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  "path": "/best-shots-in-lord-miller",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-25T17:20:06.000Z",
  "site": "https://nofilmschool.com",
  "tags": [
    "Phil lord",
    "Chris miller",
    "Shots",
    "Best shots",
    "Project Hail Mary",
    "Spider-Verse screenplay"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nI remember when _Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs_ came out. I saw it in the dollar theater in college, and I came out kind of obsessed. I went to IMDb to figure out who was behind it, and that was my introduction to Lord and Miller.\n\nIn the world of modern filmmaking, few have mastered the blend of chaotic energy and heartfelt storytelling quite like Phil Lord and Chris Miller.\n\nI'll say up top, I kind of feel like they're my idols in some way, just because they seem so fearless when it comes to genre. And I love how they do mashups; it's really inspiring to me.\n\nThey have _Project Hail Mary_ in theaters right now, and that movie is full of gorgeous shots, but in a recent breakdown for CineFix, the duo sat down to dissect some of the most iconic shots from their career.\n\nLet's dive in.\n\n##\n\n## How Phil Lord and Chris Miller Use Visual Language to Elevate Comedy and Sci-Fi\n\n### 1. Give Your Actors a \"Playground\" (and Set Up More Cameras)\n\nI think the thing I love the most about Lord and Miller is that their movies feel like they're loaded with improvisation and that anything can happen at any time.\n\nOne of the most memorable moments and great examples of this is in _22 Jump Street_ , when Channing Tatum realizes that Jonah Hill’s character slept with the captain’s daughter.\n\nLord and Miller originally had a standard shot list, but a rehearsal changed everything. That's where Tatum argued that his character wouldn't just sit there; he’d be running around the office, high-fiving everyone in celebration.\n\nThe directors heard that and were like...why aren't we doing that?\n\nInstead of sticking to the schedule, the directors pulled cameras from the second unit and \"set up as many cameras as we possibly could\".\n\nIf there's a lesson in all of this, it's to collaborate.\n\nIf an actor has a brilliant impulse, don't stifle it with a rigid shot list. Create a \"playground\" where they can explore, and use as many cameras as you can to get it from more angles.\n\n### 2. The \"Infinite Money in a Basement\" Aesthetic\n\nWhen making _The LEGO Movie_ , the duo set a strict rule: everything, including water, fire, and clouds, had to be made of bricks.\n\nBasically, they wanted to preserve the imagination and the world by showing that LEGO could be anything.\n\nThe goal for the reveal of Metalbeard’s ship was to make it look like a kid had made this shot in their basement with infinite money and infinite time.\n\nIt did...and it helped the worldbuilding a ton.\n\nLook, we aren't all making studio movies. Limitations breed creativity. But by grounding their CG world in the physical reality of the toy, Lord and Miller created a unique visual language that felt tactile in this world.\n\nWe could imagine the feel of every brick as they were flying all over.\n\n### 3. Emotional Ideas as Cinematic Renders\n\nIn _Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse_ , the famous \"leap of faith\" was a scripted emotional beat. The script read: \"We realize he's not falling, he's rising.\"\n\nWe have the Spider-Verse screenplay for you to read on this site.\n\nSo, as a blueprint for the movie, what did they do? They flipped the camera 180 degrees, and they visually represented Miles Morales fulfilling his destiny.\n\nThis gives value to the idea that they trust their audience. They found that viewers were perfectly willing to follow non-traditional camera orientations as long as the emotional logic was sound.\n\nAnd also...it was freaking cool!\n\n### 4. Finding Beauty in \"Real\" Science\n\nOkay, you know we had to include something from _Project Hail Mary._ It's a massive movie, and as I said at the top, the visuals blew me away.\n\nLord and Miller worked with DP Greig Fraser to visualize \"astrophage\", which are microbes invisible to the naked eye but visible in infrared.\n\nInstead of relying purely on post to make them pop, they used an Alexa 65 camera, pulled the IR filter, and built a cage of blinking infrared lights around star Ryan Gosling. The result was a strange, pink-hued world that felt grounded in the physics of a camera sensor.\n\nIf you see it in 70MM, you'll know what I'm talking about.\n\nAgain, you may not have the equipment of a major studio, but you can experiment just like everyone else.\n\nSometimes the most striking visuals come from experimenting and trying to be bold. So go for it!\n\n## Summing It All Up\n\nThis was a fun way to look back at some movies I love and the lessons that go with them. It was a good kick in the butt for me to get back to the grind and to try to make Lord and Miller proud. Or, at least to learn more from their movies.\n\nLet me know what you think in the comments.",
  "title": "What Are the Best Shots in Lord & Miller's Career?"
}