Great Movies With Best Cinematography – Examples

There are some incredible examples of cinematography out there. We’re lucky to have lived through many golden ages of cinema filmmaking, and that means we have ended up with some visually stunning movies ever.

 

In this guide, we take you through some of the best and why they are so good. Some techniques, camera movements, and color grading have even revolutionized the way we make movies.

Horror Movies With Great Cinematography

The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick):

The Shining is a 1980 movie based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, which was published in 1977. It stars Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, and Scatman Crothers.

The movie follows Jack Torrance (Nicholson) and his family as they move from Colorado to Washington State to be near his father’s job at the Overlook Hotel. During the course of their stay at the hotel, Jack goes mad with grief after witnessing strange paranormal activity and starts hearing voices that tell him to kill his wife and son.

A lot of the scenes in the shining have become known in the industry because of the way they were shot. Amazing camera angles and slow, brooding shots, such as the shot where Danny Torrance is riding his trike around, have become iconic in the world of cinema.

The Lighthouse (2019, Robert Eggers):

Robert Eggers’ modern film The Lighthouse is one of many movies with the best cinematography and was even nominated at the Academy Awards for best cinematography award. Every item has been placed meticulously and attention to detail can be seen in every shot. The movie is shot in black and white for visual effects, and the stunning detail is a sign of how much effort and planning certain filmmakers put into their productions.

The film also was nominated for an Oscar for best cinematography in 2020.

At Insight Studios, we know what it takes to create work with this level of intricacy, as you can see from our stunning portfolio of work.

Action Movies With Great Cinematography

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015, George Miller):

Mad Max: Fury Road is a 2015 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller.

It is the fourth installment in the Mad Max series and stars Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Zoe Kravitz and Nux It’s a sequel to the 1979 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and ignores the storyline of its predecessor by focusing on a new character named Furiosa.

The story follows Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), who has spent his entire life fighting for survival as one of few remaining survivors in the post-apocalyptic wasteland after a nuclear war destroyed humanity. When he receives word from his friend Goose that his wife has been killed by Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), he sets off on a journey to bring her back with him. After being captured by Joe’s gang, they are taken to The Citadel where they are forced into slave labor while Joe plans to take over the Wasteland with an army of War Boys.

Mad Max won a lot of awards for its incredible cinematography and setting.

The movie is set in Australia, in the outback, and it has some amazing establishing shots and cinematography that add to the action and fast pace of this remake of an 80s cult classic.

Skyfall (2012, Sam Mendes)

Skyfall is a 2012 British spy thriller film directed by Sam Mendes, and written by John Logan, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade. It is the nineteenth James Bond film produced by Eon Productions, and the twenty-third Eon-produced Bond film.

The story follows Bond investigating an attack on MI6, also known as “M” at London’s Skyfall Casino Royale style casino. He subsequently learns that the attack was carried out by Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), a former agent who has been imprisoned in a MI6 interrogation unit.

 

The supporting cast features Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, Ben Whishaw, Helen McCrory and Ola Rapace. It was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in the United States and Canada with Sony Pictures Entertainment handling distribution in other territories.

It was co-produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Bond films may not be renowned for their cinematography but this installment saw Sam Mendes, a man with plenty of Hollywood pedigree, create a stunning visual spectacle as well as a brilliant action movie. Roger Deakins was the cinematographer.

Asian Movies With Best Cinematography

In the Mood for Love (2000, Wong Kar-wai):

In the Mood for Love (2000) is a Hong Kong romantic drama film directed by Wong Kar-wai and written by Wong Kar-wai.

The film stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung as a couple who fall in love. The film was nominated for four Hong Kong Film Awards at the 20nd Hong Kong Film Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress (Maggie Cheung). It won three awards: Best Actress (Maggie Cheung), Best Actor (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), and Best Art Direction (William Chang).

This beautiful film made by Wong Kar-wai is famed for the amazing saturated colors and retro natural lighting techniques, as well as incredible style and clothing. Visually, this is a truly spectacular movie.

William Chang was the art-director, editor, and production designer, taking on a number of roles in the production of this entire film.

It hits its highlight with a slow motion scene featuring Tony Leung and co-star Maggie Cheung. If you’ve never seen it, it is worth checking out.

Classic Movies With Great Cinematography

All That Heaven Allows (1955, Douglas Sirk):

All That Heaven Allows was a 1955 film directed by Douglas Sirk. It stars Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, and is based on the novel of the same name by Edna L. and Harry Lee.

All That Heaven Allows is considered one of Douglas Sirk’s best works by many film critics; however it wasn’t popular with audiences at the time of its release because it was too different from other films being released around it at the same time period (such as Rebel Without A Cause).

This movie has gone down in history for its cinematography, and the use of Technicolor in the film has made the film visually impressive, and known for its amazing saturated color scheme.

It was shot in a studio setting and a lot of the color hues were created artificially but gave stunning results.

Disney Movies With Good Cinematography

Fantasia (1940):

Proof that animated movies can be the best cinematography movies. Fantasia had some pretty experimental sequences, and not a lot of dialog, but it became a spectacular Disney classic that has been studied and remembered for over 80 years now.

The Lion King (1994)

The Lion King is remembered for being a catchy musical and an engaging children’s film, but it is another animated film made by Disney, with incredible cinematography. The amazing portrayal of Africa and its vastness help to create a brilliant spectacle.

Bad Movies With Great Cinematography

Only God Forgives (2013, Nicholas Winding Refn)

The film is over the top in trying to be experimental, and it doesn’t really seem to go anywhere. Some have gone so far as to call it pretentious. However, it sure does look impressive. A focus on martial arts throughout and the dark underground scenes in Asian cities help to turn this into one of the most beautiful cinematography films, even if it isn’t great to watch movies.

The director is definitely one for paying close attention to detail, and Larry Smith is a talented cinematographer who worked on this movie, but the storyline lets it down somewhat in a lot of peoples’ opinions. We know everyone has a different idea of a “good film” but the cinematography is just one piece of the jigsaw.

Summary

At Insight Studios, our talented team includes directors and cinematographers as well as production design to ensure that whatever project you want to work with us on, from commercial to feature film, we can make it look aesthetically pleasing. The ideas you’d only been able to dream of can come to life. Reach out to us to get started with the process.