Cinematography is one of the best aspects of any film.
It compliments the story at hand and the score mixed with the visuals can even reduce us to tears.
In 2015 we were treated to some extraordinary visuals and luckily, the films that accompanied them were just as well received.
From the snowy wide shots of The Revenant and The Hateful Eight to the up close and personal grainy visuals of Queen of Earth and Carol, this was a quite a year for visual mastery.
10. Cinderella
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Director of Photography: Haris Zambarloukos
Shot on 35mm
9. Queen of Earth
Director: Alex Ross Perry
Director of Photography: Sean Price Williams
Shot on 16mm
8. The Assassin
Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Director of Photography: Mark Lee Ping Bin
Shot on 35mm
7. The Revenant
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Director of Photography: Emmanuel Lubezki
Shot on Arri Alexa
6. The Hateful Eight
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Director of Photography: Robert Richardson
Shot on 70mm
5. Macbeth
Director: Justin Kurzel
Director of Photography: Adam Arkapaw
Shot on Arri Alexa
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
Director: George Miller
Director of Photography: John Seale
Shot on Arri Alexa
3. Carol
Director: Todd Haynes
Director of Photography: Edward Lachman
Shot on Super 16
2. Youth
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Director of Photography: Luca Bigazzi
Shot on Red Epic Dragon
1. Son of Saul
Director: Làszló Nemes
Director of Photography: Mátyás Erdély
Shot on 35mm
Honorable Mentions:
50 Shades of Grey: This one had very nice composition throughout and had wonderful use of lighting. Too bad the script and acting that went along with it just highlighted all the other flaws.
Anomalisa: The lighting was spectacular but all in all, the look didn’t really blow me away.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: This one was very close to reaching the top 10, but overall the film was a step below the constantly gorgeous Cinderella visuals.
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