Cinematography for Directors. Jacqueline Frost
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be behind the camera and not with the director watching the monitor for shadows. The Union, I.A.T.S.E. Local 600, does stipulate between the two positions quite clearly: the director of photography is the first in command of the camera and lighting crew; the operator is the second.
■ I love to operate the camera.… When you are close with the director, you know what they want photographically, but also the emotion of the camera, how it shoots the actors.
(John Seale, ASC, Frost interview, October 2007)
■ I think the main reason I operate when I can, although I don’t always, is to see the performance. I do get involved when I am looking through the camera and the actors are feeling these emotions. I will get emotional, too; several times I have cried on camera. You get the front seat of the best performances of the best actors in the world and you are right there, best seat in the house — it is really amazing.
(Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, Frost interview, July 2007)
■ I love handheld, I’m good at it. I love having the earpiece in and hearing the dialogue and following the action, just going with the flow because you feel connected with the scene that way. I get a real buzz out of that and so I miss it when someone else is operating.
(Seamus McGarvey, Frost interview)
■ The DP (director of photography) watches the light and the actor, the operator watches four corners of the frame, and not operating allows you to focus on the light and the actors’ faces.
(Owen Roizman, ASC, Frost notes, ASC workshop, ASC clubhouse, Hollywood, California, 2006)
■ For me, two things about a cameraman are fundamental. The first is that he shall be technically absolutely perfect, and at the same time first-class on lighting. The second (is) that he must be first-class at operating his own camera. I don’t want any camera operators on my films. The cameraman and I come to an agreement about what is to be included in the image. We also go through everything to do with lighting and atmosphere in advance. And then the cameraman does everything in the way we’ve agreed on.
(Ingmar Bergman, Bergman on Bergman [New York: Simon and Schuster, 1973], 35)
When operating the camera, a cinematographer often becomes connected to the talent through the lens and can begin to anticipate their movements in a scene. It is important for the cinematographer to be in tune with the actor’s performance without letting equipment or technology get in the way. When watching the scene, the director is looking for what they want from an actor, generally the emotional beats and the blocking. The cinematographer is seeing through the lens what the actor is giving the director, and that can be very helpful in making the final decision as to whether or not they “got it.” Most cinematographers will agree that they see their role as “the gatekeeper of the image.”
Some directors know more about the technical aspects of cinematography than others, so they may be more vocal about specifics regarding the cinematography of the film, such as suggestions for lenses or lighting. The few directors who also choose to shoot their own films are working with talented gaffers and camera crew. A director cannot take the time to focus on the lighting and camera movement as well as work with their actors, because these two tasks are usually happening at the same time. A director should be focused on their job, directing. Even experienced cinematographers who cross over into directing, will hand the job of cinematography to someone else.
■ Cinematographers should possess three major qualities: 1. They should be artists, 2. They should be craftspeople, and 3. They should be generals, because when it is time to roll the cameras, it is their responsibility, working with the director, to oversee and coordinate a virtual army of artists, craftspeople, and technicians, and effectively command the technical side of photographing a motion picture.
(The Director of Photography: Definitions, Duties, and Divisions of Work as stated in the Hollywood Basic Agreement, I.A.T.S.E.)
■ As a cinematographer, the greatest challenges and opportunities for me have nothing to do with what people think a cinematographer does: the lighting, the movement of the camera, the composition. It’s really about how to define and interpret that dialogue with the director so that it is both collaboration and a realization of the director’s vision. That’s always a very tricky thing, because as a result of the French New Wave, which obviously my generation was greatly influenced by, we developed this myth that the director by definition has a vision.
(John Bailey, Frost interview)
11. John Bailey, ASC (photo courtesy of John Bailey)
What is the worst kind of director to work with?
■ The runaway egomaniac, the guy who doesn’t know how to collaborate. I’ve worked with guys that were more concerned that we’d be finished by 4 o’clock so they could get in nine holes before it gets dark. “You’re making a movie, you are privileged, brother, and that’s what you’re worried about?” There’s a whole strain of directors who are more worried about the fact that directing a movie will get them a good seat in a hot restaurant or get a date with a model. I tell them, “Fellas, if you shut up, and for the next however many weeks pay attention and do a good job here, they will back up dump trucks full of that shit to your front door, more than you can handle. So put it out of your mind while you are working and try to make a good movie.”
(Richard Crudo, ASC, Frost interview, July 2007)
■ I think the conflict occurs between a director and cinematographer when they don’t agree, and I always ask why. Because I think the cinematographer is really the servant of the director, not in a master-servant way, but in a collaborative way, so that the director can go up to you and say, “So what do you think?” and you bandy it about and end up with a nice balance between the fact that the director is the boss and the cameraman is subservient to that, but there is a nice professional relationship. I would bring in the production designer as well, because there are actually the three of you involved, the director, the cinematographer, and the production designer. The power changes as you move toward production. The production designer starts out as the #1 right-hand man, then the cinematographer comes in and starts shooting the film, and he becomes the #1 right-hand man. The production designer drifts back a bit until the film is finished, and the cinematographer joins the production designer and the editor when the pickups are being done. So the director has all the sergeant majors to help him make the film that he wants to make. I don’t think that the cinematographer should be any more powerful in his demands or in his contributions than the production designer, or the editor, or the soundperson, wardrobe designer, etc. We are all little cogs flying around this great big center, the director, who is boss. We are all spinning around trying to make that one film.
(John Seale, ASC, Frost interview, October 2007)
DIRECTOR’S CHECKLIST FOR SELECTING A CINEMATOGRAPHER
1. View their reel so you know what kind of films they have photographed so you can discuss the style of their work.
2. Send the prospective cinematographer the final shooting script.
3. Have a face-to-face meeting to discuss the script and see if you share the same vision for the film. Also take note of how your personalities interact. Do you feel comfortable with this person as your support system on the movie?
4. Talk to a director who has worked with the cinematographer before, to see how fast they work. Would that director work with the cinematographer again?
5. Screen past work, full-length films that either may be similar to what you are planning or applicable to the style of the film you are proposing. You could also screen the cinematographer’s past work with them present to talk about what you would like them to bring to your film, why you have selected them.
6. Discuss with the cinematographer if they like to operate their own cameras and whether they have a crew they usually work with, such as a gaffer, operator, and assistant camera.
7.