Cinematography for Directors. Jacqueline Frost
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production designer are trying to do. On the set I try to attune myself to what the director is feeling. You have to learn to read the director’s body language, because sometimes it’s difficult to express with words what he wants from the lighting or framing or camera movement. You also have to be a little bit of a psychologist to know how and when to sell your ideas to the director.
(Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, Moviemaker, July 2005, 74)
■ Every film is different, set in a different geographical location—a different period of time, and each film should be approached with a collaborative effort with the director to create the look that he/she has in their mind’s eye. There are a million little things that you can observe from what the director and production designer have been talking about, what they have found, and where they feel that the scene should be set. You can clearly see what the director is trying to get to and I think it’s imperative that the cameraman does that, because if you blaze into something and you’ve got your own ideas and you’re fairly adamant about those ideas, then you’re not serving the needs of the director. The cinematographer has to jump on the director’s bandwagon—the director doesn’t jump on ours.
(John Seale, ASC, Frost interview) 9. John Seale (courtesy of Brook Rushton)
9. John Seale (courtesy of Brook Rushton)
SELECTING A CINEMATOGRAPHER
Many directors choose a cinematographer in the same way that they would cast an actor. A director will often screen a reel or several films shot by a prospective cinematographer to see if the visual style meshes with their personal vision. In considering new or up-and-coming cinematographers, directors, and producers will screen reels looking for a visual style or unity in the work as well as camera movement and composition. A good cinematographer can light any situation, but some DP’s get known for a particular style. For example, Daniel Pearl has become known for his work on horror films because of his success with Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Gordon Willis, after shooting The Godfather (Parts 1 and 2), with its use of top light and warm sepia hues, became known as “the prince of darkness” because of his skill working with low-light images.
I spoke with veteran director Donald Petrie, DGA, in December 2006 in Santa Monica. He is known for directing romantic comedies such as How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Miss Congeniality, Mystic Pizza, Grumpy Old Men, Welcome to Mooseport, Just My Luck, numerous television programs, and his most recent film, My Life in Ruins.
How involved are you in the selection of the cinematographer?
■ Completely involved. It’s really my choice. I don’t think I’ve ever been told I have to use a certain cinematographer; it’s part of the director’s job to choose the cinematographer. There was one time when I took over a movie (Miss Congeniality) that was already in preproduction. The studio told me, “We’ve hired László Kovács; is that okay?” (Laughs.) Sure, that’s okay! That’s one where, although I hadn’t chosen the cinematographer myself, we’d met over the years and always wanted to work together.
What characteristics do you look for when selecting a cinematographer?
■ I look for a lot of the same things that I look for in anyone working on a movie, be it an actor, electrician, costume designer: I want someone who is going to bring something to the party, someone who will have creative input and ideas. I will always come to the set prepared with what I want, and I’m just waiting for someone to show me a better way.
What about in terms of personality?
■ Vibe is a lot; you’re going to be working very closely with this person a third of a year and you rely on that person very heavily. Call other directors and ask how this person likes to work. I want someone as passionate about the script as I am. You have to judge the person and what they are going to bring to the project.
Besides the other qualities a director looks for when selecting a cinematographer, intuitive factors also come into play. Because the director and cinematographer will be working together for the next three months, six days a week, twelve to fifteen hours a day under highly stressful conditions, it is important for personalities to be congenial. The cinematographer is the person the director leans on during production, the one the director will turn to or confide in if she or he strays off track. The cinematographer is there to help put the director back on course.
After viewing a cinematographer’s reel, the director will send the cinematographer the script, so they can see if the material inspires them or if they feel they can add to it with their photography. Once the cinematographer has read the script, the director and prospective cinematographer will have the important face-to-face meeting to see if their personalities are compatible and if they share the same vision for the project. The cinematographer will generally listen to what the director is looking for before they start commenting on the script. This is usually not a technical conversation but focused on the thematic concepts in broad strokes. Understanding the underlying theme of the film can lead to a visual interpretation.
■ I’m very attracted to a first-time director that by definition is the author of the script and has a clear vision into the material because they have created it. For me that’s the most compelling thing. I don’t necessarily expect anything more of a first-time director than an understanding of the screenplay, the characters, the development, the intertwining of the relationships, the evolution of the relationships, and finally how it resolves itself. That’s everything and it’s a lot. If I’m meeting with a director who has written a screenplay and doesn’t really know what it’s about, which seems impossible but isn’t, or can’t articulate it, then it’s a much easier pass for me.
(John Bailey, ASC, Frost interview)
As a director selecting a cinematographer, it is important to talk to them about what you want and what you envision and then ask questions, such as how your visuals can be accomplished cinematographically. If the cinematographer understands and likes the script, they will have thought about how they can enhance the script with visual images.
■ Oftentimes I’ve gone to a DP with visuals, pictures from magazines, but more often than not DP’s have come to me with kind of a book they have put together from pictures ripped from magazines of how they think the film should look. It helps a lot — then I can say, hate it, love it, etc.
(Donald Petrie, director, Frost interview, December 2006)
10. Donald Petrie, photo courtesy Donald Petrie
Everyone who gets a copy of the script looks for specific things. Actors mark a script for performance and how much dialogue they have; directors mark the script for shots and blocking. The cinematographer will be looking for how many night shots there are, how much movement is in the film, whether it is a location or studio shoot, how many special effects are needed, and how they emotionally respond to the material. The cinematographer will have visual ideas regarding composition, too, but with the understanding that the director may already have storyboarded the entire film with compositional ideas.
■ If I like the story and my imagination is piqued by it then great, I know that I can do something interesting photographically. Of course, I also have to meet the director, and it’s important that we have a good rapport because films are pretty high-octane places and tempers can rise. So I think if you meet a director that you know you can go through the fire with, survive, and still be friends at the end of it that’s the right person to work with.
(Seamus McGarvey, Frost interview)
There are some cinematographers who like to operate their own cameras, because they feel more connected to the actors and to the action. That also eliminates one step of communication, so that the director is talking to both the cinematographer and operator at the same time. Others feel it is better to allow an operator to focus on the action while the cinematographer focuses on the light. Be prepared for both schools