#also I love the way the cinematography looks it’s gorgeous

[showtoonzfan]

I know this film was forgettable, not perfect, and everyone didn’t really care for it when it came out, but damn, this scene was good in my opinion. It shows that even if Pixar falls off the rails from time to time, you can always tell they never loose that spark completely that made them a special and important studio in the first place.

#also I love the way the cinematography looks it’s gorgeous #“you can mess up over and over again and the whole world loves you” best line #this scene really shows how Mike is at his lowest point and the way he snaps is realistic and justified #and I love how Sully doesn’t try to excuse himself #he’s just flat out honest with Mike #unrelated #Disney #Disney movies #walt disney animation #Pixar #Pixar animation #monsters inc #monsters university

[randomness-is-my-order]

the pjo show’s cinematography is so warm and homey and clever and detail-oriented so i wanna compile a few of my favourite still shots because why not??

^this one had me smiling so hard, not because it’s a particularly beautiful shot but the framing of the three is so well done. the focus is on sally who is talking to grover (both prominently in the front of the shot) while percy – who isn’t a part of the conversation but a listener of it – is still properly visible through the glass of the door and like??? i just think it’s a super cool way of having a passive character in the shot that i haven’t ever seen before, in a way that percy is both highlighted and still so clearly in the background that it doesn’t take away from the focus characters. also percy’s sweater matching the colours on the door is the cherry on top!!

^next is this one. it’s so perfectly angsty and though not complete, the symmetry is still eye-catching. it encapsulates the feeling percy must experience in that moment–him, amidst destruction, knowing he’s the cause but not knowing how or why. he looks all of twelve with his haphazard hoodie and almost forlorn look. he is not gloating, he is not cheerful. though he doesn’t know the gravity of his parentage, it’s almost like the show is telling us that his powers–which cause the door to break, too btw–will always be a source of isolation for percy. he is a force of nature, a destructive one most of the time, and the fact that he is just a child who is confused will never matter because this world doesn’t care for childhood but godhood alone.

idk, this shot just evokes a very unsettling kind of sadness for me. i think it’s beautifully framed.

^i absolutely love this one simply for the fact that the sheer struggle of the fight is so prominently visible. and yes, i cheated, this isn’t exactly a still shot but like an action sequence screenshot but whatever, it’s too good to not mention it here. the way percy is, honest to gods, bracing against the spear for his dear life, the evident and overwhelming rage on clarisse’s face, the blocking of the scene – it’s perfect. clarisse is not playing and percy is genuinely in danger and i love how this shot and the whole scene really sold us on that fact.

^ i just think it’s extremely cool that we can see the minotaur howling in pain, percy having his mouth wide open as if he’s letting out a yell as he goes to plunge the horn and that as percy does this act–killing the minotaur–which is surefire source of safeguarding himself and grover, something that will get him to camp, we can see thalia’s tree in the background. there is no reason percy had to make the kill here, with the chaos of the fight, so the fact that this is the spot and this is the shot as he kills the minotaur makes me think it’s deliberate. having thalia in the background is so impactful because again, percy could have met a similar fate in some other alternate universe but here, he wins and he survives.

^ do i even need to explain??? the shot is pretty and beautiful and almost magical. percy, alone with a tin of fire, burning blue food and talking to his mother. maybe one thing i can point out is that the sally-percy bond has been heavily indicated through glowing lights since the start. if you recall, the “you are not broken” speech by sally was given in front of the warm, glowing headlights of the car and percy’s face was illuminated by that warmth just the same way it is illuminated by the tin-fire in the forest.

^ first, this is too fucking gorgeous. second, percy is wearing his red jacket again and this dream happened after he reached camp so in my opinion, this dream was initially a comfortable imagining of percy’s mind and was then hijacked by kronos but i could be wrong since i don’t clearly remember how they manifested in the books originally. nevertheless, it’s a great detail to have him wear the red jacket because even if he may not have it with him anymore, it’s still clearly something he holds dear – and might associate sally’s memories with.

also, the fact that percy seems to have alot of scenes with fire might be because as someone who can control water, fire can never truly be a source of danger for him and therefore, he can find comfort in its warmth unhindered, always?

^ how could i not love this epic moment? the trident is perfect, big and blue and grand and majestic. half the screen is water, obviously. but what makes this good shot a great one is that there is literally no one else directly near percy except annabeth. the campers are all far away and in this shot itself only annabeth remains close to percy, though she is fittingly on the land, observing the scene before her. remember how i said percy’s legacy promises isolation but this shot tells me that despite that, percy will have someone who he can count on to be by his side (also cool that even in the bathroom, annabeth was technically still near him, even if she was, well, stalking him) and maybe this is my delusional ass talking, but annabeth being here is foreshadowing for me. i just think it’s a choice to have this epic revelation where they could easily have had percy standing alone in the middle of the lake but no, annabeth is also there and not only because she’s the one who led to that revelation but because she’s someone who isn’t intimidated by percy’s parentage and still can be beside him.

^ i adore this shot because 1) it shows us just how young and tiny percy is and 2) it tells us that maybe that door is so fucking huge because it’s being inclusive of centaurs and other giants of their world. also, symmetry strikes again!!! the colours are so well balanced, not bright and vibrant but on the pastel side that indicates an aged feel to them.

and lastly,

^ i just find it funny that a private academy like yancy has an official vehicle that looks as beat up and terribly malfunctioning as this. 😭 like this half van was so out of place i literally goggled at the screen when it first appeared.

okay, i’m done for now. i also really liked the faceless sally scene in the start paralleling medusa’s eventual beheading but i already made a post about it. this legitmately only covers about 10% of the shots i wanted to talk about but these might be my favourites. this was long af so if you read the whole thing, mad respect to you.

#percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #percy pjo #pjo #pjo fandom #pjo series #pjo tv show #pjo tv adaptation #walker scobell #pjo tv series #leah jeffries #cinemetography #direction #pjo tv spoilers #annabeth percy jackson #percabeth

[canmom]

The First Slam Dunk fansub

Proud to release my very first fansub for the return of Animation Night.

So what is this movie? The short version is that The First Slam Dunk is the best sports movie I've ever seen.

A slightly longer version: it's an incredibly intense, sharply choreographed game of basketball - intercut with the story of our boy Ryota, who struggles to live up to the shadow of his dead brother Sota, not helped by the fact that his mother is not dealing with it well. Growing up a taciturn outcast, Ryota at last finds solace in basketball, where he finds a new purpose as he and his comrades in the no-name Shohoku basketball team find their way to unexpected success. Now, he stands to achieve his brother's dream - to beat the as-yet undefeated Sannoh team. But the Sannoh boys want that win just as badly, and they live for basketball.

After seeing this movie you'll get why.

Slam Dunk is a wildly popular and long-running sports manga, previously adapted to anime by Toei in the 90s. The original story followed delinquent yankii goofball Sakuragi, who finds a new life in basketball. This movie aims to open it to a new audience - it retells the story from a different perspective, changing the emotional beats as it moves our view from goofy Sakuragi to troubled Ryota. The original mangaka Takehiko Inoue directed it after he was impressed by Toei's efforts to bring the characters to life with CG. It sports (haha) a unique look in anime, blending 2D and 3D animation with a really gorgeous manga-like shading style and effects.

The result is a film with the tight cinematography of manga panelling, the complex 3D motion of CGI and mocap, and also the clarity and snappy timing of animation. The result is, above all, readable. I honestly don't know a thing about basketball, and yet, I could follow every move - even in French.

Then add an absolutely killer soundtrack and masterful pacing and you end up with something truly special. It was one of my favourite movies at Annecy last year, and now it's finally out on BD.

So, in the interest of letting more people enjoy this movie, and also because I really wanted to try my hand at it, I made a fansub! It ended up an incredibly involved project - I retimed every line of dialogue, tracked dozens of signs in Blender, and generally went just completely all out on this one. Couple of all nighters may have been involved.

Here's some screenshots of some of the more complex typesetting:

If you'd like to watch it together, I'll be staging a group watch at 7pm UK time (three and a half hours from now). Tune in to twitch.tv/canmom - I'd love to see you there! And if not, well, the torrent is above, enjoy <3

#slam dunk #the first slam dunk #anime #film #fansub

[spenglernot]

STORIES TELLING: ED TEACH’S JOURNEY FROM ARMOR TO AUTHENTICITY

One of the joys of watching season 2 of Our Flag Means Death is discovering the visual parallels with season 1 that add so much meaning and richness to the story. With affecting, extraordinary economy of visual storytelling, we can see the progression of Ed’s journey from choosing armor in season 1, episode 10 – Wherever You Go, There You Are, to choosing authenticity in season 2, episode 7 – Man on Fire.

[I have to point out the gorgeous cinematography here. Panning down on the left, panning up on the right. The clear resolve of S2 E7 Ed turning to ascend to the deck. I also love the timing of both shots. S2 E7 Ed is turning toward the red silk that S1 E10 Ed will release.]

S1 E10 Ed considers the red silk. The symbol of his tenderness, softness, and vulnerability.

S2 E7 Ed hoists his leathers and his firearm - his literal and symbolic armor and protection - to the edge of the deck.

S1 E10 Ed releases his tenderness, softness, and vulnerability to the sea.

S2 E7 Ed releases his armor and protection to the sea.

S1 E10 Ed throws the person who understands what he’s going through and is in a position to help him work through it in a healthy way, into the sea.

S2 E7 Ed makes breakfast-in-bed for the person with whom he shares emotional and physical intimacy. An act of care and service that strengthens his bond with Stede.

Show, don't tell doesn't seem adequate to describe these two sequences. They are masterful and say so, so much.

The double-edged sword of self-awareness

You’ve really got to give it to Ed. He’s making huge progress. Making a better choice for himself. Moving forward.

Change can be terrifying. For Ed to release that which protected him for decades is, well… it’s courageous and demonstrates hard-won self-awareness and integrity.

Of course, choosing to be authentic to yourself doesn’t translate into automatic relationship building. Understanding and communicating with other people, particularly the person you are in love with, is a related but different skill set. It is also true that, once you know that you can’t perform a persona to please other people, no matter how much you love them, you risk losing them.

Ed in the second frame, above, kills me. He knows that piracy might be the wedge that drives Stede and him apart. He is trying to share how he feels. But Stede is so enamored with finally being a successful pirate (and glowing from the best (and only) love-sex of his life) that he can't hear Ed.

I love that OFMD takes no shortcuts in matters of the heart. If these lads are going to be together for reals, they are going to have to work for it, and there is still much work to be done.

I'm looking forward to likely being simultaneously emotionally fulfilled and mentally devastated by the season 2 finale in about 30 hours.

This meta was written before OFMD season 2 has fully aired. No idea what’s going to happen in the finale (and I’ve generally fled social media to avoid spoilers). I’ll be back, looking at everyone’s fascinating posts after episode 8 airs.

#JFC the OFMD writers have game #OFMD cinematography is meaningful and gorgeous #Ed’s S2 journey is fucking beautiful #Armor #Authenticity #OFMD meta #Edward Teach #Stede Bonnet #Red silk #Leathers #Thank you David Jenkins #Thank you Alyssa Lane #Thank you Alex Sherman #Thank you Eliza Jimenez Cossio #Thank you Zarye Ferrer #Thank you William Meney #Thank you John Mahone #Thank you Jess Tom #Thank You Natalie Torres #Thank you Simone Nathan #Thank you Adam Stein #Thank you Yvonne Zima #Thank you pocket friends for being awesome and keeping me curious and inspired #Our flag means death #OFMD S1 #OFMD S2 #OFMD S2 spoilers #OFMD S2 E7 spoilers

[bengiyo]

top 5 bl in terms of cinematography to you + (because i am greedy) top 5 intimate scenes

We've been friends for a long time. I'll do two for you.

Best BL Cinematography of 2023

This is probably a question you should direct to @respectthepetty as well. I like her taste when it comes to cinematographers, and she often knows their names, too.

Tokyo in April is...

I really love how boxed in and tight everyone feels in this show, and I really love the way they shot the trauma sequences with the young actors to protect them.

If It's With You

This show really is gorgeous, and the way they shoot the locations makes this town feel like a character in the show. I gotta find that post someone wrote where they talk about how the left side of the frame is darker as Amane runs away in this scene because he's running from his own light. Incredible stuff.

Edit: It was @my-rose-tinted-glasses here.

The Eighth Sense

This show looks so different from everything else that released from Korea this year, and you can feel the blending of Korean and German sensibilities in so much of the framing. It's hard to search for this show on the Tumblr gif search, so I can't find some of my favorite shots.

Moonlight Chicken

Aof and them put they whole foot in this show.

I Feel You Linger in the Air

This show is beautiful, uses lines well, and actually uses distance pretty well for a Thai show. The rain scene stands out a lot.

Top 5 Intimate Scenes

Oh, this one is kinda hard. (zing!)

Jom and Yai Have Sad Farewell Sex (I Feel You Linger in the Air)

This was really unexpected. They managed to show lovemaking that was deeply tender and also melancholy.

Saengtai Blows Patts (La Pluie)

As I said in earlier responses, a big thing for me with La Pluie is the aftermath of intimacy. What I like about this scene is that Tai is choosing to do this for Patts because he wants to assure Patts that he is into him and is into what they have. While he isn't ready to do acts that feel overly intimate, he still wants to give pleasure. I also like that they show that giving head is a way to maintain control if you're nervous while also taking care of your partner. You should check out the extended version of this on iQIYI.

King and Uea Have Kinky Sex (Bed Friend)

I don't know that this is the best performed one between the characters, but I like that a big part of this scene is King being open with Uea about what he wants and Uea wanting to give that to King.

Masumi and Ritsu in the Car (The End of the World With You)

Their flashback scene was way hotter and I love it so much ("You're soaked"), but the way Ritsu stares at Masumi, who is injured, and is so careful about trying to please him has sat with me ally ear.

Ritsu and Fumiya on the Couch (Jack o' Frost)

They did this like they knew each other well. They also let the actors build the emotions between each other. There's very little editing over this scene, which makes it feel so natural.

Ask Me Top 5 BL 2023 Anything

#answered #best of bl 2023 #jack o' frost #bed friend #la pluie #i feel you linger in the air #moonlight chicken #the eighth sense #if it's with you #tokyo in april is...

[bestanimatedmovie]

Choose your favorite!

Time to fly!

Vote in the other polls!

What fans say:

How To Train Your Dragon:

The message was just nice. I have a lot of nostalgia for it. I used to be a huge dragon nerd as a kid and dragons just weren't that prevalent in media here, especially not as friendly figures. I still love HTTYD and it's sequels nowadays.

It was one of my favorite movies as a kid and one of the few movies I watched that wasn't a barbie movie, it's just really cool.

Best movie featuring dragons period. The pure wish fulfillment fantasy of having a highly intelligent fantasy creature companion that can fly and doesn’t mind being ridden like a horse, therefore also the best execution of the dragon rider trope in all of fiction. Extremely funny, adding to the comedy is the fact that only adults have Scottish accents and all the teens have an American accent. So good that even its tv show follow up was decent by extension. The bit where Hiccup is trying to earn Toothless' trust and they start to work together changed me on a fundamental level.

I LOVE IT SO MUCHSHJKBSKHGDK I have a bone dysplasia which causes some bones to be a little bit more hollow and whenever I would feel a pain in my top back, 8 year old me was like ''woah I'm growing wings its my time to fly like toothless'' lol and it was always a dream of mine to fly. Weirdly enough I could relate to toothless because the "not being able to fly but you should be" felt like an allegory to a lot of my life! It gave me hope when he WAS able to after the help of others + the care he always needed + that mechanic wing thing made me feel like with the right ''recipe'' could help me get better too. My favourite scene is the first flight!! I love the animation for it, it makes me feel like im flying through the clouds too! The soundtrack is amazing too, I still cry to the songs.

I could write an entire essay about how much I love this movie, it truly is one of the best films ever made to me. Utterly flawless on both a technical level and a story-telling level. Not to mention the score oh my GOD the score of this movie changed my life. There are too many scenes that are so impactful, but the Forbidden Friendship scene has to be one of the best. Test Drive too.

This is literally my favorite movie of all time. This movie got me through the worst times in my life. It’s about love and friendship and all that lovely goopy stuff and it’s also fucking gorgeous.

THE cinematic masterpiece of our generation. On god.

This movie is an absolute masterpiece, the animation is pretty, the score is perfect, the relationship between Toothless and Hiccup is so sweet, Toothless is absolutely adorable. Definitely one of DreamWork's best films.

It's a beautifully animated movie about an unconventional viking boy named Hiccup finding his place in a world where dragons and vikings are constantly at odds, and how he changes the world around him. The dragon designs are unique and beautiful, and the vikings are larger than life and match the exaggerated setting.

Who on Tumblr DOESN'T want a dragon best friend I ask you. I would kill to have what Hiccup & Toothless have.

It does a brilliant job balancing tropes in a way that subverts and plays into them. There is so much in it for both adults and kids, it doesn't look like other animated films, it feels more grounded and in that realism it becomes so beautiful. The friendship in the film feels very real despite one of the characters being unable to talk! Forbidden Friendship scene is, in my opinion, the greatest scene in the history of cinema. The music, the lighting, the cinematography, the pacing, the emotions, it is practically perfect in every way. I could go on but I think ya get it.

God this movie defined my childhood and it's still so good when I rewatch it now. I'm guessing you'll have had this submitted a good few times bc it goddamn deserves it but. Hiccup is so relatable and !! dragons !! big cute dragons whose animation models are based on cats!! based fr

I have many fond childhood memories of this movie and in particular I loved how my cousin would "talk" for Toothless (cousin was babysitting us when we first watched the movie). Another thing is The SCORE. The music is iconic and awe inspiring to this day. That first time when Hiccup and Toothless fly together and it Works and the score absolutely goes HARD, I loose my breath every time. It's great. Also have you seen Toothless he's an adorable dragon and a badass, what's not to love?

Makes me cry every time because Hiccup and Toothless are such good friends and they love each other and end up as two halves of a boy dragon soulmate sandwich also the music is extremely good who doesn’t like dragons anyway.

It's the story of a beautiful friendship forming between a boy who doesn't fit in and a dragon who is the last of his kind. It's so cute. And it shows positive representation of disability, Hiccup and Toothless become disabled in ways that meaningfully parallel each other. Hiccup makes a prosthetic tail fin! And Toothless is just so cute!

The sound track is amazing

Honestly everything is phenomenal. It has a good use of comedy and an excellent story and character development. There are also countless beautiful and awe-inspiring scenes supported by an amazing score.

Up:

It is a very emotional movie about an old man learning to still enjoy life even though his wife died.

Such a beautiful film about loss

#How To Train Your Dragon #Up #best animated movie #round 2 #tournament poll #tumblr's favorite

[amplifyme]

George R.R. Martin on Writing TV's "Beauty and the Beast."

The show has a devoted cult following. What do you think draws them to it 30 years later?

It was such a literate show and such a smart show. Vincent may have been a beast but he was highly read and always fond of quoting poetry and citing Shakespeare and dropping in a sonnet from one poet or another. That had an enormous effect. We would get letters from librarians across the country about all the people who would come into the libraries on Monday after we’d aired on Friday saying, “What was that poem Vincent read?” They were going back to Shakespeare. 

I was able to do an episode called “Ozymandias” where we had Ron Perlman read the entirety of the poem by Shelley. To be able to do that kind of thing was amazing, to work in some of the classics of English literature that way. Vincent was an intellectual who loved words and stories and poems. He was not by that reason like a geek or a figure the other characters made fun of but was in fact a classic, Romantic, Byronic hero. Being able to bring that to television, to a mass audience, was great.

The production values were also pretty ambitious for the time. 

It was a gorgeous-looking show. There was a beautiful, lush look to the whole Underground world. By the standards of 2017, television has come so far in terms of its cinematography and its look. But if you compare Beauty and the Beast from 1988 in terms of the other shows that were on, the photography was so lush, the sets and costumes, the Beast makeup created by Rick Baker — it took Ron four hours to get in and out of it. You could stand next to him at the craft services and not tell he was even wearing makeup, it was so brilliantly done. (x)

#beauty and the beast 1987 #george r. r. martin #hollywood reporter interview #i really wish more people would seek out this show #all 3 seasons on paramount plus

[inventedfangirling]

BEST of BL's in 2023 [Thai edition]

(more accurately my favourites from 2023, so that i have something to show for the 100s of hours i spent watching them lmao)

I Feel You Linger In The Air - Head & Shoulders above (almost) every single piece of queer media i've ever watched. Khun Yai and Jom will be forever icons. That drunk poem confession will NEVER be topped. Also LESBIANS AHHHHHH also the way the show explored intimacy AHHH just end meeee

2. Moonlight Chicken - Aof strikes again. Gave me Uncle Jim, Heart, Li Ming and my baby boy Gaipa- the music, the cinematography, the writing, the found fckin family - i will recommend it to EVERY one on the planet if i could.

3. Be My Favourite- I did not expect to enjoy this show as much as i did. I loved what they were tryna say. I LOVED the queer undertones in EVERYTHING. if not for the asexual erasure and Not being an absolute asshole this would have been quite the perfect show. And man is Gawin so darn sculpted perfection, LOOK AT THAT FACE, how to not admire!? Also Pearmai my beloved. AND THAT POEM in episode 11 ARGHHH

4. Bed Friend - I know this was a polarizing series in a lot of ways and I agree to some of the complaints raised BUTTTTTT NET MY FRENZ NET! How am i supposed to not melt into a complete puddle watching King pretend to not be absolutely in love with Uea, and treating him like the babygirl he is, when he looks like THAT. I'm but a mere mortal.

5. La Pluie - I kinda liked the show and disliked it in equal amounts. Saengtai annoyed me quite a LOT towards the end BUT his brother Sangtien - Suar Kritsanaphong had me in the palm of his hand. Him and his kiss with Lomfon is etched firmly in my brain. It HAD to be on this list.

6. Only Friends - Gawd. The Promise. The Promise of it all. Thats what maddens me THE MOST. There was just SO MUCH that they could have done. Even if they stuck with a lot of their similar choices i would have still put it higher up on the list if they hadn't undone all the good work they did in the final episode. I couldnt even bring myself to rewatch anything from this one cos of how disappointingly it ended. That being said - FirstKhao KILLED it as usual, i CANNOT wait for their next one, BOSTON deserved better and my MVP- Mark Pakin AHHH i NEED him on EVERY SHOW EVER but also in ways concerning to me GAWD WHAT A TALENT AND WHAT A FACE.

7. Laws of Attraction - Charn you guys. Charn and his utterly deranged expressions and his even more deranged ex. And ofc everything else the show offered. The drama. The mystery. The family. The romance. THE LESBIANS!!!!? Few things not to love. Especially the finale with all the domestic husbanding going on. Precious af.

8. Hidden Agenda - Far too much nonsensical plotlessness going on here for this to claim this position BUT i'm just a girl watching Joong swoon over his man and losing it in the corridor and proceeding to do that myself cos man he's so damn good in these kinda scenes. I think he'd be good in more serious ones too but I would much prefer it if it was with somebody who could offer more than Dunk (no shade he very cute himself)

POTENTIAL FAVS

The following is a list of shows i loved/liked it a LOT but still watching/running so I can't fully judge

(in no particular order except the first one cos who am i to put an aof show not at the top of any list)

Last Twilight [BEST THING EVER I AM WHOLLY AND IRRETRIEVABLY IN LOVE IM GONNA REWATCH IT LIKE ITS MY JOB PLS I NEED IT TO STICK THE LANDING SO BAD]

Love in Translation - episode 4 what a beauty, one of my fav episodes of any BL in 2023 ever- just LOVED the whole fake date thing - it was EVERYTHING

Wedding Plan - Leads are cute. Lesbians are cuter. Made me laugh. Also CUTENESS hello

Night Dream - Who doesn't love a long unrequited but actually totally requited love story?

The Sign - nothing i can ever say is gonna be enough to encompass just how mind-blowing this series is from concept to execution to CGI to costumes to the gorgeous leads with fckin electric chemistry AND the PINING and the will they won't they arhhhh- TOP TIER STUFF

Cooking Crush - i went into this with minimal expectations, the trailer didnt do much for me BUT oh my gawd i had SO MUCH FUN with each episode, i laughed SO much and i am very much looking forward to the rest of it

Cherry Magic - TayNew back again together. Karan and his gorgeous existence. Loved the og. The trope where one believes they are hard to love & someone who loves them like it’s breathing- its literally made for this show and i am SUPER excited where it goes. PLS PLS PLS let them keep the aroace character aroace PLEASE!?!?!?

#2023 bl wrapped #thai bl wrapped #i feel you linger in the air #moonlight chicken #be my favorite #bed friend #la pluie #laws of attraction #hidden agenda #only friends #last twilight #love in translation #cooking crush #the sign #cherry magic thai #night dream #wedding plan #if i missed any i'd be devastated okay byeee #thai bl

[romchat]

Ripe Town Ep. 1 visuals: Under the cover of light

I am absolutely LOVING the historical crime drama Ripe Town. It's moody, nicely paced, and has really solid acting. The show reminds me of a grimmer, more ruminative A League of Nobleman, and its restrained but equally masterful cinematography caught my eye from the first scene. If you're looking for a prestige drama, this is it.

I wanted to share some of the cinematography choices the show makes in its first episode that help set the perfect tone for a crime drama. Film nerds, there are so many goodies in this show.

Under the cover of light

What a great cold open.

The show drops us (literally) in a farm field with our main character, Qu Sangeng, and his partner, Gao Shicong. They are bailiffs who have been sent out into the fields to investigate the mysterious appearance of a scarecrow, and they soon discover it's the dead body of Sangeng's mentor, Captain Leng.

(Side Note: There's something intriguing about the way the camera lingers on this sea of gold as it swallows and propels Sangeng and Shicong toward the scarecrow. It's almost like the field is its own character with its own memories. I don't think this will be the last time the plot returns us to this location.)

We learn at the coroner's that Captain Leng had not only been strangled but also pierced with a wooden rod bearing the Confucian quote "My principle is unified." This inscription paired with the theatricality of the body's staging (in broad daylight, in an open field) lends a deeper meaning to the murder. As an officer of the law, it is Captain Leng's duty to uphold justice, so why else would the murderer distort a classic work of philosophy if not to indict Leng of some moral malpractice?

And to a certain extent, we can understand that indictment by how the show portrays Captain Leng and Sangeng's colleagues in the criminal court system. Just look at how these officials are introduced:

They're filmed in darkness or shadow, the use of low-key lighting giving each a suspicious air. The strategic use of props further reinforces our first impression of them as sinister, incompetent, and corrupt men.

It makes you think about what other crimes have been committed in these rooms under the guise of justice.

The virtuous (but unstable) lone cop

Given how the show portrays the police and court system, it's notable how our main character, Sangeng, is often blocked in relation to them. As a bailiff, Sangeng is intelligent and principled. When we look at the composition of his scenes with men in power, he is often positioned towards the other end of the screen with the vertical lines of beams or doors physically demarcating his separation from them. He doesn't share their ethics nor does he tolerate their power plays.

And yet in Episode 2, we see the usually stoic Sangeng display a startling amount of violence and abuse of power, similar to a colleague he had criticized for the same behavior during this episode. I'm curious to see if and how this investigation continues to unravel him.

If these walls could speak

Ok, my favorite part of this show's cinematography is its use of dirty framing. Look at these gorgeous shots:

Dirtying the frame is when the camera crew uses things like architecture, objects, or even people in the foreground to add depth to a shot. Ripe Town constantly uses windows, plants, etc. to frame our characters as they discuss the case, which is such a smart way of upping the show's creepy factor. It feels like there is always someone (possibly the killer?) watching from beyond the frame

But maybe even cooler is the constant use of background action:

Check out how often there are people in the background near enough to our main characters to observe but far enough to not be intrusive (or helpful). Throughout Episode 1, we see farmers, bailiffs, and other workers stand around as Sangeng works the case. Like with the dirty framing, there's a sense of surveillance but this time from the townspeople as a whole. It's the classic small-town mystery trope where you suspect everyone knows more than they let on.

I wonder if this notion of surveillance will become one of the show’s major themes: are people watching because they’re trying to protect a secret or are they watching because they're hoping someone will reveal and take accountability for those secrets?

Together, these filming techniques create a fascinating world where murder is committed during the day and secrets are revealed in the dark. I can't wait to see how the story continues to deliver more and more interesting visuals as its mysterious plot unfolds.

#Ripe Town #繁城之下 #Under the Prosperous City #Fan Cheng Zhi Xia #cdrama #bai yufan #meta #a league of nobleman

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Hi WKX! Is there a show that stands out for you because of the aesthetics alone (whether or not it was your fave content)?

Hello!

Sorry for the delayed response, life got hectic for a few hours there. ANYWAY

if you didn't know this about me, I'm a slut for good lighting, so one of the first shows that came to mind that stood out for aesthetics alone was...

Chains of Heart

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

gif by @smittenskitten

Which is a show I dropped after only four episodes, which was three episodes too many but it was so pretty I tried to push through. But, holy fuck was it ever fucking gorgeous.

Moonlight Chicken

Again, I'm a lighting whore, and for a pretty low budget piece, this had some gorgeous light work. In terms of comparing to the other shows in this post, the cinematography is not consistently as strong, but amongst the standard GMMTV structure and set up, it does stand out to me.

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Also, never has Mix looked more alluring, sultry, and absolutely fucking gorgeous as he has through Aof's lens in Moonlight Chicken

KinnPorsche

KinnPorsche was one of my first BLs, and I thought it was absolutely fucking gorgeous, and now I have seen a metric fuckton of BLs, and there are a lot of sex scenes out there that I think are beautifully choreographed, and yet, I have not found many sex scenes that are as beautifully shot in terms of lighting and shapes, as the ones in KP.

I Told Sunset About You/Last Twilight in Phuket/ Promised You The Moon

I mean like...

gif by @baek1nho

gif by @piningbisexuals

gif by @firstkhao

Sorry, not sorry that all three parts of this show are just absolute brilliant perfection.

You're My Sky

Unsurprisingly, You're My Sky is another one that comes up for me in terms of a stand out aesthetic (I say unsurprising because a number of the production team members on YMS were on the ITSAY/IPYTM crew). But I haven't really seen a BL before or since that is super committed to it's coloring. This show is colored beautifully, in a way that feels like you're watching a memory.

gif by @gunsatthaphan

Currently Airing

I Feel You Linger in the Air

I was hooked almost immediately to this show with the somewhat haunting feel it had at the beginning. It truly made me desperate for a horror BL (btw have I mentioned I'm very much looking forward to Shadow?)

gif by @smittenskitten

gif by @thii-nii

Absolute Zero

Okay, when I said I hadn't seen a show before or since You're My Sky that committed to the coloring, I lied because Absolute Zero is kicking major fucking ass with the way they are coloring this show to feel like it's in the past.

Special Shout Out once again to Only Friends for the way the camera loves Mark Pakin.

gif from @wanderlust-in-my-soul

If one thing is for damn sure, it is that Jojo and Ninew know how to make all of these boys look their absolute goddamn best.

#chains of heart #moonlight chicken #absolute zero #i feel you linger in the air #you're my sky #i told sunset about you #itsay #i promised you the moon #ipytm #last twilight in phuket #kinnporsche #only friends the series #ofts

[ajokeformur-ray]

what did you think of the trailer lovely?!

Hey angels🥺

Okay so... I'm conflicted.

We all know I wasn't in favour of a second film because I thought Joker (2019) was the absolute perfect cult classic standalone film, and I still think that way. We all know I wasn't excited about the announcement of a sequel because I was upset about the Harley spin Todd AND Joaquin said they wouldn't do if they ever did a sequel.

But I also said I'd reserve full judgement until I saw a trailer, and now I'm saying, having seen the trailer, I'll reserve full judgement until I see the cinema release film.

My initial thoughts when I saw the trailer were all on Arthur and how PERFECT he is. He looks the same, he sounds the same, he FEELS the same (what I mean is, the general vibe of his segments in the trailer feel true to how Arthur feels in the first film). He IS Arthur, from what I can tell from the little we see of him. I am absolutely terrified that this sequel will undo all the nuance of the first film or make a mockery of it or that they'll turn our Arthur into yet another run of the mill abusive Joker or butcher his character and everything we love about him, but I felt comforted in the trailer to feel like I recognised the man looking back at me. It is so good to see this beautiful tragic mess of a man again. He's gotten older and so have we.❤️ Isn't it beautiful?🥺

The cinematography is GORGEOUS, the colours are astounding and Joker looks ethereal in the moonlight just like we all said he would, the music is intense but also whimsical and dreamy and very much Arthur, his laughter is so familiar yet so painful because we all know that THAT laugh is when he's being suppressed or hurt in some way, and my heart BROKE when I saw him being pushed around, dragged, CHAINED IN THE RAIN????? Let our man rest, PLEASE😭💔he's been through too much and I just can't see Arthur hurt anymore. Also, whoever did that lipstick smile on the glass deserves a raise. That was GORGEOUS.

So in short, I'm worried about the aforementioned character development (or assassination), I'm worried about the intentions with Harley; is she a delusion like Sophie was or is she using Joker to further her own agenda or is he gonna be abusive and hurt her or are they BOTH delusional and therein lies the tragedy somehow or is it a thousand other possibilities? There's just too many options and all we have is extrapolation and spectulation until the film comes out, and as I said I'll be reserving full judgement until I see it because I'm worried about what they're gonna do to Arthur but in short when I watched it all I was thinking was,

"please don't hurt him please don't hurt him please don't hurt him please don't -"

Just like I did during the first film, and that's extremely comforting in a very odd way😭

What did you all think?

@starry-eyedd

#joker 2019 #joker 2 #joker folie a deux

[sleepymrshmllow]

my sister and i finally watched eternals (obviously lol) and I think that concludes us binging some of barry keoghan's filmography (for now) ✨️

final(?) ratings + ranking:

Saltburn 10/10 (perfect film no notes /hj. I love this fucking movie so much and its quickly become a comfort film for me ♡ gorgeous cinematography, perfectly cast and impeccable performances by the entire cast! they nailed the mid 2000s feel. amazing soundtrack and ost. the queer subtext/tone, the vampire imagery, the metaphors and exploration of deep carnal desire, oliver domming his way to the top? all just *mwah* perfection. im not very good with words lol but basically this movie slaps and its required viewing imo)

The Banshees of Inisherin 9/10 (the trailer didn't do this film justice and I enjoyed it so much more than I expected. incredible film!! the characters were so well done and every actor in this movie did an amazing job (especially colin farrell, kerry condon, brendan gleeson, and barry ofc). I highly highly recommend this one if you haven't seen it ♡ the cinematography is beautifully done as well and goshh the location is breathtaking. one of my new favorite films ♡)

Mammal (2016) 8/10 (this film surprised me! when I read the synopsis I really didn't think I'd come out enjoying this movie as much as I did. it does a really good job with its characters and the complicated relationships between them. great performances and a very interesting and at times uncomfortable exploration of loss and grief. recommend this one! but definitely look into CWs before viewing)

Light Thereafter 8/10 (my favorite of barry's performances after oliver/saltburn. it didn't even feel like I was watching barry play a character, pavel felt like a real person and barry was just!! so incredible in this film and i loved getting to know pavel sm (his passion for art, his stims, the way he enjoys touch and textures :') ) and i was sad when it ended.)

The Killing of A Sacred Deer 7.5/10 (if you enjoyed saltburn, I definitely recommend this one! weird ass film (affectionate) and martin was a strangely endearing character to me lol i dont want to say too too much, you should watch it for yourself! 🍝)

Calm With Horses 7/10 (blonde barry keoghan was a major serve lol no but good film!! sad, but definitely worth watching. not too much to say about this one, but I enjoyed the characters (dymphna the most tho))

Eternals 6/10 (it was pretty enjoyable! the characters definitely carried this film over the plot itself (except ikaris.. I really didn't care for him at all lol). the cgi was a bit distracting and I wish there was a little more show dont tell and that certain scenes/plot points were done better/explored further BUT still entertaining and doesn't deserve the hate it gets imo!)

American Animals 6/10 (slightly disappointing but still worth a watch! evan peters carried imo)

Stalker (2012) 5.5/10 (so weird but also iconic?? worth watching at least once lmao)

Dunkirk 7/10 (objectively great film, but I just don't care for war movies im sorry 😩 soundtrack was actually so incredible tho)

Stay 4.5/10 (it was fine, it just wasn't very interesting)

and a bonus character ranking for fun ♡

Oliver Quick

Dominic Kearney

Pavel

Joe

Martin Lang

Dymphna Devers

Druig

Tommy Valentine

George Mills

Spencer Reinhard

Sean

#barry keoghan #saltburn #the banshees of inisherin #mammal 2016 #calm with horses #light thereafter #american animals #the killing of a sacred deer #eternals #tp #this was honestly really fun !! #we're thinking of watching some of the shows he's in too #long post #im sorry to my followers and moots who watched me spam rb barry keoghan for the past weeks ive been doing this LOL #also just my personal opinions/tastes ok please dont kill me for having certain films so low </3

[thelezzer]

ok i finally watched goncharov and i have THOUGHTS

i. was not prepared for the beer bottle scene. i see why y'all are being so vague that was........an experience.

clocks this clocks that yeah but THE POCKETWATCH specifically. first of all it's gorgeous but second of all: goncharov keeping it in his left breast pocket, right over his heart. the combination of it being a gift from andrey (🏳️‍🌈) and also serving as a symbol for how aware goncharov is that he is running out of time. it's close to the chest, ticking away.

i also love how the clocktowers just loom overhead and clocks will be framed juuust right in the background to draw attention to them. i am a cinematography bitch and i love attention to detail so this whole movie was just [chefs kiss]

SOFIA AND KATYA MY LOVES!!!!! holy shit i was so happy to see that the fandom representation of them wasn't overblown, it's just Actually That Gay. the way sofia looks at katya is 💓. the way that you can practically SEE katya's heart skip a beat, like she gasps a little when sofia touches her arm in the market.

i need to see couples cosplays btw...don't let me down

anyways YES it is as good as people are making it out to be YES you should watch it if you're on the fence. love how this site gets me interested in such niche stuff!!

#goncharov #unreality

[beyondxmeasure]

What made you get into Fwllow Travelers?

So many reasons…

1. I’m a huge history nerd, and get weak over almost any period drama. But this is extra special because it’s such an important part of queer history that is hardly known and rarely discussed. To have that done in a major TV show of this caliber is amazing. Queer representation is everything.

2. The team behind it- Ron Nyswanner, Robbie Rogers to name a couple were the same people who wrote/produced My Policeman so I knew it was going to be thoughtfully done. To be honest, I think it’s even better than MP. It’s what MP should/could have been if it was turned into a series. Linus Roach is also in FT, so there’s quite a bit of overlap in the two projects. Not to mention the subject/timeframe. It’s kind of like one is a US version and the other a UK.

3. The style! Costumes, hair, makeup, music, set design... Love those vintage vibes. The cinematography is gorgeous.

4. The chemistry between Hawk and Tim is just captivating, impossible to turn away from and the entire story has moved me more than anything else I’ve ever seen. Episode 1 alone had me hooked. But the more I watch the more layers I discover and it’s truly fascinating the depths this show has when you start analyzing it.

5. If you’re a human with eyes then you probably don’t need me to tell you that Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey are easy to look at. Seeing them in fine tailored suits from the 50s makes it even easier. Yes, they also share some spicy screen time, which isn’t terrible either. But I don’t want to take away from the rest of the show to gush about sex scenes. I will say, though that it’s not just about the sex but that a queer show with extra spicy sex scenes like that is getting such a big platform and positive attention is a step in the right direction. I’ll tell you though, I’ll never look at a glass of milk the same way ever again. 🥛🔥

Anyway, those are my top 5 reasons… if you want a deeper dive message me and we can chat some more about it.

Thanks for the question! 🩵

In reference to this post

#sleepover weekend #sleepover saturday #ask game #ask me anything #ask Cy #anon ask #asked and answered #fellow travelers q&a

[heretherebedork]

I totally get your point on realistic queer media vs BL and I'm also super interested to see which way the eight sense leans. I agree it'll probably go more on the side of realistic queer media (whereas I think unintentional love story will fall more on the BL side). I will say that having watched just about every gay korean film and short film I could find over the span of a two week period when I had covid, they do seem to like angst but with happy endings. I can only think of a few that ended sadly. But unfortunately the ones that ended sadly ended VERY sadly. I guess we'll see! I also want to say I'm impressed with the acting and how full the scenes feel so far, like with background characters and stuff. This doesn't seem like there's a huge production budget but it seems bigger than a lot of KBLs and its used very well so far, it really feels like a kdrama and the cinematography is fantastic.

The framing of scenes and such is also clearly done really thoughtfully and has emphasized the actors' chemistry (which is so good). While some things might be a little obvious, it's also well done so far; like I love the shot of their legs walking on the beach where Ji Hyun stutters his steps to get back in perfect sync with Jae Won and the close up of their hands touching when he gives Jae Won the lighter. I like shows that have more small touches and details like that! Reminds me of Mr. Darcy's hand flex after helping Elizabeth into the carriage in pride and prejudice if you've ever seen the 2005 movie of that lol.

I do hope they end it well. I haven't seen a lot of sad endings out of Korea but as they branch out and experiment with BL and queer stories... you never know what they're gonna do. We saw a lot more of that in some early Thai BL and it's coming back in their more experimental stuff and we know Taiwan and Japan are both just kind of... generally dangerous in those terms.

Honestly, for all that I can see the danger in The Eighth Sense, I think we'll get a happy ending. I think it's going to be painful and I wouldn't be surprised at a time jump... but I think the ending itself will give us something but I am also very open that I could be proven wrong.

I love the dynamics and the characters and the careful closeups and the reactions that feel natural and very queer. Oh, the queer waves coming off these boys and the way JaeWon and JiHyun just... pause around each other. There's a palpable change in their energy once they're together and when JaeWon insists his friends go back to the place he knew JiHyun worked? Yeah, that energy was gorgeous.

I am looking forward to this show with only the small hesitation of how much pain is coming out way for these boys, the popular boy in the closet and the loner who seems to basically be a closet, lonely and soft and unsure... oh, this is gonna ache.

#asked and answered #the eighth sense #korean bl

[orlaite]

What are the most visually beautiful movies you've ever seen?

Oh man this is a difficult one because visually beautiful can mean so many things! Beautiful locations, lighting, production design, blocking, makeup, camera-movement, etc.... So this will get rambly but ty for the ask Taylor!❤️

I'll start with one of the most recent movies I've rewatched and my favourite, favourite director: Days of Heaven by Terrence Malick. I just watched the Criterion 4K after previously having watched it on an old library DvD and man... As soon as the movie came on I could feel that it'd been way too long since I saw a Malick film and that this was the among the best birthday presents I've ever received. The landscapes, the beautiful sunset/sunrise light, the molten steel at the factory in the beginning... I'd say almost all of Malick's films fall under the category of "most visually beautiful movies" ever but Days of Heaven has the sensory and naturalistic feeling of later Malick movies blended perfectly with the controlled and composed cinematography of his earlier Badlands. Riveting and beautiful to watch.

Bernardo Bertolucci was a cursed name in my household after I made me and my friend watch 5 hours of Novocento and neither of us liked it very much so watching The Last Emperor we were both shocked by how good it was; the gargantuan scale and detail of the sets and the beautiful cinematography of Vittorio Storaro was a big part of that experience. Storaro's work on Apocalypse Now is also timeless and and an all-time GOAT.

Ran by Akira Kurosawa is another beauty... I love how carefully composed he makes the natural landscape look and the costumes and sets are wonderfully colorful. Those intermittent shots of clouds are gorgeous and so effective. While I'm talking about Ran let's talk about a movie that he directly homages with the shot of the castle burning down: Die Nibelungen by Fritz Lang. The production design of Die Nibelungen is unparallelled and still holds up 100 years later.

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Red Shoes is the most quaint of the movies I've listed thus far, taking place almost entirely on sound-stages and some of them do look a bit dated, but the The Red Shoes ballet itself are the most beautiful, impressive and immersive consecutive 15 minutes of cinema ever created. Period!

The last two movies I wanna highlight are great Epics: Ben-Hur and Lawrence of Arabia. Only Wyler could create a movie as grand as Ben-Hur without losing control and ending up with a cluttered and haphazard visual expression. It's so large, yet so acutely and finely composed, with all those extras in all these gorgeous costumes, and maintains a consistent level of impact and beauty across nearly 4 hours of Biblical Epic. Mad impressive.

And Lawrence of Arabia... Need I say more. Freddie Young's cinematography, the natural and variagated landscape of the desert, Lean's direction and Anne V. Coates' cutting... I'm actually not gonna say more.

#asks