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directors and cinematographers


Daniel Carruthers

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It may be the obvious or a naive comment. My only analogy is, is it the batter or the game that is provided for them to excel. How much ratio for a look can be divided up for the director/ cameraman project? Is a cameraman destined to be obsequious to the director in terms of the look of the product? When you kids look at your work, how much of it do you feel the director is responsible for? Do you think that percentage, ratio can translate to these couplings? In my limited experience, I have only worked with a few body?s that I have felt was a true partnership in the product.

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I find that the director has to "enable" me to do my best work, because without their support, I won't get the support from the production, which means I won't have the control over the elements (schedule, locations, time of day, equipment, post, etc.) for me to fully express my creative intent.

 

Some directors may pay lip-service to a DP's creative ideas, but on the day leave them hanging as soon as a producer says that they can't have this or that and the director gives up without a fight because he really doesn't care as much about the image as the DP does. So I need a visual director who backs me up and fights along with me for what elements we need to achieve the right look. And I'm not necessarily talking about an expensive approach, just how the time & budget is prioritized and balanced.

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Ha ha, good one Tim. I'm still perpetually impressed by how Soderbergh is able to function as both DP and Director on set, and yet he's still able to give his actors some great direction towards what have generally been brilliant performances.

 

Going off topic a bit: in some ways it may be easier for him to coach the actors as he is looking through the camera himself and he is right there with the actors. He is not off the set watching a monitor.

 

Having never worked on one of his jobs I suspect he has a greater trusting relationship with his gaffer, key grip and camera assistants than most.

 

 

Best

 

Tim

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  • 4 weeks later...
Ha ha, good one Tim. I'm still perpetually impressed by how Soderbergh is able to function as both DP and Director on set, and yet he's still able to give his actors some great direction towards what have generally been brilliant performances.

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing "The Good German", especially considering the technical rules of "old studio days" that he adhered to during production.

 

Oh but look, I've gone off topic...here:

 

Jeunet & Caro w/ Khondji

 

I think it's cool that Soderbergh does that. However, when he's both director/D.P., does

anybody

know if he meters less than say the typical D.P. might in the sense that he tells the gaffer

what he wants and leaves a lot more of the metering/balancing up to the gaffer, then comes

back, says okay (or not) and does he operate the camera? Is he a union D.P.?

 

 

"especially considering the technical rules of "old studio days" that he adhered to during

production." This sounds ectremely interesting. Could you elaborate/explain?

 

Thanks.

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