CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUNDTABLE
When we watched movies or TV series as children we mostly focused on the characters. We usually related ourselves with the super humans or heroes we saw on the screen. As we grew, we started to learn about the actors behind the characters and how they helped bring them to life. Most viewers still focus on the actors who help bring characters to life but some develop an interest to learn about the men and women who bring the film itself to life; The Directors.
The Directors put their vision into the story and help guide the crew in creating this vision; keeping it in motion. But as most people would mainly focus on the acting, similarly the ones who develop an interest in the making would mainly focus on the director. However as we all know for a film to be made a crew is involved and each person plays a certain role within this ship (excluding some independent films were a person can play more than one role due to budget limitations). The spotlight isn't quite shiny for the people in the crew including the one who helps bring the vision in the Director's head into an actually visual piece; The Cinematographer.
As I learn the different aspects of film making from pre to post production, I've learned to understand and appreciate the roles of the crew that assists the director in the making process. But I've developed more interest in the visual part of the process hence an increased admiration to the cinematographers.
Three weeks ago I got to watch The Hollywood Reporter Cinematographer's Roundtable which hosted some of the highly acclaimed cinematographers of our times; Roger Deakins (Unbroken, Skyfall, Prisoners), Dion Beebe (Into the Woods, Memoirs of Geisha, Edge of Tomorrow), Jeff Cronenweth (Gone Girl, The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, Fight Club), Benoit Delhomme (The Theory of Everything, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas), Matthew Libatique (Noah, Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream, Iron Man 1 & 2) and Dick Pope (Mr. Turner, The Illusionist). In the session they got to discuss many important issues within the film industry; as cinematographers and in general.
In brief the issues they got to discuss were:
- Film reviews and the level in which cinematographers are incorporated within them.
- Long-standing relations between directors and cinematographers, how long it takes to develop a mutual language.
- Shooting outdoors and weather as a friend or enemy to the cinematographers and the shooting process.
- Film and Digital formats.
- Dynamic Range and the developing technologies in film making.
Some other issues discussed were based on specific questions to the cinematographers on specific director-cinematographer relations and films. I have embedded the Youtube video below so make sure to watch the full video to gain the knowledge and information from the visual masters who make the great films we love and admire.
Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter