CASE STUDY - CINEMATOGRAPHY
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
1.1 Critically describe a range of contextual perspectives influencing a chosen discipline in creative media production
To begin this research project I am going to discuss the basics and foundations that make up Cinematography as an art form and the laborious techniques that form this craft.
Firstly, chief Cinematographers, also known as Directors of Photography (DP) are the second most important person on a film set, the first being the Director. A Cinematographer controls the lighting, framing, spacing and movement of each camera shot, this allows them to manipulate the audiences perspective of the story. The DP are also responsible for the whole camera crew and have to instruct the grip and electric departments who are in charge of the lighting, power and support gear. The DP choses the camera they use in production e.g this includes deciding whether to shoot on film or digital, the types of lenses, the types of camera settings and choosing certain support gear.
Cinematographers also have to chose what equipment they need for camera movement, e.g tripod, dolly, steadicam etc.
Camera settings are hugely important to Cinematographers as they must know the following:
- Frame rate to know the frequency for which the film is displayed and recorded at. 24 frames per second (FPS) is the industry standard, which means one second of film consists of 24 single images.
- Dynamic range to know the ability at which the camera will capture both lights and darks at once, e.g there are at least 12 stops of dynamic range used on cameras for major motion productions.
- ISO settings, whether the cinematographer shoots on film or digital they must adjust the ISO settings, this is important to do as the lower the ISO setting is the better the 'quality', and the higher the ISO setting is the more grain and noise appears on the camera.
The DP also works very closely with the lighting department to decide on lighting equipment such as Tungsten bulbs, HMI, Fluorescent and LED:
Lighting types
- Tungsten bulbs require lots of power and heat up quickly, it also creates an orange hue at around 3200k
- HMI (Hydrargyrum Medium-Arc Iodide) lights are 4x more powerful than incandescent bulbs, they amid an ultraviolet light with a blue hue
- Fluorescent lights are very soft and offer multiple colour temperatures
- LED (Light Emitting Diodes) are manufactured in every colour, the diodes offer directional light but their output is weak
Three point lighting
Three point lighting is a standard production lighting setup, it uses three different lights:
- Primary light source is the 'key light' this light shines directly onto subjects from left to right and captures the 'feel' of the shot
- Second light is the 'fill light' which fills in the subject with a softer light, the fill light is always positioned on the opposite side of the key light
- Third is the 'back light' which is used at the back of the subject, it should 'create a rim of light around the background of the subject''
Source usefulness - Overall, I found this source to be very useful as it covered the whole scope that makes up the foundations of cinematography. e.g camera settings, lighting types. I also found that this source helped clearly convey to me the general rules and responsibilities of a cinematographer, without over complicating the technicality and instead made it accessible for a beginner to understand, such as myself.
Brief history of Cinematography
The beginning of Cinematography began in the late 1880s, and during this time they created an illusion of motion by combining photos together. A quote from the resource, 'The earliest surviving motion picture is the “Roundhay Garden Scene,” which was created in 1888 and is just 2.11 seconds long.'
The invention of cinematography tends to be credited to the Lumiére brothers who first used a camera and projector to create the first motion picture apparatus. Their invention was publicised in 1895. During the early 20th century film evolved and narratives were very abstract and experimental in their style. It wasn't until 1929 until sound became part of film too.
Three great early filmmakers who were innovators of their time were, Edwin S. Porter (The Great Train Robbery) and Alice Guy Balché (The Cabbage Fairy). Blaché was actually the first female filmmaker in the world during this time.
The introduction of close ups, fade outs, soft focus and backlighting were firstly introduced by the director D.W Griffith and the cinematographer Billy Bitzer. These two artists collaborated together on 500 films between 1908 - 1924. Their work evidences the first use of camera techniques still seen today, setting the foundation for future filmmakers, particularly cinematographers.
The studio era of cinematography began shortly after sound was introduced in film. The directors had to ensure in their films that they captured the style of the studio. During this time there were five main film studios, Paramount, Warner Bros., RKO, MGM and 20th Century Fox, each had their own significant style.
In 1941, the classic film 'Citizen Kane' was released and it revolutionised cinema, introducing it into the modern era. The director of photography on Citizen Kane, Gregg Toland evolved the visuals craft by experimenting first with lighting, deep-focus and lenses.
Introducing the modern era, filmmaking was changed forever, the 1950s and 60s showed how film was independent from television and introduced coloured film and new widespread formats such as Cinemascope and Cinerama. Cinematography developed and pushed boundaries as unions at this time were less strict and allowed young directors of photography to expand their wings and create films in their own style, capturing their own vision, not just following old convections.
Cinematography has many evolved due to the development and progression within technology. A prime example of how technology within film has developed is the use of colour. Early films were shot in black and white and even once coloured film was first feasible, they usually shot in monochrome then in post production would add colour, this was due to expenses of filming in colour.
Natural colour processors were introduced in the early 1900s, e.g Kinema colour, Technicolour, Kodachrome and Eastman colour all of which allowed filmmakers to shoot in colour, therefore changing the technologies of film forever.
Lastly, once digital film was fully utilised by cinematographers in the early 2000s, it evolved filmmaking forever and by 2010 it was the main medium for filmmaking.
I have chosen to research both Roger Deakins and Emmanuel Lubezki because I find their cinematography to be phenomenal and very emotive. I also have a huge passion for cinematography and am interested in pursuing it as a career in the future. However, I am still exploring the various roles in filmmaking.
Source usefulness - Overall I found this source quite useful, it covered a vast amount of information concisely and stated clearly the key shifts and developments within cinematography and filmmaking that have influenced the craft to becoming what it is today. I found the historical background of the unions was very interesting as I was unaware they even existed during the 1950s and 60s within film. This source also taught me more about natural colour processors and the development of how digital dominated the industry.
THEORETICAL CONTEXT
1.2 Apply knowledge of critical perspectives to inform own practice.
Roger Deakins
The Goldfinch - Cinematography
In this podcast Roger Deakins explained specific aspects of filming 'The Goldfinch' alongside the director John Crowley. Deakins stated that he shot the film on digital and explained how the advantage of shooting digital for this project "offered more evaluation of a scene and conversation in terms of collaboration."
Deakins recalled the pre-production process and remembered visiting the set of the Amsterdam apartment location, he stated that the particular apartment they had chosen for that location was ideal for the collection of scenes because the window framing of where the protagonist, (Theo Decker played by Ansel Elgort) would look out to was very reflective of the emotional relation to the character, as the window acted like bars to a prison cell and emphasised Theo's isolation mentally and physically to the outside world.
Deakins also stated how when he and Crowley were plotting the explosion scene at the museum, they wanted to ensure they focused on the protagonist perspective and Deakins thought of having the shots focus heavily on small details e.g close up of the mother's hand on her son's shoulder slowly letting go, the small glances between Theo and Pippa's first encounter etc. Deakins wanted to capture these small brief moments to emulate the feeling of childhood trauma and the realism of only remembering fragments of the event, rather than having the whole sequence of shots be distant and inclusive of all the action.
Source usefulness - Overall I found this source to be quite useful as it featured direct responses from Roger Deakins himself which clarified the factuality of the information. It also informed me of detailed production notes on the camerawork in the explosion scene that I thought was informative when learning about Deakins production process on set.
In this interview Deakins stated he used the digital camera called the Arri Alexa. He also stated that for the three different filming locations, Amsterdam, New York and Albuquerque (set as suburban Las Vegas) he wanted three different looks, for example, Deakins wanted Albuquerque to have hostile lighting, much like in the novel.
Deakins explained to the interviewer that when filming the explosion scene he, "chose to have certain shots be out of focus e.g the mother's hand, Pippa's hand letting go of her music case etc." This artistic choice was purposeful to the protagonist's perspective as this event would be returned to within the film but as fragmented memories. Having certain shots emulated that feeling of scattered memories and the haziness that comes with trauma.
Deakins also explained that the last scene of the film was shot before the explosion scene shown in the beginning, this was due to logistical issues as the team only had once chance to film the bomb exploding and had to film the scenes leading up to it before, this was so that they didn't mess up the structure of thew narrative too.
Lastly, Deakins also stated in the interview that he was allowed to dictate what time of day they were shooting.
Source usefulness - Overall I thought this source was very useful, this is because it featured Deakins explaining about the camera type he used on set and how his decisions on lighting we're dictated by the locations and their atmosphere within relation to the book etc. All of these informative points helped me uncover more about the cinematographic process that Deakins went through on The Goldfinch.
In this interview Deakins exclaimed that the different colour palettes of the film were distinguished by the major three locations and their contrasting looks e.g Amsterdam, New York and Albuquerque (set as suburban Las Vegas). He also stated that the his cinematography style for this film focused on simplicity as he tried hard to capture the protagonist's perspective in each shot.
Lastly, Deakins in this interview also spoke about his general experience when working with actors on films and how some preferred to converse about the characters and narrative, where as others enjoy to be more reserved and do their own thing, but he said that the most important thing was for the actors to be comfortable.
Source usefulness - Overall I found this source to be not very useful, it reiterated points and information that I had gathered previously using my other sources and drifted away from Deakins camera work on The Goldfinch and instead asked more about the pre-production process of his initial thoughts on collaborating with the director and reading the novel.
In this article Deakins went into depth about the technical side of the cinematography and stated that he framed The Goldfinch with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. He also said how he shot the film in open gate mode (chiefly at 800 ISO) with Zeiss Master Prime Lenses. "The camera and glass package were supplied by Camera Services in New York, in association with Otto Nementz in Los Angeles."
Deakins also explained that he liked the 'clarity' of the Zeiss Master Prime Lenses and to soften the image he would do so by changing the exposure or lighting. He also mentioned how he experimented with depth-of-field when filming the explosion scene, and exclaimed that it captured the director's want for an 'abstract feeling'.
Source usefulness - Overall I thought this source was very useful as it disclosed information about the technical aspects of Deakins camera e.g aspect ratio, lenses etc. I found this article to be the most useful source when researching Deakins work on The Goldfinch because it covered the most information about the technological part of his cinematography.
Blade Runner 2049 - Cinematography
In this article Deakins explained how him and the director, Denis Villeneuve would make sure in pre-production that each scene would be translated encountering the script and that they talked through the storyboarding process, working closely with the production designers, Dennis Gassner and Alessandre Querzola. Deakins also stated him and the director work well together as they have similar styles of working such as using one single camera etc.
In this interview Deakins mentioned that for the look of the antagonist's room, "I wanted his interiors to always be about waving light as though he had this sunlit interior" - which contrasts to the exterior grey bleak world. Deakins also mentioned how he drew influence from different architects to analyse how they used light to which he could apply those similar styles into the film's look.
Source usefulness - Overall I found this source to be not very useful, it only covered a small amount information on the technical aspects of the cinematography and did not go into depth about lighting bulbs for there film. However, it was useful to hear Deakins briefly discuss his lighting inspirations and has given me the idea to look at architects and see if I can find inspiration for my film.
In this article the author breaks down Roger Deakins cinematography style in Blade Runner 2049. The author started off by saying how,"Fog appears in many minimal shots, giving the idea of a big and forbidding world; characters breathe a cold and unhealthy air". I agree with the authors statement as I too felt Deakins captured that sense of toxicity and vastness with the use of fog.
The author also exclaimed that "minimal and panoramic landscapes were filmed with wide angle lens" and "white is used in minimal frames, to evoke the idea of solitude, silence and death". I found both this points useful as they exposed both the technical and emotive side of Deakins cinematography in this film.
Lastly, the author explained that,"Roger Deakins used a circular apparatus with 286 moving lights mounted in two concentric rings" - this created a silhouette of water against the antagonist's interior room. I found this fact very informative as I was curious to know how Deakins created this effect technically and how many lights he used to capture the silhouette.
Source usefulness - Overall I found this article quite useful, it raised points and statements that I agreed with and showed me new perspectives on certain scenes. The article also taught me more about Deakins technical aspects when filming such as the wide lens for certain shots and the creation of the silhouette which I found to be very informative.
In this article Roger Deakins was interviewed about his experience filming Blade Runner 2049. Deakins began to describe his inspirations for the visuals, stating that "I watched Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris a couple times" and that he also did,"general searches on the internet relating to stern, modern, brutalist, concrete architecture, looking at how they use natural light as part of their deigns".
Deakins told the interviewer that they had searched for studio spaces in the UK but had no luck and he stated, and I quote,"broaden our recess to Slovakia and Hungary, where we found a number of fascinating locations - including an old soviet power station."
In the interview, Deakins mentioned that when deciding which camera he wanted to use on Blade Runner 2049, he had tested both the Arri Alexa and Arri Alexa 65, however he decided on the Alex XT because it had, "certain texture and activity in the image", which Deakins liked the most. He also told the interviewer that he shot on spherical and 2:40:1 because it works on IMAX. Deakins said it works because,"extra space top and bottom negates the need to crop the frame".
For filming Deakins explained that he used Zeiss Master Prime lens (the same as on The Goldfinch) because, and I quote,"Mater Primes are the fastest, sharpest lenses I could get my hands on".
He also said when filming the characters he shot on 32mm. On the pre-production process, Deakins also explained he had to "make extensive tests on the camera and lenses" and spent "a lot of time working on special lighting pre viz, so we knew how the lighting had to be rigged".
In terms of lighting the film, Deakins said he use one LUTs and to create the illusion of overhead flying vehicles he used Colour Blast LED lights/Bad boy spotlights. He also said that "one set is lit by 40x30 LED Screen". Also, Deakins mentioned how on Blade Runner 2049 it was his first time using Light Design Kft.
Deakins also spoke about how in production he had the camera on Aerocrane and explained that,"this is a sectional jib arm that can extend to around 14ft and I use it in conjunction with Power Pod remote head". When asked about the challenges Deakins faced, he explained the laborious set up of the storm scene and said they used,"50ft cranes with remote hyrdo heads, plus an Aquacam MK5 housing for the Alexa XT, plus two Nauticam housing for the Alexa Minis, so each could move with the waves and submerge when necessary. Also Deakins said the film took a total of 91 days to shoot.
Lastly, Deakins was asked about the post-production process and said that he worked with his regular DI (digital intermediate) grader, Mitch Paulson and then he oversaw the 3D and HDR versions of the film.
Source usefulness - Overall I found this source to be incredibly useful, it disclosed lots of varied information about lens, camera types, lighting and filming very technical scenes for the film etc. which were all very informative and useful on educating me about Deakins process. The source was also directly from Deakins making it a strong source to learn from and factual.
Overall Scope into Deakins Cinematography
In this interview, Deakins stated that he "loves the intimacy" when operating the camera, instead of dictating and observing. Deakins he mentioned that this is because he initially working as a DP on documentaries where he would have always operated the camera.
In this interview Deakins stated, and I quote, "I'm not comfortable working with lots of camera" and he detailed that he prefers and "likes the single camera approach.
Source usefulness - Overall I found this interview to be quite useful as it gave me an insight as to how Deakins works and his preferences on technical decisions when using the camera on a film set.
In this video, Roger Deakins narrates his techniques on lighting a scene. In this video he discusses how, and I quote,"To be able to understand light you have to understand how it makes you feel". This point is reiterated throughout the video and Deakins explains how he grasped this theory after reflecting upon his own childhood memories of fishing and how he would always appreciate and observe the way in which the natural light captured a tone e.g ominous, calm etc. This theory helped shape his understanding towards his technical craft of capturing a feeling using light.
Deakins mentioned in the video that analysing and seeing the individual and personality in paintings and still photography helped him interpret distinct ways of signifying the emotiveness in lighting and the highlighting of certain objects and people within a frame.
In the video Deakins also mentioned stated, and I quote,"the key to exposure is range". He emphasised that you have to be confident in your decision of where you place your exposure and that you should never 'be a slave' to exposure but instead learn the craft of knowing the outcome of where you place it.
Lastly, Deakins recommended that you should buy bulbs and lamps from hardware stores to experiment with the different lighting and exposures they may give off against people, objects and subjects.
Source usefulness - Overall, I found this source to be very useful as it gave me a close insight as to what ways I can advance my own personal skills in learning how to light a scene. It also taught me a lot about Deakins lighting process and the different ways in which he finds inspiration from other visual artists and their use of creating tone and emotion with light.
This academic essay describes an overview of Deakins cinematographic work, techniques and philosophy towards his craft. The essay begins by stating a handful of directors Deakins has collaborated with and simply explains that, "All these directors have different styles, yet Roger Deakins has managed to fulfil their visions. In the end, it comes down to what he does best: keeping it simple". This quote perfectly summarises Deakins work, as throughout my research I have grown to know that Deakins prefer simplicity and emotional connection over fancy camera tricks and effects.
The essay quotes from many sources, one of them discusses Deakins approach to style stating that,"Roger Deakins does not own a style, rather he alters his style to suit the project that he's on"(The Filmmakers View, 2017). Another quote in the essay which discloses Deakins overall cinematographic technique states,"Deakins bases his framing and composition on instinct, then adds on touches of lighting, mise-en-scène, and movement for artistic purposes. The essay then goes into depth describes those thee topics (lighting, mise-en-scène and camera movement).
Mise-en-scène
The author describes how Deakins creates mise-en-scène in the film 'The Reader' by stating,"Deakins depicts many of the early scenes with intimacy as audiences witness the growing love between the two characters" continuing to say "By employing a wider lens and staying closer to the subjects, the claustrophobic environment feels more intimate, as if they are sharing each others personal space. However, later in the film the framing strays away in distance and surface divisions start to appear."
The author also discusses another film example, being Blade Runner 2049 and how Deakins again uses objects to highlight characters disconnection. The author describes a particular scene in Blade Runner 2049 and states,"the steel railing and beams separating Officer K (protagonist) from a giant purple advertisement, reiterate his disconnection from the technological dystopian society he lives in". I believe the two film examples in this essay are very clear and observant examples of how Deakins creates mise-en-scène, and tie back to the films narratives nicely.
The author summarises this reflection of his technique by stating,"Deakins applies similar techniques of cinematography that enhances both narratives, proving his philosophy that visuals must aid the story, not overarch it."
The author again provides more examples, one of which is the film called Kundun (1997) which Deakins collaborated on with Martin Scorsese. The author describes Deakins mise-en-scène approach for this film by stating,"Deakins opted for rounder mise-en-scène. Viewers are meant to feel at ease and unthreatened as the story moves forward, mirroring the protagonist's arch".
The author continues his examples by quoting 'Burwell, 2017' which discusses Deakins use of mise-en-scène when collaborating with the Coen Brothers on the film Fargo. The quote states,"Deakins chose go empty dull mise-en-scène with few landscapes, in which the brothers noted became another form of stylisation itself".
The author also explains an interesting topic of geometry within Deakins work and specifically explains, and I quote,"Another technique Deakins utilises is lines. Lines indicate a direction for viewers to follow, as the human eye is naturally drawn to them." The author relates lines as roads, walls etc.
Camera movement
In the essay the author also discusses Deakins camera movement and why it is so effective. One example he gives to prove this is a scene from the film Deakins worked with Denis Villeneuve called Sicario. In this particular scene we as the audience are revealed through a birds eye view, the United Sates Border and drug cartel drawing their guns from one another, the author states how the camera,"tilts down from a crowded highway" - "makes it feel as thought its happening in real time". The author explains how in that same scene Deakins uses the camera to mimic the protagonist's mindset by as he,"thrusts the camera into her point of view as it pans left and right in a panicked state, mimicking her current mindset".
The author continues their main point about Deakins ability to use camera movement as an emotive tool and put the audience in the perspective of a character by giving another example of a different film Deakins worked on called True Grit. In this example the author describes a specific scene from the film by stating,"The slow camera track behind the back of the mans heads once again pushed the viewers into the character's perspective'. To emphasise this point, the author uses a quote from Deakins himself on his cinematography approach in films which states,"I have an overall kind of approach to cinematography that it should be as simple and submissive to the script as possible, because I think so much of it is about the relationship between the camera and actors - (The Cinematography of True Grit, 2011).
The author again gives another example of how Deakins used camera movement in the film Unbroken to to evoke emotions and character perspective. The example he uses is of the protagonist running an olympic race and winning, Deakins effectively captures this by tracking the actor and are stationed to him the whole time. The author explains how this camera movement "offers another touch of connection" - "the audience understands his elation as they followed and watched the entire time".
The next example the author gives which reveals more of Deakins clever camera movements is referencing his work on the film 1917. In this film Deakins was asked by director Sam Mendes to capture the film using the 'one shot' illusion. Th author quotes a source that explains Deakins technique of capturing this by using,"steadicams, drones, motorcycles, cranes, pick up trucks and multiple assistants to keep the camera moving, carefully stitching in places to hide editing cuts". (How the '1917' was filmed to look like one shot - Movie Insider, Youtube 2020).
The last example of Deakins camera movements in film that the author delves into is Shawshank Redemption. The author notes how in one particular scene, when the innocent protagonist has escaped prison, he extends his arms as rain pours down on him. Deakins shot this scene by "using a crane to pull up the camera in space", the essay explains that Deakins camera movement in this scene, "adds a feeling of someone answering his prayers, akin a higher being protecting him".
I personally found the author's explanation and depth of these examples incredibly well written and very informative in allowing me to breakdown and appreciate Deakins attention to detail within his camera movement, and it reminded me how important it is to evoke emotion and character's perspective through the motion of the camera. The author nicely discloses this explanation by stating that us as the audience get to "understand how highly Deakins believe in maintaining a balanced relationship".
Lighting
The author begins this part of the essay by stating a quote about Deakins saying that he,"likes images to look natural and lit by motivation". (NPR 2009). The author then gives an example of Deakins technique on lighting in a scene from the film, 'The Man Who Wasn't There'. The scene depicts a character in a suit standing alone in an all white painted execution room, the author describes Deakins symbolism and philosophy behind this scene by stating,"The pure whiteness of the room represents purgatory, and the contrasting blackness are the judgement".
The author then looks at Deakins emotive and symbolic lighting in the film Prisoners, the author discusses a particular scene when a police officer drives the main character's child to an emergency room after an encounter with her kidnapper. The author explains how,"The blue glow of the police care siren opposes the red blood on his face, exhibiting the officer's morals and duty." - "the distinguish of the two colours highlight his anguish and pain, an insight on his character". I feel this example is very effective in portraying both Deakins symbolism in his lighting, but also his detail when relating it to the character, as well as the context of the scene.
Lastly, the author concludes his essay by exampling another way in which Deakins used light effectively in a scene from the film Skyfall. The author describes how in Skyfall, "Deakins used multiple shadows and silhouettes throughout the film." The author's specific example is a scene where Bond's lover joins him in the shower, in this scene Deakins has the light,"switch from harsh to soft lighting which allows Deakins to capture a personal moment between the characters". - "chance to see the human side of Bond".
To conclude, I found the author's examples of Deakins lighting techniques on the various films very insightful and it showed me how he always approaches it through subtle details of symbolism that act as a microcosm for the character's minds and lives, which therefore proves his philosophy pours through his work, making it even more masterful.
Source usefulness - Overall I found this source to be very useful. I thought the three breakdowns of the mise-en-scène, camera movement and lighting helped me truly understand the small details and specifications on Deakins processes within various films. I also liked how it was written simply and clearly by drawing from quotes and sources as it really covered the overall scope of Deakins work. I found the scene examples tremendously useful as I was able to understand how every scene has its own symbolism and philosophy behind it, which allowed me to be more appreciative of details and I will now be more observant for them. These examples have inspired me for my project as I want to use more symbolism within the lighting of my projects, however I want it to be simple, not distracting but noticeable.
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