Over at vimeo.com you can see a collection of other DPs showreels. Enjoy and learn.

Interesting short interview with director/DP Steven Sonderberg on his approach to lighting on his newest film, Girlfriend Experience. He added light on only 2 shots, the rest is done with available/natural light. Shot on RED one.

Found a great article by BSC and ASC member Roger Deakins, one of my favourite Directors of Photography.

With all our modern inventions and innovations, there are few films that manage to achieve the “quality” of Citizen Kane, though there are many that have far less grain and considerably higher resolution.

Every shot I have ever made has been a compromise in some way. That’s a sweeping statement, but true nonetheless. No image has ever been as good as the one I envisioned in my mind’s eye. Maybe that’s what keeps me going: just once, I want to see that image onscreen!

There has always been a disregard for preservation, whether it’s preservation of a historic site, the Dodo, the polar bear, or a film like Sid and Nancy.

The animators who “photographed” [Wall-E] worked in a three-dimensional world and covered the action in much the same way as a live-action film, but the directors of photography, Danielle Feinberg (lighting) and Jeremy Lasky (camera) – separate positions you might note – used no emulsion, no Fresnel lamps or diffusion, no Steadicam, no geared head, nor any other live-action tool. Nevertheless, theirs was a stunning cinematographic achievement. It’s true they had an advantage – they never had to battle fading daylight, conceal a light’s source or hide dolly tracks – but I would not hesitate to recommend them for ASC membership.

Read the full article here.

There are a couple of grades in the cameraman’s world. Sometimes they get confused. If you look at some low, low budget films with a crew of 3, you will often find a “Director of Photography” in the endcredits. To help with finding out what your proper job title should be, here comes an alternative definition – with a slightly humorous angle.

Camera operator: You arrive on set with your eyes. A technician has already set up the camera.
Cameraman: All your gear fits in one or two bags. You do all the lugging. No assistants.
Lighting Cameraman: All your gear fits in the trunk of a station wagon. You help with lugging, with a good chance of you doing most of it. If you are lucky, you have one or two assistants.
Director of Photography: The gear takes up a couple of trucks, or at least a van. You arrive on set with only your light- and spotmeter. Assistants swarm around you.

Personally, I am at the lighting cameraman stage.

In the beginning God created the DP.
God saw the DP and said he was good.
The DP saw God and said: “Turn your head, I’d rather have it back-lit.”
God said:”But I am God!”
The DP said:”I don’t care who you are. Front-lighting is no good.”
And God turned his head.

1. Save on food
   Budget properly for catering. The more so if your crew is underpaid. The more so, the longer the shoot is.
   Doesn’t cost much more, but does wonders for crew morale.
2. 16 hour days, 5 days a week
   Just because this film is the No.1 priority for you, doesn’t mean it is for everyone else on set. Not only does the crew have a right to a life as well, and not only do they need to be able to work on their next film, but overworking the crew makes you liable for accidents that may – and eventuall will – happen.
   If all these arguments don’t count: My experience is that 6 days with 16 hours are not more productive than 5 days with 10 hours.
3. Concentrate on the money shots
   While nice for marketing and your show-reel, the audience will only sit through your film if it is good in its entity, not just some scenes.
4. Who needs a DP – I can buy a camera instead?
   An experienced cameraman will free you to concentrate on telling the story by giving your actors good instructions. An experienced cameraman will speed up the production by knowing what to shoot, what will work visually, which lenses to use, which stock to use, and many more things that you have never heard of. more…

Art, just like life, has always been evolving. New tools arrive, adding to the possible ways of expression. Looking at a video that compresses 500 years of painting female portraits into 3 minutes, and knowing that cinematography is a mere 100 years old, I am excited about the future.

What’s the difference between God and a DP? more…

In the beginning God created the DP.
God saw the DP and said he was good.
The DP saw God and said: “Turn your head, I´d rather have it back-lit.”
God said:”But I am God!”
The DP said:”I don’t care who you are. Front-lighting is no good.”
And God turned his head.