Comments on: FOCUS

By: Bzhickson

Bzhickson — Mon, 23 May 2011 18:26:00 +0000

Or at t1.3. Agreed.

By: Oli Kember

Oli Kember — Fri, 20 May 2011 09:44:00 +0000

You’re very right, it’s not a financially sensible thing to do to only put yourself out there as a Cinematographer. What I’m pitching is of course an ideal scenario but one that I think if one can afford to do, one should. I know there are so many factors at play though that nothing is as simple as one might want it to be. Cheers for the response.

By: Goforjared

Goforjared — Thu, 19 May 2011 12:11:00 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to comment on this post. Learning other parts of the craft will only make your work as a cinematographer better. There is no longer an all or nothing mentality in this industry. It is however a collaborative effort and that can easily be forgotten in the mix of just trying to get the job done. it was great to meet you in Chicago.
Jared

By: Goforjared

Goforjared — Thu, 19 May 2011 12:10:00 +0000

I moved up through the ranks from camera loader to cinematographer. It is a long and hard road. I think in many ways the transition from one level to the next is less about skill level and more about finacinal security.
Thanks for the comment
Jared

By: Frigei

Frigei — Wed, 18 May 2011 21:30:00 +0000

Skid, Last week when I spoke with Jared in Chicago, I was lamenting kind of the same thing. I shoot it, then because of the client’s budget, I edit. He asked me, “Do you want to edit?” I said no but, there is that need to satify a clients budget in these super competitive, budget stick days that we live in. Now, I’m talking 3-5 minute industrials for a long time client but we do have to realize that there are all types and levels of film making that we work on. Perhaps I will have the luxury to one day have a specialist for every role in a production, start to finish but until then, I’ll do what is needed to satify and keep my client as well as keep the paychecks coming.

By: Aaron Maguire

Aaron Maguire — Wed, 18 May 2011 21:30:00 +0000

Well said. Too many times I have had conversations with DSLR users who think they can do better than a gaffer and soundy, direct, film and edit a piece to a highly professional standard. I once was like this but I am seeing the error in my ways and slowly removing myself from certain aspects and letting the professionals take over.

Cheers

Aaron

By: Oli Kember

Oli Kember — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:00:00 +0000

I’m not sure who the vfx supervisor was that you spoke to, but i’m surprised by his comment. If your image is out of focus, it draws attention to the flaws and human error in the filmmaking process. It shouts out ‘this is a film you’re watching and this image is an illusion that we haven’t quite pulled off in this shot.’ It draws attention to the artifice of the medium. When I watch a film every time I see a shot that’s slightly soft it disappoints me, because it tells me the filmmaker wasn’t fully in control at that moment. I don’t accept seeing images out of focus, because I don’t accept seeing life out of focus. Soft images simply take you out of the moment, and that’s not acceptable for me.

This person you spoke to obviously has no idea of the importance of focus pullers presumably because most of the films he watches are kept in focus by highly skilled technicians and artists who are paid extremely well to do a very particular and challenging task. He’s obviously not aware of how difficult it is because he’s never seen it done on a real set. Because most of the films we see are in focus all of the time (with the odd shot soft), we simply assume that’s how it should always be. They make it look easy.

The film industry is still very hierarchical, and is absolutely the opposite of a jack-of-all-trades environment. It will never become one either, because every skill is so specially defined, and legally one can’t even step into another person’s shoes on set. You say ‘you simply can’t be a specialist anymore’ and I completely disagree. In fact I think it’s because everyone has become a jack-of-all-trades that being a specialist will help you stick out. Granted you might not be working as much initially if you only put yourself out as one thing, but if I’m after an editor for example and I have two people to choose from, one who calls himself a ‘director/dop/editor/vfx artist/colorist/’ and one who simply calls himself an ‘editor,’ I’m going to go with the second guy. To me someone who calls himself one thing tells me that he’s committed to one thing, has one passion, one drive, and has worked all his man hours honing that one craft. That’s a very different person who does editing on the side of all the other fruits of his labour.

The film industry has always been about specialists, which is why focus pullers who wanted to be DOPs 20 years ago are still focus pulling. They become great at that one thing, and nobody wants to hire them as DOPs anymore because they’re so great at focus pulling. From what I know the DOPs who are successful simply put themselves out there as DOPs and that’s what they become known for, and that’s what they spent all their time learning to do.

I’ve always thought that sticking to one thing and becoming the absolute best you can be at it is what makes sense in life, for any job whatsoever. In this ‘do it all’ environment, the ones who excel at one particular skill are the ones who have the chance to shine. Jack of all trades, master of none. Not for me.