{"id":19348,"date":"2022-01-22T14:03:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-22T19:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=19348"},"modified":"2022-04-07T15:30:19","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T19:30:19","slug":"2022-oscars-best-cinematography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscars-best-cinematography\/","title":{"rendered":"A Creative\u2019s Guide to the 2022 Oscars: Best Cinematography"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\n<p>Movie stars get plenty of love every <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/academy-awards-speech\/\">Oscars<\/a> season, and we\u2019re not here to get mixed up in another Best Actress debate. But what about the artists <em>behind<\/em> the screen that bring movies to life? You know, the visual creatives that elevate a movie from a video recording to an art form.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Academy announced its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oscars.org\/oscars\/ceremonies\/2022\">2022 Academy Award<\/a> nominees, and leading up to the ceremony on March 27th, we\u2019re looking at a few categories through a purely visual lens. We begin with Best Cinematography, honoring those in charge of the camera and the lighting crew. The cinematographer is also known as the director of photography (DP).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the nominees that made powerful use of stunning landscapes and intricate interiors to bring their respective films to life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2021 Winner:  <em>Mank<\/em> (Erik Messerschmidt)<\/strong><br><strong>2022 Nominees:<\/strong><br><em>Dune<\/em> (Greig Fraser)<br><em>Nightmare Alley<\/em> (Dan Laustsen)<br><em>The Power of the Dog<\/em> (Ari Wegner)<br><em>The Tragedy of Macbeth<\/em> (Bruno Delbonnel)<br><em>West Side Story<\/em> (Janusz Kami\u0144ski)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>Dune<\/em> (Greig Fraser)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Dune | Official Main Trailer\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8g18jFHCLXk?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.ceros.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Visualizing the sandy hills of Arrakis and the planet\u2019s logic-defying worms is a daunting task for any filmmaker; just ask David Lynch or Alejandro Jodorowsky, both of whom couldn\u2019t execute on their grand visions. But here, director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser delivered an epic experience. They conjured a world that some fans <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/petersagal\/status\/1453920822637305857?s=20&amp;t=Es4Pwh2V7EyOUKSAfrzNYw\">said<\/a> perfectly matched what they imagined when they first read Frank Herbert\u2019s 1965 sci-fi classic. Though <em>Dune <\/em>is set in the distant future, and though some clothing and sets are reminiscent of the past, it\u2019s striking how the film is shot to feel like its world really exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere was this feeling of Greig immersing himself into a culture and trying to capture moments that felt relevant,\u201d Villeneuve <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/hollywood\/2021\/12\/awards-insider-dune-cinematography-shot-list\">told <em>Vanity Fair<\/em><\/a> of his DP. \u201cIt reminds me of the spirit of documentaries. To do that kind of approach on a science fiction movie, it blew my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The frontrunner in the category, Fraser is a two-time nominee in Cinematography, previously recognized for 2016\u2019s <em>Lion<\/em>. And although he hasn\u2019t claimed an Oscar yet, he did win a Primetime Emmy in 2020 for the Disney+ series <em>The Mandalorian<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>Nightmare Alley<\/em> (Dan Laustsen)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"NIGHTMARE ALLEY | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q81Yf46Oj3s?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.ceros.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The best word to describe <em>Nightmare Alley<\/em> is \u201csinister.\u201d For this film set in the early 1940s, cinematographer Dan Laustsen worked with director Guillermo del Toro to maximize creepy, haunting carnival vibes, fully immersing the viewer in this disturbing underworld. Laustsen said he and del Toro played with lighting and shadows to visualize the trajectory of Stan, a con man played by Bradley Cooper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHis character is very dark and we play around with that in the lighting,\u201d Laustsen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/nightmare-alley-cinematography-explained-video\/\">said<\/a> in an interview with The Wrap. \u201cDeep black shadows. One side of his face is in the light and he\u2019s always going towards the darkness.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laustsen frequently collaborates with del Toro; his first Oscar nomination was for <em>The Shape of Water<\/em>,<em> <\/em>a Best Picture winner in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>The Power of the Dog<\/em> (Ari Wegner)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"The Power of the Dog | Official Trailer | Netflix\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LRDPo0CHrko?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.ceros.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This year\u2019s Academy Awards will be the 94th annual. Twenty-three of the 24 categories have been claimed by a woman at some point. The only one that hasn\u2019t? Best Cinematography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ari Wegner is looking to rewrite history this year. She\u2019s the first woman to even garner a nomination since Rachel Morrison for <em>Mudbound<\/em> in 2017, and Morrison was the first woman ever<em> nominated<\/em> in this category. Wegner is also the youngest nominee in this year\u2019s field, and the only one&nbsp; to be nominated for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But while the historical odds are stacked against her, this Australian cinematographer belongs in this group, and she\u2019ll likely be a fixture for years to come. To tell director Jane Campion\u2019s story of masculinity and vulnerability on a ranch in \u201920s Montana, Wegner got the most out of stunning natural landscapes and dark, foreboding interiors. She <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/movies\/movie-news\/ari-wegner-power-of-the-dog-oscars-nomination-cinematography-1235090811\/\">told <em>The Hollywood Reporter<\/em><\/a> that she tried to immerse the audience in a \u201cfamiliar\u201d atmosphere with her shots. \u201cWhen we tap into our own memories and emotions, something really unlocks,\u201d Wegner said. \u201cI love when lighting can evoke a familiar sense of time and place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>The Tragedy of Macbeth<\/em> (Bruno Delbonnel)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"The Tragedy of Macbeth | Official Trailer HD | A24\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HM3hsVrBMA4?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.ceros.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Until 1966, the Academy handed out two cinematography awards\u2014one for black-and-white films, and one for color. But monochrome is making something of a comeback: Two of the past three winners for cinematography (including last year\u2019s <em>Mank<\/em>) have been black-and-white. Bruno Delbonnel is hoping to turn back the clock yet again and score the third victory for black-and-white cinematography since 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Macbeth <\/em>was shot entirely on sound stages with hand-painted backdrops rather than making use of more modern technologies like CGI. \u201cWe thought that the theatricality of a painted sky was more interesting than trying to create a sky later in post,\u201d Delbonnel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiewire.com\/2022\/01\/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-cinematography-bruno-delbonnel-interiview-1234690393\/\">told IndieWire<\/a>, \u201cso we embraced old-fashioned technology.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The French cinematographer is a longtime collaborator of the Coen brothers, and he\u2019s been nominated for the Oscar in this category six times (most recently for 2017\u2019s <em>Darkest Hour<\/em>). He\u2019s one of the most decorated cinematographers still searching for a win in the category.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>West Side Story<\/em> (Janusz Kami\u0144ski)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Steven Spielberg&#039;s &quot;West Side Story&quot; | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A5GJLwWiYSg?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.ceros.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It takes guts to try to breathe new life into a beloved old story, particularly one that comes from musical theater\u2019s undisputed champion. And a previous film adaptation won 10 Oscars to boot! Well, director Stephen Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kami\u0144ski have guts. Here, the two heavyweights delivered a critically-lauded masterpiece (though it drew a disappointing box office), garnering nominations in most of the major Oscar categories.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>West Side Story<\/em> captures the lives of two lovers caught between competing street gangs in 1950s New York. This film is boldly and proudly colorful: \u201cIt\u2019s a love story, so why be too delicate and subtle?\u201d Kami\u0144ski <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiewire.com\/2022\/01\/west-side-story-cinematography-janusz-kaminski-1234691626\/\">said in an interview with IndieWire<\/a>. But the story isn\u2019t all bright and poppy; during the final fight scene, Kami\u0144ski <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2021\/artisans\/awards\/janusz-kaminski-cinematography-west-side-story-1235142213\/\">built<\/a> an elaborate lighting rig to add shadows and create dramatic tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only multi-time winner of 2022\u2019s nominees, Kami\u0144ski has the most accolades of the group. The Pole is Spielberg\u2019s preferred cinematographer, and he has previously won the Oscar in this category for two of their tag-teamed efforts (<em>Schindler\u2019s List <\/em>and <em>Saving Private Ryan<\/em>).<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"myclass\">Leading up to the 2022 ceremony, we\u2019re looking at a few of the categories through a purely visual lens. We begin with Best Cinematography.<\/div>\n<p><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":19448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>2022 Oscar Nominations: Best Cinematography - Ceros Inspire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Leading up to the 2022 ceremony, we\u2019re looking at a few of the categories through a purely visual lens. We begin with Best Cinematography.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscars-best-cinematography\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2022 Oscar Nominations: Best Cinematography - Ceros Inspire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Leading up to the 2022 ceremony, we\u2019re looking at a few of the categories through a purely visual lens. We begin with Best Cinematography.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscars-best-cinematography\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ceros Inspire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-22T19:03:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-07T19:30:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/2022-02_Ceros_Oscar-Cinematography_Feature.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1112\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tom DeVoto\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/\",\"name\":\"Ceros Inspire\",\"description\":\"Just another Ceros Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscars-best-cinematography\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/2022-02_Ceros_Oscar-Cinematography_Feature.png\",\"width\":1540,\"height\":1112},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscars-best-cinematography\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscars-best-cinematography\/\",\"name\":\"2022 Oscar Nominations: Best Cinematography - Ceros Inspire\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscars-best-cinematography\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-22T19:03:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-07T19:30:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/#\/schema\/person\/00e84059a2a9860a3fb5eefb5f5a3f2a\"},\"description\":\"Leading up to the 2022 ceremony, we\\u2019re looking at a few of the categories through a purely visual lens. We begin with Best Cinematography.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscars-best-cinematography\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/#\/schema\/person\/00e84059a2a9860a3fb5eefb5f5a3f2a\",\"name\":\"Tom DeVoto\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1104a57cb78253d95315e25729219041?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tom DeVoto\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19348"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/102"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19348"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19528,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19348\/revisions\/19528"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}