The Cinematography of Wonder Woman

I watched Wonder Woman this past weekend and it is - hands down - my most favorite Superhero film of all time! Here's Matt Workman's take on the cinematography of Wonder Woman which consists mostly of Steadicam shots, practicals and natural lighting. So cool!

Piper, a Short Film to Love ... by Pixar

This is my most favorite short film of all time. It's visually stunning and the story - told without any dialogue - is cute and meaningful. Enjoy this Piper trailer!

A Very Hygge Evening

My bro surprised me with a special treat tonight. We had dinner at Ðôi Ðũa, a Vietnamese pop-up tasting series held at Shopkeepers Gallery in Northeast D.C. The entire evening was so "hygge." Really. Candlelight everywhere, great company and ... the food! OMG! The food was delicious, delicate and beautiful! I felt like I was attending one of those cozy Kinfolk dinners. The dishes were creatively prepared and gorgeously presented by Anna Vocaturo and Sarah Bui, chefs and owners of Ðôi Ðũa. I've had Vietnamese food all my life and it's one of favorite cuisines of all time. But I've never had anything quite like this. By the way in case you're wondering, "Ðôi Ðũa" means "a pair of chopsticks." 

Anna Vocaturo and Sarah Bui, gracious and talented chefs and owners of Doi Dua.

Cahiers Du Cinema's Top 10 Films From 2012 To 2016

I think it's time to post a few lists from Cahiers Du Cinema, oui? 

Cahiers Du Cinema: Top 10 Films of 2016

1. Toni Erdmann – Maren Ade
2. Elle – Paul Verhoeven
3. The Neon Demon – Nicolas Winding Refn
4. Aquarius – Kleber Mendonça Filho
5. Ma Loute – Bruno Dumont
6. Julieta – Pedro Almodóvar
7. Rester Vertical – Alain Guiraudie
8. La Loi de la Jungle – Antonin Peretjatko
9. Carol – Todd Haynes
10. Le Bois Dont les Rêves Sont Faits – Claire Simon

Cahiers Du Cinema: Top 10 Films of 2015

1. Mia Madre – Nanni Moretti
2. Cemetery of Splendour – Apichatpong Weerasethakul
3. In the Shadow of Women – Philippe Garrel
4. The Smell of Us – Larry Clark
5. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller
6. Jauja – Lisandro Alonso
7. Inherent Vice – Paul Thomas Anderson
8. Arabian Nights – Miguel Gomes
9. The Summer of Sangaile – Alanté Kavaïté
10. Journey to the Shore – Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Cahiers Du Cinema: Top 10 Films of 2014

1. Li’l Quinquin – Bruno Dumont
2. Goodbye to Language 3D – Jean-Luc Godard
3. Under the Skin – Jonathan Glazer
4. Maps to the Stars – David Cronenberg
5. The Wind Rises – Hayao Miyazaki
6. Nymphomaniac – Lars von Trier
7. Mommy – Xavier Dolan
8. Love is Strange – Ira Sachs
9. Paradise – Alain Cavalier
10. Our Sunhi – Hong Sang-soo

Cahiers Du Cinema: Top 10 Films of 2013

1. Stranger by the Lake – Alain Guiraudie
2. Spring Breakers – Harmony Korine
3. Blue is the Warmest Color – Abdellatif Kechiche
4. Gravity – Alfonso Cuaron
5. A Touch of Sin – Jia Zhang-ke
6. Lincoln – Steven Spielberg
7. Jealousy – Philippe Garrel
8. Nobody’s Daughter Haewon – Hong Sang-soo
9. You and the Night – Yann Gonzalez
10. Age of Panic – Justine Triet

Cahiers Du Cinema: Top 10 Films of 2012

1. Holy Motors – Leos Carax
2. Cosmopolis – David Cronenberg
3. Twixt – Francis Ford Coppola
4. 4:44 Last Day on Earth – Abel Ferrara
5. In Another Country – Hong Sang-soo
6. Take Shelter – Jeff Nichols
7. Go Go Tales – Abel Ferrara
8. Tabu – Miguel Gomes
9. Faust – Aleksandr Sokurov
10. Keep the Lights On – Ira Sachs

20 Things We Learned About The Making of Following From Christopher Nolan's Director's Commentary

1. Christopher Nolan is a self-taught filmmaker.
2. As a kid, he used to make movies with a Super 8 (and 16mm) camera.
3. He borrowed filmmaking equipment to make this movie.
4. He used things available around him to make Following.
5. The beginning of the Following were calm tracking shots.
6. The rest of Following was shot hand-held.
7. To save on lighting budget, he shot scenes near windows.
8. Following was shot at friends’ houses or friends’ parents’ houses.
9. He filmed Following in London, without permit.
10. He shot around the problem areas, constantly reworking the script to fit the locations available.
11. He held many rehearsals to familiarize the actors with the script.
12. Filming on rooftops is a great way to save money.
13. He used fade to black in between scenes.
14. Shot in B&W for film noir effect and to make lighting easier and quicker. He lit his scenes with harsh shadows which gave the movie a stylish look, eliminating the need to adjust white balance.
15. He used ADR.
16. He made the same shots but used different takes for different parts of the film.
17. He made a short film in a weekend.
18. He shot Following with natural lighting.
19. He shot Following in a documentary style, to create naturalism.
20. He blocked his actors through the lens and camera work.

A Spring Day in Winter

This winter has been a strange one. We barely get any snow and then the weather at times was unseasonably warm even though it was only February or early March. On one of those late, warm afternoons, I went for a walk around Burke Lake, saw a beautiful strange bird fishing for dinner, and experience Days of Heaven moments which Terence Malick himself would approve.

A Sneak Peek at Finding Rachel

It took Christopher Nolan about a year to make his first feature film Following on the weekends with his friends. How inspiring is that? So when my friend wrote a screenplay for Finding Rachel, we all decided to get together for a weekend to shoot a few scenes, even though the script was not entirely finished ... yet. We were a tiny cast & crew of four. Can't tell you much more about the story other than it's a romantic comedy loosely based on something that happened in real life.

I'm stoked to be the DP for Finding Rachel and edited a few scenes last night. Hopefully, we can finish this project one day. For now, here's a sneak peek at Finding Rachel, written and directed by Nora Hoang, starring Alex Chhang, sound & boom operated by Kathy Eng. All are close friends of mine. By the way, Alex is also one of the best Muay Thai fighters I know!

A Quiz for Terence Malick's Fans

We all know that Terence Malick films are not for everyone. Those who love them, LOVE them. Those who don't get them, can't stand them. I'm in the first category. Sometimes even when I don't get them, I still love them. Malick is well-known for his philosophical visual storytelling that showcases nature in her finest, most awe-inspiring moments. This video by Jacob T. Swinney demos just that. You'll have fun trying to guess which shots are from a Malick film and which shots are from a nature documentary. Have to admit ... I was a wrong a few times, huge Malick fan that I am.

And the Oscar Winners Are ...

With the 2017 Academy Award Ceremony not too far away, it's time to reflect on all the previous winners ... 

89 Years of Stunning Cinematography

From 1927 to 2016 - the very best of cinematography.

Cillian Murphy in Fionn Regan's "The Meetings of the Waters"

This face! My epic crush with Cillian Murphy continues ... 

The Cinematography of Frances Ha

One of my top 10 favorite films of all time is Frances Ha, written by Noah Baumbach (who also directed the movie) and Greta Gerwig (who also starred in it). It was shot in beautiful, silvery black & white tones using Canon 5D Mark II cameras.

Here's a video essay on the visual language of Frances Ha by the good folks of Framed.

If you haven't seen the movie yet, please please please put it on your Netflix queue. 

From Screenplay to Screen, the Wes Anderson Style

If you're a Wes Anderson die-hard fan like me, this one's for you!

Behind-The-Scene of La La Land

One of my most favorite films of 2016, all the talk you hear about La La Land is all true.  Everything about this movie is just ... magical!