NWI Awards: Best Cinematography

As your tutors and family film nerds have no doubt told you, film is visual medium and there's nothing quite like really seeing a movie. So which movies of 2008 were a real feast for the eyes...

Best Cinematography

5) Australia

A film doesn't have to be good to look good, and Australia is living proof of that hypothesis. The film may be a mess, but it sure does make the best of those Australian landscapes.

4) In Bruges

With no real budget, In Bruges makes maximum use of its chosen location which looks just as idyllic and dream-like as was no doubt intended. It contrasts well with the blackly comic tone of the film.

3) The Dark Knight

Nolan's favourite DOP Wally Pfister makes terrific use of Both his Chicago location and his Imax camera, which help to make the action scenes even more astounding. The camera swoops through the city free of restraint, and not in the cheesy way they did it in Heroes.

2) No Country for Old Men

They key to this film's look is the stillness. Sure there's beauty but the camera-work's to the point motif only accentuates the film's Texan Backdrop and variety of 80's buildings. Also the way Javier Bardem is filmed in this film dserves its own award

1) There Will Be Blood
It may have lost the Oscar to the Coen's masterpiece, but this is just as much a film for the ages. And a large part of that is due to the way the 20's oilfields are captured in a mixture of adoration and horror. Also Daniel Day Lewis' performance some.