Understanding the Cinematography of Darius Khondji
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Understanding the Cinematography of Darius Khondji

I go through some of Darius Khondji’s cinematography lighting and camera techniques to help you understand his unique style.

Darius Khondji is one of the most popular cinematographers today, and he boasts of having worked with some of the greatest directors ever. In this video and article I go through some of his cinematography lighting and camera techniques to help you understand his unique style.

Just to be clear: Darius Khondji changes his style to suit the movies he shoots. The goal of this video and article is to drum up enthusiasm and a yearning to learn more.

Warning: I do not claim this knowledge is 100% accurate. Just think of it as an endorsement of his work. If you want accuracy, look someplace else.

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How he lights faces

Darius Khondji, in addition to the traditional three quarters or side lighting style, also lights directly from the front (a sort of Paramount style). He prefers super soft lights, almost shadowless.

The contrast ratio is typically high, and he hardly ever uses backlight or kickers, but doesn’t shy away from them if necessary.

The way he lights catchlights is interesting. Either the actors don’t seem to have contrived catchlights, or the light is a point reflection. It’s interesting how he achieves this affect with large diffusion sources.