Cinematography has the ability to enhance a film, making us feel like we have been transported into another world. Whether that world is the dangerous wilderness during the 1820s in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant or modern-day Los Angeles, California in Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. The best cinematographers collaborate closely with directors, editors, lighting designers, and production designers to capture a feeling through the use of camera angles and styles of shots taken. From Vertigo to Jaws to The Shining, there are certain films that have shown such innovation and excellence in cinematography that they have become models for filmmakers to draw inspiration.
Every year, the Academy Awards recognize the achievements in cinematography, bestowing one film with the Oscar for Best Cinematography. So many great movies and cinematographers have taken home the award, but the winners throughout the 2010s were truly exceptional. Here are all the Best Cinematography winners from the 2010s, ranked.
9 Gravity
The sci-fi/thriller Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as a medical engineer and astronaut who find themselves stranded in space with zero connection to Earth. Ridden by anxiety and panic, the stakes in this movie are high, considering the life or death situation the two main characters end up in. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki is able to create sweeping and jaw-dropping shots of outer space that take the viewer's breath away. Lubezki is known as a very innovative cinematographer and is praised for his success with not only Gravity, but Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and The Revenant. All three films earned him the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (also on this list).
8 Hugo
Martin Scorsese is considered to be one of the greatest filmmakers and auteurs of all time. His movies are magic and there is a reason why they are all so celebrated. There are a lot of similarities that can be noticed throughout works like Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Casino, such as the recasting of the same actors, collaboration with the same editor, and basing stories around Italian-Americans involved in crime, the mob, and family drama. Unlike these films, Hugo is a bit different. It is one of the director's only children's films, and instead of the story focusing on the fall of a morally unreliable character, we see Hugo never giving up despite his hardships and the film overall is very inspiring. The cinematographer on the film Robert Richardson makes 1930s Paris seem larger than life and shows the audience what a huge world Hugo has to manage life through.
7 1917
1917 took home the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 2019, beating out great films such as The Irishman, Joker, The Lighthouse, and Once Upon A Time in... Hollywood. The movie is based on two British soldiers battling in World War I, who are given nearly impossible orders to relay a message, and if they are able to successfully complete the mission, they could save the lives of thousands of men. Cinematographer Roger Deakins and director Sam Mendes worked together to make 1917 look like it was filmed in one take, thereby enhancing the overall emotional stakes of the story.
6 Blade Runner 2049
One of the most impressive aspects of the cinematography in Blade Runner 2049 is the use of colors and saturation. Emphasizing a particular color or color scheme can play a huge role in how the audience emotes and perceives a scene. The renowned Roger Deakins, one of the most celebrated cinematographers of our time worked on the film alongside director Denis Villeneuve. Aside from Blade Runner 2049, some of Deakins' greatest work was in the films 1917, No Country for Old Men, Fargo, The Shawshank Redemption, Skyfall, and Revolutionary Road.
5 Roma
Espectáculos Fílmicos El Coyúl
Alfonso Cuarón, the director of Roma, did a beautiful job creating this film based on events that occurred during his life. Black and white pictures hold a special place in our hearts and with the right lighting can be stunning. Cuarón was the director, cinematographer, and producer of the film, and in 2019 took home three Academy Award wins for Best Cinematography, Best Directing, and International Feature Film. Speaking to cinematographer Ed Lachman, via IndieWire, Cuarón stated that "memory" was his primary concern of the film, capturing the "spaces, textures" of the story, rather than the actual narrative.
4 Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
After watching Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), there is no doubt that Alejandro González Iñárritu is one of the most innovative and exciting filmmakers working today. His movies consistently have jaw-dropping shots, and he pushes the boundaries of storytelling. From the camera angles to lighting choices, and long take scenes it's evident that the specifications and details that went into the cinematography of Birdman are what put the film over the edge and stand out amongst the other films released in 2014.
3 The Revenant
In addition to Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscar-winning performance in Iñarritu's western/adventure The Revenant, the film's cinematography is what makes the movie so impressive. Emmanuel Lubezki worked as the cinematographer on the film and was able to tell the story of a crippled man left for dead trying to fend for himself in the wilderness until he eventually finds the men who betrayed him. The Revenant was filmed in Canada, Argentina, and the United States and the gorgeous sweeping shots of the wilderness are breathtaking. Lubezki was also the cinematographer on Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and Gravity.
2 La La Land
Damien Chazelle's musical/romance La La Land is filled with incredible shots and impressive musical sequences, which led us to believe there were no surprises when the film took home the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 2017. Right from the beginning of the film, the audience is fully emerged into the world of a struggling artist or entertainer trying to make it in Hollywood through an elaborate and extensive musical number that appears to be one long six-minute take. In reality, the scene was broken down into three different takes, but the cinematography is so impressive and well done, the audience has no idea. Some other scenes from the film that have great cinematography are the "Lovely Night" scene and the "Epilogue."
1 Life of Pi
Coming in at number one on our list for Best Cinematography Oscar Winners of the 2010s, Ranked is Ang Lee's Life of Pi. This film is a cinematic masterpiece and is filled with some of the most beautiful shots seen in the entire decade. Claudio Miranda is the brilliant cinematographer responsible for making Life of Pi as incredible as it was and fully deserves all the praise he received for his work. This film should be a must-watch on everybody's movie lists just so that they can witness how surreal some scenes feel.