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FilmSkool — a free film school

How Roger Deakins shot Prisoners

A technical breakdown of Roger Deakins' cinematography on Prisoners, examining his use of natural, overcast light and desaturated color to build dread.

Angus Davies · 12 min · Advanced · CIN · Cinematography · 2018

What you take away

Comes away with a concrete lighting approach for building tension with naturalistic, low-contrast light.

Watch it

Filed under

Films shot by Roger Deakins

Films to study for light

Oscar winners for cinematography

Books on cinematography

Kit for this lesson

Rosco Cinegel filter pack — CTB, CTO, diffusion — the colours a set runs on
Aputure MT Pro — A pocket pixel tube
Aputure F10 Barndoors — Cuts the spill off a Fresnel — the cheapest control there is
Aputure MC Pro — Pocket RGBWW — an eye light that fits in a pocket
Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM — A stop and a half past normal
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II — The standard zoom most FX bodies wear

More Cinematography

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The Pros & Cons Of Film Vs Digital: Featuring Robert Yeoman — In Depth Cine · 15m · Advanced
Mother (2009) - The Telephoto Profile Shot — Every Frame a Painting · 4m · Advanced
How Cinematographers Set Their Exposure — In Depth Cine · 13m · Intermediate
Making THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (with Wes Anderson & Robert Yeoman) — Cinematographers on cinematography · 27m · Advanced
Cinematic Film Composition — Roger Deakins on Blocking, Staging & Composition in Cinematography — StudioBinder · 7m · Intermediate
Depth of field | Virtual Cameras | Computer animation | Khan Academy — Khan Academy Labs · 3m · Intermediate
Roger Deakins on "Learning to Light" — Cinematography Techniques Ep. 1 — StudioBinder · 9m · Intermediate
Shooting “Moonrise Kingdom" (with Wes Anderson & Robert Yeoman) — Cinematographers on cinematography · 17m · Advanced
Ultimate Guide to Camera Lenses — Every Type of Camera Lens Explained [Shot List Ep. 7] — StudioBinder · 20m · Beginner
Depth of Field Explained: Ultimate Guide to Camera Focus [Shot List Ep. 4] — StudioBinder · 15m · Beginner

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