Cinematography for Directors. Jacqueline Frost

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      10. Rodrigo Prieto and Ang Lee on the set of Lust, Caution. (Photo courtesy of Rodrigo Prieto)

      ■ Ang Lee is very technically savvy. For him the subtlety between a 32 mm and a 28 mm is a big deal, or one filter versus another. He’s very aware of subtle differences. If I show him the difference between one film stock and another, he will see the differences; other directors may not, so sometimes you have to present them with the differences that are bigger. Such is the case with Oliver Stone he is not about subtlety. When you propose something, it has to be bold and he has to see it. When I worked with Julie Taymor, she had a certain language of film, but she wasn’t extremely technically savvy. I think that helped, because she would come up with ideas that were not constrained by traditional limitations. Then I had to figure out technically how to achieve her idea. I tried not to limit her by saying something would be really difficult, so in that case it was to our advantage that she wasn’t aware of limitations.

      (Rodrigo Prieto, ASC interview, July 26, 2007)

      ■ I have worked with technically savvy directors. The more they know about cinematography the better off you are. I shot a film for Ernest Dickerson, who is now a director, and I was worried about it because I thought, “Wow, I’m shooting for an ex-cinematographer; that’s going to be tough.” What I found instead is that he made me more daring in the things I did because he understood all the technical aspects of it. If I was having a problem with depth of field, he would either re-stage it or he’d extenuate it. When working with someone who understands the medium to that extent it’s fantastic.

      (Matthew Libatique, ASC, Frost interview)

      The first thing a director needs to consider is the blocking of the actors and the composition of the frame. Understanding how the basics of cinematography tell the story by highlighting thematic elements of the script is essential to effective filmmaking. That directly correlates to understanding focal length and the difference between lenses, such as primes versus zooms. It is also important to understand the attributes of depth of field and how that translates to the screen.

      ■ I enjoy the technical side of filmmaking, but I’m only able to enjoy it because I have true technicians with me. I actually learned a lot of what I know by reading American Cinematographer magazine. Some of the articles could get a bit technical, but that just made me want to learn more. I’m still a bit of a Luddite, though, and I probably think I know a bit more than I do.

      (Paul Thomas Anderson, director, American Cinematographer, January 2008, 39)

      A director also has to know whether the image is moving or static and what is being communicated to the audience by that movement or lack of movement. Understanding the types of moves and the equipment to accomplish those moves is also quite important. The difference between the movement of the Steadicam and the movement of a handheld camera or dolly conveys very different visual information and emotional effect.

      A director should consider what the visual palette of the film is: what they are saying to the audience about the characters and their environment through the use of color. It is also helpful to understand the basic look of the light and how it, too, underscores the theme of the film’s story. Some lighting decisions may be largely determined by the genre of the film (such as comedies tending to be bright and free of shadows). See more on genre in Chapter 6. But many other options are possible: soft quality light, harsh light, a bright soft image, or a shadow-filled light etched with grain. We will take up each of these qualities individually and in detail in later chapters.

      A director also has to know whether the image is moving or static and what is being communicated to the audience by that movement or lack of movement. Understanding the types of moves and the equipment to accomplish those moves is also quite important. The difference between the movement of the Steadicam and the movement of a handheld camera or dolly conveys very different visual information and emotional effect.

      Fundamentals of cinematography that a director should know:

      Focal length and lenses: Learn how to work with a director’s viewfinder or at least learn to use the camera as your viewfinder to check compositions and lighting. You don’t have to call the numbers of lenses, but know basically what type of shot you want — long shot, medium shot, or close-up (LS, MS, CU) — and where you want it.

      Blocking shots and the equipment necessary to move the camera: Is it a dolly move, a Steadicam move, a handheld move, a crane move, or a tracking move? Understand the aesthetic differences between them.

      Visual palette: In what color or colors do you see your film? Is it warm or cool, amber or blue? Understand why you are selecting a specific visual palette. What do the hues and gradients say about the film or the characters?

      The basics of lighting: whether to choose high- or low-key lighting, soft or hard lighting. Is the film dark and moody, or bright and cheerful?

      Film history: A director should also know movies, past and present. Knowledge of film history, genres, and styles, and the work of other directors is essential.

      Knowing these basic matters will make communication with the cinematographer more effective and also help the cinematographer do his or her job better. If they know what the director wants, they can make suggestions based on their technical knowledge and experience. Just as directors may profit from knowing some film technique, DP’s need to know something about directing, such as where to put the camera and what the director is trying to say with a particular shot. It is also helpful if the cinematographer knows something about the actors’ profession, so that the technical aspects of the DP’s craft enhances the film’s performances.

      THE CINEMATOGRAPHER

      ■ We are not directing … we are writing with light and motion to tell a story. That distinction is very important.

      (Vittorio Storaro, ASC, American Cinematographer, June 1998)

      A cinematographer is not the director of the material but the rather the visual interpreter. Through images, light, and movement, the thematic elements of the story are amplified. Behind the lens the cinematographer observes the actor’s performance, but does not provide feedback to an actor, that is the job of the director exclusively: to elicit, nurture, and guide the performance. The cinematographer is there to be reassuring that it was all captured for the screen.

      Cinematographers have not yet become familiar household names, but there are many in the ASC that are considered “masters” in their craft and all are members of the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers): Vittorio Storaro, John Seale, Roger Deakins, John Toll, Michael Chapman, Janusz Kaminski, John Bailey, Stephen Burum, Owen Roizman, Robert Richardson, Tak Fujimoto, Rodrigo Prieto, Ellen Kuras, Michael Ballhaus, Matthew Libatique, Seamus McGarvey, Dante Spinotti, Emmanuel Lubezki, Nancy Schreiber, and many others.

      Emerging cinematographers may have been inspired by the work of a particular cinematographer. Therefore, it is helpful to know the styles of some of the master cinematographers who may have inspired or influenced the cinematographer you are working with.

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