Small Moves

Great cinematography is usually small moves.

Five percent more fill. A key lifted six inches. A softer angle. A slightly cleaner eyeline. A lens that gets out of the actor’s way. None of those changes announce themselves. Together, they become the image.

There are big moves too. Sometimes you turn around and discover the whole scene waiting behind you. But most days the work is refinement: keep pushing the frame toward story, performance, and message.

A shot that looks great in a reel is not always the shot the scene needs. The trick is knowing the difference.