TRANSITIONS BLOG POST: EXPLORE

EXPLORE

The job role that I want to focus on during transitions is Director of Photography this is a job role that I am really keen on and have done a lot of work experience in the past either shadowing a DoP or being one myself. In this blog, I will explain what it takes to become a Director of Photography by looking into the industry, specific skills, and responsibilities, DoP's that I find inspirational, the first steps in the industry, and then finally how would a DoP get their showreel noticed.


DoP and their responsibilities and what does it take to be a DoP in the industry:

Director of Photography (DoP) is the role that not many people recognise straight away, most people would be able to name their favourite director straight away, but it's the DoP that is a vital part of the way the film looks they help get the director vision to life through the camera. The DoP has to think about a lot of things during production like composition, exposure, lighting, filters, and camera movements that would best suit the director's vision. The director of Photography is the head of the camera department and the lighting crews on set, and they must also decide the right lenses to be used for a shoot. The Director of Photography would normally be in charge with just leading his department and lightning crews they normally do not actually use the camera themselves they would instruct a camera operator to do this for them, however in our case, I will also be the camera operator, this can be done in the industry because it is done by the likes of Roger Deakin.

So what does it take to be a DoP in the industry? Firstly, they must be able to take control when needed, but it is vital that they can communicate properly to their team if this is not done correctly then the production might fail and you would fail at providing the director with their story. Roughly 90% of any production a DoP will work on will be purely pre-production work, which is where they would work closely with the director to get the right style for the production. In my case, I will be working closely with Ethan to make sure that we both get the right style for the production. However, during production is where we are working our hardest as we have a list of jobs that must be done in order to get everything perfect:

• Block Shots - working with the director to map out how a scene will be shot.

When Shooting: Below is a list of what must be done before as it is their job to direct the camera and lighting crews:

• Composition and framing - How everything is placed and arranged within the camera's frame
• Exposure - How much light is being let into the camera (to get the correct lighting)
• Lens and filters - The DP will choose which lens would suit the scene best depending on how it will affect the story (for example a more emotional scene would recommend a lens that is specific for close-ups) 
• Camera movements - The DP would instruct what camera movements he wants the camera operator to do throughout the scene.
• Go over rushes  - once filming is done they will go through every take and decide which ones are best for the editor.

Skills a Director of Photography needs:

It is important that the director of photography knows what they are doing because it is their job to manipulate the audience's emotions by using the camera "... know how to tell a story through a shot, understand camera and lighting techniques, know how to use them to affect emotions" (ScreenSkills, n.d). There are 6 main skills that a DoP must have:

1. Photography
2. Technical knowledge of cameras
3. Editing Knowledge
4. Making decisions
5. Organisation 
6. Communication

If the DoP lacked in any of these skills it would be noticeable through their work, in this industry, you can not 'wing it' you must have the knowledge to succeed and to get you to work noticed otherwise you would fail.

Define the skills and its responsibilities in relation to the kind of production I am doing:

The above skills and responsibilities are vital in any production and especially this one I'm working on for this unit. I will be working with Carla (our producer) who has written a screenplay for a TV show called 'Brotherlidge'. My role is to look into the style that the show presents and look at different shows that might have the same style, this needs to be done so when it comes to filming that everything is right in the scene to suggest that the show is in that specific genre. The skills above that I will be using in this production will be all of them. To be successful at this job and to get the best possible shots all these skills must be mastered. If you were to fall behind in one of those skills then it will be noticeable in the final product.


Investigate some inspirational/ aspirational people who are already doing it:

For this section, I want to look at two respected DoP's and look at some of their work and how that has influenced me throughout the year. The two DoP's I will be looking at will be Robert Yeoman who has worked on many personal favourites like The Grand Budapest Hotel, Bottle Rocket, and the upcoming The French Dispatch. I also want to look at one of my personal favourite cinematographer Roger Deakins who has worked on some of my favourite films from The Shawshank Redemption, No Country for Old Men, and The Big Lebowski. I want to understand what his thought process is for when he has a new project.

Robert Yeoman

I have always enjoyed the work produced by Robert as he has a specific style throughout his films, but the films where I really enjoy watching his work is when he's with Wes Anderson. Robert has a specific creative style when approaching filmmaking where he really focuses on the framing, lighting, and colour as he likes to use colours that really contrast with each other on the screen. I have taken a lot of inspiration from his style of film making and have used a few of his work with Wes Anderson in my own projects, for example, I went for his style when filming a scene from Forrest Gump that I filmed. However, I did not use colours like he did I thought for that shoot that black and white would suit best.

The Grand Budapest Hotel.

My Version of Forres Gump.

This style is really fun to think about and then make, but I do not think that it would suit the style of the show the producer and director wants, but the scene we are planning on making is a funny/intense scene. The scene is a family having dinner around a table and then a bag of Marijuana falls out under the table and they're trying to hide it from their mother. So I could do some test shoots using this symmetrical shoot and being able to see everything in one long shot.  

Roger Deakins:

The second cinematographer and DoP that is a massive influence on why I love film making is the legend, Roger Deakins. Working on the likes of The Shawshank Redemption, No Country for Old Men, Blade Runner 2049, and 1917. He is regarded are the best DoP that there has ever been because he has a specific approach to all the films he works on, but then manipulates them to best suit the tone of the film he is working on. He prefers his shots in very naturalistic lighting as he wants the scene to be authentic and realistic and not to have the light source coming from nowhere. Knowing that he is very specific about what style of lighting he likes I would prefer to mimic this naturalistic lighting set-up by making a very specific lighting plan testing out different positions to have lights for a dinner scene. I will do this by looking at other dinner scenes and seeing how they have lit the scene and analysing them to then best suit our production.


First steps in the industry:

Do you need an agent, manager, agency?

For a cinematographer and a DoP, it is recommended that you get an agent, this is because it will give you more opportunities for finding new sources of work. Whilst looking for two DoP's I noticed that they always have a website and on the contact section they would have a list of agencies that they find work through like; LUX Artists and Intrinsic Talent Agency.

To get an agent you must firstly apply for one this will be done through an online application, however, for a DoP they must have an updated showreel of their work from the past to prove to the agency that they are worthy for specific jobs.

What can an agent help with:

• They talk all the business
• Negotiate Work
• They promote you

What is the route into factual or natural history?

There are many different ways to approach this side of the industry and there are always opportunities to get into filming factual and natural history. I have actually had the opportunity through work experience at my previous college to have a go at this style of film making. There is no real way to get into this side of the industry, for myself, I applied through work experience but if you were really keen on these subject then it is vital you follow these rules from another natural filmmaker.

1. If at University, use your time wisely
2. Find a mentor that can teach you the ways on how to approach a different environment
3. Choose kit wisely (that will benefit you)
4. Put yourself out there (Make business cards & network with others that have same interest)
5. Create an Online Brand
6. Tell a story through your work.

DoP's How would we get our reels noticed 

Websites like illuminatrix are great for up and coming Dp's to get their work shown, however, it is only limited for female workers only so for myself this would be no good, but there are many other ways to get your showreel noticed like with film festivals. There are many different film competitions in London and this is one prime way to show others your capability when using a camera.

Festivals:

• BFI London Film Festival
• London Short Film festival 
• UK Film Festival 
• Raindance Film Festival

These are just a small few of different festivals in London alone, there are many other festivals all around the world that I could enter to get my work noticed. Some festivals require some restrictions when applying, but for an up and coming to Dp, the best way is to just apply for as many as possible to show people all over the globe your work. Another good way to get your work noticed is by constantly working on a showreel which showcases all of your previous work. Doing this will hopefully show future producers what you're capable of.

Bibliography:

Class, M., 2019. Photography And Is Director Of Photography The Same As Cinematographer?. [online] MasterClass. Available at: <https://www.masterclass.com/articles/film-101-what-is-the-director-of-photography-and-is-director-of-photography-the-same-as-cinematographer#how-3-acclaimed-directors-work-with-their-cinematographers> [Accessed 20 April 2020].

 ScreenSkills. n.d. Director Of Photography (Dop). [online] Available at: <https://www.screenskills.com/careers/job-profiles/film-and-tv-drama/technical/director-of-photography-dop/> [Accessed 20 April 2020].

Renée, V., 2016. Explore The Unique Techniques DP Robert Yeoman Uses In His Cinematography. [online] No Film School. Available at: <https://nofilmschool.com/2016/07/explore-unique-techniques-dp-robert-yeoman-uses-his-cinematography> [Accessed 24 April 2020].

Lannom, S., 2020. Roger Deakins Cinematography Style. [online] StudioBinder. Available at: <https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/roger-deakins-cinematography/> [Accessed 24 April 2020].


Staff, I., 2018. Roger Deakins Explains Why He Insists On Operating The Camera Himself — Watch. [online] IndieWire. Available at: <https://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/roger-deakins-cinematoraphy-philosophy-arri-100-years-1201933108/> [Accessed 24 April 2020].




Lux Artists. n.d. NEW TALENT - Lux Artists. [online] Available at: <https://luxartists.net/new-talent/> [Accessed 25 April 2020].

Intrinsic-london.com. n.d. Intrinsic London - A Production Agency. [online] Available at: <http://www.intrinsic-london.com/dop/> [Accessed 25 April 2020].

 Illuminatrixdops.com. n.d. About Illuminatrix - Illuminatrix. [online] Available at: <https://www.illuminatrixdops.com/About-illuminatrix> [Accessed 25 April 2020].

 Esteban, T., 2018. How To Become A Wildlife Filmmaker | 11 Tips | Wex Photo Video. [online] Wexphotovideo.com. Available at: <https://www.wexphotovideo.com/blog/pro-video/how-to-become-a-wildlife-filmmaker--11-tips/> [Accessed 26 April 2020].


Daulton, Z., 2017. 4 Ways To Get Your Film Accepted Into Film Festivals. [online] No Film School. Available at: <https://nofilmschool.com/2017/06/4-ways-get-your-film-accepted-film-festivals> [Accessed 26 April 2020].