Some of what I consider my best work, and some of the best films that I've ever worked on, kind of disappear without a trace. There's no accounting for it. Something connects, or something doesn't.
Roger DeakinsRead
I don't really believe in the mystery of cinematography - what happens in the camera is what the cinematographers create and all that nonsense - I want the director to see what I'm trying to do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Roger Deakins emphasizes the importance of collaboration between cinematographers and directors in filmmaking.
In this quote, Roger Deakins expresses his viewpoint that the technical aspects of cinematography should serve the vision of the director rather than be shrouded in mystical or overly complex interpretations. He believes that clarity of intention and communication between the cinematographer and director is essential for realizing the artistic vision of a film, highlighting the practical nature of the craft over any romanticized notions of mystery.
Themes
CinematographyDirectorCollaborationArtistic VisionCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a film studies class to discuss the relationship between cinematographers and directors.
More from Roger Deakins
All quotes →You can’t learn your craft by copying me or anyone else. I hope what I do can do is in some way inspire others but I would be appalled if I thought my work was being studied as ‘the right way to do the job’. My way is just one of an infinite number of ways to do the job.
Roger DeakinsRead
Am I nostalgic for film? … I mean, it’s had a good run, hasn’t it? You know, I’m not nostalgic for a technology. I’m nostalgic for the kind of films that used to be made that aren’t being made now.
Roger DeakinsRead
If you shoot with a billion cameras, then there's no perspective. You want to use one shot at a time, so it's better to discover what that is before you shoot, rather than trying to make something in the cutting room, and then it just becomes generic.
Roger DeakinsRead
Someone said to me, early on in film school... if you can photograph the human face you can photograph anything, because that is the most difficult and most interesting thing to photograph.
Roger DeakinsRead
There's nothing worse than an ostentatious shot or some lighting that draws attention to itself, and you might go, 'Oh, wow, that's spectacular.' Or that spectacular shot, a big crane move, or something. But it's not necessarily right for the film — you jump out, you think about the surface, and you don't stay in there with the characters and the story.
Roger DeakinsRead
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