magnified. And, ultimately. It's up to personal taste. Roger Deakins just doesn't like anamorphic; he doesn't like the optical feel of it, and the lack of depth of field that is inherent in the format. And on the other hand, you have Christopher Nolan. Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, and The Prestige were all shot in anamorphic. Starting with The Dark Knight, he began shooting the Imax format in certain scenes, and mixing it with the regular anamorphic footage. Ever since Dunkirk, he has been shooting exclusively in Imax 70mm and Panavision 65 formats. Personaly, I think the format is beautiful. There is something to be said about the visual "feeling" of anamorphic; the soft rolling focus, the oval bokeh, the painterly way it captures a wide frame.

[@Gnechikys]

maybe it came from Fincher.. coz he dont like anamorphic lenses and called them "stupid idea" and archaic xD

[@Dennis94913]

its generally easier to work with spherical footage in post, especially when working with fincher where there would be hundreds of "hidden" vfx composited into the final movie.

[@mosestrevino4515]

I always sorta compared Cronenweth to Deakins from time to time because of their use of the same gold like color on their projects with other directors. I wonder if you can probably do a video about these two cinematographers on how what makes them similar to each and how to know the difference between them.

[@luie602]

Wow. This is really nicely put together. I wonder if he knows of this video. I would likt to show him this since we are lucky enough to be working together currently on the same set. He truly is a wonderful and kind person on top of all his talents.

[@alexburugorri357]

Do you make a video of hong kyung pyo dp of the "parasite" or a dp asiat?

[@ranadhirbiswas4095]

I would suggest to watch 'Tales from the loop', you will see him on a different lens.

[@anshulbhandari9870]

Mr. In Depth Cine didn't have to flex on us like that at 8:20 🙄

[@OfficiallyOToole]

You worked with Jeff Crownenweth?! On what movie?

[@emilianoo.1596]

In a couple previous videos he mentioned that he worked with Crownenweth on a television commercial/TV advertisement project in the camera department.

[@999superstore5]

oh yeah robert rodrgiez

[@bibhuranjandutta470]

Great video sirr

[@gilbertoalves4937]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@cjkalandek996]

Could you please do videos on the styles of Bill Pope, Dan Mindel, and Steve Yedlin?

[@sadetwizelve]

Do Ernest Dickerson next

[@asandwell]

Very much appreciated, In Depth Cine! I love this video and the audio excerpts from Cronenweth talking about how the state of an analogue projector can impact how the movie comes out. I saw Fight Club at the movies when it came out, several times if I recall right, and wonder now if it looked even grimier and darker than it should have done simply because of the projector(s) used!

[@Sidney72958]

Love your videos! Went out and bought fight club so I could listen to the commentary 💃🏿 really wish they’d start letting cinematographers record commentaries for film but I’ll work with what I got in the meantime

[@jalanmathewsjr]

That bit on differences in projection in theatres is so important. So many theatres have different equipment and use out of date equipment compared to what Hollywood uses with their deals with companies like Dolby. I can't remember if it was in one of your videos or not, but I remember Christopher Nolan expressed frustration with the sound in a premier when it was different from the final cut he thought the film had, when in reality it has to be "optimized" for the latest Dolby equipment. I love film, but a majority of people watch on digital screens at home. Picking and choosing when to use film is so important and it's great to hear a high profile director acknowledging that limitation and adjusting to make sure the audience sees the closest thing to the final product rather than focusing on their personal preferences.

[@brunoscali]

Could you make one of Michael Slovis? Great videos! Wish you the best, cheers from argentina!

[@marcelosolis1766]

Can you do a video on Lukasz Zal? Would like to see an in-depth breakdown of his work. Great work as always!

[@adrianrobertoruizmartinez9325]

Dude really love your videos, could you a video on Bill pope? He has a particular style but never being able to put my finger on what it is.

[@mananagnihotri]

Great video mate, have you considered doing one on Prieto??

[@a.gutierrez2418]

Please keep making these. They're awesome

[@filmyardart]

Thanks a lot

[@AxTechs]

Finally!!!

[@Lululu239]

He lucky with his father

[@tzachgefen6787]

Great videos man ☺️🤟

[@asandwell]

All of that said, I am curious about Cronenweth's use of filters. I notice that you didn't touch on that, which is curious given how otherwise thorough you were in divulging all the equipment he uses. I have scoured the Internet for info on what filters--if any!--Cronenweth used on Fight Club and have come up empty-handed. I am also curious about what filters he used on One Hour Photo and K-19: The Widowmaker. I have a strong suspicion that the crisp, antiseptic look of the former film is partly attributable to the use of Neutral Density filters though.

[@PALALALALALALA]

neutral density filters are for exposure. They don't change sharpness. To me its seems like he shoots his lenses clean (nothing or just a polarizer). Diffusion filters don't seems to suits anything he's doing.

[@alexowens6511]

#youtube.ong ripping