Understanding the Cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond
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Understanding the Cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond

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

The late Vilmos Zsigmond has already cemented his place amongst the great cinematographers, and 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: Vilmos Zsigmond changed his style to suit the movies he shot. 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

Vilmos Zsigmond usually lights in the three-quarters or side lighting style, and the light is hard or semi-soft. He rarely ever employed super soft shadowless light. He thought soft lighting was boring!

He rarely backlights, though he does backlight and add kicker lights if there’s sufficient motivation for them. One signature style is the use of a hard edge light on the side of the face.

He lights to a high contrast ratio, averaging about two to three stops, and stops down more so than the modern trend. His frames have more depth and are richer as a result.

2 replies on “Understanding the Cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond”

Thank you! I am a rank beginner at video! I have been using Final Cut Pro for years making video from my video clip take with various Nikon DSLR’s. I had no idea that there was such a thing as
CINE lenses for people like me!!!
Question: Which CINE lens under about $750 would you recommend for me?

PS: I am filming interviews for local charities to put on their websites, but I also get video clips on our travels to put in my Final Cut videos.
PPS: I recently went to your wonderful website.

You’re welcome. There is no cine lens under $750. Shoot with whatever you can afford. You’ll know when it’s time to really get a cine lens!

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