Why Sinners' Cinematography is So Brilliant

Thomas Flight August 29, 2025
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Thomas Flight

@thomasflight

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Exploring the artistry behind cinema, TV, and the visual media landscape that surround us. // Support My Work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thomasflight // Read My Newsletter: https://www.seeingthroughfilm.com // Website: http://thomasflight.com // For business and sponsorship inquiries: [email protected] // For questions, feedback, press, or anything else: [email protected] *All Amazon links are affiliate links that support my channel.

Video Description

Get 30 Days of Great Cinema Free: https://mubi.com/thomasflight Big film formats like IMAX and 70mm film can sound like a bunch of marketing hype, but when they're used artfully, they can create images that no other filmmaking format can. In this video I dive into the cinematography of Sinners, what makes it unique, and why large format film like 70MM IMAX looks so magical. Correction: as many have pointed out a repeat a common misconception in this video in regards to facial distortion. The focal length of the lens is not (as I state in the video) the primary factor in facial distortion (although some lenses, usually wider ones, are non-rectilinear, which introduces some mild distortion but not all wide angle lenses have this), instead facial distortion is mostly effected by distance from the subject to the sensor or film strip. I apologize for the lapse in accuracy in this video, it just goes to show you can be wrong about things even after a decade+ of cinematography/photography experience, and I should have fact-check some of my assumptions more thoroughly. I'll be leaving the video up, since beyond this detail I believe the rest of the video to be accurate, and it still contains some other commentary and analysis I think is of value. If you want the nerdy details you can find some more information here: https://yedlin.net/NerdyFilmTechStuff/LargeFormatMisconceptions.html // FIND MY WORK // -Early Access (Ad Free) on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/thomasflight -Read my Newsletter: https://www.seeingthroughfilm.com/ -Reviews on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thomasflight -Watch My Experimental Documentary: https://labyrinthion.com -Website: http://www.thomasflight.com // FOLLOW ME // - Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/thomasflight/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasflight - Twitter: https://twitter.com/thomasflight - Substack: https://thomasflight.substack.com/ // CONTACT // -Sponsorship and Business inquiries: [email protected] -Questions, feedback, anything else: [email protected] -FAQ: https://www.thomasflight.com/faq // GEAR I USE // https://thomasflight.com/gear #ThomasFlight #VideoEssay

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