Roger Deakins on going back to celluloid with Hail Caesar

Manu Delpech · January 26, 2016

Variety did an article with a Roger Deakins interview regarding Hail Caesar and his return to film. I'm kinda stunned by what he said.

"So regarding shooting film, did the old anxiety come back, worrying about whether you got the shots while waiting on the lab reports and whatnot?

Well, you know, it’s like they say riding a bike. I can’t ride a bike myself, but I’m sure it’s the same. It’s fine. We did have some problems. We had some stock issues and stuff like that, which was really disconcerting. And I’ve heard that’s happened to a lot of people lately, you know, stock and lab problems. That’s unnerving. I mean I never really remember having those kind of problems before. But it makes me nervous now. I don’t want to do that again, frankly. I don’t think the infrastructure’s there."

Do you ever find yourself trying to convince the Coens to go digital?

I think they were. I don’t really know, but apparently Ethan at some point was talking about shooting the next film digitally. And then it turned around. They’re really debating it. I was in Albuquerque shooting “Sicario” and they were talking about it and they said, “I don’t know how you feel about it, but I think we want to go on film.” And I said, you know, “I don’t mind. I’ll shoot it on a cell phone if you like. I don’t mind. I really don’t.”

Maybe one of these days they’ll go that route.

Oh, I think they will. As I say, just the technical problems with film, I’m sorry, it’s over.

I don't get it, what are those problems with film stocks is he even talking about, availability or something?! (I think I read him commenting on that somewhere before that). Quite a few projects lately are being shot on film without any problem whatsoever, hell, there are a few of them in Sundance right now. I don't know, it kinda sounds to me like he just got used to digital and that going back to film for him feels like a step back, he does sound really biased to me and blaming the infrastructure (once again which seems to be working just fine for many folks) to justify not shooting on film anymore.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Manu Delpech