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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

The single greatest SHOT ever...?

My grab from Fitzcarraldo really looks like crap. What photo hosting sites are people using? I have other grabs I'd like to post but not if he get so compressed that are covered with sand.
 
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Yes, The Fall has some of the most remarkable sequences ever assembled on film. I'm sure many people will agree, but conclude that they were achieved digitally.
 
Yes, The Fall has some of the most remarkable sequences ever assembled on film. I'm sure many people will agree, but conclude that they were achieved digitally.

They may come to the conclusion that there was digital trickery at play but that could not be further from the truth. All of the shots in the film used real locations and sets, nothing digital. I still feel that The Fall is the best shot film of the last decade but since it is so obscure, many will not share this opinion.
 
Surprised nobody posted these yet:
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Patton


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Lawrence of Arabia


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The Great Escape


Probably my favorite:
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Schlindler's List
 
The question I always ask is if I could frame that screenshot as a painting. There is a difference between a screenshot from a beautiful movie and a shot that is truly a work of art. I would place the opening shot of Patton in the later category.
 
The question I always ask is if I could frame that screenshot as a painting. There is a difference between a screenshot from a beautiful movie and a shot that is truly a work of art. I would place the opening shot of Patton in the later category.

True, but film is also a temporal medium, so images move and there are edits. Sometimes what makes the most meaningful and most beautiful imagery is the edit that connects and informs a pair of visuals. Take the transport of tens of thousands of years in evolution from the hominid using the bone as a tool and tossing it into the air in victory to the bone-like spaceship floating in earth orbit in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Or the brilliant transition (with lovely still frames) of Lawrence blowing out a match to sunrise in the desert from Lawrence of Arabia.
 

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I think there should be two distinct categories. Best screenshot (still image extracted from a movie) and best shot (continuous motion, no cut). In my opinion, some of the best screenshots come from films like Baraka, The Fall ect. I believe the best shot ever must go to the final shootout in Children of Men but there are many others as well such as the pool scene in I am Cuba.

Below are examples of great screenshots.

Here are some links to the greatest shots of all time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFrHPcKiXaQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en16i8BY4hI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8DOQFccj00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRBwvIX7Sao&feature=related
 

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I love the rooftop pool sequence from Soy Cuba but am always bowled over by that final shot from the funeral. Really wrap up the film and it is visually stunning while completely telling the story of the populist revolution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYFXv6bDIY8&NR=1
 
Wow Soy Cuba
im suprised that someone in here seen soy cuba :mellow:

well it appears that at least three people in this thread have seen soy cuba. It is a must see for anyone that wishes to be a cinematographer. The pool scene is the most memorable (boogie nights borrowed from it), but my personal favorite is the scene where the camera goes through the cigar factory and over the crowd.

edit: I just saw your post Mitch and it seems we are both talking about the same scene.
 
this would be from one of my favorite tv shows. Too bad couldn't find a quality grab but the entire sequence was awesome.

ken-block-on-top-gear.jpg


and for those who's never seen it:-P

http://vimeo.com/5694041

their polar expedition and vietnam specials had a ton of great shots as well:-P
 

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One of my favorites has to be near the end of Taxi Driver. The over head dolly shot perfectly captures the scene of the crime. For its time it was such an odd angle too, it draws attention to itself but is also feels natural, like were viewing a crime scene photo.
 
best shot in taxi driver is the dolly from travis on the pay phone to the empty corridor.
 
well it appears that at least three people in this thread have seen soy cuba. It is a must see for anyone that wishes to be a cinematographer. The pool scene is the most memorable (boogie nights borrowed from it), but my personal favorite is the scene where the camera goes through the cigar factory and over the crowd.

edit: I just saw your post Mitch and it seems we are both talking about the same scene.

Yes, it is one of those Cinematography 101 movies. I would expect many people to have seen it here, since many are DPs/aspiring DPs. Yes, indeed, the over the crowd sequence is amazing. Interestingly, you could see the wire that guides the camera down in the shot!
 
Soy Cuba Ahoy!

I lent my DVD of it to a film student and the punk hasn't returned it. Can't really blame him though cos if there was one DVD I would nik that'd be it.
 
this would be from one of my favorite tv shows. Too bad couldn't find a quality grab but the entire sequence was awesome.

ken-block-on-top-gear.jpg


and for those who's never seen it:-P

http://vimeo.com/5694041

their polar expedition and vietnam specials had a ton of great shots as well:-P

Shot high speed on Phantom!
 
Yes, it is one of those Cinematography 101 movies. I would expect many people to have seen it here, since many are DPs/aspiring DPs. Yes, indeed, the over the crowd sequence is amazing. Interestingly, you could see the wire that guides the camera down in the shot!

Ya, they didn't have digital wire removal back in those days :)

I miss those days when most production problems needed to be solved in camera. Now we are like, "just shoot it and will remove everything we don't want in post". Technical limitations can lead to creative solutions, especially in the case of Soy Cuba.
 
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