Features and Columns · Movies

From ‘XXY’ to ‘The Neon Demon’: The Cinematography of Natasha Braier

A bold, uncompromising voice in cinematography: here’s a quick intro to what defines the work of Natasha Braier.
Natasha Braier Cinematography
By  · Published on September 22nd, 2021

Welcome to The Queue — your daily distraction of curated video content sourced from across the web. Today, we’re watching a video essay on the cinematography of Natasha Braier.


Even if you haven’t heard Natasha Braier‘s name, there’s a good chance you’ve seen her work. Born in Buenos Aires to two Freudian psychoanalysts (one hell of an origin story), Braier has distinguished herself as one of the most compelling and distinct voices in modern cinematography.

Over the course of her career, Braier has been able to carve out a recognizable and striking style by working with experimental collaborators with strong visual personalities. Braier’s work with directors like Alma Har’el (Honey Boy) and Nicolas Winding Refn (The Neon Demon) have given her the opportunity to commit to bold, risky, and often experimental photographic decisions from expressive lighting to dark exposure, unconventional framing, and definitive on-set creative decisions that cannot be undone in post-production.

Frequently intent on capturing feelings and thematic heartbeats at the expense of unambiguous narrative explanations, Braier is a cinematographer well-worth knowing. And in that spirit, the video essay below offers an introduction to Brairer’s artistic philosophy, preferred gear, and what sets her apart from her peers.

As with most roles behind the camera, Hollywood has a long history of diminishing the importance of female artists. And being able to recognize and identify remarkable artists like Braier is one way viewers can challenge away the Hollywood gender gap.

Watch “Cinematography Style: Natasha Braier”:


Who made this?

This video essay on Natasha Braier’s cinematography is by In Depth Cine, a YouTube account dedicated to providing its audience with practical rundowns and explainers on some of the more technical aspects of movie-making. Gray Kotzé, a documentary DP based in South Africa, is the man behind the channel. You can check out Kotzé’s portfolio on their website here. And you can check out In Depth Cine on YouTube here.

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Based in the Pacific North West, Meg enjoys long scrambles on cliff faces and cozying up with a good piece of 1960s eurotrash. As a senior contributor at FSR, Meg's objective is to spread the good word about the best of sleaze, genre, and practical effects.