Читать книгу Cinematography for Directors - Jacqueline Frost - Страница 9
ОглавлениеCHAPTER 2
THE CINEMATOGRAPHER AND THE SCRIPT
I have worked with a lot of writer/directors. I like people who are articulate and one of the things I like about working with writers is that they can amend their own material. They don’t lose track of the story, which is easy to do when you are negotiating with actors about how a scene is going to work or what the trajectory of the story is. The writer/directors I’ve worked with are very confident on the set about what the story is and how to tell it. I find that reassuring and admirable.
(John Lindley, ASC, Frost interview)
What attracts a cinematographer to a script? It could be many things. Is it a story they can relate to? Does it propose a visual challenge? Is it in a genre that they want to work in? Is it the kind of movie they would want to see in the theater? Where is the location? What is the budget? These are all questions that might run through a cinematographer’s mind when she or he has been asked to shoot a particular film.
■ I first read the script and ideas are generated, but I try not to fall in love with my ideas, just get some basic concepts. I listen to what the director has to say, maybe talk about some of the concepts I had on my first read. Once I understand the approach the director is trying to take, I go to my photography books for visual references to come up with visual ideas that I can present to the director.
(Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, Frost interview)
■ 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.
(John Bailey, ASC, Frost interview)
■ I like something that explores a side of human nature that is really unique. I don’t gravitate to the normal comedy for example. I always like to light the actors through their eyes. I feel like no matter what the subject matter, the soul of a person comes out through seeing both eyes.
(Nancy Schreiber, ASC, Frost interview)
When a cinematographer connects with a screenplay it becomes much easier for them to make suggestions to the director on how to capture the underlying thematic elements of the story. If they feel they can contribute significantly they will become excited about helping to bring the words on the page to life. They will transform the words into images in their minds and come to a director with visual ideas from paintings, photographs, other films, and whatever references might clearly convey their interpretation of the script. This begins the visual dialogue.
■ What really attracts me is something different, a story with an edge. I’m not particularly drawn to comedy, although I’ve had a blast every time I’ve worked on comedic material. Generally, I’m drawn to the darker subject matter, I’m drawn to family drama, anything that provides an opportunity for using camera movement and lighting to help the director tell a story.
(Amy Vincent, ASC, Frost interview)
The screenplay should be well written and in the correct format prior to anyone reading it. It should be well developed and certainly not a first draft. The script attracts the actors, the cinematographer, and the entire crew, so it should contain elements of story that people will not only be interested in watching but that producers and the entire crew assembled will be enthusiastic about being a part of. This applies to short scripts as well as feature scripts. Whether you are the writer/director or working with a writer, make sure it is ready to be seen and not a rough draft.
■ The first time I read a script, I pay attention to how it affects me, if there is something I relate to in the story. I don’t think about it visually on the first reading, images always pop into your mind, but I read it as a book to see how it affects me. If it’s got something to say, what is the reason for making this film other than taking peoples’ money, that’s not enough. If I wouldn’t go to the cinema to see this film, then I don’t want to work on it. If it wouldn’t be in my DVD collection, then I don’t want to work on it. The other thing is you are going to spend three to five months of your life on this film, so it’s got to have some sort of meaning for you. I don’t do this just for a job; it’s much too hard.
(Roger Deakins, ASC, Frost interview, November 2007)
What makes a script good? Generally, a compelling story that will interest the producers in developing the material, the actors in playing the roles, and the cinematographer in photographing it for the screen. The version of the script that is given to the cinematographer should be the final green-lighted shooting script that has been developed and rewritten, broken down, budgeted, scheduled, and carefully checked over again before being sent out. Just like anyone else reading a script, the cinematographer will notice typos, misspellings, and improper format, and they may be turned off by that. The budget and the shooting schedule could sway their decision about participating in the project. Another factor in the cinematographer’s decision is the location — whether the film is being shot locally or in another country.
There are numerous screenwriting books available to help craft a story and discuss what makes a script good (check the Michael Wiese Productions catalog at mwp.com).
A realistic shooting schedule is also important because the cinematographer has to feel that they have the time to capture the material to the best of their ability and not be asked to perform miracles with an unrealistic timeframe.
■ The screenplay is paramount to everything. After that, it’s character motivation and characters in general, such as the nuances and personalities of each character and what their arc is. That’s what I load up on for ammunition for that first meeting with the director and that’s the conversation I want to have first. Otherwise you run the risk of reading a script and being presumptuous of what the film means visually and unless you are reaching for the heart of it you are going to miss the mark. Really good directors respond to somebody who’s got the heart of their story in mind. So, my first conversation with the director is always about story and character. Then it’s on me to figure out some kind of visual language for the story.
(Matthew Libatique, ASC, Frost interview)
Getting a cinematographer involved in your project is getting a major player on board. Because this is the person who will be responsible for the visual interpretation of your story, it is a very important decision and not one to be taken lightly. The cinematographer should be as enthusiastic about taking your vision to the screen as you are. She or he should be bubbling over with creative ideas on how to make it even better.
You now have a collaborator to discuss ideas with and transform your vision into images for the screen.
The director should come to the first meeting with the cinematographer ready to discuss their ideas about the story, the characters, and the thematic elements of the script. The director should be able to articulate what the essence of the story is: Why do you want to tell this particular story? Why are you passionate about making this film? Once that conversation takes place, you can progress to how the visuals could enhance and underscore the essence of the story.
This initial meeting should not dwell on technical issues, but instead it should be an opportunity to explore the story together and figure out how to underscore the thematic elements. Understand whose story it is and what the character arc is, and the visuals will follow.
A director should first know what they are trying to say to the audience; then the cinematographer and director can discuss how to technically make this communication take place. Cinematographers will be closely watching the director to see how passionate you are about making the film, because they will be signing on to follow your creative vision of the story.
■ I’ll read it and I’ll call the director and tell them how I feel about it. But always from the perspective that I just read their story, I have nothing to do with it. I’m not putting anything on it. If I’m interested, I may say, “Look, I’m interested. We should sit down and talk.” Then I sit down with them and see what their point of view is. Based on that, if I’m asked to figure out what it looks like I will do that. If they want me to make it look like something, I will do that. But I will also want to mandate anything from where I feel that script is about. The story first and not what I could do. So it starts with a conversation. Some people will have visual references and others don’t. Some people don’t know what they want yet so I just say, “We will figure this out together.”
(Harris Savides, ASC, Frost interview)
■ I want to do something that has a good solid plot and has rhythms built into it. I don’t want to just point the camera and shoot.
(Mike Bonvillain, ASC, Frost interview)
The cinematographer may talk about how they interpret the characters and the thematic elements of the script as well as the story as a whole. They may ask questions regarding character and theme. Because they are the visual interpreter of the written word, they need to clearly understand the story that is being told. It is their job in collaboration with the director to transform what is written on the page into a visual language that conveys a coherent and engaging story on screen. How well the director and cinematographer communicate is key to making the collaborative effort come into play, which in turn will determine how well this visual transformation will take place.
■ I’m drawn to scripts for different reasons. When I first read the script for Pleasantville, I saw that it was going to be in black and white and that was part of the story. That was it I was in. With Field of Dreams, I had read the book and I loved it, and the script was a really good adaptation of a book that’s really difficult to adapt. It’s a very whimsical story, and when it says, “Baseball ghosts appear in the corner and walk on the field,” you go, “Okay, I can picture that.” But for a movie, you think, “What is that? Is it grisly or creepy? How do you make it something that people want to see?” I thought Phil (Alden Robinson) did that brilliantly, and it’s in the script. So you read the script, and you go, “Oh, yeah.” Field of Dreams was an adaptation and Pleasantville is an original screenplay, but I was easily drawn to both.
(John Lindley, ASC, Frost interview)
1. Field of Dreams (photographed by John Lindley, ASC)
2. Ordinary People (photographed by John Bailey, ASC)
■ I read a screenplay the first time only for the content. I deliberately try not to think about it at all visually. I see if there is a character or a couple of characters that hook me into the story somehow and make me want to sit here and read something that is such a bastardized form of a story, because a screenplay is not really literature, and it’s not really a roadmap; it’s more of a concept. Screenwriters will hate me for saying that, but a lot of times the screenplay is a very clear indication of what you are doing; other times it changes so much while you’re doing it, but still it’s the nucleus, and it either grabs me or it doesn’t. I look for compelling characters and a sense of momentum and urgency in the work. Sometimes it’s very simple: I’m highly attracted to the issues, problems, and turmoil of the nuclear family. Films like Ordinary People, The Accidental Tourist, or The Greatest. I’m almost fatally attracted to those kinds of stories.
(John Bailey, ASC, Frost interview)
■ I like to get the script and clear everyone out, find a little spot in the sun if it’s winter, and read it all the way through. Because to me it’s like sitting in the movie theater the time you take to read the offstage lines and directions and the dialogue, if you read it all the way through that’s generally how long it takes like watching a movie. If I start getting fidgety three quarters of the way through or feel it’s dragging a bit, then it may not be something that can hold my interest. Once I finish and close it up, I think to myself, “Would I pay $15 and be able to sit there for two hours and enjoy this film?” Basically, if I say yes to that, I’ll do it. Of all the films I’ve done, it has been because I liked the script. I didn’t do them because of what I was going to gain from it photographically. I don’t care about that; I just want to make good films. If I can sustain a good film with cinematography, that’s great.
(John Seale, ASC, Frost interview, October 2007)
3. Rain Man (photographed by John Seale, ASC)
■ A story that will grab you on some level that has characters or a situation you might find some identification with. It’s as simple as that. Hopefully it is competently written. If you see a script with a lot of typos and misspellings, it’s time to get nervous. Because if they can’t take enough care to get that right if it hasn’t already been flagged in the process, then it is not a good sign about what you might be about to embark upon. But you are always looking for something you can identify with on a certain level, or maybe you want to try something new.
(Richard Crudo, ASC, Frost interview, July 2007)
4. Lust, Caution (photographed by Rodrigo Prieto, ASC)
■ One thing is the challenge; I look for a new challenge. I tend to choose projects that are different than the one I did before. Although it is not so much on purpose, I have to find something in the script that is close to me in some way or close to my heart or something that I’m interested in exploring, almost as if it would be something I would direct as well. So far, I have never chosen a project as a job, it’s always been something I want to participate in for many reasons. The experience of 8 Mile — rap music, Detroit — it was interesting to me, learning about it. Same with Alexander or when I decided to do Lust, Caution in China with Ang Lee. There were other interesting projects to choose from, but choosing that movie was of course the collaboration with Ang Lee and also learning about the Japanese occupation after the war, something I was not aware of. It’s really very interesting because you have to dive into these worlds. So all of those are elements of choice. But mostly it is about my heart telling me this is something I want to do right now.
(Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, Frost interview, July 2007)
When a cinematographer sits down to read the script the second or third time, she or he will start to make notes on whatever visuals they begin to envision, such as a color palette or movement. They may question a scene that takes place in total darkness for three pages and wonder how they will shoot it. If it is well written, all the visual clues will be there to interpret, from the mood of the story to the visual interpretation of words to images.
A cinematographer may envision a specific look for the film: Is it an intimate story or does it feel wider with longer takes? Are details provided in the background? Is the character’s personality evident in what they are wearing or the room they inhabit? The cinematographer will want to discuss this with the director to make sure they are both on the same page in terms of a visual interpretation.
Cinematographers are very visual people who tend to see things rather than hear them. They often read scripts several times so that images will come into their imaginations. Many say if they can visualize what is happening while reading the script, they know they can interpret the words as images on the screen. Cinematographers are very visual people and see things rather than hear them. On the second or third reading of the script, cinematographers will take the words and apply cinematographic techniques to them, such as considering what focal length, color palette, movement, and film stock might best suit the film and visually emphasize thematic elements in the script.
5. Captivity (Photographed by Daniel Pearl, ASC)
■ On the first readthrough of the script, I write notes about anything that is out of the ordinary for me. If nothing special is required, I won’t write anything; if it’s conventional filmmaking, I don’t deal with that. Even with storyboarding, just draw the special things, things that are out of the ordinary. I did a film with Roland Joffee called Captivity. I was reading the screenplay; it’s a psycho thriller, and I come to this long scene that is supposed to be lit by just a match that made an impression on me. It jumped out of the script at me, and I figured it needed some new technology to shoot properly.
(Daniel Pearl, ASC, Frost interview, July 2007)
■ The first reading of the script for me is very important, even before I meet the director. I usually take a lot of notes because that’s the first impression I have of stepping inside of that world and how I see it in my mind’s eye usually comes to bear at that moment.
(Ellen Kuras, ASC, Frost interview)
What would make a cinematographer pass on a script?
If the cinematographer doesn’t feel that they can bring something to the project, they will probably decline to do it. If it is a genre they don’t want to work in or that doesn’t interest them, or something they’ve done before that wouldn’t offer a creative challenge, or even if they don’t identify with some aspect of the script, they will probably pass on it.
Each cinematographer has his or her individual reasons for either taking on a project or passing on it. It could have to do with the budget or the schedule and location, or the fact that they just didn’t connect with the material. If a cinematographer has just completed a project that took them to another country for several months, and you offer them a script taking them somewhere else for several months, they might pass on it just because they want to stay in town. Or they may take on your project because locally and is only a month-long shoot. Of course, in addition to all these considerations is also whether they feel they can connect with the director and see a potential for collaboration.
What would turn you off to a script or a director? Why would you pass on a project?
■ I read a lot of scripts and I won’t even finish it if it is not talking to my heart. Genre is important also. I try to dip my feet into all sorts of different genres. If I’m going to do a movie it will be one I would go see in the cinema.
(Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, Frost interview, July 2007)
■ I’ve gone into meetings with directors who don’t exhibit the things that make me feel like I could flourish in their environment, because ultimately, I have to work in their environment. They aren’t working in mine, so if I can’t work in their environment, then it’s not going to happen.
I like to set up a visual language for every film. I like to have a purpose for the cinematography and I think that is what makes filmmaking so unique that all the other aspects of the genre besides performance and direction are being maximized to their fullest which is why I like working with Darren or Spike, because they strive for those things. A director who doesn’t strive for those things I’m less inclined to work with. If the director is overly dogmatic and it comes from a place of insecurity, then that turns me off. If a person exhibits little to no vision, it really turns me off. It’s really the two extremes. Either there is an arrogance with no substance, or you have somebody that is so clearly confused that you know you are going to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders while being in someone else’s environment. Those are situations I don’t need to be in, so I shy away from them.
(Matthew Libatique, ASC, Frost interview, September 2007)
6. Black Swan (Photographed by Matthew Libatique, ASC)
■ I would pass based on violence or exploitative material. It’s very hard for me to get certain images out of my mind once I’ve seen them. I remember being at a grocery store after that bomb went off in Oklahoma City and I saw one of those weekly news magazines by the checkout, and there was a picture of a firefighter holding a baby that had been in the building. Fifteen years later I could still draw that picture. So I don’t really want to put certain images in my head if I can avoid it, because they don’t go away very quickly for me. I don’t particularly want to be a purveyor of that type of thing to other people either.
(John Lindley, ASC, Frost interview)
When the cinematographer has agreed to bring your cinematic vision to life, it means she or he related to some aspect of the script and felt that they could visually enhance your project. Understanding that you are both coming from the same place thematically, the cinematographer can start to articulate visual ideas to you and begin a dialogue on how to interpret the script into images. If you have not worked with this cinematographer before, getting to know each other happens in preproduction. They may want to visit locations with you, shot list or storyboard with you, talk about visual references and color palette, or just sit down and chat about the movie with you. It is helpful to establish a bond or connection prior to production.
■ My process is I read the script and from that ideas are generated, but I try not to fall in love with my ideas, just get some basic concepts. I try not to think of it technically at all; I try to just imagine it as a movie or read it as a novel and just go for the trip. Then I meet with the director and try not to have locked in concepts. On the second read I jot down ideas or things that come up at that moment, and since I’ve already spoken with the director, I have a sense of where we want to go (visually). After that I’ll be thinking of visual references.
(Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, Frost interview, July 2007)
■ I’m usually pretty adamant about making sure that I have time with the director, at least four days if they are really busy, to try to sit down by ourselves. I like to take them away someplace if I can, so we spend four days together thinking and living the script. Going through the script first in a very general way to understand the arc of the script and characters and generally what the director wants to say. Then we do a very detailed perusal of the script scene by scene. That’s my opportunity to ask the director questions in confidence, to ask, “Well, what do you want to say with this? What is the essence of this scene? Why are we here at this location and what is the meaning of it?” Because that tells me how to shoot it and what the director wants to say. Part of the time spent together is to get into their mind’s eye to try and understand where they were when they wrote the script or how they want to interpret the script if they were not the writer. It’s my job at that point to home in on the director’s vision and to expand it into a way we can shoot it to capture the heart of the scene.
(Ellen Kuras, ASC, Frost interview)
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (photographed by Ellen Kuras, ASC)
■ I usually break it down into what I think it would take to do each section and relate it to the schedule. The first thing is to have conversations with the director to get the look, feel, and nature of the film, that’s the first thing. But then you go back to the script and break the thing down and look at the major sequences, the major locations, and just think how each can be best achieved. That’s true even if it’s a simple script, like the last one I did with Sam (Mendes). Most of it was set in one suburban house, so you look at the location and think, “How could I achieve that?” Every film you do is a compromise. You just can’t ever get everything in your head on that page visually; it just doesn’t happen. It’s kind of like you have to have a plan of attack. You really have to break it down and decide what is really important. Where do you really want to concentrate the most effort? It varies with every script. Discussions with the director are important, but you can only talk about the script for so long; you have to be on location, you have to look at sets or plans or drawings or whatever and start visualizing, working with something specific.
(Roger Deakins, ASC, Frost interview, November 2007)
8. Revolutionary Road (photographed by Roger Deakins, ASC)
Preproduction is the time of discussions, planning, and sharing ideas and concepts. It is also the time to consider the realities of what the final outcome might be. During preproduction part of a cinematographers’ duties are many.
■ Discuss all aspects of script and director’s approach to picture in preliminary talks with director, analyze script as a whole, analyze story structure, analyze characters, and devise style and visual approach.
(American Cinematographer, January 2003, 110)
■ Once I’ve read the script and decided to do it, all the negotiations are done and I’m on it, then I start to break it down with ideas I might have. But I still don’t know what’s coming with the director or the production designer, what they’ve organized. So, I make my own notes generally, and I get a little bit continuity critical, and I’ll go through the script and break down each day. I like to know where one day finishes and the next begins. Because I have found that on the script a day can last 48 hours, and so I think maybe we could have a cut and then go back … and what if that scene was dusk for night, and then we went into day on the next one? It creates a nice rhythm of light and breaks up a long visual day on the screen. But I am loyal to the 1st AD’s schedule; I don’t want to muck that up, but I’ve got to organize it in preproduction. In my mind, the only way to make things look reasonably good is to figure out 95% of the problems before you get there. That way, 5% of the problems can be absorbed rather quickly and easily on set.
(John Seale, ASC, Frost interview, October 2007)
The enthusiastic cinematographer will be anxious to discuss ideas with the director and the production designer during the early stages of preproduction. She or he may start shooting tests once they have seen the locations and some of the costumes. In the same way the writer (who may also be the director) envisioned the script while writing it, the cinematographer will transform the emotions, words, and descriptions into images that visually punctuate the story. If the film is a drama, the cinematographer may create a quality of light that is dark and shadowy. If the film is science fiction, they may envision a desaturated color palette and the use of wide-angle lenses. If it is a romantic comedy, they may use a glossy high-key look with soft, practical light illuminating the scene. All of these visual references communicate to the audience and elicit emotional responses, whether anxiety, fear, empathy, or laughter.
The cinematographer will read the script initially for content and a basic overall impression; then again for visuals, images, specific shots, and movement; and then another time to consider the color palette and an overall look of the film that visually translates the emotions of the story to the screen. They may sketch out some of their own storyboard ideas or basic blocking.
9. The Assassination of Jesse James (Photographed by Roger Deakins, ASC)
■ Joel and Ethan (Coen) do a first pass on the storyboards by themselves, and I’ve worked with a few directors on the storyboards together. I like to be involved, actually, but it depends on the director. (When) I worked with Andrew Dominik on Jesse James, we storyboarded a number of sequences, and during preproduction he would sit in the office and we would go through the sequences and do rough storyboards. It’s up to the director how they like working … but I like to be immersed in the project as much as possible before I start shooting, because I think that saves time on the set. I like to be in sync with the director. That’s why it’s nice working with the same director more than once, because you’ve already built up some sort of relationship, you don’t need to get under their skin as much, you already know where they are coming from, so it makes it a lot easier.
(Roger Deakins, ASC, Frost interview, November 2007)
An established cinematographer may like the idea of working outside of a genre they have become known for. Someone who has shot several romantic comedies, for example, may be attracted to shooting a suspense thriller, whereas someone who has been shooting all big-budget action films may want to shoot a smaller, character-driven film. For example, Janusz Kaminski, who has worked with Steven Spielberg on eleven large studio films, shot The Diving Bell and the Butterfly for Julian Schnabel. It’s a very different type of film than what he had done before, so he found it creatively challenging. For his work on that film, he was nominated for an Academy Award, and won numerous other awards.
No one likes to be labeled, but it happens quite often in the film business, and cinematographers are not exempt from the categories. Most cinematographers can shoot in various styles, but because of their own individual personalities, they will be attracted to specific types of material. One may love the big blockbuster film full of special effects and CGI; another may prefer the small low-budget film or a glossy comedy to a noir thriller.
Daniel Pearl, ASC, whose success with the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre put him into a certain genre as cinematographer, has since shot numerous films in the horror genre, because he likes working with darker images and the challenges they create. But he has also shot hundreds of music videos and commercials that have nothing to do with the horror genre.
■ Oddly enough, I shot Texas Chainsaw Massacre successfully twice, and it’s not really my kind of film to shoot. I’m not in love with the horror genre, but it does give me the opportunity to exercise my craft, so I like that kind of film for that reason.
(Daniel Pearl, ASC, Frost interview, July 2007)
Ultimately, it is a good script that will get the cinematographer interested in the project — along with a passionate director bringing forth enthusiasm and creative ideas on how to visually interpret their story. The goal of a film is to take the audience on a journey, to entertain, and make them believe in or identify with the characters. Therefore, understanding character and plot is essential, and enhancing this with visuals is what makes the film work on a subliminal level.
■ I think the responsibility of a cinematographer going into a meeting with a director is to understand the story as best as you possibly can. Ask questions about the story. In my experience, if the director starts to ask you about camera and what your ideas are about camera, it’s an unsophisticated conversation. The sophisticated conversation to have is about character motivation. From the cinematographer’s standpoint, just like from the actor’s or the director’s, it’s the story, and the story will motivate the questions and eventually will motivate the look of the film.
(Matthew Libatique, ASC, Frost interview, September 2007)
VISUAL INTERPRETATION
Once you convey the characters’ motivation and have discussions on the thematic elements of the script, the cinematographer may ask the director several questions: How do you see this film? Is it static or moving? Are the shots wide or close? Is it filled with saturated colors or desaturated colors? How does the color help underscore what is happening within the story of the scene? Is it in deep focus or shallow focus? Do we need to see the character within their environment or not? Does the background need to be in focus? Is the camera handheld or on a Steadicam or a dolly? Is the film being shot in a studio or on location? And finally, what format were you thinking of shooting on, film or HD? Understanding what you plan to do technically to interpret the script, and why, is an important conversation between director and cinematographer that can either enhance or destroy the basic concept of the film.
■ I write down a lot of questions for the director, mostly basic ideas about story telling. I get to more specific questions later, but initially I ask whose point of view are we experiencing? I end up narrowing it down to very specific questions about each scene, moment by moment throughout the whole movie, so I can understand the purpose of every single scene. What is the dramatic representation, and how is it supposed to feel?
A writer/director might be more wedded to certain things so story structure or ideas about the purpose of scenes takes on a different meaning when the director is also the writer. But all directors at some point have to make a decision in every scene: what the purpose of that scene is and how to tell it.
(Robert Elswit, ASC, Frost interview)
When director Christopher Nolan asked Wally Pfister to shoot Batman Begins (2005), Wally agreed to shoot the film before even reading the script, because he trusted the director from their previous collaborations on Memento (2000) and Insomnia (2002). The two have since collaborated on two more films including The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), and The Prestige (2006), for which Pfister was nominated for an Academy Award.
■ I wasn’t sure that I was ready to take on another big action film, but I knew that I could trust Chris’s judgment.
In this case, Pfister wanted to work with a particular director based on their previous relationship. So it wasn’t as much about the script as about wanting to work with someone whom he trusts and respects.
■ On my second reading of the script, I started writing notes, little things like “low angle, very dark and moody,” or some indication of mixed, warm, cool, or patterned light.
(Wally Pfister, ASC, from “Birth of the Bat,” ICP website)
When Ang Lee selected Rodrigo Prieto to shoot Brokeback Mountain, he wanted the cinematographer to shoot the film in a style he was not famous for. Prieto had just finished shooting Alexander for Oliver Stone, which was a big-budget, multi-camera shoot. He had worked with Alejandro Iñárritu on several films including Amores Perros and 21 Grams, both with a distinctive style and interweaving storylines, each with a different visual mood. He replicated this approach on both Babel and Lust, Caution. But Ang Lee wanted the cinematographer to shoot in a much more conventional format.
10. Batman Begins (Photographed by Wally Pfister, ASC)
■ I asked Rodrigo to work in a style that was quite opposite of why people want him.
(Ang Lee, American Cinematographer, January 2006, 58)
In Brokeback Mountain, the landscape in which the story takes place is as much a character as the subjects themselves. These men are cowboys working the land, living on the land. Their forbidden love is safe in the mountains where they can be themselves surrounded by nature. The understated cinematography beautifully complements the thematic elements of the story.
Regarding the visual interpretation of the script, cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, and director Ang Lee used numerous subtle cinematographic techniques to distinguish what the characters were experiencing in the story.
■ When they talk, they don’t adorn what they say with fancy words — they’re direct. (Director) Ang Lee and I felt the camerawork had to be like that as well. Ang said he wanted to shoot it very much like the characters are: very stoic and simple.
(Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, American Cinematographer, January 2006, 58)
The selection of lenses and film stock also played a part in underscoring the emotional state of the characters in Brokeback Mountain. For example:
■ I knew the mountains should be romantically photographed. That’s why the film is called Brokeback Mountain: Everybody has a Brokeback Mountain, a yearning for romance or the illusion of romance. When Jack and Ennis are off the mountain, they want to go back, but are never able to. The landscape gets drier and drier as we go along, and gradually becomes a backdrop.
(Ang Lee, American Cinematographer, January 2006, 62)
11. Brokeback Mountain (Photographed by Rodrigo Prieto, ASC)
The careful selection of film stock helped to reveal the subtle differences between the events occurring on the mountain and the characters’ subsequent life back in town. The use of a slower, less grainy film stock made the romantic time in the mountains sharper and crisper, whereas the use of a slightly faster film stock created a grainier effect for the scenes back in town. (Chapter 5 contains more detail on the specifics of film stock.)
■ For day exterior mountain scenes, I used Eastman Kodak 50D, 5245, because I wanted those images to feel a little crisper and cleaner. I wanted the air to be more transparent.
(Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, American Cinematographer, January 2006, 62)
I talked to director Donald Petrie about when a cinematographer would bring their ideas to the director:
■ I expect it to come early on and continue throughout the production. I look at the script and try to figure out how to better tell the story visually. With Miss Congeniality there was a point where an actor, Sandy Bullock, is playing a woman who is hiding her femininity to do a man’s job. So László (Kovács) lit the first half of the film with flat fluorescent lighting, wide-angle lenses, and flat monochromatic color. But later in the film, as she finds her feminine side, the lenses get longer, the lighting gets more beautiful, and the color comes in, and backlight makes it look less flat. László and I did this so I could show a character’s transition visually.
(Donald Petrie, DGA, Frost interview, December 2006)
If you are a director who is also the writer of the material, the scenes have probably been playing in your head for a while. By now you can probably visualize how they look when you think about them, and it becomes your task to communicate what you see in your mind to the person who is going to make that happen for you on the screen — the cinematographer. The more articulate you are in conveying how you envision the film to the cinematographer and production designer, the more it will resemble what you imagined when you wrote it.
12. & 12a. Miss Congeniality (before and after the transformation). Directed by Donald Petrie; photographed by László Kovács, ASC
■ When I first worked with Anthony Minghella, a very intelligent writer who brilliantly adapted a convoluted book (The English Patient), I figured he probably had some firm ideas about the visuals, such as all the amazing transitions between the English patient in the contemporary situation and the past in Tunisia, which were very simple long lap dissolves — and then a lot of what I call lucky mistakes happened.
(John Seale, ASC, Frost interview, October 2007)
■ Once I understand the approach to what the director is trying to do, then I go to my photography books or visual references and try to come up with visual ideas that I can present to the director. Maybe a certain scene could have a certain type of framing or grain structure or color, and I present these ideas to the director so we can ping-pong ideas back and forth. For me that is very enjoyable, doing investigation, and then, of course, the production designer comes into play as well, so it’s a three-part collaboration, and I try to be involved in all of it. Hopefully, the director will orchestrate collaboration between all the departments (costume designer, production designer, and camera department). Of course all of the ideas are based on the director’s original intention, but we all try to come up with ideas that will work together, such as a color scheme that will work with developing methods I’m proposing, or lenses, and then we start testing. Prep is like going to film school again. I try to test things that I haven’t done before, not for the sake of doing something different, but to explore different avenues and to see what we can get. Then I present these ideas and tests to the director and from there we narrow it down to what will be the movie. The ideal situation is where all of this works — not necessarily that the director will buy all my ideas, but where he will like some of the things I’m doing, and then we’ll narrow it down to what we’ll be doing on set.
13. The English Patient (dissolve). (Photographed by John Seale, ASC)
(Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, Frost interview, July 2007)
Discussions regarding format will come up in preproduction. Sometimes format is dictated by the budget; other times it may be open to discussion. Cinematographers will have their preference for format and may make a case for it. For example, if the producers were considering shooting in digitally, the cinematographer may suggest shooting on film instead, because most cinematographers do prefer film and there are very valid reasons to stay with film as an originating medium.
Knowing where you are heading in the final product will affect what you begin with and your workflow from production to postproduction. (See Chapter 8 for more detail on formats.)
Preproduction is the time period that is crucial for ideas being tested and decisions being made in advance as to what will be executed on set. This is where the creative juices start to flow, and lots of conversation occurs between the director, the production designer, and cinematographer regarding the use of visual references and how the essence or heart of the movie can be dissected and reassembled onscreen.
Directors and cinematographers should visit locations together with the director’s viewfinder to talk about focal length for certain shots and discuss whether they see the film as moving or static or what colors come to mind and what kind of light is envisioned. Is it a genre piece where you want to stay in line with the conventions of the genre or turn it on its head? Is it a stylistic film or something more edgy and raw?
■ I usually write on the margins of the script, lots of notes, most of them questions, such as things I want to talk to the director about, how he or she sees a certain sequence. Specifically notes based on location scouting, unless it’s a film with a high design concept with a lot of sets that you are going to build with controlled lighting and things like that. For normal scripts with a tremendous number of location settings it’s all about finding the right places. So, the notes that I make are usually about the strong points and weaknesses of places we’ve seen, so that is kind of the working, scouting draft.
There have been a few films where I’ve done what I think Storaro does on almost every picture. I’ve written a kind of three- or four-page outline to the stylistic approach with maybe references to one or two scenes but nothing that is terribly site specific or scene specific.
(John Bailey, ASC, Frost interview)
14. Citizen Kane (Photographed by Gregg Toland, ASC)
Filmmaking is about showing the audience what is going on visually rather than just telling them through dialogue and exposition. By using the subtext of color and light, angles and lenses, thematic elements of a script can be enhanced. For example, the cinematographer may use a wide-angle lens shot from a slightly low angle to make a character seem large and menacing, rather than saying, “He is large and menacing.”
In the well-known Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles and photographed by Gregg Toland, the use of wide-angle lenses positioned at a slightly low angle (an influence of John Ford’s Stagecoach) visually reveals the power of Kane. Ceilings are visible in many of the shots, implying that his character, his ego, is so enormous that he barely fits into the rooms. The use of wide-angle lenses and deep focus photography reveals the empty space in the cavernous Xanadu, the castle Kane created for his second wife, Susan Alexander. The characters are tiny in this vast environment, and therefore cannot connect with each other emotionally. The way in which Welles and Toland chose to shoot the film echoes the loneliness of Kane’s life, despite his enormous wealth and power. This is an example of a thematic visual interpretation of the story.
STORYBOARDS
There are directors who like to storyboard the entire film prior to production and work from them as their visual interpretation of the script. (Hitchcock famously storyboarded all his films, and the process of production simply followed the film already done in his mind.) There are others who like to work more spontaneously on set, based on the blocking of the actors during rehearsal. Whatever method the director chooses, the cinematographer must go along with it.
Cinematographers are always hoping for insight into how the director envisions the film, so storyboards can be a very helpful tool in the creative process. If a director comes to a cinematographer with every scene carefully mapped out on storyboards, that can be fine, as long as the cinematographer’s ideas and suggestions are also considered in the interpretation of the script. Most cinematographers will look at anything visual you want to share with them to communicate your ideas. Cinematographers enjoy conversations about what your intentions are regarding the stylistic look of the film. They want to be your creative collaborator, and will no doubt have excellent ideas and contributions to visually enhance the script.
For films with huge action sequences, storyboarding is essential for both director and cinematographer due to the complications of shooting more difficult multicamera sequences. Sometimes these are the only storyboarded sequences in a film. It all depends on how the director works.
■ It’s up to the director how they like to work; it doesn’t offend me one way or the other. But I like to be involved, I like a lot of prep, I like to be immersed in the project as much as possible before I start shooting because I think that saves time on the set.
(Roger Deakins, ASC, Frost interview)
Storyboarding and shot listing give the director and cinematographer the chance to sit down together in preproduction and map out the shots and the way the film will be covered. This is helpful both for the cinematographer, to have a clear idea of the various setups used to cover a scene, and for the director, to help them stay on course and get the coverage they need. If something else comes up during production that might be working even better than what was storyboarded, that should be considered as well. Generally, cinematographers are happy to work off of the story-boards and shot lists as long as there is some room for creative spontaneity on set.
■ One thing I enjoy very much is working with a director on the shot-listing, which doesn’t always happen, but it is something I like to do a lot. Some directors don’t shot-list; others like to do it on their own in private and will even do a storyboard without the cinematographer involved — and that’s fine. With Alejandro (Iñárritu) we shot-list together, sometimes story-boarded. I can draw a little bit, so sometimes I’ll do some storyboarding. At times we’ve hired storyboard artists, but we do sit down in preproduction, and I really like that process even if we don’t use it during production, because it gets us talking very specifically about the scene and what type of lenses, why would we start with a detail or a long shot. Of course, we use our intuition when we are shot-listing, but it really gives us a sense of the way each scene is covered and helps very much in editing. Alejandro has a really good sense of editing and sound, so in storyboarding we talk about how it’s going to cut, not just the master scene. We shot list as if we are editing.
(Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, Frost interview, July 2007)
Most cinematographers want to be involved in the shot listing and possibly the storyboarding of the film. It gives them the chance to previsualize and block out the film with the director. They may also prefer to help out with the storyboards if you are working with a storyboard artist, so that the shots are realistically represented. The best solution is to involve the cinematographer in the creative process by shot listing with them or storyboarding with them and remain flexible if a situation arises during production that could be better than the storyboard as planned.
■ Darren (Aronofsky) shot lists partly with me, and the smaller scenes he’ll do by himself— that’s part of his process. Then on the bigger scenes we’ll do them together, mostly because he doesn’t want to paint himself into a corner about what is logistically possible and what’s not. He is extremely precise and doesn’t like to do the work more than once, so on the scenes that feel like they are going to be a challenge for the nuts and bolts of things — meaning, “Can we do this?” — I’m basically saying yes or no, or we can do it this way. From a shot perspective, Darren is the voice; it’s part of his process to set up the shots. He sets up a specific language for his films, where things are extremely symmetrical; they only work in certain axes, and he predetermines screen direction. So almost anybody who knows anything about the fundamentals of filmmaking can discern where the camera is going to go for any given scene, based on how the set is built and knowing that he only likes three axes, three angles; it’s very simple, actually. It’s like playing with a musician who plays the same bars over and over. He’s probably the only person I know who is really specific with storyboards.
(Matthew Libatique, ASC, Frost interview, September 2007)
■ A lot of directors hate storyboards because they end up looking like cartoons that can’t be photographed because they’re all done with a wide-angled lens. It’s very hard to find a storyboard artist that can create images that aren’t just information.
(Robert Elswit, ASC, Frost interview)
■ Storyboards are usually very specific, and you can never get a lens exactly like the perspective of the drawing. But it’s a useful tool and I tell some directors to go ahead and story board just to see it. Storyboards are a wonderful tool especially for action sequences, car chases, and any kind of stunt work, special effects.
(Nancy Schreiber, ASC, Frost interview)
■ The thing about storyboards is they often get carried away; sometimes the storyboard artist wants to direct the movie and that gets in the way. I prefer not to use them at all, except for action sequences where you have to touch certain bases. But ordinarily speaking, I don’t like to use them, because directors get too attached to them (and think,) “Oh, there’s the storyboard, it’s got to be like this” — yeah, but we’ve got a better idea in the moment; to hell with the storyboard, this is better. You’ve got to be flexible — otherwise it sucks all the air out of the movie, and you’ve seen the movies that feel like a filmed storyboard.
(Richard Crudo, ASC, Frost interview, July 2007)
■ I don’t think storyboards tie you down. I think storyboards are more important than visual references, in a way, because they focus you on what the scene is about. It’s not necessarily that you are going to shoot those exact shots, because half the time you don’t. Maybe you do with Joel and Ethan (Coen), because they are very particular; they construct sequences precisely for a cutting pattern. Other storyboards are used for a type of shot but not for a particular cutting pattern, so there are many ways of getting to discuss those scenes and getting to the point of what is important about those sequences visually to tell that story. There are no hard and fast rules. It’s whatever gives you a starting point to talk about the visualization of the script; it doesn’t matter what methods you use.
(Roger Deakins, ASC, Frost interview, November 2007)
Not all storyboards need to be perfectly drawn artworks, just sketches that communicate the essence of a sequence. Martin Scorsese has been known to draw little sketches to communicate with his cinematographer on how he would like a particular scene shot. Many of these appear in the special feature selection of his DVDs, such as Taxi Driver, where they are shown side by side with the way the film was actually shot. (A few examples from Goodfellas are on the next page.) They are not perfectly crafted images as many storyboards can be, but instead quick sketches used to communicate his vision of the scene.
Finding the key emotional moments in a scene and being sure to accent them through the camerawork and lighting is essential to good filmic storytelling. It is the subtlety of the cinematography that underscores the mood of the film and it is the director’s responsibility to find whose scene it is and make sure that the camera is capturing the right moment at the right time. It is cinematographer’s job to use the camera and lighting to amplify that key moment in the scene with subtle visuals that will communicate to the audience on an emotional level to visually punctuate the scene.
15. & 15a. Storyboards from Goodfellas
16. & 16a. American Beauty
WHAT A DIRECTOR SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE SCRIPT
1. Make sure the script is in good shape (no typos and in proper format) before giving it to the cinematographer.
2. Have your own ideas about the visual interpretation of the script, such as what is the essence of the film? How do you want to tell the story visually? Be prepared to answer the question of “why” you feel compelled to tell this story?
3. Visit locations with the cinematographers and a director’s viewfinder, take still photographs together, shoot some video to help figure out blocking and composition.
4. Discuss the visual style of the film and the utilization of visual references with the cinematographer and production designer.
5. Shot list and or storyboard with the cinematographer.
6. Test wardrobe, location, and any special situation you are planning in terms of utilization of a photochemical process (like skip bleach). Test anything you are unsure of with the cinematographer.
7. Watch the tests with the cinematographer and discuss the selection of film stock (if you are so inclined).
8. Have an idea of format for shooting and where you are headed for completion.
9. Know the THEME of the film; try to isolate it into a word or two.
