Jump to content

PTA as his own DP for 'Phantom Thread'


Recommended Posts

  • Premium Member

I think it's smart of him to try, why not? I've always said, if you know what you want and you're experienced, all you really need is a good gaffing team and camera team, the 'DP' is more of a creative role at that point. I think it's going to look just like every other PT Anderson movie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've wondered, when a director does this, does he have to walk around with a light meter and decide what exposure he wants, how many fixtures he's going to need to expose the scene, decisions about diffusion and color temperature, or will he leave all the real work to someone else?

 

I can understand someone like Reed Morano being her own DP when she's directing, because she's done it for a very long time, and she's pretty damn good at it. Even Stanley Kubrick, knowledgable as he was, he still hired a DP that he could use as his own little puppet to get things done more efficiently.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steven Soderbergh makes a pretty good job of it as Peter Andrews.. and edits under the name Mary Ann Bernard .. on his films.. although I think this was to do with credits and the unions..

I saw some making of video and he openly admitted to not being the best DP and even showed some scenes he wished he had lit better.. I think it was one of the Ocean films.. I was really surprised when he said all the casino interiors there was no lighting at all.. I,d seen the film before and thought it looked pretty good.. and presumed there must have been a few big HMI,s in those scenes .. but apparently nothing..I would guess alot of DP,s would have spent quite a few hours lighting it.. or some days !..

 

If it works it works I guess.. but I think there are only a few directors who could do it and not let something suffer along the way.. Im not sure if he operated the camera too.. ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even Stanley Kubrick, knowledgable as he was, he still hired a DP that he could use as his own little puppet to get things done more efficiently.

Which of Kubrick's DPs do you mean? John Alcott? Geoffrey Unsworth? Russell Metty?

Have you even heard of Oswald Morris?

Look them up. Then you can decide who was whose "puppet".

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Which of Kubrick's DPs do you mean? John Alcott? Geoffrey Unsworth? Russell Metty?

Have you even heard of Oswald Morris?

Look them up. Then you can decide who was whose "puppet".

I was referring to Douglas Milsome, I remember watching a Full Metal Jacket documentary where Stanley threatened to fire over him over lens choice.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kubrick had a rather dry sense of humour, another line he used with Douglas Milsome,was that he couldn't light a match.regarding the lighting on one scene..Milsome had worked for many years as a 1st AC on Kubrick films, so I suspect he knew how to handle Kubrick in these show downs..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Kubrick and Milsome had a long relationship over a couple of films, so I suspect, as Brian was saying, that Kubrick was not serious about firing Milsome.

 

He did threaten to fire Lucien Ballard on the first set-up in "The Killing" (Kubrick's first time not doing his own cinematography), or at least, told him to leave if he couldn't follow instructions, when Ballard did a set-up on a 35mm instead of the 25mm that Kubrick asked for. But besides Kubrick being right, that moment was about Kubrick proving to Ballard that he knew what he was doing and was in charge, and after that, Ballard respected Kubrick. Considering Ballard worked a lot with Peckinpah, he clearly knew how to get along with tough directors.

 

I think Kubrick could have shot his own features, but the fact that he didn't tells you something -- I suspect there were two main issues for Kubrick: (1) directing is time-consuming enough so adding the duties of cinematographer to the work day is not always time efficient, despite Kubrick's long schedules; (2) Kubrick had a healthy-enough ego to like collaboration with talented cinematographers and production designers, he wasn't someone who just decided everything in advance for every department, he wanted their ideas and knowledge, to the point of almost indecision.

 

Kubrick believed that it was a mistake for a director to make decisions too early because a better idea might come along later. So if anything, the reason why production designers and cinematographers would later decline to work again with Kubrick was just that it was too draining, Kubrick wanted more than 100% of their time, their ideas, their knowledge. James Cameron called Kubrick a "brain vampire". So Kubrick's form of directorial control wasn't about avoiding collaboration.

 

As for other directors doing their own cinematography, it's similar to them doing their own writing, or own editing, whatever -- some are more talented at that than others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was referring to Douglas Milsome, I remember watching a Full Metal Jacket documentary where Stanley threatened to fire over him over lens choice.

 

Which doc is this? Assuming the stuff Vivian Kubrick shot? I don't remember that bit.

 

I think by the time of Eyes Wide Shut Kubrick was effectively his own DP.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I don't think it looks bad. Maybe not "finished" well in terms of the coloring and there is some "novice" looking things in there, but without context, we don't know.

 

It doesn't look bad but below to my expectations from Pta

and Tyler do you remember i ask you a question from other topic that nowadays even photochemical finish movies kinda start to look digital, i feel the same thing for trailer. Of course ıt's not the right come to a conclusion from trailer...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

and Tyler do you remember i ask you a question from other topic that nowadays even photochemical finish movies kinda start to look digital, i feel the same thing for trailer. Of course ıt's not the right come to a conclusion from trailer...

Techniques have changed, it's that simple. What was in 30 years ago, is not "in" today.

 

There is a certain elegance in the old fashion way of doing things, but it's also a lot SLOWER and people frankly don't have the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Paul Thomas Anderson Is Not the DP of 'Phantom Thread'. No One Is.

Phantom Thread has no cinematographer.

 

http://nofilmschool.com/2017/11/paul-thomas-anderson-not-dp-phantom-thread

http://ew.com/movies/2017/11/02/phantom-thread-paul-thomas-anderson-interview/

 

There’s a lot of excitement among your fans that you’re serving as your own director of photography on this.
I should really clarify that. That would be disingenuous and just plain wrong to say that I was the director of photography on the film. The situation was that I work with a group of guys on the last few films and smaller side projects. Basically, in England, we were able to sort of work without an official director of photography. The people I would normally work with were unavailable, and it just became a situation where we collaborated — really in the best sense of the word — as a team. I know how to point the camera in a good direction, and I know a few things. But I’m not a director of photography.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...