What I mean by favorite here is

"what I often find myself greatly admiring when I notice it's done really well"

gonna go with Director of Photography (cinematographer). with emphasis on the photography.

Some things I've watched recently that illustrate this role.

  • Saltburn, great use of vertical space with the 4:3 aspect ratio, lots of color and natural light. Summer is captured well.
  • Crash (1996), Lots of night scenes (always tough to get right), the setting looks appropriately dark, grimy, and mechanical.
  • Fight Club, also a (literally) dark film and looks great.
  • came_apart_at_Kmart [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    3 months ago

    I'm with you on the cinematography. when done right it is transporting and can bring you into the place and/or emotion without hijacking your attention from the foreground narrative. it's just like, you're there and the context is hostile, beautiful, or subtly oppressive or all 3. I'm thinking of that one guy from S1 True Detective or the way the worlds Tony Gilroy built in Andor, as seen "from below".

    then there's fuckin David Fincher's whole move where he completely seized your visual agency so much that when the movie is over, you're walking around looking at shit all weird for 30 minutes or so. I love it. I tried to replicate it once and it is insane, even with what few tricks I've heard he uses.... besides like 30 takes and decades of experience.