How You Make Cinematic Magic Like Tarkovsky

If you’re a movie nerd (like me!) or a filmmaker, you know the name Andrei Tarkovsky. He was an absolute cinematic magician, possessing a mastery of filmmaking that most directors can only dream of. So how did he get to that level? What would it take for your videos to have the same artistic impact? I’m here to share seven essential principles that Tarkovsky frequently included in his masterpieces. You don’t have to be a genius like Tarkovsky, but if you can follow these principles when making movies yourself, I guarantee your films will be richer and more exciting for it.

This makes Tarkovsky a kind of cinematic alchemist, a filmmaker who can rapidly transform one idea into another, or tie together seemingly disparate objects into a larger whole. It's incredible to watch his work unfold on screen: the deep space depicted by the long takes creates a sense of tension (what will come next? How will all of these different layers of life connect?), and then, in the final moments, this tension is broken by some great revelation or another. This cycle—of building tension and then releasing it—is very effective in creating mood or providing intellectual insight into a given moment or theme.

See your film in your mind's eye before you shoot a single frame.

Andrei Tarkovsky famously said, "A director must realize that he is not God. He has no right to determine what will happen in the frame. All he can do is set up a situation and hope that something magical will result."

And yet, before you shoot a single frame of your film, you must see it in your mind's eye. This may sound like a contradiction, but it's actually the key to finding and achieving cinematic magic on screen.

So how do you get there? Andrei Tarkovsky recommends seeing it first: "I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library," he said. And the best way to see your film clearly in your mind's eye is to read all of the books you possibly can about it.

Read books about the human condition, because your film is about people, and you want to understand them and their motivations better than anyone else does. Read books about filmmaking because you want to be as skilled as possible at creating this movie. Read books about cinematography because you want to know more about how light works on film than anyone else does. Read books about color theory because this movie is going to look incredible.

Tarkovsky also recommended reading poetry, listening to music.

Find the poetry of everyday life. Andrei Tarkovsky is one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. His films are known for their slow, meditative pace and meticulously composed images. If you want to make films like Andrei Tarkovsky.

Tarkovsky once said, "The world isn't a vale of tears. It’s one world and life is beautiful." Films like Stalker show us that there's beauty to be found in the mundane—even in a rundown bar or an abandoned factory. Even if you're making a film about something as simple as a day in the life of your character, you can still find the poetry.

Be patient with your audience—let them sit with your images.

Many directors get caught up in the chase—they think they have to keep showing us more, more, more. But Tarkovsky understood that less is sometimes more, and that by taking our time with an image we can let it sink into us even deeper. Stalker moves at a glacial pace—it takes its time dwelling on shots of nature and scenes of nothing happening at all. But when it finally does get to the action, it hits us hard because

When people think about what makes a great movie, they usually focus on narrative, story structure, characters, and so on. They're all important, but if you really want to make cinematic magic like Andrei Tarkovsky did, you have to transcend these things.

If you haven't seen the work of Tarkovsky yet, then stop reading this article and go watch Solaris (1972), Stalker (1979), and Mirror (1975). Once you have that out of the way, come back here. Okay?

So let's say you've seen his work now. It's hard to describe his style because a lot of it comes down to feeling. But if I had to put it into words, I'd say that he was an artist who focused more on the visuals of cinema than anything else. He wanted viewers to feel something when they watched his movies—to experience a sense of connection with the world around them—and he was willing to sacrifice narrative in order to do that.

His movies often didn't make sense as stories—Solaris comes immediately to mind as one example—but instead felt like deep explorations into human consciousness. The thing is that people didn't watch his movies for the plot; they watched them because they felt something

“To make a film is to live, to live, and yet to have the world as one's object—that is what it is,” said Andrei Tarkovsky.

And what a world he made—a world that was striking and bold, and nothing like the dull, colorless reality we may think we know.

So what can we do to bring cinematic magic into our own lives? A lot...

Experiment with your visual style by using unconventional lenses when you record your video—try using a lens that is wider or longer than you're used to. Or switch up your color palette. Try filming in black and white, or altering the colors of your footage in post-production.

When you're creating the next big film, there's nothing more important than the actors.

There are a lot of things you need to do to make your film truly magical. You need to make sure the cinematography is on point, that the story is compelling and unique, and that the music is beyond beautiful. But none of it matters if you don't have people who can bring that story to life. And you won't be able to get them invested in your vision if you don't take time to invest in their lives.

Andrei Tarkovsky knew this better than anyone (and his films were certainly cinematic magic). He would often take long walks with the actors he was working with so he could get to know them better. He wanted to see where they were from, what their lives were like—he wanted to understand them as human beings. Only then could he extract from them what he needed for his films: raw emotion, vulnerability, and beauty.

Take a walk today with someone you're collaborating with on a project. Take some time for yourself and for others—it will pay off when it's time to come together and create something great.

If you want to make a film that has the kind of hypnotic beauty and philosophical depth that marks the work of the late Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, you've got to learn to let your scenes breathe.

It's not unusual for a Tarkovsky film to have shots as long as 30 seconds. A shot like this would probably seem too long for most filmmakers, but for Tarkovsky, it was part of his normal cinematic vocabulary. He believed that by letting a scene go on for longer than is typical, he could give viewers the time they needed to fully appreciate a character's inner life and see how they relate to their surroundings.

Tarkovsky's films are known for their long takes and their meditative quality. If you want your scenes to feel like they're part of an ongoing flow rather than a series of discrete events, try lengthening them just a bit—you might be pleasantly surprised at how much that little change can transform your film!

While it’s true that not all of us will ever be able to make movies the way Andrei Tarkovsky did, we can still learn a lot from his style of filmmaking and how we can apply his techniques in our own lives. Tarkovsky applies universal themes that appeal to film-lovers as well as cinephiles who are interested in interpreting the deeper meanings behind his films. His films are open to interpretation and discussion, but one thing is certain: he was prudent in marrying high-quality visuals with thoughtful narrative.

His films are thought provoking and emotionally evocative. If you love film, you've likely seen at least one of Tarkovsky's films, like Solaris, Stalker, or perhaps the mind bending puzzle film, The Mirror. These films are truly magical. So how can you make cinematic magic like Tarkovsky?