Reflections 21 cinematographers at work pdf

Related titles. Carousel Previous Carousel Next. Jump to Page. Search inside document. Related Interests Cinema Leisure. Anna Demianenko. Salazar Sliterin. Nilson Alvarenga. Denis Bolborea. Ciara Nicole Gettridge. Owen Hughes. Riddhi Jain. Joann Budrys. Sai Teja. Heverton Lima. Eileen White. Vien Dimaculangan. Wagner Quezada Iparraguirre. He's the only person to win back-to-back Oscars for cinematography three years in a row. His further five nominations in the Best Cinematography category leave no doubt that his artistry is appreciated by the best cinematographers and audiences alike.

But, all four have the hallmarks of visionary storytelling. His work on Interstellar and Dunkirk has made him an in-demand cinematographer in relatively short time. He practices subtlety. Van Hoytema is a director of photography who loves shooting on film, and it shows. Every shot is precise.

The most un-Hollywood of any Hollywood player, Australian-born cinematographer Christopher Doyle brings Eastern flair to his filmmaking. One of his biggest hits, Hero , with director Zhang Yimou and starring Jet Li, is a tremendous achievement.

But it is that proves his ambition equals his knowledge. Doyle uses both long and wide angle lenses. He combines these with a shallow depth of field , odd angles, and shocking color palettes.

I really think we've moved beyond all that auteur theory. To get an appreciation for Christopher Doyle's cinematography style, take a look at the video below:. For more techniques on color, check out our free masterclass on the psychology of color in film.

The pairing of director Darren Aronofsky and his go-to cinematographer, Matthew Libatique , is a match made in cinematic heaven. The auspicious debut of Pi announced the arrival of two brash filmmakers. He is loathe to use visuals where the lighting is overly manicured or artificial. He also loves to use handheld camera and 16mm film.

I think of the DI as a colour timing session and not a fix-it session. The work of Australian-born director of photography Dion Beebe speaks for itself. Versatility is his trademark: whether dystopian future , science-fiction, or Japanese period romance, Beebe crafts pictures with distinction and novelty.

The textures and layers he creates with the camera make him a master filmmaker and one of the best cinematographers working today. Cinematographer Bradford Young is the first African American to be nominated for an Oscar for cinematography for Arrival , where he filled in for an overbooked Roger Deakins. Young is prone to underexpose his shots even when there is talent with darker skin.

He prefers shooting with available light, but he also uses bounce light, usually soft, rather than direct lighting for faces. Learn more about Bradford Young's cinematography techniques and personal approach to the craft of cinematography below:. Rachel Morrison was the first female to be nominated for an Academy Award for cinematography, for her work on Mudbound. She followed that up with another huge success on Black Panther. The accolades and successes have been hard-earned, as Morrison also has the distinction of being director of photography for seven films in six years that were screened in competition at the Sundance Film Festival.

The promise of her work on the films Fruitvale Station , Some Girls, Cake and Dope was fully realized and has since followed through on that promise. The naturalism of the camerawork mixed with the fantastical elements of Beasts of the Southern Wild turned a small indie project into something that got everyone's attention. That film became a calling card for a very promising career that is unfolding in the medium of television and film.

Another Australian-born cinematographer who has broken into the ranks of great cinematographers is Mandy Walker. The live action update of the Disney classic Mulan is her largest project to date. Here's Walker herself talking at length about the production and how she treated the storytelling from a cinematography standpoint. That was just the beginning of Chung's international acclaim, and he shows no signs of slowing.

Danish Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen has amassed an impressive body of work in the last few years. Charlotte shares with us exactly how she built tension and fear with the camera in A Quiet Place :.

Polish-born Janusz Kaminski has a preternatural talent for visualizing historical moments and key events. Watch more on his style below along with his thoughts on the work and how he approaches each project as a blank slate:. Hailing from a small town in the south of France, cinematographer Maryse Alberti is a versatile, collaborative DP known for technical expertise and artistic adaptability.

She splits her time between documentary and fiction films, giving each her signature naturalistic look and feel. Even we just look at her feature work, Alberti's range is quite impressive — from the lo-fi grit of The Wrestler and The Visit to the poignant and dreaming qualities of Collateral Beauty and Chappaquiddick.

Here's the long take match from Creed and a masterclass in Steadicam work, blocking and staging , and how pacing is controlled in a fight scene. Color is one of Storaro's strong points and here he explains the language of color in filmmaking.

His deep education in art lends his visuals a timeless, vibrant quality. Storaro is one of the great cinematographers who takes his art very seriously, almost philosophically. It was his original idea that lead to one of today's up-and-coming formats — the aspect ratio.

Wally Pfister prefers to shoot on film, rather than digital, although his skills translate to any method of capturing a story. For an even deeper dive on Wally's cinematography style and his working relationship with Christopher Nolan, take a look at the following video:. He emphasizes that story leads style, and lighting adjustments, filters, and technical considerations always work best when they serve story and emotion.

Cinematographer Darius Khondji emphasizes listening to your collaborators and tailoring a technical artistic approach to every project. However, you will need to refer back to it often until the theory and tools have sunk in. The only complaint I have about this book is that half the images are small and pixelated.

But that can be forgiven. Securing licensing and paying for copyrighted stills is not easy. Painting With Light, by John Alton. This is supposedly the first book by a cinematographer on cinematography. Sound familiar? I thought so. You have to start with small tools, cheap tools, and a lot of DIY tools. Get with the program. Storaro: Writing with Light, by Vittorio Storaro. This book is about the one thing most cinematography books lack — the tool that is often forgotten — yourself.

What are your thoughts, and how do you see and feel light? What should all this mean to you, and how are you going to translate that into your work? Where is your personal voice some call it style going to come from? Many people misunderstand the purpose of this book. If you do buy it, remember that it is his way, not your way. He is just showing you how to think. Regardless of your budget you will want your film to look as good as possible. This is a great book for all indie filmmakers, especially those with a keen cinematography eye.

This book crosses over a into directing and screenwriting. The last of our cinematography books goes into how masters of those arts, like Tarantino, use cinematography to help to tell their stories. Jennifer Van Sijll writes about how to use cinematography to pump up action, create memorable characters and energise your film.