Published: August 21, 2019 | Last Updated: December 19, 2025
Creating that coveted cinematic look isn’t just about expensive cameras. It’s about all the small choices that go into a sum that’s bigger than its parts. But those choices matter! Here’s a comprehensive guide with tips on how to create a cinematic look.
1. Use 24 Frames Per Second
The film industry’s standard frame rate of 24 frames per second (fps) isn’t arbitrary; it’s the sweet spot for that “movie feel” we’ve grown up watching. This frame rate creates a natural motion blur that our brains connect with theatrical experiences.
While a trilogy like The Hobbit (2012-2014) experimented with higher frame rates (48fps), they proved audiences strongly associate 24fps with cinematic storytelling, as many found it annoying (myself included).
2. Use the 180-degree Shutter Rule
Set your shutter speed to double your frame rate (1/48th for 24fps), or use a 180-degree shutter angle. This creates the motion blur viewers expect, where fast action remains smooth yet crisp.
Breaking this rule can work artistically—think Saving Private Ryan’s (1998) intense battle scenes with a faster shutter speed—but mastering the standard is essential.
3. Use Aspect Ratio as Storytelling Tool
Image Source: Film-Grab.com
Different aspect ratios serve different narrative purposes:
- 2.39:1: The traditional Cinemascope aspect ratio, perfect for epics like Lawrence of Arabia (1962) or modern blockbusters like Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), creating a sweeping, panoramic view.
Note that traditional Cinemascope uses anamorphic lenses, but in Lawrence of Arabia, director David Lean chose spherical lenses and opted for the Super Panavision system. The aspect ratio, in the end, remains the same. - 1.85:1: The widescreen standard Hollywood created to address falling visitor numbers and differentiate the silver screen from televisions.
Image Source: Film-Grab.com
Some directors even change ratios mid-film for dramatic effect, as seen in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Or they use the old TV standard 4:3 for nostalgia or to fit the IMAX format like the “Snyder Cut” version of Justice League (2021).
4. The Art of Shallow Depth of Field
Directing the viewers’ attention to specific points in the frame is the bread and butter of visual storytelling. Shallow depth of field (DoF) is the main technique since it blurs everything around your subject. It’s the clearest indication of where you want your audience to focus their eyes in that shot.
A great example of a movie that extensively uses shallow DoF is Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead (2021). Zack used the large-sensor RED Monstro combined with vintage Canon 50mm f0.95 and 35mm f1.5 lenses and shot everything with a wide-open aperture.
Here are some guidelines for creating a shallow DoF:
- Use fast lenses (f/2.8 or wider). If the scene has a lot of light, you must combine the fast lens with an ND filter.
- Test the distance between the subject and the background and adjust as needed. The wider your lens, the closer you must get to your subject to blur the background.
5. RAW is Your Friend
While storage-hungry, RAW footage provides unparalleled flexibility in post-production. Most Hollywood productions use RAW files, allowing color correction and grading flexibility. Even on a budget, shooting RAW allows you to:
- Recover blown highlights
- Adjust white balance freely
- Capture maximum dynamic range
- Pull cleaner keys for effects work
Consider using an external recorder if your camera doesn’t allow internal RAW recording.
The next best thing to shoot in RAW is LOG format.
6. Use Prime Cinema Lenses When Possible
Cinema Lenses are meant for cinema, and photography lenses are meant for photography! I know that’s quite a statement, and there are exceptions, but it is largely true. Cinema lenses offer consistency, better focus systems, and more than photography lenses.
Read more on why cinema lenses are so expensive.
Many of the cheap kit lenses you get when you buy a hybrid mirrorless camera today are zoom lenses. They have changeable focal lengths, and you can zoom them in and out flexibly when shooting. The downside is that zoom lenses will never be as crisp and clear when in focus as a prime lens.
Prime lenses are designed for only one focal length, offering a superior image regarding clarity, chromatic aberration, edge sharpness, and more. Think of it this way: A zoom lens is a jack of all trades but a master of none, whereas a prime lens is a master of its trade. Which one would you trust?
7. Framing
Framing allows you to control what the audience sees and how they interpret it. It is how you see the subjects and objects within the field of view of the camera’s viewfinder, and define the boundaries of what the audience will see in the end. Framing involves decisions like camera distance, angle, perspective, and shot size (e.g., close-up, wide shot, etc.).
In other words, with framing, you control what is included or excluded from the shot. Doing so lets you direct the viewer’s attention to specific elements, emphasize relationships, or convey the scene’s tone. It is purely concerned with what the camera sees and how that visual field is constructed.
8. Composition
The rule of thirds divides the frame into nine equal parts using two vertical and two horizontal lines. Key elements, such as characters or objects, are placed along these lines or at their intersections to create a more balanced and visually engaging shot. This technique helps direct the viewer’s attention naturally and creates a sense of harmony, avoiding a static or centered composition.
Composition, on the other hand, goes a step beyond framing and deals with how the visual elements within the frame are arranged. It focuses on the spatial relationships between characters, objects, and the surrounding environment.
Composition involves principles like balance, symmetry, the rule of thirds, and leading lines, which guide how the audience perceives and interprets a shot’s visual structure.
9. Blocking
Blocking is the movement and positioning of actors and objects within the scene, particularly in relation to the camera and each other. It is more dynamic than framing and composition, as it involves choreography and the spatial coordination of characters throughout a scene.
When you block a scene, you decide how actors enter, exit, or move through the shot and how these movements interact with the camera’s position and framing.
In essence, blocking dictates movement and the spatial choreography of a scene, composition arranges the visual elements to guide viewer attention and establish mood or meaning, and framing determines the viewpoint and boundaries of what the camera captures. All three elements are interrelated but serve distinct purposes in visual storytelling.
Here are things to use as guidelines when considering framing, composition, and blocking:
- Leading lines
- Natural frames within the frame
- Balanced negative space
- Dynamic symmetry (when appropriate)
- Motivated camera movement
10. Color Grading with Purpose
Color grading is important for stylizing footage and emphasizing a specific tone. It also gives footage a professional look and feel.
Color grading requires some time investment, and you familiarize yourself with color wheels, histograms, RGB curves, and other sliders that can take a long time to figure out if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Here are some free video tutorials on how to get started with color grading in DaVinci Resolve.
If color grading is insurmountable, you can dip your toes in the virtual paint using LUTs. Many free downloadable LUTs emulate looks from movies or classic analog celluloid film stocks.
11. The Film Grain Question
This last one is just icing on the cake and subject to personal preference. Digital sensors keep getting cleaner, but many filmmakers still add film grain for texture and give a hint of nostalgia for the coveted analog look.
The film grain effect is present in most editing software and does just what its name suggests: adds grain to your footage. You can also use the ‘Dust and Scratches’ effect that simulates all the little minute damages and imperfections that film reels inevitably suffer when handled. Taken together, you can convincingly simulate your footage being shot on film.
Be aware, though, that adding film grain can result in worse video quality on social media like YouTube due to codec compression.
Summing Up
Like instruments in an orchestra, these techniques work best in harmony. Start with the basics—24fps and proper shutter speed—then gradually incorporate other techniques as you grow comfortable with each element.
Remember: rules exist to be understood before they’re broken. Once you’ve mastered these fundamentals, you’ll know when and how to deviate for artistic effect, just as pioneers like Stanley Kubrick did.
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