Every Frame Counts: Cinematography With Colin Levy

Sprite Fright is Blender’s new Open Movie, now in development. This week, there’s a brand-new cinematography feedback video from Hollywood writer/director and Blender Studio collaborator, special guest star Colin Levy.

In well over an hour’s worth of content, Colin breaks down the Sprite Fright edit so far, offering his industry-honed perspective on animated storytelling.

Colin directed Sintel, a foundational moment in the history of Open Movies. He also co-directed Agent 327, along with Hjalti Hjalmarsson. Colin's work with Blender Studio has racked up 15 million views and counting (that's roughly the population of the Netherlands, where Blender Studio is based).

Colin currently works in L.A., where he’s developing a new sci-fi show, Skywatch, for NBC, with Seth MacFarlane as Executive Producer.

Like Sprite Fright Director Matthew Luhn and Production Designer Ricky Nierva, Colin is ex-Pixar, with credits including Inside Out and Finding Dory. In other words, he’s helped shape the modern version of folk tales, the stuff your grandkids will be watching on their brain implants.

Colin's video covers all kinds of cinematography-related goodness: how to get the most from opening shots, establishing characters, composition advice, building drama, creating frenetic action, scene breakdowns from classic horror, insider tips from the Pixar production process, and the power of trimming and more trimming... and trimming some more.

Talking of trimming, let’s cut here. There's a preview below, with the rest available to subscribers here. Enjoy!

Oh, and at the risk of stating the obvious: great, big, huge, massive, gigantic spoilers ahead.

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For more of Colin’s work, check out his site, Agent 327, or Sintel. Also, see Colin's feedback video for Agent 327 to gain even more insights into elevating your animation.

And for more on the Sprite Fright edit, wave your cursor over this radioactive-looking blue text. As well as Colin's full cinematography feedback video, you'll find the initial pitch and edits-in-progress. (Which, of course, means spoilers galore.)