10 Great Tips to Make Your Footage More Cinematic

Making your footage more cinematic doesn’t mean that you’re constantly trying to make your films look like a Hollywood movie, but it does mean that there are some tried and tested techniques for making your shots more interesting and aesthetically pleasing. Here are 10 great tips from experienced filmmaker Mark Bone.

What’s refreshing about this list is that very few of them involve gear, and the gear that does get mentioned is incredibly cheap. Bone is a big fan of using a top handle for shooting stable, handheld footage, and the cheapest option on B&H Photo is the UURig R005, an aluminum top handle that attaches (cold) to your hot shoe. You can get footage that is far more stable for a small investment of just $20.

If you are in the mood for spending some money, something that I’d add to this list is to start exploring some vintage lenses. Older glass can help get past the digital feel that you can get with modern DSLR and mirrorless cameras, giving a softer look that adds some character to your footage.

What else would you add to this list? Maybe some neutral density filters to shoot with wider apertures in bright daylight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Andy Day's picture

Andy Day is a British photographer and writer living in France. He began photographing parkour in 2003 and has been doing weird things in the city and elsewhere ever since. He's addicted to climbing and owns a fairly useless dog. He has an MA in Sociology & Photography which often makes him ponder what all of this really means.

Log in or register to post comments
6 Comments

GOOD STUFF!

I follow Mark on YouTube, good stuff. I might add a small light source, like a Lume cube, to that top handle.

Yeah, i rate him. No nonsense, practical tips, good delivery. 😊

Great tips, thanks.

Did he said "actorses" at 0:21 and "flair" at 2:54 . Learn your native language my friend. And why is he throwing himself here and there? Is this the new standard for youtubers?