My favorite DP is Robert Elswit. He's DP'd films like Punch Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood, and Michael Clayton - all of which are some of my favorite movies, largely because of the way they look. What I like about him is that the images he creates are very complex; they often give off an air of stoicism, but at the same time there is a lot of emotion hidden underneath the surface.
The above image is from Punch Drunk Love. What I like about it is the way he creates smooth gradients out of everything. The whole frame is surrounded by a cloud of darkness. I think what you don't see in photograph is just as important as what you do see, and Elswit seems to be the master of hiding things.
This image is from Michael Clayton. As I alluded to earlier, Elswit's work often has a very subdued quality to it. Often, though not always, the colors in films he has DP'd are very drab and lifeless. There is a bit more color in this shot, but it still gives the viewer a very somber feeling. I think this is, again, due to the fact that parts of Clooney's clothes and face are obscured somewhat by shadows. The way he shoots objects and people leaves you wondering if they're really there.
Here's an interview of his that I found:
Here's a quote from that interview that I liked, talking about an out-of-focus shot in Good Night, and Good Luck: "We filmed it out and printed it and looked at it, and he went, 'Eh, that's fine.' He felt it helped the feeling of randomness, that the arbitrary framing and haphazard look would make it more authentic. So we're sitting there going 'Yes, but it's out of focus! Waaah!' But that whole style of shooting was trying to make it feel like we went in there and sort of captured the moments."
This quote, to me, shows how much thought Elswit puts into every shot. Not only that, but every shot has a purpose; it isn't merely there to look pretty or just chosen arbitrarily, but it has a meaning. It has something it's trying to convey. That's something I admire.
No comments:
Post a Comment