TRUE GRIT

[octopoli]

Finally true grit out in the UK.
Finally a good looking print for the UK market.
I thought it had some amazing close ups and a beautiful feel. I did weirdly feel the film felt more clunky than what I am used to from the coens particularly towards the end. I had too much expectation I think. Personally I think if is a great looking film and at times amazingly brilliant but to me not the most organized film I have seen from the coens and I felt the score let the imagery down . Still roger rocked out

[juan namnun]

just read on deadline Hollywood that "true grit" won the bafta awards for best cinematography!
congratulations roger!
did anybody now how it went on the asc awards?

[juan namnun]

when i saw the first day exteriors of "inception" i thought: that movie will win the oscar for best cinematography...never imagined it would win the asc awards over "true grit"

[Ashley Wing]

I enjoyed True Grit. I liked the characters and I thought Hailee Steinfeld's performance was impressive - I believe she's younger than the age of the character she played which is a testiment to her developiong skills. While I enjoyed the movie I'm not sure I could put this on par with Jesse James and for me personally that might be because of the story. It also felt very 'safe' compared to some of the other Coen movies which I wasn't expecting. Perhaps my expectations were set too high?

I was really blown away by how different you made True Grit look and feel compared to No Country, the landscapes and terrain seemed to be very similar, yet it looked very original in comparison. In fact, I'd go as far to say this of all your films, they all feel very independent, Jarhead seemed to avoid repitition despite the vast landscape.

I actually liked the greenscreen shot with the dummy horse. Intentional or not it didn't look real, but it felt very in keeping with the scene as Mattie's lucid state fades in and out. It reminded me of some of the techniques used in the classics and because of that it fit very well here within the western genre. I forgot to mention - Jeff Bridges was amazing, even though one or two lines escaped me through the gruffness of his voice.

Like I said I did enjoy True Grit, it didn't hit the high bar for me but somewhere in the middle. As always, looking forward to the next!

EDIT: Also... the opening was fantastic! And despite my rambkings above it's one of my favourite for a long long time. I also loved the score. Not sure who the composer was but I thought he did a great job.

[ken willinger]

Just wanted to say thanks for your good work. I saw TG tonight and really enjoyed the beautiful photography. The night scenes are very rich. The compositions are beautifully constructed. The lighting is moving. An all around inspiration in cinematography. Maybe someday...

[Marco]

Saw "True Grit" a couple of days ago on Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale) and it was a nice 4k-projection. Great movie, I think everybody in the cinema enjoyed it...couple of minutes of applause at the end, with a raising loudness at the Coens, Rogers and the actors names

[juan namnun]

how many "day for night"sequences does "true grit" had?
love the film!thanks!very nice soundtrack
did you use lightning equipment on some of the rivers scenes?

[Roger]

There is no day for night work in 'True Grit' though there was some stage work that we did with a set to match our location.
For the river sequence I was using some bounce material but a lamp only once.

[Kurt]

I just saw a digital screening of the film. For once, I had the impression that the projector was too bright. Especially the night scenes were very 'readable' and quite lit (certainly much more than e.g. the night scene in 'No Country For Old Men'. Can you give an idea, for example the night scene at the cabin where they meet the gang for the first time, on what stop the key light on Jeff would fall?

I'm sorry if this goes too far, but I could -if necessary- adjust the mental picture I have of the film. Screen size wasn't immense, so if not probably adjusted, I can very well imagine this kind of thing happening.

Needless to say I'm very fond of the film.

[juan namnun]

thanks for the answer
ive read about the wonderful climax and the need for studio work.
and have an idea about when you use the lamp on the river sequence(the close up of the girl and blackie)
really surprised about the absence of day for night work as the night sequences were so well lit, i guess you have an splendid team working with you.
just seen "rango" thought it looks better than your both previous movies as a visual consultant.

[Roger]

The way the night exteriors were lit for 'True Grit' was somewhat softer than those for 'No Country....' but the density of the image was much the same. It was important to see the faces and the action in 'True Grit' so the scenes are not that dark but I does sound like you were viewing it with bright projection.
There was one shot at the river, which we did as a green screen shot. This was a close up of Mattie as the horse gains its footing on the far bank. I think that and a close shot on the near side were the only lit shots.

[citizen yo]

roger, I'm curious to know, what work are you happier with in terms of photography? true grit or no country ?

[Roger]

I would think 'No Country..', but they are very different films. 'True Grit' was a much harder shoot in terms of its schedule and the weather we had to deal with so I am pleased the film turned out as well as it did even if it has many faults.

[citizen yo]

Agreed. as a matter of fact, among the films you photographed, I think no country is your best work (as well as the coens') if you ask me.

[Seth Iliff]

Mr. Deakins-

Thank you for your wonderful work. I had a chance to see TG again in the theater before its gone and I took some notes. If you don't mind, I have a few questions about your preferences. It would help me greatly in my craft to try out your techniques in the future.

In Int. situations where there is a daylight and tungsten source, I noticed the daylight was white and tungsten, warm. Because I can't tell if you're on a stage or not, do you prefer lighting from the exterior with HMIs, and in the interior creating a source with a Tungsten unit, cooling it off? Or warming up an HMI unit in the interior for the tungsten source light? Have you ever noticed a difference in the quality of light between an HMI and a Tungsten unit?

I particularly loved the warm sources (Rooster's on the stand, and the reverse of the lawyer) in the courtroom scene that I felt you were motivating them from the pools of daylight through the windows onto the hardwood floors. Did you bounce off of muslin for the source? It felt very 'earthy' to me. If so, do you prefer muslin indoors, and ultrabounce (or equivalent) for outdoors?

For exteriors, say Rooster and Mattie on horse on a sunny day, what size bounce (12'x12', 24'x24', etc) will you typically set up to fill in? And on the tracking shots, did that bounce travel too?

For the nighttime scenes, did you ever have the colorist adjust the moonlight from bluish to something a little more cyan? I felt I sensed that in the scene when Rooster and Mattie are on the mountainside waiting for LaBeef and the gang to show up.

You're work inspires me even in my lowest times, and I thank you for taking the time to answer all these questions! I have more, but I will try to discover the answers for myself.