Inspiration Sources

[kaiyill]

Hi Roger,

I was wondering what you believe to be the best source of inspiration for camera positioning and focal length besides other films. I know you mentioned in an interview that you have resorted to particular painters for room composition inspiration, but can anything take the place of an actual film? I find myself stuck trying to think about where to place the camera sometimes and I feel like it’s because I haven’t seen enough movies or observed enough examples of similar instances. Best regards.

Topic

[bardanmcguire]

I can’t find the post at the moment but a few months ago I asked Roger a question on practicing cinematography.

He gave me a great but of advice to see and study paintings and go to art museums and observe paintings. Something along those lines.

Over the past few months I’ve visited the national gallery in Dublin many times and I also spent a few days in the national gallery in London, every time I go to each museum I try to understand the compositions of what paintings I like as much as I can, see how to light is interpreted, how the painter stages their subjects, use of colour, where focus lies and where my eyes are drawn. I try to fully take the painting in and understand it as deeply as I can than I try to implement what I learn from paintings and apply it to my own work.

My own personal work has improved greatly since I started studying paintings. My films look better now than when I was primarily studying films, television photography for composition.

Not to devalue the composition of images in film, television or photography but much more work (usually) goes into a painting than a shot in film. It takes longer to produce a painting so more care and thought (again, usually) goes into them.

 

I don’t pay and attention to modern art, just classical paintings.

[Roger Deakins]

I have and would also recommend studying the work of still photographers. Alex Webb, Harry Gruyaert, Georgieo Pinkhassov stand out for their color work. Photography is a different medium and it is hard to use such complex compositions as Alex often does in a film frame. Films are made in cuts and complex compositions could lead to sensory overload. But their work is inspirational nonetheless.

[bardanmcguire]

Do you have any favourite painters Roger?

[Roger Deakins]

Edvard Munch, George Bellows, George Inness, Oscar Kokoschka, William Blake, Henry Fiseli, L. S. Lowry, Wassily Kandinsky, Otto Dix and more.

[LucaM]

I find a bit curious the fact that your shots are famous for their natural look, but you often mention among your influences expressionist and abstract painters , that are not naturalistic by definition. A guess is it an influence on istinct and emotions, more than on visual style?

[Roger Deakins]

Curios? You answer yourself. I find inspiration from being emotionally engaged with an image rather than admiring it for its technical representation of what might be considered ‘real’.

[Author]

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