Creative Cuts: Lessons from Cinematography

Inspiration sometimes comes from the most unexpected places. Next time you’re watching a movie, pay attention to how shots are framed; the art of cinematography provides many lessons for the untrained eye. After all, ‘Director of photography’ is yet another word for a cinematographer.

The conscious choices you make in your compositions are vital to the success of your photographs just as a cinematographer’s framing of shots is vital to the success of the movie. We have gathered some of the most notable movie stills to illustrate excellent composition and give every photographer a chance to absorb the lessons hidden behind the frames.

Cinematography, much like photography, is an art form of its own. Lessons in photography are everywhere, but it is especially evident in movies that frame by frame, capture subjects in an aesthetically pleasing way. Here are some visually stunning examples of composition in movies.

“Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk.”

Edward Weston

1. The Tree of Life (2011)

2. Forrest Gump (1994)

3. Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

4. Skyfall (2012)

5. The Fall (2006)

6. Mad Max (2015)

7. Inception (2010)

8. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

9. Big Fish (2003)

10. Chinatown (1974)

11. The Road (2009)

12. Life of Pi (2012)

13. Into the Wild (2007)

14. Fight Club (1999)

15. Jarhead (2005)

16. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

17. Nostalghia (1983)

18. Requiem for a Dream (2000)

19. The Truman Show (1998)

20. Melancholia (2011)

What are your favourite movies with excellent composition examples? Leave your thoughts and comments in the comments section below.