Seven answers on 7Q (also known as the FAQs of life.)				Interviewed by Tom Mangan Ben Kufrin, moving pictures guy A page extolling his credits is here.		AUTHORS Michael Fuchs Elizabeth Hilts Paul Riddell Gary Rivlin Jim Motavalli Barbara Shafferman Jules Siegel Keith Snyder ARTISTS/POETS/ PHILOSOPHERS Jon C. Allen Will Baker Mike Leung Jon Sarkin COOL SITE KEEPERS Mike Cash Scott O'Neal Colf Godfrey Daniels Cliff Davis, DDS Tammy Hocking Wes Modes Frank Rogan DIARISTS Ralph Becker J. D. Bruns Linda DeVault Mike Reed Moira Richardson Jessamyn West FILMMAKERS Ben Kufrin Dean Mermell JOURNALISTS Bernie Mary Cooley-Jones Lindsay Crysler Jamie Dupree M.O.A.T.M.A.I. David Moll Robert Niles John Orr Steven Ovadia Pierce Presley Mack Reed Rip Rense Curtis Ross Neal Ross John Scalzi Catherine Seipp David Sheets Dwight Silverman Matt Welch MOVIE MAVENS MaryAnn Johanson Brian Koller HUMORISTS Debbie Farmer Mike Jasper Madeleine Begun Kane Patrick Keller Bob Sassone Valerie Sprague Ken Swarmer Ian Wolff SOLDIERS Maj. Jon Anderson, USAF TEACHERS John Warner TECHIES Chris Adamson Mike Gunderloy Michael Ivey Greg Knauss Floyd Maxwell Ellen McDonough Mike Pingleton Wayne Thume John Worth TEENS Gary Baum Marty Beckerman UNDECLARED Bev Gibbs Beth Reid WEBLOGGERS Jason Kottke Jish Mukerji
ONE				I have a basic idea of what a cinematographer does: setting up shots and camera angles, hiring photographers, finding practical ways to implement the director's outlandish visions, etc. What are some of the more subtle ways a director of photography leaves an indelible imprint on a finished film? The cinematographer or the Director of Photography (DP) has the chief responsibility of collaborating with the director, production designer, wardrobe and makeup artists of creating the photographic "look" of a film. That look is implemented through his/her technique(s) in lighting, camera angles, camera movement, lens choice, filtration, film processing, etc. How the cinematographer's lighting and camera work interact with the work of the production designer, wardrobe, makeup and special effects greatly affect and contribute to the film's visual style. The look of the film should help in telling the story. How overt or subtle the photography is in a given film is based on many factors which may include the individual DP's taste and style, genre of the film, director's vision, or budget and scope of the film among others If a director has a strong controlling sense of the visuals, then that will greatly affect how the DP will photograph the film. Regardless, the cinematographer's work is ever-present and is "indelibly imprinted" on the film whether it's a movie with strikingly obvious visuals, or a quieter more subdued style of photography.
TWO				Who's your favorite current DP, and what do you find remarkable about his/her style? I have many DPs whose work I admire. The list changes but the ones I have mentioned seem to stick out in my mind regularly. I'll list their names and the particular films I have liked their work in. In some cases I have liked their work more than the film itself. In all of these cases I have appreciated the cinematographers' unique visual interpretation of the film they were photographing because I thought they brought a sense of artistry to the work. Michael Chapman - Taxi Driver, Raging Bull Caleb Deschanel - The Black Stallion, The Natural, The Right Stuff Freddie Francis - The Elephant Man, Glory Darius Khondji - The City of Lost Children, Seven, Evita, Janusz Kaminski - Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan Ellen Kuras - Swoon, Summer of Sam Emmanuel Lubezki - Like Water For Chocolate, Great Expectations, Sleepy Hollow Robert Richardson - Eight Men Out, The Doors, JFK, Casino, Bring Out The Dead Vittorio Storaro - Apocalypse Now, Reds, The Last Emperor John Toll - Braveheart, The Rain Maker, The Thin Red Line Haskell Wexler- Medium Cool, Bound For Glory, The Secret of Roan Inish Gordon Willis - Klute, Godfather I & II, Manhattan, Zelig, Malice
THREE				Pick a famous scene from a famous movie and describe how the DP most likely made it work. Generally, a DP will keep constant visual themes throughout the entire film. Robert Richardson, the DP for "JFK," boldly used mixed film mediums in "JFK." He would constantly go from 35 mm color super widescreen shots to 16mm black and white to Super 8 mm film and back to 35 mm all within a scene. This jarring technique, along with a constantly moving camera and radical cutting by the editor, helped to heighten the sense of chaos and fury that Oliver Stone wanted to portray in the days months and years surrounding the Kennedy assassination. "JFK "won Oscars that year for both cinematography and editing .
FOUR				My perception is that with the exception of a few bankable superstars, hardly anyone in the movie industry -- from directors to stunt people to key grips -- makes all their income working on feature films. How do you pick up extra cash to pay the rent between feature film assignments? It is inaccurate to say that hardly anyone besides bankable superstars makes their total income working features. Depending on your job title, the length of your involvement with a feature is rather specific. I know plenty of crew (mainly union) who have gone years doing only features. A typical Hollywood union feature can keep people employed anywhere from two to six months, longer sometimes especially in areas of heavy special effects. A director may be in preproduction for a year before the cameras start rolling. On smaller-budgeted or independent features the length of employment can be considerably shorter. But crew people tend to go where the money is, and work in series television can be a nice steady gig particularly if the show is a successful one and has a long run. If feature work is scarce and a crew person is looking for a break from the lengthy feature or television schedule they might seek work in shorter formats like commercials and music videos. Many new emerging directors are coming from commercials and music videos like Michael Bay (The Rock, Armageddon) and David Fincher (Seven, The Game, Fight Club) and may go back and do commercial jobs in between features. There are directors and DPs who may only do one thing like commercials, but a good many manage to work in other mediums as well.
FIVE				Let's talk commercials: You've shot a couple toy commercials -- "Generation Barbie" among them. What do you do differently than you'd do on a feature film? Funny, the visual lines between commercials and features seem to be getting blurred. Traditionally, when shooting commercials it's been about the shot and what catches your eye and holds your attention as it may relate directly or often indirectly to the product and it may have very little to do with telling a story. In commercials you are not only serving a director but often a whole extra set of critical eyes from the agency who have a very strong, vested interest in how the product looks. In features, however, it's been about the narrative, the story, and how you're going to tell that story pictorially and how consistent you have to stay in to maintain visual continuity from one scene to the next. In features you're not fixating the camera on "product" or quick fleeting moments, but following more the tone of the script. Ironically, directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, etc., who have been so heavily influenced by TV and MTV over the years have employed many of the visual styles and techniques seen in commercials and music videos. With the information age upon us and the attention span getting shorter, mainstream features particularly seem to be following the in-your-face approach to filmmaking that commercials and music videos have been using for years.
SIX				Give us an idea of how much preparation goes into setting up a shot -- I assume that by the time the director yells "action" much of the work has already been done. Shots can be set up in a matter of minutes or they can take weeks of planning. A film's schedule has already dictated when and where a particular scene is being shot, so usually all of the hardware, lighting, set dressing and personnel are roughed into place. On the set, the director choreographs (blocks) the action with the actors, giving them specific placement, while also lensing the shot with the DP, picking camera positions, lens choice, angle, movement, etc. Once the camera is placed, the DP will specifically light the shot per the action with his/her lighting and grip crew. When lighting is completed, the actors take their places and the director will then call for the action. Sometimes an elaborately technical shot that requires special equipment and intricate blocking can take all day to set up and rehearse. A famous example of this is the lengthy opening shot in Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" (1958). Depending on the size and scope of the film there is generally a great deal of discussion in the preproduction phase of a film when the director and the DP work out the specifics of what will be shot. Often there are situations where there wasn't ample time to work out the details of a particular scene or shot ahead of time and the process must be worked out on the spot. It is often then that time, which is always critical, becomes even more of an issue and achieving the desired shot can become a scramble.
SEVEN				We always hear about film students wanting to write and direct, but far fewer of them wanting be a DP. What attracts you to cinematography vs. directing? I think film students are initially attracted to the allure of directing because it denotes ultimate creative control over their vision. When you're a film student you'll probably have the most creative control you'll ever have over a film you make. When making your own film in school you must complete most if not every part of the film yourself from writing and directing to cinematography, producing, casting, editing, sound mixing, etc., all of which give you a complete firsthand experience of the total process. In the end, very few film students actually go on to become directors mostly because through their discovery, they find a particular aspect that appeals to them more. For me, cinematography was a natural extension of still photography, which I began to learn at an early age from my father, who was a commercial still photographer. Though I did study film in college, I also worked as a photojournalist and was shooting photos and working in the darkroom on a daily basis, which really gave me a viewfinder's perspective on situations and events. So when I wasn't making my own student films, or studying the history and theory of cinema, I would be shooting daily news events and honing my visual skills on a practical level. Because cinematography is a visual process whereas directing is a more visceral process, my background naturally drew me more towards shooting. More and more I've come to really appreciate my role as a director of photography in the filmmaking process and what that contribution means to the story. During the filming of a movie, the DP has just about the closest working relationship with the director than anyone else. This is a great place for me to be because I start seeing things from someone else's perspective, which then stimulates my own visual take on things, followed by the challenge of committing those ideas to film, which ultimately become the result of that original collaboration. For some, cinematography may be a stepping stone to directing and for others like me, it's a lifetime journey into new possibilities of making images that will help to tell a story.
				THE BIG INDEX... Who they are, what they do, where they live. Go there now. A TO Z ARCHIVE... Everybody here, with quickie bios. Go there now. Return to the main Seven Questions page See the original Newsies 7Q project Contact info@sevenquestions.com Copyright 1999-2002, Thomas L. Mangan