I Learned It From Watching You: lessons in cinematic storytelling from Visions of Light

A great documentary about cinematic storytelling, truly one of the best on the subject, is Visions of Light. This overview of American cinematography is a wonderful way to switch your mindset from storytelling (in words) to visual storytelling (with a camera). Serious film geek stuff.

What to watch for:

Color. Shadow. Information.

Listen to how cranky cinematographers can be. Visual storytelling isn’t easy or always rewarded. But it is important, especially when working in a visual medium like film.