Visualizing

[Rizzy]

Hello Roger Deakins,

I was wondering if you’d be able to talk a bit about your experience of visualizing, particularly on films where you have done a fair bit of prep, such as your work with Sam Mendes and Denis Villeneuve. How clear is your minds image after a first script read? Do you find a particular image or feeling shapes and guides everything or is it more general? Are you already thinking about lights and composition or more the general scene? How close is what you create on the day to what you were imagining? Is the day about discovering something that has been elusive?

Sorry if that’s a lot of questions! I’m just very curious about this and it’s quite a complex and large process to sum up in one question.

All the best! And eternally grateful to you and James for the Team Deakins podcast.

Topic

[glick]

Hello,

I’m new here (and to the podcast, which is great). I’m really interested in this topic as well.

 

[Stip]

He answers most (or maybe all?) of these questions in the latest Q&A video on their YouTube channel, e.g. he does not visualize much of a script before having talked to the director about his/her vision.

[dmullenasc]

I think the trick for most cinematographers is actually to NOT visualize a script while reading it for the first time!

[quijotesco24]

I’ve never understood how someone can read anything, a script or a novel, and not visualise it in their minds. I think visualisation is inherent to any human when we read, so, imagine someone who has devoted his/her life to create images!

I think the lesson here is not to not visualise but to not force any preconceived ideas when you read something, at least, be open to other interpretations, mix your own visualisation with others’, a film is a creative process by a bunch of people so create it together.

Even if I heard it before few times I always find hard to believe DPs come to director meetings without a visualisation after they have read the script. One thing is to have a visualisation and not force it or try to sell it right away and the other is not having one at all. Actually if you as the DP have been invited to the meeting is because someone thought your visualisation of the script is somehow worth to listen, so have one.

This goes hand in hand with some previous discussions here about each person own style and work methods. You, whatever like it or not, have one and if you are there is because of it.

[Author]

Replies