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Stanley Kubrick


Cris Moris

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Hello

 

Does anyone know who Kubrick's DP was? I looked on IMDB but no one is listed in Full Metal Jacket or Eyes Wide Shut. I know that sometimes he would operate camera but was he DP also?

How do people feel about directing action as well as photography? How many DPs/Directors do that other than film students?

 

Thanks

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I beg you pardon sir, I'm producer,director,DP,camera operator,gaffer for

my own film company-"Film 7 Productions" and I work with one production

assistant,one sound man. Sometimes I write and I'm working on two screen

plays right now. I would'nt have it any other way!

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<<<<How do people feel about directing action as well as photography? How many DPs/Directors do that other than film students?>>>>

 

 

The DP/Director is far more common in the world of commercials and music videos than features. Several professionals Robert Richardson, ASC Darius Khondji, ASC, and in particular Lance Acord, ASC and Malik Hassan Sayeed, serve as both director and DP on commercials. On the music video front, Director Joseph Kahn, Hype Williams and Daniel Pearl have all performed dual roles on several videos. Many times shooting spec spots or videos for our reels leads to a DP taking on both duties, this has certainly become the case with me recently.

 

 

However, I'm of the firm opinion that feature films, with their enormous workload and need for attention to detail are a different beast. Often times it is too much work for the director and DP as two separate persons trying to work as one mind and lead a crew on a feature; much more one person trying to wear both hats for a period of filming that can last from anywhere from two weeks to several months of production, not including pre-production and post work and dealing with the studio and the army of executives, meetings etc. That's probably why directors who are completely in control of the visual approach (and every aspect of their films for that matter) like Kubrick (and I'd add Ridley Scott David Fincher, and Steven Spielberg to this list) could do both, don't. They have the ultimate respect for the role of the cinematographer and filmmaking as a collaborative art.

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I believe that Soderburgh has used a pseudonym and taken DP credit on a number of his films.

 

I'd love to give it go--DP and directing--but would be worried that it'd be too much to think about without some seriously competant and committed assistants. At which point you have to ask yourself, why bother taking both credits other than egotism?

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Peter Hyams is another one, and most recently Derek Vanlint. Germany's Willy Bogner is another, although on his bigger films he has brought in a production DP.

 

Imdb does not mention Smith or Milsome on Kubricks last two as they were both credited as "lighting cameraman" which is an old school British TECHNICIANS credit, implying that the DPs turn up, do there job as a functional service to the auteur and go home.

 

I personally don't agree with directors lighting there own films; operating is fine, but DPing tends (as in the case of "Peter Andrews" Soderbergh and Hyams) to leave a bunch of unsung gaffers doing two or three jobs a show. If not, then everything becomes a compromise, which is great for say something like Dogma, but flat and inexcusable elsewhere.

 

I think the film world has lost some INCREDIBLE DPs over the years who have since become Z-list, talent-absent directors: Jan De Bont, Andrez Sekula, Freddie Francis and Jack Cardiff too became TERRIBLE directors for a while, and it's only when they returned to DPing (Elephant man for example) that we remember why those guys were important to start off with- I am no Janusz Kaminski fan, but once he returned from his directing stint I was overjoyed- it can work though for second unit as with say Peter McDonald, Arthur Wooster and Alex Witt, but even those have had to use DPs more than once due to the pressures and the need to be consistent with quality.

 

Nicholas Roeg, Chris Menges and De Bont's Speed are about the only exceptions, but even when they have been bad, they have been noticably AWFUL- I'm talking drunk hack BAD. for every Don't Look Back and Walkabout there's a The Haunting remake. :ph34r:

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I think Peter Hyams is very underrated - mainly because his films are rarely percieved as brilliant. But they're never really bad, either.

 

Take a look at the beginning of 2010 before they leave earth - gutsy, macho visuals. Very, very similar to that Kimball or brit invasion style we talked about earlier. Lot's of low level, noir-ish, single source light-the-room-not-the-actor-style and smoked sets. I think it's gorgeously shot. And made in 1984, it actually predates all the others in that style.

 

Relic - crap film, but nobody can argue that there's not some gutsy exposure there. It's got to be one of the darkest pushing-the-envelope-of-underexposure-films made. Long before Panic Room.

 

Running Scared - A personal favorite from the 80's with some great gritty, inner-city, sludgy winter visuals with steel grey skies. Very Owen Roizman. Very 70's.

 

Presidio - all I do remember is that it looked quite good.

 

Operation Outland is another one and a personal favorite. Although credited to Goldblatt, everybody knows Hyams shot it mostly himself. Absolutely gorgeous throughout.

 

He would probably be a very sought after DP if he hadn't been directing.

 

Soderbergh's cinematography leaves me cold - it's very KinoFlo, built-into-the-set-lighting that just feels a bit boring. Not vey dynamic.

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I personally don't agree with directors lighting there own films; operating is fine, but DPing tends (as in the case of "Peter Andrews" Soderbergh and Hyams) to leave a bunch of unsung gaffers doing two or three jobs a show.

True, but I do have to give Soderbergh's psuedonym/alter ego Peter Andrew credit for making sure that his gaffer James Plannette's exceptional contribution in setting up and executing the film's lighting is noted in articles and that Plannette is quoted quite prominently in interviews, such as AC.

 

In the cases of the DPs turned Directors you listed, do you think that perhaps their the desire to direct a feature may have clouded their judgement when it came to assessing the strength of the screenplay? You know, the rationale of " well I know this isn't the best thing I've ever read, but it's an opportunity..." kind of thinking?

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What's the story behind Outland? I have always felt that Goldblatt's CV has been a choppy mixed bag (although I'm loving his DI'd recent work for HBO and such- Conspiracy was fantastic). I know Hyams shot a lot of the model unit too, although a lot of the model lighting was done by an uncredited late Bob Kindred.

 

I do agree that 2010 is nothing short of stunning, especially considering this guy had to follow up Unsworth singlehandedly and the result is TOTALLY indebted to the David Watkin look (most of the film was shot on a 400ASA stock illuminated by skypans bounced off of the MGM studio walls and with untouched practicals). Coming after The Hunger, Cat People, Duellists, Flashdance, (or any Human League music video) etc. it certainly didn't predate any 80s commericals trends.

 

Running Scared IS superbly shot, I'll give you that, but like the direction and score (LOL- Rod Temperton joining the 80s music superproducer turned film composer bandwagon) it is highly derivitive- the low light thing is totally mid 80s Don Peterman, Ric Waite or Bruce Surtees cop movie generica.

 

In the cases of the DPs turned Directors you listed, do you think that perhaps their the desire to direct a feature may have clouded their judgement when it came to assessing the strength of the screenplay?  You know, the rationale of " well I know this isn't the best thing I've ever read, but it's an opportunity..." kind of thinking?

 

Oh for sure, but that's just it- they are doing it as an option sans integrity. It's a comfort zone "why not?" option. I think Michael Chapman (Clan of the Cave Bear anyone??) said it best "everyone should direct a film" just to see how much a director needs support and collaboration- I'm 100% with you on that one too, Wendell.

 

Barry Sonnenfeld is another one who is just, myugh- he's just Rob Reiner meets Tim Burton; I loved Adams Family and Men In Black, but the rest? Pissshh... Give me MISERY or Blood Simple ANYday...

 

I personally find DPs to make far better producers- take Peter Newbrook and Ronald Neame for example. And please forgive the latter for Meteor. ;) Blithe Spirit, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and In Which We Serve are GREAT looking films- and it all seems to come naturally :) I think DPs overall have to have such a wide understanding of production from the actors to all the technical logisitics, plus cameras and light DOMINATE production costs making it only a natural progression to move into overseeing the production. I'm sure I've just scared a few DPs here actually very comfortable with their ONE highly stressful on-set role ;)

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I have a very small production company, Film 7 Productions. I write most

of the scripts,produce,direct,dp,camera operator,gaffer. I have one production

assistant,one soundman. I've been a professional photogragher for over 20 yrs,

so having that experience is a tremendous help to me and in some ways helps

with cinematography. I want to be a cinematographer and my goal is to serve

as a dp for independent films(free lancer) helping and working with new film-

makers. I'm also in the medical field and I work five days in medicine to have

five days for my production company. For five days I manage ventilator pati-

ents in a long term acute care hospital. Have you read anything,any quotes

from Mr. Conrad Hall? I quote: Interviewer-You are one of a growing number

of cinematographers who wants to direct? Mr. Conrad Hall- "Filmaking is like

a compass;it's a circle with a lot of points. Each one of those points are the

crafts that make up the whole film. I feel that once you're inside that circle,

you can be drawn to any one of those points and still stay in the business.

They're all interesting points and you hit as many as you want to hit and have

time to hit in a lifetime. I just get interested in other points. I mean, I love cin-

eamatography. It was accidental that I began at that point. If fate was different

at the time,I might have been a director or have changed from that and become

cinematographer if I had'nt been suited for it" (quote Mr. Conrad Hall,"Masters

of Light"). Just think of all those points that are on the compass.

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I spent ten years after high school directing, shooting, and editing my own projects before I specialized in cinematography; it's something I fell into during graduate film school. But considering my obsessive reading of old American Cinematographer issues back in my undergrad years, I guess it was a no brainer to head in that direction...

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I'm sure glad you did David,you truly stand for all the things that the ASC

stands for. I've learned so much from your posts and I appreciate them.

Thank you for taking the time that you do to teach and help all of us here

on the forum.

 

 

Greg Gross

Student Cinematographer

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