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10 Tips from Master Cinematographer Roger Deakins

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10 Tips from Master Cinematographer RogerDeakins

BY JOHNATHANPAUL

NOVEMBER 10,2015

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Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins shareshis insight, wisdom, and experience. Learn from a truemaster with these top 10 tips.Top Image via The Film Stage

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vMost film and video pros are familiar with Roger Deakins. We recently highlighted the mastercinematographer when we covered the ins and outs of framing a medium shot. If for somereason you’re unsure of his legacy, Roger Deakins has earned 12 Oscar nominations for hiswork on such films as Shawshank Redemption, A Beautiful Mind, Skyfall, and almost everyCoen Brothers film since Barton Fink.

Image: Production Location for Skyfall, via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005683/http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/how-to-frame-a-medium-shot-like-a-master-cinematographer/http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/how-to-frame-a-medium-shot-like-a-master-cinematographer/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005683/awards?ref_=nm_awdhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111161/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268978/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1074638/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101410/



Luckily for us, Deakins loves connecting with other cinematographers and giving advicewhenever he can. He does most of this through his website forum where he answers questionsand give tips, tricks, and general advice. Cinematographers from around the world flock to hissite hoping to learn more about their craft.

We’ve pulled a few of our favorite cinematography tips straight from the cinema master’s mouth.We believe these useful tips will aid you as you embark on your career or your next production.

1. Learn to Be Selective

Image from By The Dart

Before you begin a new project, make sure this project is actually something you want to takeon. Make sure it’s something that you believe in. Be selective with any project you latch on to,because as Roger Deakin mentions in this article from the BBC, you’re going to be on thisproject for a long time.

Roger Deakins, what advice do you have for aspiring Cinematographers?

I’m picky about the sort of material I want to work with, always have been. Butusually I’m drawn to scripts that are about characters, I don’t have a love of doingaction movies. It is really important to choose which projects you are going to workon carefully. You are going to be on a film for a long time.

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http://www.rogerdeakins.com/forum2/index.phphttp://www.bythedart.co.uk/living-in-dartmouth/people/deakins,-roger---cbe,-renowned-cinematographer-and-kingswear/http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-26987466https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zroANjaiZeQ



Video from Cinefii Channel

2. The Importance of Lighting

Image: Fantastic lighting from No Country For Old Men via IMDb

Lighting is king for cinematographers. The way you light a scene greatly effects how theaudience reacts to that scene. In fact, Roger Deakins says that great lighting begins with the

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7AlyA6LHBhChFYAqArIluAhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477348/http://www.rogerdeakins.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?t=2417



script. Keep this in mind when picking your color and lighting. Discuss the scene with thedirector and find out what they want the audience to gain from the scene.

3. Embrace Documentary

When working with documentary film, you have to be quick on your feet. You’ve got to find theaction and frame it at any given moment. This is definitely something that has aided RogerDeakins throughout his career.

Roger Deakins on Cinematography at AFI FEST presented by Audi

So, on the one hand, you need to light a space so you can see the actors – but,more than that, you are creating a mood, you are creating a world for those actorsto inhabit and for the audience to get submersed in. Lighting is one of the mostimportant aspects of any great film.

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You work with the light that’s available and create something with what you have athand. It teaches you how to be quick in terms of setting the frame and finding theangle and reading what’s happening – reading the development of what’s going onin front of you.

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http://www.rogerdeakins.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?t=2417http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/6-filmmaking-tips-from-roger-deakins.phphttp://filmschoolrejects.com/features/6-filmmaking-tips-from-roger-deakins.phphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-t86igA8o



Video from AFIFEST

4. Stay With the Character and Story

Image: Jeff Bridges in True Grit via IMDb

Not every shot needs to be a jaw-dropping exercise in masterful composition. Sometimes youneed to reign it in and go back to the basics, allowing the characters and the story to drive thenarrative and keep the audience engaged.

5. Don’t Compromise Performance

There’s nothing worse than an ostentatious shot or some lighting that drawsattention to itself, and you might go, ‘Oh, wow, that’s spectacular.’ Or thatspectacular shot, a big crane move, or something. But it’s not necessarily right forthe film — you jump out, you think about the surface, and you don’t stay in therewith the characters and the story. – Roger Deakins via Screen Writing from Iowa

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_J3xH6qEGWmeFPiWe1E4Awhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000313/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/http://a-bittersweet-life.tumblr.com/post/68884614897/filmmaking-wisdom-from-roger-deakinshttps://screenwritingfromiowa.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/10-cinematography-tips-roger-deakins/



Image: Scene from Prisoners via Alcon Entertainment.

This is really an extension of the previous tip, but it’s so vital that it needs its own spot on thelist. The main idea: Don’t compromise the actor’s performance for a perfect shot.

Instead, capture the performance the actor gives you in the best way you can. You’ll find (asDeakins has mentioned in past interviews) that a great performance can mask a bad shot.

Legendary filmmaker Terrence Malick has a reputation for filming the performance. He andcinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki allowed the actors on The Tree of Life to move right intotheir performance freely, and it was there they would capture the footage they needed. Whilesome scenes were storyboarded, most of the footage was done in a very cinema-verite style.

THE TREE OF LIFE Featurette: Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki

In the end a film can look lousy but work because of a great performance but not theother way round. That’s something always worth remembering.

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Video from FoxSearchlight

6. Find Your Style

Image: Deakins on the set of The Village

It’s likely you have one or two master filmmakers that you just absolutely love, but make sureyou aren’t just copying what those filmmakers do. Incorporate their techniques into your own

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCor9rW6PgxSQ9vUPWQdnaYQhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368447/https://stillmotionblog.com/voice/



style while working toward finding your cinematic voice.

7. Tech Is Good, but Don’t Forget You’re Telling a Story

Filmmakers need to be on the cutting edge of technology. But there’s one thing more importantthan each and every piece of technology or equipment: the story. Without a compelling story, allof your amazingly composed shots will fall on deaf ears.

Roger Deakins has a very similar philosophy and has mentioned on several occasions thatstorytelling is still the most important thing you need to remember as a cinematographer. He hasstated that while technology changes rapidly, the way he frames and tells a story neverchanges. This is an important lesson for any cinematographer.

Roger Deakins, what is the most important aspect of film making?

You can’t learn your craft by copying me or anyone else. I hope what I do can do isin some way inspire others but I would be appalled if I though my work was beingstudied as ‘the right way to do the job’. – Roger Deakins via Revl8.

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I know the visuals are vitally important, after all this IS a visual medium but it’s notjust about a little black box with a lens stuck on the front, it’s about the skill of theperson operating it but even more importantly it’s the story and how you executeit that really matters.

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https://stillmotionblog.com/voice/https://filmcameracourse.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/1296/http://nofilmschool.com/2014/04/top-10-cinematography-tips-from-dp-roger-deakinshttp://nofilmschool.com/2014/04/top-10-cinematography-tips-from-dp-roger-deakinshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7hUUVSvCsohttp://revl8.tumblr.com/post/55588946847/20-cinematography-film-making-tips-by-roger



Video from Cinefii Channel

8. Choose Your Location Wisely

Image: Deakins on the set of A Serious Man

Location, location, location. Where you decide to film a scene is incredibly important to the finalproduct on screen. If you’re working with a small budget, then finding optimal locations will bekey for you. But even if you have a large-scale budget, this same advice applies. The locationwill determine what lenses, lighting, and camera setup you use.

9. The Film Is the Director’s Film

First and foremost, cinematographers need to know that filmmaking is a collaborative art form.At the end of the day, they are responsible for framing the film as the director envisioned. Doesthis mean that a cinematographer needs to be silent and only do what the director asks?Absolutely not.

You should engage and offer opinions and suggestions, but as Roger Deakins said, “Every film

I would suggest the choice of location is the most important one if you have littlemoney in the budget for lights. You might consider the films of Terry Malick. Theyutilize very few artificial sources.

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7AlyA6LHBhChFYAqArIluAhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019452/https://screenwritingfromiowa.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/10-cinematography-tips-roger-deakins/https://screenwritingfromiowa.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/10-cinematography-tips-roger-deakins/http://www.theblackandblue.com/2012/12/10/roger-deakins-advice/



is the Director’s film and we must never lose sight of that.”

Video from Film and Digital Times

10. Be Social and Get to Know People

Image From Left: Brad Pitt, Joel Coen, and Roger Deakins via ASC

Ever heard someone swear that “It’s all about who you know?” Well, it’s true.

https://vimeo.com/fdtimeshttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000093/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001054/?ref_=nv_sr_1http://www.theasc.com/site/news/roger-deakins-persistent-vision-opens-in-l-a/



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As a cinematographer and filmmaker, you’ll never be able to move your way up to bigger andbetter things on your own. You need to be social and connect with people. This practice will alsohelp you when you’re going into production. Because you have quality interaction with people,you can take those experiences and apply them to your project.

What are your favorite pearls of wisdom for cinematographers? Share your advice in thecomments below!

… cinematography, filmmaking, Inspiration, Roger Deakins, videoproduction

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Guilad Kahn • 1 year ago

This is a very good article, and not just for young DoP's.

My 2 extra cents:- Always be humble, never get your ego or credit list get thebetter of you. - Be open to learn every day from anyone, but know how toselect good advice from the bad.

- Know what's important, don't complain about what isn't.- Respect the other departments, but never let them dictateyour shot.

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