Kurosawa and Composition

Renato Tonelli

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He was a Master. Each and every film he directed attests to his mastery.
He understood how lenses work; the cinematography is just one element in his films - it so good that it goes unnoticed while you are watching.
 
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Andrew O'Neill

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Renato Tonelli said:
He was a Master. Each and every film he directed attests to his mastery.
He understood how lenses work; the cinematography is just one element in his films - it so good that it goes unnoticed while you are watching.
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Agreed! I do believe that his painting/drawing background (he originally wanted to be a painter) helped develop his strong eye for composition.
 

jim10219

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To me, he was the greatest director the world has ever seen. And it's not just his composition that's amazing. His use of lighting was some of the best I've ever seen in any form of photography.
 
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Andrew O'Neill

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jim10219 said:
To me, he was the greatest director the world has ever seen. And it's not just his composition that's amazing. His use of lighting was some of the best I've ever seen in any form of photography.
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Yes... his use of lighting, especially when he shot colour.
 

darkosaric

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Kurosawa is master of composition - frame is still, and beautiful, no need for flashing and fast changing. Many today's director wannabes are changing camera frame and angle every 3-4 seconds. Battle scenes in Kurosawa movies with Mifune Toshiro are sometimes still for like 15 minutes, and battles are awesome. Today no director has such a courage even to try this!
 
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Andrew O'Neill

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He did a lot of work with long lenses, following the action up tight and close, fooling people into thinking that he used a dolly. I believe he revolusionised it. You can see it in Rashomon, where Tajomaru (Mifune Toshir), runs through the forest, chasing after the woman. Also, his use of light..mainly direct sunlight in front of the lens... was also revolutionary.
 
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