http://www.theblackandblue.com/2012/12/10/roger-deakins-advice/
Reading through 25 bits of advice spoken from Roger Deakins, some of the information i felt was more relevent to myself than others at this stage.
I must discover my own style, to do this i believe i need to work on as many projects to gain as much experience as possible. My own style will pull through once i have been behind a camera and put into practice what i head seen and read.
When i was filming my documentary on Peter Sutcliffe, I was working alone. To have carried lights around with me on my bike, as well as tripods, would have been out of my practical limit. In future projects it is in my interest to experiment with more equipment such as lights and dollys, I would need to find another means of transport to help transfer the equipment from one location to another.
It's relieving to know that there is no one way to further a career in the film industry. Knowing stories of people getting in through connections does bare on my mind slightly, but i have confidence in myself I could create my own connections through networking whether it be through university or at a film festival.
I am lucky to be living in London, where job opportunities aren't too far. I am aware that entering this business that i will have to start at the bottom such as being a runner, therefore I must be available at any time.
Internships and work experience is vital to help me learn the reasons behind why directors are shooting a specific shot, however, i believe that being behind the camera and creating my own shorts will help me discover what it takes to become a filmmaker.
I would hope to find answers when i ask experienced film makers questions on the industry or about their work. The more experienced filmmakers will have gained most their knowledge through filming first hand and this is what i must aim to do more often this year, make more short films.
I am currently writing and trying to plan my short film for my dissertation, I am aware i will need to gather all my shots together before filming so I know what i want to shoot when it comes to the day. As well as a shot list, i will need to consider a storyboard, list of equipment, risk assessments, permission to film, actors, actresses and props. The key to helping me put this production together will be a team.
1. Don’t Get
Distracted with Technique
“Operating
the wheels needs to become second nature as it can be a disaster if the
technique of operating distracts from the relationship that an operator has
with the subject.
When
I was starting I practiced doing figures of eight with the wheels and
progressed to signing my name with them. I don’t feel the need to practice
anymore but I do reassure myself that I can still sign my name each time I
start a new film, if I am using a gear head.
A
gear head is not everyone’s choice and I don’t always carry one but it does
have distinct advantages on certain set ups and on certain films.”
2. You
Must Discover Your Own Style
“I am very wary of showing too much
in the way of plans and diagrams. Not because I am secretive and I don’t want
to give away something that is personal. Not at all!
I just remember that when I began
as a film maker and a cinematographer I never watched another cinematographer
at work. The closest I ever got to seeing ‘how it was done’ was by shooting some
documentary footage of Doug Slocombe at work on ‘Pirates of Penzance’. I loved
seeing him work but it had absolutely no influence on the way my work evolved.
Our styles could not be more
different. That’s my point really. You can’t learn your craft by copying me or
anyone else. I hope what I do can do is in some way inspire others but I would
be appalled if I though my work was being studied as ‘the right way to do
the job’.
My way is just one of an infinite
number of ways to do the job.”
3. Compromise is
Sometimes Needed for a Better Film
“Sometimes,
as with the death row scenes on ‘Dead Man Walking’, it is better to compromise
composition, lighting and perhaps even sound a little and shoot with two
cameras in order to help an actor get their performance. Sometimes it is better
to go wider to include a prop in frame than break an actor’s concentration.
When
an actor appears on set ready to do a take it may be too late to change
anything. At that time if I see a bad shadow or an eyeline that is slightly off
I might talk to the actor or I might not. Perhaps I might think it better to
change things for take two. If not then I judge it my mistake and I must try
not to let it happen next time.
In
the end a film can look lousy but work because of a great performance but not
the other way round. That’s something always worth remembering.”
4. Work
Inside Your Practical Limits
“I rarely took lights on the
documentaries I shot in Africa. Much of the time I worked without
an assistant so carrying more equipment than absolutely necessary was
out. I did carry some white bed sheets and a silvered space blanket, which I
used for sleeping in on cold nights (and it can get very cold in Botswana for
instance) protecting the raw stock and equipment from the sun as well as for
lighting.
I think the most important aspect
of shooting documentary is to make use of what light is available simply
through your positioning of the camera - and the subject if you are
controlling what you are shooting. For me, using extra equipment, whether it
was a tripod or a reflector, was usually a distraction and counterproductive.”
5.
Every Film is the Director’s Film
“I do have a problem with the ease
with which you call what we do ‘art’. That is for someone else to conclude. To
me it is a job, a creative job that I love to do but a
job nonetheless.
The collaborative aspect of
the job is very important but then so is the hierarchical nature of a
film crew. Every film is the Director’s film and we must never lose sight of
that.”
6. Pick
a Camera Based on the Job
“There is an obsession with
technology that I don’t care for. You pick the camera for
the job based on cost and many other factors. I think ‘In This World’
or ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ are good case studies in this regard.”
7. “Cinematography is
More Than a Camera”
“Cinematography
is more than a camera, whether that camera is a Red an Alexa or a Bolex. There
is a little more to it that resolution, colour depth, latitude, grain
structure, lens aberration etc. etc. etc. The lenses use for ‘Citizen Kane’
were in no way as good as a Primo or a Master Prime and the grain structure in
that film is, frankly, all over the place. But the cinematography? Well, you
tell me.”
8.
Aspect Ratio is Ultimately a Directorial Choice
“I usually do suggest one format
over another for a particular film but the final decision belongs
with the director, as with any other aspect of production. Like most of the
decisions I make it is, for the most part, an instinctive one based
on a sense of the film I get from reading the script.
Some films, like ‘The Assassination
of Jesse James…’ or ‘Jarhead’, lend themselves more obviously
to a wide screen format whereas I could never imagine ‘House of Sand
and Fog’, “The Man Who Wasn’t There’ or even ‘Shawshank Redemption’ in a wide
screen format.
I would say my preference is
for a wide screen image shot in Super 35mm on spherical lenses but
the majority of films I have shot have been standard 1:85.”
9. Film Has Its
Faults, Too
“There
is as much hype about the ‘excellence’ of film as there is about many of the
new digital cameras. How quickly we can gloss over the unstable projection, the
scratches and reel change dirt, the quality loss that comes from a poor dupe
(any dupe) or a blow up done with a bad optical lens.”
10.
Camera Choice is a Personal Decision
“In the final analysis you can only
judge picture quality by eye and make a personal decision as to what you like
and what you don’t like. Perhaps some people really can not see a difference
between a 2K scan and a 4K scan of the same negative and I am sure some people
really do prefer the look of an image produced by the Red Camera to one
shot on film.
The choice of
a camera system is no different than the choice of a lens set,
a camera position or where to put a lamp.”
11.
Filmmaking Never Gets Any Easier
“On one of my first dramatic films
I had got to the set early only to hear the 1st AD and a Carpenter
questioning why someone whom they had never heard of was shooting their film.
They turned to me and asked if I knew the cinematographer. I said I did.
I then told the Carpenter to rig a
beam at the ceiling for lighting and asked the AD to send out for some asprin
[sic] whilst I went outside to be sick.
I still have times when I feel
totally stressed out and sick in my stomach. I explain it to myself in thinking
that I have ever higher expectations for what I am working on and consequently
it never gets any easier.”
12. There is No “Right
Way” or Expected Career Path
“If you work your way up you might
find it easier financially. Also, you will have time to learn your craft and
become confident in what you do. On the other hand you may well find youself
stuck for some time at one level and find it hard to make the jump from
an assistant to an operator for instance. If you try to start
shooting right away you may find yourself waiting a long time between pay days.
Have you a showreel? Friends that might give you a break? A family that you
need to support?
I never assisted. I went to film
school and started shooting right away after that. Well, to be honest I
couldn’t get work as an assistant so I called myself a cameraman. I
found it no easier to get work as a cameraman but at least I felt better about
myself. It was probably 6 months before I got my first paying work but it built
quickly after that.”
13. Contacts Are a
Phone Call (or Door Knock) Away
“It should be easy find a name off
the credits of a film and then contact an assistant through the
Union.
[...] You do see jobs advertised in
film related magazines but, if I were starting out today I imagine I would be
knocking on doors much the same as I did in the 70′s.”
14. Being Local Helps
Your Chances for a Job
“I
don’t know what other cinematographers do but my assistant hires our
crew. We do sometimes take on a local PA but not often a trainee. Everything is
done on per project and the budget has a big influence on who we hire and where
they come from. I tend to do lower budget films and hence we hire at least the
loader and the PA locally. Sometimes the 2nd AC also.”
15. Being Great is
Often Rewarded with Loyalty
“There
are a number of key crew members that I have worked with consistently.
Obviously, not everyone is always available especially when work is slow. I
have worked with the same 1st assistant cameraman since he was promoted from
2nd assistant for the last two weeks of ‘Shawshank Redemption’ when the
previous 1st AC had another commitment. He has yet to make a ‘wrong move’ so
I’m not sure what I would do if he did. I would be in shock probably!”
16.
Internships Are Scare, Learn By Discovery
“Personally, when I am shooting a
film I am totally focused on the job in hand and find even having a silent
observer detrimental. There are many people who ask to be a part of
my crew or to merely observe on a production that I might be
shooting. Because of my hesitancy to accede to their requests perhaps my
consequent feeling of guilt has led to the creation of this site.
For good or bad I never, as a
student, had the luxury of observing another cinematographer at work on a set.
It was only when I came to work in the US that I actually visited another set.
I say this because I genuinely feel that cinematography, like photography in
general, is not something that can be learned but, pretentious as it may sound,
can only be discovered.”
17. Pulling Focus is a
Tough Job for the AC and the Operator
“The 1st AC’s
job is one of the most responsible on the whole crew. I know I could never do
it and I have great admiration for someone who does the job well. I have worked
with the same 1st AC for many years and we are very much in
sync. I do think judging focus is very much intuitive but it is also the job of
the operator to watch for image sharpness and for the timing of a pull etc.
Sometimes,
as when I am making up the shot or on a particularly tight close up, I will
work on a fluid head and have one hand on the focus knob just as if I were
shooting a documentary. When you are working fast and without real rehersals,
as is becoming the norm, there is little choice to do otherwise.”
18. If
You’re Going Handheld, Go with an Experienced AC
“The first thing I should say is
that I work with a very special assistant and he rarely needs to work from
marks. If I am shooting hand held, as I was in the boxing for ‘Hurricane’ or
for pretty much all of ‘Jarhead’, my assistant will attach a remote focus to
the camera or I will control the focus myself. I find this is the only way
sometimes, especially if I am ‘creating’ shots as things unfold. I spent many
years shooting documentaries where I always controlled the focus myself as the
kind of films I was shooting demanded a very instinctive way of following the
subject.
You could use a fast stock to get a
greater depth of field but, in truth, it would give you relatively little
advantage. You might need to build the light levels to an F8.0 to gain any real
advantage from lens depth of field. I would suggest using an experienced
assistant at the end of a remote focus system.”
19. Use
Focus Marks Only When You Need Them
“On the film ‘Jarhead’ we shot
often without rehearsals but as I (often with Scott Sakamoto on a second
camera) was operating with a hand held camera it was not only possible to react
to an actor’s movements but it was just that style we were looking for.
Something less formal, more spontanious and reactive which we hoped would give
more of a feeling of being there to the viewer.
After a take we might talk with the
actors about the scene and make suggestions to them at the same time as
changing the way we were moving with the camera. It became a interesting
collaborative process. Lighting had to be more general in this case and neither
I or my assistant gave marks to the actors. In fact my assistant almost never
gives marks to an actor. He may put a few marks down to give himself an idea of
lens position and it’s distance to some points in the space but he will often
say to an actor that they are not for them and nothing for them to bother
about.”
20.
Collaboration and Trust Between the DP and AC is Key
“My equipment list actually changes
very little from film to film. Of course equipment has advanced and that has
made for different choices but the basic idea of the package is the same.
[...]
I have worked
with Andy for some time now and I rely on him to test the package
before a shoot. We work together on concocting any special items such as the
‘helmet cam’ for shooting the game in ‘The Ladykillers’ and we usually spend a
day shooting tests even if the film is quite straightforward.”
21.
Know What You’re Talking About
“I think you need to be very familiar
with grip equipment just as you need to be familiar with the range of lighting
units available; otherwise you might ask for something that is really
impractical or might not produce the right result. It is a Key Grip’s job to
come up with a technical solution to a task and also the most efficient way of
achieving it but it is the cinematographer’s responsibility to know if the
concept will work in the first place. I think this requires a general
understanding of the equipment to hand and it’s various usage.”
22.
Communicate with Your Key Crew Members
“More important than any notes is
to spend time with your gaffer and key grip so that you are all
in sync with the plans you have of the work ahead. I do remember telling my
gaffer once or twice ‘It’s on my diagram’ only to be told that he was going by
his memory of what I had said and not diagram I had given him.”
23.
Feeling Intimidated is Normal
“I generally feel intimidated! One
of my first films was with Richard Burton and I felt intimidated by his talent
(‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’!!!), at least I felt was until he gathered
the crew, thanked us all for one of the most pleasant days he had ever
experienced on a film, and then told us he had in fact felt totally intimidated
by our youth!”
24.
Plan Ahead with Your Crew
“After having done a tech scout
with the crew I will always draw (sometimes I do them on a computer but not
often) plans of each set regardless of how complex the scene or the lighting
might be. Each diagram will contain information on lighting positions, lamp
types, practical sources, diffusion to be used, camera platforms and crane
requirements that was discussed on the scout as well as other things that I
have considered since.
Often I will return to particularly difficult locations and
scout them with my Gaffer and Key Grip only. Before production I
will sit down with my Gaffer and Key Grip to go through all the
details of the plans so that we all have a clear of what is involved and so
they can communicate these needs to the rigging crew.
Something else that is extremely important is to go through the
schedule in detail with your crew. Any pre-rig requirements have to be
discussed with the AD and sometimes the schedule needs to be adapted to
facilitate the work required.
I couldn’t say that I have any tricks other than that I try to
work with the same crew as much as I can. It makes such a difference when you
know the people around you and they know the way you like things done.
[...]
I find that once a shoot starts I am far too busy on other
things. Naturally, we refresh ourselves on what is coming up in the next day or
so as we go but I think it is important to take the time during prep to look at
the overall schedule. It is good to know where you might need extra effort.”
25.
It’s Your Job to Find a Way to Work with Others
“As I have said before every
director is different and may require something different from a
cinematographer. The onus is on the cinematographer to find out how best to
work for and with a director and with other members of the crew, for that
matter.”
