Member-only story
What makes a film “beautiful”?
From the beauty of chiaroscuro in classic Hollywood noir, to the gorgeous lingering contemplations of Andrei Tarkovsky, there’s certainly a lot to look at when we talk about the subject of “beauty in film.”
Today, we get the triumphant, luminous loveliness of Roger Deakins’ cinematography.
If we’re discussing the aesthetics of film, Roger Deakins could easily the entire focus of this article.
And yet… with so much that could be said, why is there no field of “cineasthetics”?
Well perhaps it’s time we start talking about it.
Today, let’s start with composition, a crucial element we draw on in film as well as in photography.
The use of symmetry in films forms an important part of the film’s narrative, for example to signify order versus chaos or good versus evil.
But what makes a movie beautiful? The question might be easier to answer if it were phrased: What does “beautiful” mean in the context of movies? Here are some elements that go into a visualization of beauty, from cinematography to lighting.
