Why Lens Choice Matters In Cinematography | Focal Lengths

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Lens choice is a fundamental decision made when shooting a film. I’ll be examining the effect that focal length choice by a cinematographer can have on a shot or the entire mood of a movie. By going over the basics of lenses I’ll show the psychological impact they can have on how an audience interprets a story.
PATREON: / indepthcine
2ND CHANNEL: / @indepthfilm4717
WEBSITE: www.graykotze.com/
INSTAGRAM: / indepthcine
DISCORD: / discord
Further Reading: variety.com/2015/artisans/pro...
Further Reading: www.theatlantic.com/technolog...
List of Films Featured:
Rashomon (1950)
Tokyo Story (1953)
The Conversation (1974)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
The Shining (1980)
Fallen Angels (1995)
In The Mood For Love (2000)
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Birdman (2014)
Heaven Knows What (2014)
Interstellar (2014)
The Revenant (2015)
0:00 Introduction
0:34 Basics
2:20 Focal Lengths
4:08 Creative Applications
7:03 Conclusion

[@valentinabreurec1120]

I studied cinema for 3 years now and yet, reminding myself those basic notions really help me a lot!

[@Champagneyear]

Is Good to start and build it Up from basic

[@rbsnmrjn]

I would watch this channel any day any where any time. Much more better than film school. Love from Nepal 🇳🇵

[@davidwebb091370]

thanks for doing this video! i'm learning a lot about cinema

[@teohjinyoung4143]

This is actually a very informative video on cinematography for new filmmakers,but minor correction:Fallen angels was shot mostly on a Kinoptik Tegea 9.8mm rectilinear lens with an adapter that turns it into a 6.8mm lens,it is not fisheye.

[@teohjinyoung4143]

Fisheye would have looked extremely distorted and compressed,wider too to the point where faces are all stretched out weirdly

[@asapfilms2519]

Yes it’s a great video

[@kinoirvoidjustice]

thats rather disputed, on point about it not being fisheye

[@VirginaAV]

To note as well. It was shot on 16mm. This will scale differently per camera film stock or sensor size.

[@rdpathan]

Lesser views on a technical film video means that you've made a great no non-sense, purely educational video! Thanks for this.

[@thepatinashop5071]

That last quote is dope 💯🫡

[@spellxthief]

cool video! roger deakins would be a great cinematographer to do a video on

[@InDepthCine]

🙏

[@StermaPerma]

Man your channel once again blows me away. Other cinema topical channels made me aware of storytelling techniques in the past, but you have opened my eyes towards cinematography like no one else ever did. Really, fantastic job.

[@jessetimmmiller1870]

Bro! I just want to say a huge thank you for your work and this channel. Thanks to your work, I'm obsessed with learning about film making now.

[@salvadorfilms]

This is my new favourite channel. Love your work!

[@NormanTiner]

I love you so much. Thank you for making this so calming and easy to listen to. It takes what could be a daunting subject and makes it clean and clear to understand.

[@charlietucker5018]

Really great videos, thanks for taking the time and sharing.

[@notsohandy_]

Awesome work man. I know how much effort and time it takes to make a video like this. I appreciate this a lot. Thank you and Good luck with your endeavors.

[@LucBoeren]

Simply a great explanatory video, hats off!

[@eavelynried7091]

You have such a calming voice - great video!

[@Atsteel]

What an incredible video. I learned a few things and I have become inspired. Thanks, man.

[@LeBingeDoctor]

Brillant intro to the basics of cinematography. Perfectly clear and clever!

[@mariajoserosales770]

Great chanel!! Thank you so much for doing this videos!

[@LAURENMORENOFILMS]

Thank you for this video! So much insight that finally clicked for me!

[@chasenpartsch920]

Your videos are super helpful. Thanks for making them!

[@InDepthCine]

Thanks for watching them!

[@BassManJack]

Superb video! You have a great and engaging teaching manner.

[@Jericho7films]

Lovely, as always. Thanks for creating.

[@LiottaSeoul]

Awesome! Thank you so much for including Fallen Angels in this. I really love every single frame in that movie and never understand why it is not used as reference more often!

[@JohnnyAlamillo]

great episode! love your channel, man.

[@InDepthCine]

Thanks for watching. Hope it was informative.

[@sungwonkim8870]

Elaborate and entertaining! Thank you so much

[@jorgekas1]

This is a great video. Like the pace.

[@cameronnorris2055]

Thanks, I didn't understand the way my film textbook explained it, you cleared this up for me.

[@javierandres1181]

Of course I enjoyed the video! Thank you so much.

[@jamison_taylor_]

So well done! As a beginner filmmaker, this is really helpful and inspiring. Thank you!

[@bobbygreene5160]

Awesome, awesome video. Thank you.

[@aloox395]

Had to use this video because the links my professor gives sometimes just don't even work. Thanks though I definitely learned a lot from this video!

[@hybred757]

Wonderful breakdown! Thank you!

[@ThekingEC7]

I’d like a video on focal lengths used for specific shots- like what people shoot a mid shot on or a close up for instance

[@birdspb7755]

love this video!!!!!! Thank you.

[@TrapPhoneLoveMelodiesss]

Excellent video! Thank you for making this!

[@InDepthCine]

Pleasure. Thanks for watching.

[@gregw8679]

recently subscribed really concise explanation's and great examples. I would like to see you do a video on darius khondji's cinematography style

[@sarangkumardubey4619]

Bro you just made me realise I can do so much more with my camera now. Thankyou very much 🫂

[@446Ace]

These are stuff I never thought about, when watching a movie. It's kinda fascinating, really. Subscribed! ^_^

[@AltamishM]

Glad I stumbled upon this - can't wait to see the rest of your channel. Greetings from a fellow South African :)

[@connorgoosen2468]

Also found this recently. It's always great to see the South African KZbin community grow! 🇿🇦

[@waseemalibrahim295]

Great as always

[@stinkystealthysloth]

Could you do a video comparing Panavision, Arri, Cooke and Leica lenses?

[@carterbeardmore3470]

Love your channel.

[@fellowcitizen]

Subbed! Looking forward to more!

[@NickWillMakeIt]

This is my new favorite KZbin channel

[@DanteNostalgicFiction]

Amazing channel, thank you

[@nireviews8492]

great video!

[@InDepthCine]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@SickdayProduction]

"If lens are a way of capturing the world, then 'which lens' you choose says a lot about the kind world you are trying to capture" is going to be my next tattoo, might go for the neck this time.

[@garima2473]

This video's been curated super well

[@cris_photography]

awesome man!

[@derrickkobbyhughes]

This video is too good, quality, background music, everything is impressive

[@SickdayProduction]

Yes! I thought the same thing. The background music carried the mood, unlike most other videos where the music is too loud and distracting.

[@tombanks3245]

Excellent video

[@cyclophezurdo3883]

Genial as usual. Thanks a lot.

[@albertptran]

Love your videos! Can we lover the music volume so we can hear more of your voice? Keep up the good work

[@StermaPerma]

Strange I actually love the background music and didn’t find it to be too loud. That’s just me tho

[@jamiegibson5506]

The music is lovely but is definitely too loud (or the voice is too quiet. He does sound like he's speaking very quietly into the mic)

[@antoniojessen1077]

Could you make a few more videos on lighting and talking about bounce and diffusion and things like that?

[@tedmichaels]

Thank you for your work. :)

[@gabrielborjas7923]

your channel is golden

[@albertopena6855]

beautiful video

[@michael_viteritti]

Very informative, thanks! =)

[@shelbyguitarmusic]

I love your videos.

[@thetalkingdummy9108]

Great video

[@DieFischbude]

Very nice content and good explanations! But for a video about films and filmmaking there is a lot of terrible deinterlacing on some of the shots...

[@AdityaSingh-oh2fw]

I do like to see one video on *Wally pfister* as he is award winning cinematographer.

[@InDepthCine]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll feature Wally Pfister in a future Cinematography Style video at some point.

[@AdityaSingh-oh2fw]

@@InDepthCine 🙏🏻

[@zarinparis2214]

Dope vid

[@someonexd1961]

Please do a video on Christopher Doyle sometime! I love his work

[@dentenn9545]

thank you

[@ollvvr]

Great video! Could you link the specific track you used at 4:08 ?

[@user-cx9ep5jd7d]

Great review! What is the name of the music track used?

[@aerozg]

Loved this, just what i was looking for, but i need more. Is there a book that teaches cinematorgraphy techniques this way? I would like to learn the standard techniques, when to use which lens and WHY. For example, the shot of Gene Hackman in this video using a long zoom lens, it makes us feel as if we are spying on our subject - i get it, but is there a book that covers these concepts? A lot of books are about how, but the books that tell you WHY are very scarce. Sorry about the long-winded question, just trying to teach myself cinematography :) Cheers!

[@nickgreen2905]

Just about any photography or cinematography text book has a chapter about how focal length affects the perception of the subject.

[@jaydipbiswas4387]

Please do make a video on Satyajit Ray . The way you explain everything is great and very helpful and it seems that you will do justice to Mr. Ray's films too. I hope you recognize him. Greetings from Calcutta,India.

[@bhargavvramm]

Very informative video 👌. Thanks for making it. Is it safe to assume that one can identify the lens used (wide or long) in an image by looking at the depth of field and amount distortion in it?

[@InDepthCine]

Right, those are two factors which can be used to identify a focal length. I'd say another important factor in identifying a focal length is in how the background of an image is compressed. In a film like The Revenant you see a lot of the background, even in close ups, which means it was shot on a wide lens. In a close up where the background is more compressed (you see less background width) it was shot on a longer lens.

[@bhargavvramm]

@@InDepthCine Right👍. I didn't find the image that distorted even when they went close with wide lens. Is it because of the camera they used. I'm curious to know your thoughts on how they achieved it.

[@Tom_YouTube_stole_my_handle]

@@bhargavvramm I've thought about the case of The Revenant a lot over the years as the apparent lack of distortion puzzled me too. I think the eye is adapting to the distortion and accepting it because it's always present. Certainly there is a great deal of 'massive front shoulder' effect in the closer shots. By and large, faces are kept near the centre of the frame which makes the distortion less obvious but look at still frames and you'll really see it. The use of the wide lenses in The Revenant is a topic all in itself.

[@flyingfox2005]

@@Tom_KZbin_stole_my_handle The Revenant used a 24mm lens on the Alexa 65. On 35 a 12mm lens has the same AOV... 18mm on a VistaVision camera. So the lens is wide, but not too wide. A 12mm on VistaVision would show considerably more perspective distortion for example.

[@Tom_YouTube_stole_my_handle]

@@flyingfox2005 Thank you Daniel, that makes sense.

[@weebgrinder-AIArtistPro]

I think the human eye (using a 35mm full frame sensor size) is something like 17mm in focal length, but I'm not sure whether that factors in what our binocular vision looks like or if that's monocular.

[@azlanarainkhan4549]

Awsome Knowledge this is Azlan Arain khan cinematographer Bollywood in Indian Cinema.

[@loicpetit199]

Do you plan to make a video about the cinematographer Benoît Debie ? If not, it would be very great to consider it, thank you ! 😁 Very interesting channel

[@InDepthCine]

Definitely at some stage. Hopefully in the near future.

[@AtticusColdfield]

what is the background music?

[@swashy8933]

No idea where to start. I guess I'll use wide for wides and 50mm for everything els.e

[@Bharatultra]

These are apsc or full frame?

[@nenadsmiljkovik8153]

make a video about movies that are shot with dslr / mirrorles cameras

[@rakeshboom1536]

Post some Cinematography of christopher doyle please.

[@lolaaikins703]

You're South African. Also great vide. Was really informative

[@jonathanway7578]

Relaxing

[@isabellasettels3853]

what's the song you use at the beginning of the video until 2:20? :)

[@ZatchOp]

Memories of muder shooted at which mm lens ?

[@nick_g]

35 & 50mm distinction was confusing to me until you placed 50mm in a “natural” classification

[@renosvoyage]

Sorry I'm an amateur / beginner. Do all of the focal length mentioned here are in full frame 35mm equivalent or...?

[@Sirfunkymonkey]

Are these focal lengths based on super35 or full frame

[@mmn910]

@In Depth Cine , given that many cameras shoot with super 35 sized sensors, is there a crop factor applied for cinema cameras like there is with a "full frame" DSLR lens mounted on a stills camera with an APS-C sensor? If I put a Cooke 50mm lens on a super 35 camera, is my FOV really that of a 75mm lens or so? Thanks!

[@thetalkingdummy9108]

What music did you use?

[@stefankoen]

Hey Brother. Where in SA are you from?

[@PandaThiefChannel]

Wait so does this mean that all slow zooms (not push ins) or crash zooms in cinema are done either in post or with a zoom lens? I mean I see zooming in and out when it’s talking about fixed/prime lenses, so I’m confused.

[@robinrai4973]

Is that compression effect also equivalent to equivalent focal lengths when it comes to smaller sensors? For example, my point and shoot has a 8-132mm lens, but is equivalent to 24-360 due to its smaller sensor. Would the compression at 132/360mm be equivalent to a 360mm full size lens, or a 132mm one?

[@diecarro79]

Yes, in terms of "the portion of image that will get in the sensor". But not regarding the depth of field. Depth of field will be shallower on the full frame camera, for the same aperture.

[@TechnoBabble]

"Compression" is entirely to do with your field of view and distance to your subject, as such you just always compare equivalent focal lengths. A 25mm M4/3, ~33mm APS-C/Super35, and 50mm Full Frame all have approximately the same "compression", don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[@jackyergensen8053]

4:00 What movie is this?

[@asapfilms2519]

What lenses were used in the 50s…any idea…I mean which were the brands…back then…for example what 50 mm lens would Ozu use in his films…

[@badhabit714]

KZbin University does it again.

[@koalaofdeath2045]

Wow. The Angenieux with 24-290mm. That is literally insane. Just like its price point! haha

[@InDepthCine]

Haha. The 24-290 has been a workhorse zoom in the film industry for years. It's still an amazing piece of glass. Remember that these lenses are rented out for the shoot, not purchased. But yes, cinema lenses are far from cheap.

[@DesertCookie]

That interlacing in every second clip killed the atmosphere for me. I guess I'm too visually focussed, but this also is a video about visuals. Personally, I'd appreciate some deinterlacing next time to get rid if the arctifacts. Let interlacing die :P

[@JaysonD9903]

Same. Felt like I was watching 1080i

[@Frenchnostalgique]

I think the whold video is interlaced, it's not just the clips.

[@contiseparati552]

When you say in "the revenant " used a 12mm lens...is this express as equivalent or what?

[@christianschonberger9695]

Yep, thought the exact same. The Revenant was shot on an Arri Alexa 65. The video would be confusing if focal lengths would have been named with film/sensor format on mind. 12mm on a 65mm sensor (simplified and just considering the width) would give about the same result as a 6mm on 35mm format. A non-fisheye 6mm (or equivalent) image would look ridiculously distorted towards the corners. It was very likely a 24mm lens for 65mm - giving the effect of a 12mm lens If it was for 35mm format. I might be wrong. Not the expert, just thinking aloud using my humble knowledge.

[@adiist5194]

Please clear my doubt 🙋 IMAX movies are usually 16:9 aspect ratio so do they use a spherical lens or do they use an anamorphic with a wider FOV and crop from that ?

[@pow9606]

Let your eyes be the judge

[@griffinparker8581]

Hey fallen angels wasn’t shot on a 6.5 it was filmed on Kinoptik 9.8 like Kubricks wides. However angels used a .71 century wide lens adapter.

[@sigmahabits7908]

wait a minute. i know that accent haha. bru!! well done:)

[@sammorganmoore]

There is a school that does not agree with your analysis in the opening section of the video. The position of the camera vs the subject defines most of the look and feel. The lens choice drives the FOV, no more. As you touch on later If you want for example to feel intimate you might place the camera at 3 feet from the subject, this may then drive you to choose a 16.. but it might not. The three foot is what drives the intimacy. Again be 100foot back and the shot will feel 'remote' even if you fill the frame with a 500mm.

[@asapfilms2519]

Shallow depth of field basically means that more area is out of focus….