The best of 2016's photographic achievements basically came down to a six-horse race for me, and not so different from Oscar's final five. My 'just missed' selection still managed an Oscar nom, and I'm not complaining. I seriously considered allowing myself six Best Cinematography nominees this year, but rules are rules. My five finalists are:
ARRIVAL
(Bradford Young)
A study of stark visual
contrasts. The world is already a shadowy, desaturated place before
the visitors appear behind a wall of light.
LA
LA LAND (Linus Sandgren)
Captures
moments both grand and intimate in sweeping Cinemascope, emboldened
with Technicolor hues to rival Hitchcock's Vertigo.
THE
LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS (Adam Arkapaw)
Drops plenty of jaws with its
stately, painterly compositions, often basked in ravishing light
(except when dark clouds are called for).
MOONLIGHT
(James Laxton)
Alternates between smooth
objective camerawork and more colourfully lit, hand-held shots to
accentuate moments of intimacy and impact.
SILENCE
(Rodrigo Prieto)
Fog-shrouded exteriors and
cramped, scantly lit spaces strike the perfect mood for a film driven
by meditation and internalized questioning.
Just missed:
Lion (Grieg Fraser)
Other considerations:
Jackie (Stephane Fontaine)
Live By Night (Robert Richardson)
Nocturnal Animals (Seamus McGarvey)
The Witch (Jarin Blaschke)
