The Cinematography of NOPE (2022)

 What's Good Y'all! 

The blu ray for one of my favorite films of the year, NOPE, finally dropped. This movie is shot beautifully and if you've visited my blog, you know this was inevitable.  I have to talk about the cinematography, so let's get started!

Starting the film off with this frame sets the mood for what you're about to see. This shot uses every nook and cranny of what's captured, to send terror through your spine. By the time you take in all the chaos, you're left with a floating shoe... EXCELLENT start.

Damn this image is powerful! Even though this a setup for what's to come, A black man with his head high, & sweeping hills as his back drop feels so triumphant. When you have a setting this breath taking, almost every shot becomes a work of art. 

Another frame where the natural back drops, does the heavy lifting. I couldn't NOT post this.

What's so good about this set of 4 shots is, the lack of dialogue. The story progresses without a word said to purposely give you some information, but not enough to piece together what actually happened. I also really like the pops of red in each shot, to help bridge the surface level connectivity.

Simple and plain. As a heads up, I'm going to have all of the title cards posted as well. I personally love how they make the movie feel like it has chapters & each title prepares you for what's coming in a roundabout way. 

I mean, c'mon. Her name is Emerald. That alone makes this frame work. Outside of that though, Peele knows how to make black folk look GOOD on camera. Nearly any shade of green pops with any shade of brown and the cinematographer lit these two perfectly. 

"WELL, if you're looking, I'll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." No, that wasn't a line in the film but that's what came to mind on my 2nd viewing because of how far this movie takes things. This is also great visual storytelling that's passively planted early, for the pay off later.

Gorgeous shot. With Jordan, you never know if this was intentional or not but I love the layered browns of the set design, to compliment Em's skin. I gotta give the utmost credit to the cinematographer for lighting the scene flawlessly, so that all the shade of brown aren't lost in a mix.

A little tip of the hat, to Peele's earlier days in show business while introducing the concept of Gordy. 

I've said this in almost every post I've made, but you must capture the magic hour if you can! But seriously, nature doing what nature does, makes this shot look like a painting. 

The first of many shots of Em staring out of the window. Every single one of them has a different dynamic in color, representing a time in her childhood memory. This time, she recants being left behind as she watched her brother training, explaining the darker blue hue painting the outside. 

These night shots are unbelievably amazing. As technology advances, so do the capabilities of filmmaking & capturing what night really looks like to the human eye, is a hell of a feat. Having the house lit from behind adds a touch of color to break up the darkness & assists with blocking the frame. 

This wide shot from behind focuses on the pure darkness of the valley. So dark, that it feels larger than it does during the day because of all the things hidden in the shadows. 

Pretty clever play on imagery to have O.J see the UFO, as Em begins playing the record. Two spinning disc shaped objects, that cause two totally different reactions.

An untrained eye may view a shot like this as 'meh' but I find the technical aspect of it to be intriguing. This is an excellent control of light. from the type of bulbs used, to the direction in which the light has to be casted. You have to strategically manipulate both of those factors to keep the light solely on them, while also allowing everything outside of the porch, keep that empty darkness. This is great s***.

Besides the fact that this shot is jaw-dropping, it's another seed planted to be paid off later. The promo material had this string of flags hanging from the cloud, all over & now we see where it came from; But we also aren't aware of the why. That's so dope!

Whew boy... You wanna talk about the edge of my seat? I literally let out a quite, "Oh nah," when this sequence happened. It's also lit extremely well because it's dark enough where we can't clearly see what theses things are, but bright enough to see the shape.

There isn't anything particularly eye catching about this shot, but I just like the color grading here. The right coloring of a frame can create a whole different mood. 

These UFO shots within the clouds sent shivers up my spine. The VFX team did an outstanding job blending the creature, with the cinematography. This is the most realistic I've ever seen the depiction of UFO's  in any movie. 

Similar to the shot of Angel in the store, I LOVE the framing, grading, & set up of this outdoor room. It's so lush and artsy, which is very appropriate for Holst's character.

I LOVE the color blocking here. This is one of those things you stumble across while doing previz. I'm sure the frame was always meant to look like this but the building's exterior color adds another layer of flavor to it. 

This is a great setup for the 4:3 ratio of the next frame, when we watch the Gordy show. 

The connecting shot from above. The furniture is so of the time as well. Nice touch to add for convincing this took place in the past. 

Obviously, red is the signal for danger, so to get that point across without it being force or unrealistic, Peele uses the red exit sign to paint the walls. In the grand scheme of things, it's just a small moment that will get overlooked, but I love the detail. 

This reveal was pretty damn cool. The Panavision cameras are the evident inspiration behind June's alien design, later in his life. It's another dot to connecting this tragic event, to his life in the future. 

I really like how Gordy is half way hidden behind the lamp. That feel of safety from an object obstructing the view, completely leaves when he spots us, the audience & June's view, by looking right over it. 

This image was seared into my mind after watching for the first time. The notion of how dangerous Chimpanzee's can be, is something I've always understood but this scene raises that belief even more. Seeing Gordy approach with a bloody mouth and clothes brings real life terror to the screen.

"It takes one, to know one" Tokenism!

What tokenism can get you...

I love how these 2 shots are connected with the color green. I aside from the color popping amongst the brown background, it explains June's mentality. Like the animal trainers with Gordy he's stepping into something he knows little about. 

These wide shots are breathtaking. I don't know what else can be said because the cliche' statement plays out here. 'Pictures are worth 1000 words.'

I like that Jordan chose to incorporate another shot of the alien design, to re-link it to the inspiration of which it derived from. It's a pretty quick shot, but it's long enough to connect the scenes. 

The setup here is GREAT! As soon as we see that ribbon dangling, we know something bad is about to go down. What I also like is the small detail of this shot, depends on the viewer paying attention to previous scenes. If your eyes blinked or you zoned out on that particular sequence, you wouldn't realize what this image is about. 

WHAT A SHOT! This the first time we can see the UFO, cloaking itself perfectly within the cloud. It makes me think, is the UFO hiding behind the cloud or is it manipulating the cloud to stay attached to it?

I'm a sucker for depth of field. I can't help it lol

Easily and I mean EASILY, one of the most terrifying shots of the movie. The framing of this sequence makes us really understand the gargantuan size of this beast. We had a view inside the mouth of this thing at the beginning of the film, but here, the humans flying upwards gives us the scope and scale of the mouth. I felt like an ant watching this. 

A cool shot that made me feel like a western flick. 

These shots don't do this sequence justice but MAN oh MAN! They way the camera follows this thing cutting through the sky so swiftly, with no sound was frightening. I think it was so smart to capture it from so far out, and swing it in close without a single cut. 

Whew this is a nightmare of shot. Lighting the scene just enough to capture the blood soaked window, creates a dream like sequence of pure terror. I'm not sure why, but this 

particular frame makes me think about Elm street. Maybe it's the screams of so many people as the blood flows downward.

These blood drenched stairs tell quite the story, even without context. But since we know what's happening, this scene is even more terrifying. 

One of the money shots, seen in the trailer, that pays off even more within context. The wallowing shrieking from all those people make this shot haunting.

This is what having total control of a set can do for you. The mystery can be amplified by controlling the light to cast endless silhouettes on every object and surrounding area. 

This is the moment when the emphasis on eyes, really clicks. I only chose to  include this specific shot because of how textured the blacks are. I love this looks.

Another fear inducing image. Up until this moment, we have never seen the UFO hover above anyone to once again, give us the full scope in size of this entity. Can you imagine an airborne creature of THIS size flying overhead?? Sheesh!

It's the colors that do it for me. These bright greens and blues,  pop right put the frame. It could just be me but there's something refreshing about this color pallet. It makes sense, given this their chance to rest after the night they've had.

Using the record to represent the UFO on the map is perfect. I think it gives us full context of how big it is, and how much ground it covers.

& on the flip side, how small we are in comparison.

I really like the blocking of each of these shots and how they're spliced together as the voice over details the plan. Go wide, or go home!

The continuation of the running shot, with Em looking out the window. As the blood fades on the house, she has to do the same thing with her fear, to get the job done.

What's cool about this shot, is the circular object on this guy's helmet could mirror the UFO flying overhead. 

"Sorry man." He knew it was too late for dude lol. Another shot of the UFO hovering but this time in broad day. This terrifyingly realistic man.

There's nothing really amazing about this frame but I can't help but gawk at the shots this UFO. This is literally the most realistic I've ever seen these depicted on a film.

The scope here is INSANE. Shout out to the VFX team for crafting such an amazing shot like this. It's not just the UFO that looks phenomenal, it's the dust/sand also reacting to the flight of the creature. It looks shockingly authentic. 

More great shots of the UFO that blow my mind completely. Again, nothing really crazy in the technicality of the shots but the realism makes these a pure spectacle, pun intended. 

When this creature "opened up," it increased my level of fear. This UFO/beast morphed into something that transcends a living and breathing animal. It became something God like. Something fearfully ethereal. Something that appears heavenly but we know better. What a SHOT!

I have to show love to the Akira homage. 

Foreshadowing from earlier, when Em looked into the well. I always wonder, earlier on did she make a wish? She was caught off guard, that it was camera...

The scope of everything here, is pretty crazy. When a sci-fi movie can make you feel like you're experiencing it, and not just watching, everyone wins. 

ABSOLUTELY ADORE THIS SHOT. Jordan Peele always gives iconic black moments in cinema. This one made me cheer! That same ethereal feeling I got from the UFO, I felt seeing OJ in the fog. 

They got the Opra shot!

Man! What a movie! This is most definitely one of my favorite sci-fi horror films ever. It checks every box you could ask for and gives even more. It's digestible on the surface, but there's quite a bit to unpack. Which shot is your favorite and did I miss a shot that you love? Let me know in the comments and as always, Thanks for reading!

Peace ✌🏾