The "LOMO" Look

The cinematic look

For many, “Anamorphic” refers to the classic widescreen 2.35:1 or 2.40:1 ratio, often achieved nowadays by overlaying black bars over a traditionally shot 4:3 or 16:9 image. The broader composition has historically been seen as “epic” and an easy way to give footage a more “cinematic” look.

The origin of the “cinematic look” lies in the many classic films we grew up with being shot in that ratio. Notably, authentic anamorphic lenses offer a lot more than just “in-camera letter-boxing,” and these qualities define a truly cinematic look.

Qualities of Anamorphic lenses

Anamorphic lenses date back to the 1920s and World War Two; however, it was the 1950s that saw the first emergence of the era of “epic” Anamorphic films—films that would, in turn, inspire generation after generation of notable filmmakers, who have, in turn, passed on the Anamorphic legacy to audiences, and ourselves. The panoramic view, its all-encompassing composition, the use of negative space, and relative size and scale are all critical components. Still, beyond that, a combination of other effects is created by the complex interactions of the uniquely created glass within an Anamorphic lens.

A lot of these qualities are seen as flaws. Much like the way digital video was and often still is overly “crisp” and “sharp” compared to the softer. Still, ultimately, in my opinion, the film’s more forgiving and natural look is the “flaws” in Anamorphic lenses that are responsible for what most of us recognize as the “cinematic look.”

CROPPED MODERN SPHERICAL LENS

Features in the above image:

* Greater depth of field than an Anamorphic lens (overall sharper image)
* Minimal flaring (non-horizontal flares only)
* Higher contrast within the lens
* Cropped image ensures reduced resolution

One of the most notable of these Anamorphic qualities is the shallow depth of field compared to a spherical lens needed to achieve the same shot.

Anamorphic lenses are vertically squeezed in a 2:1 ratio; the effect of that means a 25mm Anamorphic lens would show approximately the same width as a 12mm spherical lens; however, the focal length of the lens (25mm) is twice as long, and hence the lens will have the depth of field of a much longer lens. This means that even wide shots, like the image below from Thin Red Line, can have increased depth and perspective, with the background soldiers being slightly soft.

Even more noticeable on a long lens, Braveheart’s charging soldiers are moving in and out of the precise focal plane, so much so that if they fall even slightly in front or behind the thin plane of focus, their feet and shoulders become soft. This effect, coupled with an experienced focus pull, can create a theatrical shot while still maintaining the visual impact of seeing a group of charging soldiers instead of focusing just on Mel Gibson and seeing a couple of soldiers charging beside him.

BRAVEHEART – Long Anamorphic

Ridley Scott is commonly noted as a modern-day master: Throughout his career, he has employed both Anamorphic and spherical lenses, always favoring the 2.35 ratio for his composition. He specifically used Anamorphic lenses in Bladerunner to create the dark, detailed stylings of the world. In the example below, he uses their unique depth of field to highlight precisely the elements within the frame he wanted to draw your attention to (the chess board and the concentration on his face) while allowing the rest of the world to exist with an air of mystery; This style was perfect for the films efficient Special FX, which were highly detailed but not designed to call attention to themselves as effects. He also relied on the Anamorphic glass to highlight the noir lighting, using contrast and shadow against practical lights like the candles. The candlelight also notably exaggerates the oval nature of softness, which gives the image a more natural look than you would get from the circular blur created by a spherical lens.

Meanwhile, in Gladiator, Ridley Scott opted to shoot on super 35mm using spherical lenses and cropping the image. There were several reasons for this, primarily because digital visual effects rely on having an initially sharp, high-resolution photo to deal with. The increased resolution of a super 35mm film frame coupled with spherical lenses is the ideal way to achieve this when shooting film, as the increased depth of field compared to Anamorphic gives a far sharper image, as seen below. The spherical lenses also provide the film with a more contemporary look, with their circular focus and more distinct highlights, resulting from fewer elements within the lens. This serves alongside several other tools Ridley employs, such as frame rate, to offset the story’s ” ancient ” setting and remind the audience that the film is a modern action epic, not a slow period piece.

GLADIATOR – Cropped Spherical Lens

We would also suggest that some of the inherent challenges of shooting with Anamorphic lenses have fostered some of cinema’s best cinematographers and directors. Any challenge presented to talented people will drive them and demand the best from them. Whether it’s their typically slow speed, forcing cinematographers to light a scene genuinely rather than rely on practical lighting or the additional challenge for the focus puller of hitting and riding a much tighter focal plane, the director needs to know intimately what they want every frame to contain, both in terms of composition, focus, and lighting, Anamorphic lenses force the filmmakers to use the lens as a cinematic device to create mood and tell the story.

The “LOMO” Personality

The main reason, though, that I am such a fan of Anamorphic lenses is from my experience with the “Lomos”. Not only are they more affordable than their newer counterparts, such as the Hawks, but to me, they are a highlight among the Anamorphic range of lenses precisely because of their age and distinctive qualities, which create a far more “natural look.”

For example, the below image from To Our Bright White Hearts was shot in a studio in a stationary car using rear projection for the BG and a lighting rig to simulate overhead lights. The “Lomo” Anamorphic’s natural softness and subtle reproduction of the projected light work beautifully to tie together the practical effects and create a believable scene. At the same time, the purple tinge to this particular lens was used to complement the melancholy nighttime color palette.

With Anamorphic “Lomo” lenses, you will find every set, if not every lens, has its own unique “look,” from the color and intensity of the flaring to its natural contrast and the shift of its Bokeh to its particular distortion and chromatic differences. Every Anamorphic “Lomo” lens feels like it has a “personality” that, once tested and familiar, can become part of your storytelling voice as a filmmaker.

As a comparison, the image below from Frame 137 was shot using a different set of “Lomo” Anamorphic lenses in Australia, again in a studio, mixing practical and studio lighting. These lenses again tended to soften highlights but notably had a much higher internal contrast. They also had less flaring and a more neutral color tone, suggesting they were likely reconditioned more recently.

I should also note that even among Anamorphic “Lomo” lenses, there are several types, mainly square and round front lenses. I’ve done some testing with square fronts. As the name suggests, their front housing is square, and aside from the clumsiness of that, they didn’t respond the same way; indeed, my preference was for the round fronts. However, I’d recommend experimenting if you can find a set of square fronts.

The other primary difference is the rear element Anamorphic. These aren’t even on the same playing field as front-element Anamorphic. The squeeze is being done at the rear of the lens; it’s standard on the “Lomo” Zoom Anamorphic, as they couldn’t construct a front element capable of servicing the multiple elements already in the zoom lens. The primary difference to having a rear conversion is that they don’t produce the horizontal flares in the same way. Generally, to me, the lens I used looked more like a standard spherical lens that was being manipulated in post, rather than an actual Anamorphic lens.

Reasons to shoot Anamorphic

+ The beautiful horizontal and internal lens Flares have become a “trademark” of the classic Anamorphic look due to the 2:1 stretching of the glass.

+ The oval-shaped Bokeh that you only get with Anamorphic lenses.

+ The highly narrow and organic-looking depth of field

+ The increased dynamic range of the lenses when dealing with high contrast light: Due to the additional glass elements within Anamorphic lenses and the natural diffusion and interference that results when light travels through those additional elements.

+ The unique and organic artifacts and distortions found in the lenses: the additional Anamorphic glass, which is hand polished and shaped, and the complexity of their movement and construction is complex.

+ The unique color and tone of individual Anamorphic lenses: Due again to the hand-polished glass and the older coatings used to minimize.

+ The vignetting of light intensity in many older Anamorphic lenses: due to the age and size of most Anamorphic lenses and the natural curving of the image, light intensity can fall off around the edge of the frame.

+ The vignetting of focus when shooting at lower T-Stops: Due to the curved field of focus inherent in their construction when shot wide open, particularly the limited focal plane can leave the edge of the frame softer than the center.

Telling your story your way

I would urge any filmmaker passionate about widescreen filmmaking and interested in exploring actual Anamorphic filmmaking to shoot something with a set of “Lomos,” and for anyone around Toronto, please feel free to contact me. If you have a personal low-budget production in mind where you want to try them or for your first feature where you want to try and elevate the production and get the most screen value you can, I am happy to discuss ways and rates to try and make that happen.

Ultimately, I am a filmmaker, and I am as passionate about the process of making films as I am about the result. I would love for more directors, cinematographers, producers, and even writers to see firsthand what it’s like to have the “Lomo Anamorphic look” up your sleeve when creating the world for your next film.

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