4 Cinematography Lessons From an Oscar-Winning Doc

[@HankReportingFromUkraine]

Luc, thanks for picking this documentary. I come from Mariupol. I totally immersed in every scene because I know maybe every place where it was filmed and I can't even think about the camera work, the lighting, the moves etc, all I see is the context. The whole movie feels like a personal nightmare and I feel like I wouldn't be able to film this material if I was there then. This takes much much more than knowing how to operate the camera. I believe you drop to a level of your professional skill and work on automatic during such a stressful shoot (just like the soldiers say that you drop to your level of training, not rise above it), so it is important to train your "eye" to have this information in your subconscious. This is such a luck that Chernov's crew managed to survive, get out of the city and bring the material with them! I feel like this is one of the most important documentaries ever made and some may call it a journalistic luck, because Chernov (or the photographer Yevhen Maloletka) said at the premiere in Kyiv, they didn't plan the shoot to be this massive, all they knew was that something was about to happen, so they headed to Mariupol to film it... I watched this movie in a theater and despite knowing that they will come out alive it still felt so tense. The last episode where they run to a car that will drive them out was filmed in front of my friend's house and and she was there in that exact moment covering in the basement and I was trying to get her out (distantly). I swear this material feels like nothing else.

[@kucken64]

Thank you so much for sharing your insight Hank. It's really valuable to hear the perspective of someone from Mariupol.

[@Biring1]

What really stood out to me with this doc was the visceral images that I´ll never ever forget. An angry filmmaker documenting an unjustified attack on his people. A heartbreaking and incredibly important documentary.

[@sketchleaf7698]

So glad you made this vid, and I'm looking forward to seeing more doc analysis' like this in the future.

[@paulpierantozzi]

I think the film could have been shot on almost anything and still have been impactful. He captured the first major land war in europe since ww2 from a first person perspective. His only real competition was grainy archival film footage from the 40s. That being said he did an incredible job and honestly I think artsy shots would have detracted from the impact of the story. It is one of the most striking docs I have watched in a long time.

[@WHITEDIRTProductions]

I watched this film the day it dropped on KZbin. I had no knowledge of the film until the algorithm blessed me with it. From the moment I started it til it was over I was 110% completely engaged. I never once questioned the gear. If you watch this film that will not cross your mind. Everything about this seemed like there wasn't even an intention to make a film, but just a guy that was in Mariupol and got caught up in something very unfortunate. It is historical and should be preserved. A true masterpiece.

[@davidmorefield]

The storytelling function of the gas lamp is so smart. These are the types of strategies I want to be aware of while on site as a doc DP. Luc, thank you for releasing this video. Would love to see more of these breakdowns.

[@BrianMakesFilms]

To me this film was the rawest and most stripped down essence of documentary filmmaking. Nothing could be planned or scripted. The crew went in knowing something was about to go down - and started out documenting it somewhat traditionally through the first few minutes of the film. Then throughout things just continue to unravel in worse and worse chaos and they're just capturing what's happening to try and get images to the world. I was following the war from the first moments (friends in Dnipro and Kherson) - and remember when these images were coming out of Mariupol. Knowing the story and context around the most horrifying and heartbreaking images that made headlines was really powerful. Perhaps of all the forms of filmmaking, documentary is truly least about "image quality". I don't think, even if it were possible, that it would've been right for 20 Days in Mariupol to be shot in any different way (perhaps on a steadicam rig or something). The 24-240 was a brilliant lens choice. About as close to camcorder type focal range as you can get in a Sony Full frame lens. Would've been impossible to be swapping between a 24-70 and 70-200 in the middle of tense situations. A7Siii was a brilliant choice of a camera. Don't think there's another camera on the market that has that much versatility in dealing with unpredictable lighting conditions (outside the FX3 or FX6). And the FX6 would have been too bulky and FX3 not having a viewfinder would have made it less ideal in such unstable environments. I don't think about the documentary every day, but months after watching it, there's still a lot of images that haunt me. When the little kid is being worked on in the hospital and the doctor is yelling "Keep filming"...so heartbreaking.

[@kuramobay2445]

Cinema is about creating emotions. Movies are empathy machines - I think the late Roger Ebert said that. Rich filmmakers tend to emphasize cinematography because they can afford a lot of gear. Audiences don't see lighting unless it's bad lighting.

[@romantkachuk168]

I'm a grown man and I've seen a lot, but this doc hit me really hard. A true masterpiece

[@samvargasimages7905]

This was one of those films where you quickly forget about “technique” because of how well the story was told. It sucks you in and for that reason I thought it was “perfectly” shot for how he told the story.

[@dennis1954]

Total beginner but more than once I stopped filming only to regret that I lost a special or unique moment. Thank you for covering the film from a vèritè perspective rather than gear. Timing is not right this year but planning enrolling in your class next year.

[@berlin03030]

12:16 These moments of humor are hard to create, but they really lighten up your videos and made it really enjoyable to watch. I love how your videos are getting more entertaining, although I would be content reading a pdf, because of all the knowledge you're giving out. Thank you very much!!

[@timbrosius]

Always love your insight, Luc! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this documentary and adding your analysis.

[@ScottfromCalifornia]

Thank you for this video! Such a good topic from a different viewpoint...Thank you!

[@TeddyRumble]

I was thinking of Werner Herzog who in his Master Class ad, and he shook his head when a doc filmmaker told him they shot 450 hours of footage. "My heart sank. We are not garbage collectors. We are filmmakers."

[@reesmedia_]

Great video, really enjoyed it! And I’m sitting here thinking, I’m working on a project that needs clips from a movie! And honestly, I’m kinda stuck, but realizing guys like Luc do it so well! So asking for help, what is the best way to get clips from movies? It’s for internal content for my client and just need to cut in movie clips in between talking points! Thank you and keep up the good work!

[@callyscorner]

Thank you for thinking different in this saturated space.

[@JaywalkingTheWorld]

Wonderful film. Good commentary.

[@travelbagphotography]

Really important insights. Thank you so much.

[@mishelmudryk]

I don't think this is the film where you can criticise cinematography, really. It was filmed during the start of the russian invasion in Ukraine. DoP and director of the film Mstyslav Chernov didn't know if they will be able to get out of the russion occupation and survive! So, it's obvious why there are no fancy lights or even no time for framing the shots. It's a war! But I agree that Mstyslav did a good job on telling the story the way where you're engaged with the film whole time (from start to finish).

[@diaryofacameraman]

Thanks so much boss for the great lesson

[@gryffinmorgan]

I've been trying to explain for so long that gear does matter in the sense that gear serves the story, thank you!

[@marinrealestatephotography]

Thanks for the video, Luc, and Slava Yukrani 💙💛💙💛💙💛

[@Zacheldridge]

Just hit PAUSE on this video because I need to grab my chicken strips out of the air fryer. Stoked to watch! Thanks as always Luc!

[@auroratours6716]

Yeah! Even if it hurts - doc is about reality 😔. Thanks for the reminder 🙏

[@kristypence]

This is what isn’t taught in film school. 20 years ago this video would cost 1500 for insight….more or less 😅

[@callyscorner]

You said it all!!

[@heycameraman13]

Thank you❤

[@TeddyRumble]

Rolling shutter drives me crazy. The Red Komodo has a global shutter, but low light not as good plus who's going to take a $15,000 rig in a war zone.

[@TeddyRumble]

Yes, yes, yes

[@theotherHOLLYWOOD]

Well said.

[@DANAMIONLINE]

Thanks for sharing your reflections on this film and ways to apply them. This film seems like the documentary version of “Civil War”.

[@TeddyRumble]

"Civil War" was stupid, and just made to make money.

[@Waadee101]

Hi Luc great video, very informative as always. Would love to have you as my DP in the very near future for a documentary I am planning to shoot and direct myself. I obviously would not be able to afford you since I live in India and depend on production grants to make any project. But I am trying to get something going. In the mean time I was wondering if you could help me find a camera and lens setup specifically for documentary film making. I own a Sony AX33. It’s my favourite camera. I can shoot the moon from my balcony with the zoom in that camera. It has Balanced Optical Steady Shot. So I can sit inside the back of a moving truck and shoot without worrying about stabilisation. The only problem with this camera is it’s poor low light performance and small sensor size. I plan to send my pitch video to Sundance. And as far as I know I need to have a Sony FX6 like camera to even pass their stringent quality norms. But it’s too cumbersome specially if I add a zoom lens. Now recently I saw the advertisement for the Sony Z200. I don’t know if I should go for it or the FX6 or keep looking for something else that can mimic my Sony AX33. What would you recommend to a filmmaker like me with a great subject but low budgets. Please guide. Thanks !

[@janedagger]

The run and gun shots have been used in film before. I'll merrily point to Evil Dead's used and reused hectic ground floating *demon running* shots, which were horrifying and worked. Combat/conflict photography is by definition and necessity chaotic. To remove it would put the cameraperson in more danger than they want to be... and let's face it, its the mood/action of that moment. It's one of those rare times where the cameraperson becomes PART of the story. You KNOW they are there, you feel through the camera their visceral need to GET TO FUCKING COVER!

[@stanislavrico]

I’m from Ukraine and I can’t force myself to watch this movie. I expect to see so much pain and sorrow there.

[@BrianMakesFilms]

One of my friends whose in Ukraine watched it and cried for days. It's a really harsh watch. Slava Ukraini.

[@mishelmudryk]

Це дійсно боляче дивитися, але це абсолютний must watch для всіх людей на цій планеті. Тому спробуйте подивитися на вихідних. Мені особливо сподобалося як вони закінчили фільм, тому варто дивитися до кінця.

[@SirSeabass]

I wish I could get the course. Money is tight unfortunately.

[@maggiem1323]

Not from the US or Europe but I'd prefer a doc on immigration or how NATO pushed Russia into the war like Oliver Stone since those are more relevant topics for the rest of the world.

[@Movingstories-p1o]

Thanks for this content, but while shooting uncomfortable moments, I would defenitely try not to chew on some gum....

[@WhySteve]

Man, I'd feel so bad to just watch them suffer but I have to be honest with myself and ask "would you even have done anything if you DIDN'T have a camera?".

[@capturedbyfabian]

This just proves that people are more interested on seeing a real life conflict from the inside and everything else is just made up excuses as of how the production was strategic. People put too much effort on over complicating things and adding sense to everything. 😂 As simple as supply and demand. There’s not much content from the conflict so anything sticks…

[@pavelaivazov2550]

That guy with a chair is a looter

[@CuriosityChronicle863]

this guy with the chair scene is staged

[@Roman_4x5]

I he hd shot that in Iraq he wouldn't win the oscar.... let's be honest... it is just that people judging it can relate more to other Europeans...