What Does CINEMATIC Really Mean?

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We throw around the word "cinematic" a lot but...what actually makes something cinematic?
PATREON ► / patrickhwillems
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Editing by Ryan Alva
Research by Raven Thigpen
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TWITTER: / patrickhwillems
INSTAGRAM: / patrickhwillems
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Music by Epidemic Sound
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Patrick Willems
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[@patrickhwillems]

Whoops, one little 4-second glitch got through. Luckily on Nebula I can swap out the video file and fix that. So if you want to see more glitch-free AND ad-free videos, check out Nebula! curiositystream.com/patrickhwillems

[@fashnek]

Nebula doesn't send spam and has the best revenue model for creators.

[@SamAronow]

Was it where you showed Anthony Kennedy instead of Potter Stewart?

[@axellukkien]

Yes, finally got Nebula! Looking forward to your film, just like I always look forward to your great essays. Thanks for making these tough times a little better!

[@merriammerkabah408]

@@axellukkien so how much is Nebula exactly?

[@axellukkien]

@@merriammerkabah408 It's 15USD for a year, in combination with Curiosity Stream, if you follow the links under Patricks video's.

[@smrodan]

Funny thing I remember about Soderberg is that he talked about being so absolutely blown away by George Miller's seamless storyboarding and editting of action sequences in Mad Max Fury Road to the point that he even denigrated himself as a director. He even implied that his signature style was more or less a series of distractions to trick you into thinking its all seamless. Imposter syndrome for sure but it just really spelled out for me how many different ways directors can approach their tool kits to film a scene.

[@rafaelandrade7627]

Most directors must have felt like shit watching that movie. Miller is just on another level.

[@a.KniteOwl]

Soderbergh is the best director of all time,... according to me😂. Love so much about that guy. He and Michael Bay and Adam Sandler aren't quite that different. But he adapts so well even within his personal limits.

[@jmalmsten]

The main thing I feel that makes Fury Road work so well is that Miller has that medical background. He knows very well the limits of how eyes work. So when he set out to do a movie he knew would need wild quick editing he made goddamn sure the eyes of the audience always knows where to look. If that means all action shots are center framed at all times... Then so be it. In all the insanity there is never confusion about who is where and doing what. But I feel Soderbergh should cut himself some slack. He isn't one of those who struggle with directing the eyes of audience members either. I have my issues with the Oceans movies. But the audiovisuals isn't one of them. And I've seen enough outside that franchise to know I want to see whatever he does in the future.

[@jasonblalock4429]

@@jmalmsten Yeah, this is the thing that gets me about all the praise for Miller's style: why isn't this just considered basic good filmmaking? Know what your audience should be looking at, and put it in front of their eyes. I'm not saying this to slight Miller, just, it seems like something that should be common sense. Yet it's not.

[@shroomkingdom8152]

@@a.KniteOwl he’s awesome, creatives do their best work when they work with constraints

[@jarodlechadores4336]

So “Cinematic” means using the film medium to tell a story in a way film can only do. Makes sense.

[@elasticharmony]

Rhymes with automatic ( a hint)

[@TheLeftistCooks]

This is such a genius, generous question and process to talk us through. Thanks!

[@JJJameson.]

I don't know, but once you tell me I'll sure spread the definition around like I did

[@jordankellyparrott7819]

I think a lot of these guys obviously understand that professional quality photography is an element of what makes something "cinematic" but I also think the factor most don't talk about is intention. What makes something cinematic is when the images on the screen, the composition, the movement, the editing, have artistic intention. I always kind of scoff at a lot of the "look at my one take fight scene on a gimbal where I just kind of move the camera everywhere constantly like a dance video instead of creating any kind of story" videos because they feel like dangling shiny keys in front of your eyes. Cinematic isn't just technical it's artistic as well.

[@blokey8]

Possibly this dovetails with the Malick video from a couple of years back. I recently saw The Thin Red Line and it's probably the most beautiful film I've ever seen... but that beauty isn't just there for its own sake and feeds into the emotions of the film in incredibly powerful ways.

[@LeoStaley]

I'm so glad for that spoiler alert at the beginning because it's pretty hard to get caught up on the Canon here.

[@davidolden971]

Patrick, this an excellent exploration of an idea, that when I honestly thought about it (watching your video outdoors, on my iPhone), is not so easy to define. I’d taken the word for granted. So once I got back to my desk, and to a larger screen, I raced to the dictionary to see if what it said would be helpful… “Cinematic |phoneticatious gobbledygook| ADJECTIVE. Relating to the cinema. •having qualities characteristic of films.” Okay, that helps. The one characteristic of a cinematic experience no one is talking about enough (or not at all with some folk) *is not on the screen* and it’s not coming from the sound system. A truly cinematic film *must include an audience in a communal experience *, else what are those hundreds of seats for? Let’s put aside aspect ratio, and frame rates and film grain and depth of field. Let’s put the Steadicam back on its stand. They’re all valid narrative tools, but *please remember the cinematic experience and energy of 600 people enraptured in a moving story* It is our job to make the audience forget the filmmaking tools, render them invisible so they can feel like they’re *in the story* *Cinematic is who we’re making this for*

[@morbid1.]

when game studio want "cinematic" person it basically means a film-maker that knows 3D software and game engines more than adobe premiere.

[@piogal34]

Hearing “cinematic” so many times is giving me vibes of that “99 Beef, 1 chicken RSVP” commercial from the ‘90s.

[@highcontrastflm]

There’s a special feature on the Criterion BluRay for “Memories of Murder” where Guillermo Del Toro discusses the movie as a work of art and it changed a lot of how I’m watching movies lately. Particularly, he described cinema as an art based in light (the line between cinema and not is a subjective understanding of when the use of light constitutes art) and explains how the goal of a filmmaker is “filling that rectangle with as much emotion as possible.” Scorsese talks about light as a center piece as well. I don’t mean to just point at famous directors but I felt like this was a good place to toss into the conversation.

[@HombreDeCalifornia]

Funny how you made a video essay/trailer for the finale. Congrats.

[@jordan.newsom]

I think about stuff like this all the time. As an aspiring filmmaker myself, I love these type of videos! Keep up the great work man.

[@domlo66]

11:30 that's weird, that actually happened to me except it was a Starbucks and it was Fix You instead of The Scientist

[@steveporter3161]

Hey great video as always Patrick. Just wanted to add some info on widescreen that people might find interesting. On a typical film camera the 35mm film film stock would move vertically through the image gate (sensor in digital parlance) and with a spherical lens attached it produced the 4:3 academy ratio of early cinema. When widescreen ratio’s we’re Introduced not all of them actually gave the image any more width. The 1.661 - 1.85.1 ratio’s effectively just had the top and bottom cropped (slightly more complicated, the number of perforation used on the stock played a part) which is the same as adding black bars. The 1.85.1 Vista Vision did have a wider image as the film passed horizontally passed the image gate. The wider aspect ratios like 2.35.1 and beyond were largely archived using anamorphic lenses on vertical fed cameras. I believe even on today’s digital super 35mm cameras the 16:9 ratio doesn’t actually translate to a wider image than say a traditional camera with the same lens.

[@TheCh1212]

I think "cinematic" is exactly how OP describes it: it is the successful capturing of an IDEA. His "break up story" example was heavy-handed, but it shows the essence and, really, the difficulty, of "cinematic-ness." It's easy to be dramatic. That is, to capture the dramatic. It's easy to tell a story that obviously captures a simple idea. However, it's hard to accurately capture all the essence of a complex idea, an idea ridiculed with nuance, with variety, with shortcomings or tradeoffs. Where not everything is so black hat and white hat. When you can truly capture the plethora of emotions and realities of these sometimes paradoxical experiences, that is when you truly have captured "The Cinematic."

[@matttheking1655]

Great take on the essence of cinematic...👌 Cause all KZbinrs has only type of cinematic take... Great you've differentiate them....

[@keepperspective]

Fascinating and true- I had a cinematic moment this morning standing in a meadow by a horse… and I am super excited for your finale finally

[@TechnicalGamingChannel]

Cinematic is the visual language of intent. The reason films look cinematic is because the camera is placed in the right location to convey the point of the scene. The lens is chosen to provide a specific field of view. The aperture is used to isolate just what the film wants you to see. Then there's lighting, editing, color grade, music, foley... etc. Cinematic isn't a look, it's the combination of all the elements of the movie or show working to present a specific vision.

[@ThroughtheLensProductions]

Watched this on Nebula last night, but came here to make sure you got the views here as well. Really enjoyed this and can't wait for the Charle finale!

[@TigerLaw89]

At 4:57, that is Justice Anthony Kennedy, not Justice Potter Stewart. Sorry for nitpicking. Love your videos.

[@gopolarisstudio]

Don't feel bad about "chasing that collective idea of what a real movie looks like". This video won me over - you're a nice dude and I hope to learn from you. All I've directed so far are music videos (that weren't strong narrative videos)

[@boundbythecurve]

"And next time we'll go further" Always excited to see what you make next Patrick ☺️

[@bruceboa6384]

Apologies to Patrick to put this here but it needs to go somewhere amongst all my favourite KZbinrs / Nebula creators. I signed up a year ago for CS & Nebula. To be honest I only watched a few of the documentaries on CS, (they were pretty good), but I watched a ton of Nebula. I loved that most creators drop their in video ads there. However, when I signed up for my second year via this promotion, I couldn't get Nebula included at the same price. It was very disappointing. I'm still deciding whether to go monthly or annually for Nebula. I'd like that $10US, but it does stretch my budget. Anyway, I guess this post should be considered a heads up that you can't repeat this promotion for your second year. To be clear, I love Nebula and CS is really inexpensive and does great documentaries. Finally, I'm so stoked to see Patrick's cinematic result of all the hard work I'm sure everyone has been putting into the season finale.

[@juhaniaho6698]

5:07-5:10 Unless your DP is Robert Richardson. Then the edgelight is like 5 inches behind the actor's head.

[@bearclawbillie]

If you’re using it as a noun… oh, whoa, I’m late to the “it means something different in game development” party, good show, commenters

[@carlosvergara4132]

That Charl plush is unsettling...

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

Just for your information, a Cinematic Director in the game industry is directing a "Cinematic" which is a noun, not an adjective. A Cinematic is a mini-movie inside of the game to take a storytelling break in between gameplay. But I'm sure Warner media would like their Cinematics to be cinematic.

[@Watershake99]

I like Casey Neistats definition of cinematic movies in his video "Filmmaking is a Sport", when he says he wanted the "RRRRRRRRR" to immitate the sound of a film camera

[@ПавелПовх-з3у]

2:11 Cinematic in games is simply a cutscene. It has nothing to do with term "cinematic" used to gameplay.

[@juhaniaho6698]

The Master has returned from the mountains! very CINEMATIC

[@TK_Brainslug]

nice one Patrick

[@funghazi]

I said "wait, that's not Potter Stewart" and immediately realized it was a joke.

[@kaiganihaida]

I hope you get where you're going and everything works out the way you want

[@svkarthik19]

What film is 5:06 from? Looks gorgeous

[@nikkiking4044]

Legit going to get nebula so that I can watch the finale.

[@BatmanAoD]

The characterization of Rope as "un-cinematic" is very apt, but I don't know if that's really a bad thing for that particular movie. It's very effective as a stage play captured on film, as it were.

[@aflowerforophelia]

Was not notified this came out??

[@balohna]

That job posting was probably meaning "cinematic" as in "video game cut scene".

[@codymadison57]

HE RETURNS

[@felipebartole6461]

Where can I watch your old shorts?

[@k-203_DV]

Great video. But, I think that what is and isn’t cinematic goes a little deeper than what you’re suggesting. Like I think Derek Jarman’s Blue and Jonas Mekas’ Reminiscence of a Journey to Lithuania are cinematic, but those MCU movies are not. I think in order for something to truly be cinematic, there has to be a vision (good or bad) behind the film and a willingness to not just use all the technical aspects, but to play with them as well - that could mean distorting or even out rejecting conventions.

[@Lmaoh5150]

I’ve struggled with the definition in regards to television for a while now. I find it really hard to watch and keep up with tv shows when I have movies and I’ve always thought it had something to do with them being less cinematic. But, I’ve also personally noted that a lot of Anime series DO feel cinematic to me with a good handful being on par or better than movies I’d say I really liked or loved. And I wonder if the cause of this difference between television and anime are it’s sources? Anime is sourced from a medium that is all about image, where today’s TV is sourced in TV from the past and from film itself rather than an image dedicated medium like manga. But then again, I look at marvel/dv movies which are sourced from comics too-and they are completely devoid of cinematics and are more similar to television. So I never have an answer for myself 😔

[@icandoit7899]

I'm curious what anime series you were refering to. I don't think anime being cinematic has anything to do with its source material (or at least its not just the only factor) because there are some anime originals that, to me, feel cinematic. I think it boils down to intention, skill, and/or experience. Intention; because a series, episode, or scene was probably inspired by or paying homage to a movie or movie style, and they just so happened to nail every aspect of it. This applies to manga as well, and if the sentiment gets through to whoever is directing the adaptation of said manga then that can lead to it being cinematic. Skill and experience; because (and I could be wrong about this so feel free to correct me) there are people who have worked on both anime movies and anime series, and they go to where they're needed. So the skill and experince from working on a movie ends up being used in making a series.

[@Lmaoh5150]

@@icandoit7899 Yeah sorry I can clarify. I was using the source of the medium (serialized media (Television, Anime, etc.)) to compare my reactions to Television and Anime, not necessarily as the complete reason. My comment is mostly unorganized thought directions lol. In terms of anime that I find cinematic: Pretty much all of Masaaki Yuasa’s work (Ping Pong, Kemonozume, Kaiba, Tatami Galaxy), Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain, Cowboy Bebop, Monster. Probably some more that I forget but I don’t watch Anime much anymore unless it’s one of the above lol

[@gundamnmechas8518]

I can practically hear Patrick's shirt

[@nicolev2028]

I don't know that many KZbinrs, but Patrick Willems seems to be the most cinematic out of any of them.

[@movingundergroundpicture5234]

Great Video, Wau !!!!

[@WhatShallEyeDo4U]

I was just thinking about how we haven't heard from you in a while.

[@zekeherbert263]

I would say cinematic are films wich works best on a Silver Screen. Huge Scales lnandscapes etc.

[@FunnyAnimatoFilms]

11:14 "purely hypothetically"

[@nicolassalamanca8051]

Love you Patrick sorry I haven't seen your other vids it's just that I haven't seen any of the movies you talk about When I get money I'll give you some as a way of making it up

[@BlueRoseFaery]

Honestly I’m really glad this video was side-plot free. It’s a good video, & a lot of the videos with side-plots are decent but feel like the side plot stuff drags them down. It feels like old school Doug Walker & friends stuff. If I come for a thoughtful video essay & that’s what the title says, & then I get strange diatribes of Patrick being an ahole to friends & family, it just makes me not want to watch. And I haven’t been, I haven’t watched the last few videos. I’m glad I watched this one, and maybe I’ll watch more in the future. And like I’m not anti-independent skit & film making, I support tons of artists who do that. If there’s a supercut of just the side-plot skits, I’d watch it & the finale video. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@knightinashes6934]

and the film was finally released!

[@Justafonso]

This is how you speak non stop for 20mins while making it interesting, insightful and teaching copy paste KZbinrs a good lesson 🙏🤌😂

[@joshtemple6588]

I wonder when the non-canonical beach episode is dropping

[@ShardReaper]

Charl’s beach bod will literally break KZbin

[@Cursed_Mark]

I'll wait for the onsen episode instead.

[@tatehildyard5332]

Maybe it’s actually apart of the finale since the season began on a tropical beach

[@kyletowers9662]

when the editor typed "hi" in the corner, i waved at my screen. apparently i'm a small child lol

[@tatehildyard5332]

Never let that part of you die. It will preserve your ability to feel joy

[@gopolarisstudio]

hahaha

[@bigblueboyscout4795]

I look forward to the day when the canon becomes so convoluted that a newcomer- friendly, hip update is necessary. Give me Ultimate Patrick, who wears vertical stripes and says “fuck” a lot.

[@jonathaneilbeck2263]

All-New All-Different Patrick

[@TheCinemaniac]

Patrick NOW!

[@PasCorrect]

It's funny how expectations play into what you consider 'cinematic'. I recently moved from a place with an old TV to a place with an newer TV. I was immediately confused by why high-budget movies suddenly looked like cheap soap operas. My roommate explained that this was simply what movies were supposed to look like in HD. I had my doubts about this and kept bringing up the issue, until it transpired that he had always had the 'motion smoothing' feature enabled. To me, it was very obvious that something was off, but he just convinced himself that the movies looked good because he expected them to.

[@brennonbrunet6330]

I had a very similar experience myself. Only I didn't have a roommate to talk to about this and so I slowly went mad.

[@alexp8785]

@@brennonbrunet6330 I know so many people who can't even tell the difference and it drives me nuts

[@gopolarisstudio]

that's called "the unwashed masses", that some of us talk about, lol.

[@brennonbrunet6330]

@@gopolarisstudio sheesh... talk about punching down dude.

[@normalperson4sure]

Seeing moments as “cinematic” reminds me of being a bookish kid and solemnly pointing out things like old falling-down barns or wailing sirens in the distance as “metaphors”. If I had been a kid before novels, I would have been the creepy kid pointing out inauspicious omens.

[@elfsieben1450]

:-) You wrote this in a very cuniform way, and that is a compliment. ;-)

[@martinthomas-couture229]

Patrick: "I don't want this to feel like a KZbin video." Doug Walker: *chuckles nervously, whistles innocently*

[@deuteronomydeeznutz4278]

We don't mention those who shall not be named

[@TrashHeapCustodian]

let's be honest, his stuff is below youtube tier

[@Raph584]

even for youtube, Doug walker videos look bad

[@jhjhjhjhjhjhify]

Doesn't help that Walker's a notoriously below average filmmaker on a technical level.

[@Amarok41]

Doug is youtube's Tommy Wiseau

[@wstine79]

"Don't worry. It's not canon. But, this is." :::rolls out a big cannon::::

[@DrewLSsix]

Canon DSLR?

[@CrashJakFan1994]

"Steven Universe" reference?

[@wstine79]

@@CrashJakFan1994 definitely

[@tentavision13]

Patrick: So you don't have to point it out in the comments Me, watching on Nebula: Heh, lucky for you Nebula doesn't HAVE comments! **scrolls down to type this into the Nebula comment section** ...oh.

[@tentavision13]

Yes, I DID come to the KZbin version just to say that.

[@RobertJW]

Thankyou! I laughed.

[@JefferyEPetrone]

Now this is cinnamon verde.

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

As The Grand Archpriest of The Church of the Algorithm, I bless this video with a comment.

[@brennonbrunet6330]

All hail the Algorithm. May it's glory and mercy fall upon this video.

[@FS_Scott]

amen, and also with you.

[@JINORU_]

cringe

[@SonofSethoitae]

As Grand Cardinal of the Orthodox Church of the Algorithm, I consider you and your church damnable heresies.

[@francescomanzo3939]

BLASPHEMOUS!!!!!

[@MC-x2]

"cinematic is when you put black bars on the screen" - video games or something

[@richieangel8150]

4:55 So no one's gonna point out that that's Anthony Kennedy? I know him when I see him.

[@Oscarrr347]

Finally, an explanation of what "last night was a movie" means.

[@akshayde]

The way john c Kelly describes 'cinematic' is how I feel now most people use any trendy word now. Everyone's on a different page

[@sycastells1212]

I'd ask you to give an example but... I really wouldn't wish that can of worms on anyone.

[@akshayde]

@@sycastells1212 yeah i get what you mean.. But look around on social media how people use some words. Meanings have become subjective and how one defines it. Everybody's a goddamn poet now

[@JINORU_]

The histort of the question of "What is art?" is essentially the same

[@QueerChangling]

This is actually a great tutorial! This is like 2 years of film school philosophy in however minutes it is! Showed it to my teacher and he literally said if you do that everything else will be icing!

[@Patrick-jj5nh]

You've outdone yourself. Brilliant video and really good attempt at a well reasoned definition for what is 'cinematic'. I think when you desribed your own reasoning to make your finale more cinematic you summed it up the best: its about preparing with great care, to make deliberate and selective choices, to do so with the eventual presentation and exhibition in mind, and try to master all the key ingredients and technical aspects of moving image making. and in that sense even TV or other things like youtube videos can be cinematic if planned, executed and presented in that manner.

[@edentyler-moss1157]

One thing not mentioned is music. Most KZbin video's / small film type projects will have custom music and professional mixing. Perhaps this makes a large difference, especially in things like scene transitionsb and in the background of scenes. It's easy to stick in a rolling stones song to a scene, but what about when it ends, diagetic audio during, and little inflections in the music reflecting the action. Hot Fuzz and Oceans 11 come to mind as films that have a lot of light bits of music that help the flow of the scenes. Also things like acting costumes and set design play a large roll it's just difficult to tell because if they're good it's hard to notice. For instance see the costumes in Justice League, they stand out as being pretty terrible at least in the context of the set design and cinematography, in parts the movie looks more like a TV show. Keep detracting other aspects from that movie and maybe it would look un-cinematic?

[@Patrick-jj5nh]

@@edentyler-moss1157 yea absolutely where most of the youtuber attempts at what is cinematic fail is their overt focus on visuals and all too often forgetting about audio, music and sound effects/mastering altogether. I would certainly include that in my summary above under 'mastering the key ingredients and technical aspects of moving image making' and doing so with great care and making deliberate choices.

[@mg6945]

16:36 Now THAT shot is most definitely "cinematic"

[@ckannan90]

I was thinking the same thing. Of all the shots at the end of the video, that looked the most cinematic to me. I think it’s a combination of the Ra k focus and the lighting, but I can’t figure out why past that.

[@mg6945]

Kannan Chandra also the color correction

[@moanguspickard249]

Well duh, Cinematic always meant to me that artistry was involved and choices were made. Each scene and each frame had to be an art piece in and of itself. Not just the visual, but the blocking, the sound, the score, the movement of camera, the zoom in or out, what to focus on, what to show or not show, where to cut the film, when to leave it play out. Most YT vids are static 1 camera angle, most sitcoms are 3 camera angles, and most tv shows are lots of closeup angles. Theres no art or beauty in it. Its efficient. It needs to be bold.

[@ksbalaji1287]

Succinct and clear answer. Thanks!

[@rubberlover666]

I like your definition. It’s the reason movies like The Room or Danzig’s Verotika, despite both being shot with pricey cameras, still look like cheap garbage.

[@williamshears9953]

I didn't call maintenance

[@ImJustHereToWatch14]

I don't know much, but I'm a little surprised Stanley Kubrick wasn't mentioned when you talked about making deliberate choices with each shot. He was obsessive to the point of abuse, but he was definitely a director who knew why every choice in his film was made

[@EposVox]

This was an awesome discussion. I'm so stoked for the finale!

[@HampireHunter]

I think Cinematic = Emotional. I believe Cinematic is the quality of convey emotion into the narrative. Something that touch you or move you in an Emotional level. I think Emotion is the Key to Cinematic Aesthetic.

[@highlandparkguitarlessons8129]

As a film hobbyist at best, I still found the essay thoroughly informative and engaging.

[@Pocket543]

Not related to the video but I was wondering if you could make a video with all the story segments from the previous videos ? I skipped some of them and I'd like to get caught up before the end

[@UserIsMad]

PATRICK HAS UPLOADED !!!!!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL

[@Caernath]

Patrick: "Nebula was nominated for a Streamy Award, so you know it's good!" Me: "Yeah!" * surreptitiously googles what a Streamy Award is *

[@Ciborium]

Better turn SafeSearch ON, just in case you make a typo.

[@mikemcclellanmusic]

Can we talk about the shot of Chloe up on his computer? The composition is fantastic. The treetops form a clean diagonal line from lower left to upper right, leaving a good amount of negative space to frame her head. The contrast in color between the light flowers and her dark clothing really helps the flowers and also her hand pop. Not to mention how the flowers form this golden spiral sort of shape that leads the eye to her hand and up to her face. Also the use of color-forest green, dark blue, and her skin tone form a triadic harmony on the color wheel. They either got really lucky with this shot, or they really are going the extra mile to practice what Patrick is preaching here. Cinematic indeed. Hats off.

[@paulneuhausWriter]

Cinematic has a different connotation in game development. Often, the term “cinematic” is synonymous with “cut-scene”-you know…the fully-rendered narrative bits everyone skips.

[@JackOfGears]

Yeah, this. Game Dev does this a lot, where we'll take a term that other people use, and just use it in a completely alien way. Some cinematics are cinematic - but not all off them.

[@avdcam]

Yah just had to say this example is , I guess an exception that proves the rule? Cinematics in video games specifically refer to the in game cut scenes, so being a cinematic director is someone who directs those sequences. Sure they are designs to look and feel like scenes from a film to act as an interlude to the main gameplay often attempting to be presented in a manner similar to a film and therefore attempting a "cinematic" look, I guess. But it's really a different thing al together.

[@bfish89ryuhayabusa]

That's "cinematic" as a noun and not an adjective, so it's kind of a different word. Short for "cinematic scene" to indicate that it isn't gameplay. And it used to be that proper cinematics were pre-rendered outside of the game engine, so they looked noticeably better and could use more conventional elements of cinematography, but I think that may no longer be necessary, since that line isn't as clearly defined.

[@blokey8]

I did actually have a "this feels more cinematic" moment when I got into Horizon: Zero Dawn's "Frozen Wilds" expansion. Not so much in a graphical sense, though - the shots in general felt more expressive to me.

[@TheStoenk]

Speak for yourself I love narrative video games

[@morgantrias3103]

ooof, computer games are a bad place to make this argument. When they ask for a cinematic director cinematic is a NOUN in computer games. They're not (necessarily) looking for a director who IS cinematic they're looking for someone to direct their CINEMATICS.

[@JamesLawner]

“Cinematic” is the friends we made along the way.

[@ReaperXC]

If you want to learn about film and cameras, listen to Blank Check's episode of Billy Lyne's long half time walk - 120 frames per second. Ang Lee is a visionary.

[@AbjectPermanence]

The idea of "cinematic" cinematography exists to differentiate from the cinematography of television. If TV had never been invented, if cinema was the only form of motion picture available, no one would have come up with the idea of "cinematic cinematography." Motion pictures would just be "cinematic" because cinema is cinematic. You see, TV just isn't "cinematic" though... even though TV literally uses cinematography for motion pictures too. It all comes down to perceived production values and judgment of "high art" vs "low art." That's the taxonomy here, elitism about the art of production. If something is produced for television or the Internet, but it has high production values and is considered "high art," then it's more likely to be called "cinematic." If something is produced for a theatrical movie, but it has low production values and is considered "low art," then it won't be identified as being "cinematic." The classification doesn't actually have to do with specific elements of cinematography like camera equipment or lenses as these vary by time period, and it doesn't even matter if the material is actually screened in a cinema either, it's all about the hierarchy of perceived value.

[@averyhinks1799]

Charl is on that desk looking directly at you and I couldn't pay attention to anything else for the entire video

[@JustinKreule]

I know this is an old video, but just a note on the job posting at the beginning; if it was for a video game company, a “cinematic” is another word for cutscenes. So it was a director of cutscenes, and they were looking for people with cutscene experience. So not the best example to use for the intro. Doesn’t negate the rest of the video, obviously, but I just thought I would point that out.

[@Jezzascmezza]

Yeah, it's wild that there aren't more comments pointing this out. Willems kind of goofed there.

[@angelawesneski5029]

I think the Keeling quote is really true. I've had moments reading books recently where I think about how cinematic the description or action is. How can a book be cinematic? I'm honestly not sure, but some authors make it happen!

[@ivosamuelgiosadominguez6649]

Well if cinematic is "use something other than the dialogue to convey the story", then if a book makes you feel something without dialogue or telling you what to feel, there you go.

[@AntonyHarePI]

I enjoyed this. I've always thought of the cinematic as simply being larger than life. I love your definition, but there are moments in life that are cinematic; the word refers to real-world experiences as well as film experiences.

[@zamuy12479]

okay fine i'll get nebula. commenting before the video to see how well my take lines up. i can define what makes something "cinematic", but when it comes together, it's something that feels like it should be watched on a movie screen. like it's at home there, and not just "bigger". this is partially visible, partially thematic. "something that fits in the medium of theatrical film, better than it would fit in a different medium"

[@ratchetxtreme6591]

A non storyline Patrick Willems vid , IMPOSSIBLE!!!

[@har5814]

Cinematic should be shot in FILM and be shown in BIG SCREEN.

[@LetsCrashThisParade]

"[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre] Looks almost like a weird snuff film.... you know... as opposed to all those NORMAL snuff films."

[@travisspazz1624]

Marvel's cinematography is cinematic. GOTG vol.2 chef's kiss.

[@mattr8750]

"Jiminy Jillikers have lost all meaning" how tf is it that I only know got that joke.

[@FilmPunk]

Cinematic is an expectation which is delivered upon.

[@shebjess]

*Waves* HI RYAN!!!! I think your definition of Cinematic is the same as mine. Jasper Fforde is a SFF writer and oftentimes, he'll make certain jokes that can only make sense in book form. For me, that's the fun of certain media, seeing how it uses everything to stick out from other forms.

[@blokey8]

I still think about his "screech of tyre" joke from The Fourth Bear (and chuckle) quite often.

[@MrBowmanMakes]

Well this took me straight back 10 years to my uni film studies 😂👍🏻

[@spinakker14]

I love that you cite actual cinema literature to illustrate your points. More movie KZbin essays should do this

[@bm1747]

So, it's a BS word used to pretend to say something when they lack the vocabulary to meaningfully comment. Or, when out of the context of film, the aesthetic is emulating the visual touchstones of Hollywood... to fake the disgustingly high production values.

[@tatehildyard5332]

So the better phrase would be…..”expensive looking”. The irony being that those hallmarks are being applied to blatantly overcompensate for the DIY scale and it just ends up making it look even cheaper. I’d like to nickname this phenomenon as “the cameratube shuffle”.