Cannes 2024 Cinematography: Cameras and Lenses Used to Shoot 59 Films

Once again, IndieWire reached out to the directors of photography whose feature films are premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival to find out which cameras and lenses they used and — more importantly — why these were the right tools to create the look and visual language. We are delighted that more cinematographers than ever responded this year.

The following list includes both documentaries and fiction films playing throughout the festival. They run a gamut from small films that crafted their looks by making the most of the constraints on their shoots and budgets to the biggest summer blockbusters aiming for the largest (IMAX) screens. There are a healthy number of repeat collaborations between cinematographers and directors who, at this point, are used to being each others’ partners in crime and speaking the same visual language, as well as first-time partnerships where the collaboration opened up new possibilities for each. There are interesting reasons why each director of photography ended up using film stock or digital, how color, texture, and light all help give us a sense of place, and how camera teams work hand-in-hand with other departments to truly create an image.

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The great pleasure of going through all 59 of these responses isn’t really in tallying up how many ALEXA Minis and how many Sony Venices were used or what kind of 16mm film stock cinematographers like to go with. It’s in seeing how, even when cinematographers chose the same equipment, DoPs crafted the look for each project in a way that makes them feel wholly unique. The old cliche is still true: There are hundreds, if not thousands, of format, camera, and lens choices that cinematographers can make to get a visual idea — but really only one.

(Films are in alphabetical order by title.)

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