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The evolution of cinematography
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The evolution of cinematography
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Views | Duration | |
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121. The Sailor from Gibraltar | 40 | 04:10 | |
122. From 8mm to cinemascope | 51 | 00:45 | |
123. Cinemascope | 61 | 02:53 | |
124. The Sailor from Gibraltar filmed in cinemascope (Part... | 41 | 01:42 | |
125. The Sailor from Gibraltar filmed in cinemascope (Part... | 50 | 01:13 | |
126. Going back to a normal format | 36 | 03:05 | |
127. 70mm | 70 | 02:08 | |
128. The collaboration between the film director and cameraman | 63 | 02:28 | |
129. Co-operating on set | 42 | 04:19 | |
130. The importance of a good filming environment | 55 | 04:07 |
And I also work on the assumption that you need to be on good terms with the rest of the team, that is the people you're in contact with: the grips and the electricians. I mean, I make it a principle of going to eat with them, so it prevents me from having semantic problems while talking with the actors and the directing team. And at the same time, I mean, it enables me to find out if they have any problems, the electricians or the grips, because there is always, at one point, the situation when, for whichever reason, I don't know what- there's an overtime hour which wasn't paid or something which was questioned, the gas receipts, well there are always little things, small stuff. So of course the discussions is always- THEY decided. We don't know who THEY are, we don't know if it's a small 't' or a capital 't'. Either way it's a 't'. And so you always have to have this discussion with them so that things don't start festering. Meaning that, if there's a problem like that, which can be sorted out, we say- Don't worry about it, I'll speak to the assistant director, I'll speak to the producer, I'll talk to him about it, to calm down the situation, to calm everyone down. Because otherwise all those things start taking a dramatic turn and all of a sudden this calm atmosphere, of serenity and love that we need to make a film, disappears. So if you like, that's part of the- they're not obligations but things that are required to be done. So the cinematographer is better suited than anyone else to do it because he's always there, he's in direct contact with the grips and the electricians to sort out those issues. So people used to say- You're not going to act like the guy with the jack? It's based on the story of a guy who is in a car at night, he's driving, he's in the country and his tire punctures. Damn. So he says- Bloody hell, I hope I have a spare wheel. So he opens his boot. Ah, there's a spare wheel, great! He takes his spare wheel, he takes his crank out. He starts unscrewing the swivels. Damn, there's no jack! Oh bloody hell. So he looks on a map, so he sees that there's a village three kilometres away, he says- I'm going to leg it, three kilometres, it'll be all right. So he sets off, and he starts to ruminate over it, like the grips and the electricians. So the jack- It's the middle of the night, he'll never want to lend me a jack. And so he continues walking- No, no he's going to rent it to me. He keeps walking- Oh, it would be silly to rent it to me. He should sell it to me because there's nothing I can do, I'll have to buy his jack, I need it. He continues walking- And at this time of night, I don't have a clue how much a jack could cost. Either way, he can charge me double the price if he wants. I'm going to have to buy his bloody jack. And he gets to the village and a stroke of luck, the garage is at the entrance of the village. He rings the bell, a guy opens the door- What can I do for you sir? What? 30,000 francs for a jack? You can shove it, I don't want it! So that's what needs to be avoided, this sort of flurry, because if we're not careful, at one point it gets out of hand and affects everyone, because some bum around, others sulk, etc.
French cinematographer, Raoul Coutard (1924-2016) was twice nominated for the César Award for best cinematography which he won in 1978 for 'Le Crabe-tambour'. He made over 75 films and documentaries, including 'À Bout de Souffle', Le Mépris' and 'Band à Part'. He was the most acclaimed French cinematographer of his generation and one of the key figures of the New Wave.
Title: The importance of a good filming environment
Listeners: Bernard Cohn
Benard Cohn is a French filmmaker and writer, who has directed five films as well as numerous documentaries and television series. As an assistant director, he worked with many important filmmakers, including Luis Buñuel, François Jacob, Otto Preminger and Woody Allen. He was a founding member of the Ciné-Qua-Non cinema club and has acted as editor and translator for various publications on the world of cinema.
Bernard Cohn est un réalisateur et écrivain français, ayant réalisé cinq film ainsi que de nombreux reportages et séries télévisées. En tant qu'assistant réalisateur, il a travaillé avec plusieurs grands cinéastes, notamment Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut, Otto Preminger et Woody Allen. Il fut membre fondateur du ciné-club Ciné-Qua-Non et a participé à la rédaction et traduction en anglais, de plusieurs ouvrages sur le cinéma.
Duration: 4 minutes, 8 seconds
Date story recorded: October 2004
Date story went live: 24 January 2008