Why we use damaged lenses:

I know it sounds insane, but hear me out…

The greatest cinematographer in the world buys the most expensive lenses on the market and proceeds to break them with a hammer before filming.

WTF, Greig Fraser???

Well, turns out, it works. Really well.

The biggest problem with modern cinematography is how PERFECT it is. Every shot is lit, framed, and filmed perfectly… and that makes it inhuman.

Art is never perfect - it’s full of little imperfections and blemishes.

That’s why I often take a page out of Fraser’s handbook and film on broken lenses. There is simply no way to emulate the character that comes from filming on something so imperfectly detailed!

The more you know…