I think cinematography is, it consists of a few elements. Lighting is only one aspect
of cinematography. It is, for me, it's just telling the story using the images. And this
is how you operate camera, how you're framing camera, your choices of your lenses, from
which perspective the story is telling.
It was a teenage wedding and the old folks wished them well. You could see that the air did truly
love the madam herself. And now the young monsieur and madame have run the chapel.
More or less I could say even more, because I started interesting in shooting a movie
very, very early. First in documentary movie in TV in Poland. Later I was in army, I was
cameraman in Polish army. The quality of film was much superior at that time from video
camera, so usually we use 16mm camera. First you start going to cinema, watching the movie
and later try to find out which next movie will come. So suddenly I become so kind of
excited with this job and I say, wow, I want to be filmmaker too. It's such a great job.
In the life I wanted to do what really give me kind of pleasure and excitement. Only way
to fulfill this kind of dream was to go to Polish film school. It was, at that time,
it was only one school in Łódź. So I was applying something like six times to Polish
film school and whatever the reason of the competition I never get the place. But in
kind of this desperation I moved to England, I applied to very prestigious national film
school. In first exam I was successful, I get the place. And later I questioning myself
why I get the place. But during this year, this six times every year kind of applying
to Polish film school, I always preparing myself. So I find myself in national film
school and since that, you know, everything change.
Is that a gram? New card. What do you think?
Very nice. Look at that.
Picked them up from the printers yesterday.
Good coloring.
That's bone. And the lettering is something called Sillian Rail.
It's very cool Bateman, but that's nothing.
That is really nice.
Egg shell with Ramalian type. What do you think?
I mentioned Osimore's Billy Williams, Freddie Francis, Freddie Young, Walter Lasally.
And this was the man who before I admire as a child watching them work and now suddenly
they become my colleagues.
Teacher Oswald Morris, his credit is huge.
One of the, this film he did in the 50s and early, early 40s was like Moulin Rouge,
Fidler and the Roof or Moby Dick. And at that time when they were shooting this movie,
the film stock was not as good as decades later at the time where we were there.
Film stock, which was in low sensitivity film stock was,
structure of this film stock was consistent with small grain, silver grain,
which determinate how sensitive film was.
I realized that it has incredible quality. Like we were shooting film and 60mm movie
and when you use the film stock it looks like 35mm movie.
So it was kind of give the quality which was close to professional cinema.
But also when we were privileged also to shoot movie in 35mm movie.
And this movie look almost like 70mm movie.
So saturation of color and resolution was incredible.
So I start using this film stock later professionally.
And I was in a way, I was lucky at that moment with that when I have interview
to shoot reservoir dogs. I give to Quentin Tarantino and production
this proposition to shot this slower film stock, which they embrace.
And it was one of the reason they decided to give me job.
In spite of I have very comparatively small credit comparatively to other cinematographer
which apply for the job.
I took my show reel and suddenly they respond.
Quentin want to meet me with me. Unfortunately half an hour early
I realized that my father died. So I told Quentin listen I go back to Europe
to Poland for funeral and if you give me lift to airport you know we could have interview.
It happened that it was 3 o'clock in the morning.
And Quentin appear in the 3 o'clock in the morning he give me lift to airport
and you know we were discuss and Quentin was full of excitement.
He was new filmmaker and the script he script was going to be put on the screen
and I was a newcomer. We all were excited how to going to this movie.
So it was my really first movie in United States and first major movie.
At that time I didn't consider this major movie because the budget was barely one and half million dollar.
But it was the beginning. The beginning I start working with high calibre actors
like Hibikiteo. Tim Roth was very much on the way to become star
and you know very formidable Michael Mattson or few other actors.
And I had to give to kind of credit to my film school, national film school
because they did prepare me to straight away go to set of film professional set
and I was ready. So this is exactly I was observing student here and this film school
that and I told them you had to learn as much as possible in the school
because you never know where your chance arrived.
You really had to be ready and not only ready you believe already
but you project yourself to your employer, to director, to producer
that you could continue shooting this and they feel safer in your hand
because you are really the major creative person on the film set.
I ignore it before but no more.
You lost your fucking mind.
Joe, you're making a terrible mistake. I'm not gonna let you make it.
Come on guys, nobody wants this. We're supposed to be fucking professionals.
Of course during pre-production it was kind of a lot of discussion about how we're going to shoot
and you have creative personality. They were tossing idea how directors
how he wanted to look at this and he has his own idea
but what I had to give huge credit to Quentin was that he was listening
and he was analyzing and he's a really great judgment of good way of filming.
So if he has idea how he want to film or what he want to tell
he also listen to his colleagues, to his collaborator.
I give one of example of kind of collaboration is opening scene in Reservoir Dogs.
Of course big deal is playing the music which is kind of lifting which is really good.
Quentin wanted to show this using Steadicam.
Steadicam supposed to go around these people as the bunch of these wolves going through the street
but I have kind of a little bit different kind of idea because I go from the school
I was teach a national film school that camera should not exist.
I mean viewer should not feel presence of camera.
Of course creatively you can someone could use this that viewer feel presence of camera
but you have to be creative decision otherwise it should not exist.
So you know I simplify this and I give as example one of the film which is very simple
it was TV serial called Bonanza.
There's opening scene of Bonanza and when the four cowboys with the four sons with the papa go towards the camera
they arrive and later single just choosing them as characters in the movie.
So I exactly use this simple thing which was only associated with TV opening scene.
I use this Reservoir Dogs.
So I give proposition to Quentin to show that way.
Love grows where my rosemary goes as Kay Billy's super sounds of the 70s weekend just keeps on trucking.
I'm a silent today.
Looking back on the track.
Wanted to admire it.
I saw the night.
I saw them today.
Looking back on the track.
Wanted to admire it.
Looking back.
I was aiming for as best quality as possible.
So low sensitivity film give you sharp resolution and color was more saturated.
So yes it is much more difficult because everything seen you had to lead.
So at the beginning I was kind of opposing this why we're using film stock till I start looking at the material I did with high sensitivity film stock
which is defined by bigger grain.
So therefore bigger the resolution is is not as good.
It is a little bit like pixel in in a digital medium.
You see smaller pixel pixel better resolution.
So smaller grain which is smaller lowest sensitivity is bigger resolution.
The way you're shooting is much more difficult because you had to bring more lights.
You had to live to certain level of light where where film will respond to the image.
Because to moving around the big light unit it always take times.
So this is to using this film stock is or go towards that direction.
It demand for you really to prepare yourself.
But pay off is much kind of high because later when you see the quality is extraordinary.
Of course now with everything change with in last few years because digital medium become so good and you're getting even better.
So unfortunately kind of film a little bit you know lost lost its ground.
What does Marcellus Wallace look like?
What?
What country you from?
What?
What?
What ain't no country I ever heard of.
They speak English and what?
What?
English motherfucker do you speak it?
Yes.
Then you know what I'm saying.
Yes.
Describe what Marcellus Wallace looks like.
The depth of field of digital camera is much bigger.
So it's almost advisable to work on lower T stop.
So what they do they put a lot of you know neutral density filters in front of lens to cut it down.
And also the sensitive chip is in camera is usually about 400 or 800 ASA.
So it's very very high.
It was at that time when I start more Korea is unheard to shot like 800 ASA film stock and not compromise the quality because straight away the grain was huge.
There was not problem in TV but it's the problem when this film is projected in big screen.
The you know the grain was as big as oranges.
And of course at the beginning I was complaining as you know it was never digital will be as film.
But as it's progress you had to embrace this because it was technology when it used to be at my time when I was much younger.
And I used to this and I love it. But now I facing new technology.
Is it for better for sure is much easier.
Is it better for people who decided to to make Korea as a filmmaker.
Yes it's much better but also it give them more challenge.
The competition is much bigger the pool of people who using the image is much bigger than used to be.
So this is the challenge for this new people.
Yes is easier but you have bigger competition around.
So therefore I using as much as possible wide lens.
So of course using wide lens you you just expand you know you see much more you had to lead the set.
So once again using big unit of light it helping you very much.
But also I could do the shot wide shot close up sorry close up using wide angle is just you move camera forward.
Of course you had to be very kind of sensitive if you have to wide angle and you go to close you could create that you could create distortion.
Distortion and distortion and stars or actor face is not is not particularly welcome.
But is really beneficial in showing in one shot.
For example close up and also environment and which the actor is placed.
But also is the terminate but what kind of story you're telling what kind of is the month to tell the story.
So sometimes you know is tight lenses the way to go and sometimes wider lens to go.
But it had to be designed during pre production when you take the script in your hand you read this and use you feel this what kind of how you want to tackle this visual problem.
Visual side of the story.
You ain't got no problem Jews.
I'm on the motherfucker.
Go back in there and chill them niggas out and wait for the wolf who should be coming directly.
You send in the wolf.
You feel better motherfucker.
She had Negro.
That's all you had to say.
I find that most of them they are very cooperative they want to be you know they know what they're doing is so called experienced actor or most of these actors are very much a word of camera.
It is so called acting for camera you know they know exactly they know exactly what camera is doing they know lenses they very often ask me what the lens is how high it is and they ask me I wonder is this or that or white or closer.
And you know I tell me always close up is wider so they know exactly what they're doing and very often you know they're using for the advantage.
For example they see patch of light and they want to stress the drama in the acting so that they shifting the body and they getting hit with a harder light.
And at some of the actor you know very you know stars that they say oh could you before we're shooting could you give me a little bit more light so that I could be kind of pop up more on this particular scene.
Sometimes I give them sometimes I don't or I pretending that I give them a little bit more light because I had to keep also kind of control over the line because maybe they're a little bit light which the demand maybe is a little bit too much.
So one had to be really really careful and be very very politically orientated and said always you have to lead in a way that is advantage to the image.
I live in the American gardens building on West 81st Street on the 11th floor.
My name is Patrick Bateman I'm 27 years old.
I believe in taking care of myself in a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine.
In the morning if my face is a little puffy I'll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches.
I can do a thousand now.
First you read the script very carefully you can make notes about a kind of atmosphere what you want to get.
Of course a lot of discussion with directors what they want what how you're going to film if camera is moving in.
And after that you go to see locations you're analyzing what you have and you face the problem.
You see you're filming the set which production designer prepare you and his government but his creativity to choosing color how big it is the shape.
And you have to kind of lead the set which contribute in making looks even better.
Also it depends which movie you do if you do kind of like period movie or any other movie you making kind of research.
Early just looking at other movie looking at art painting looking at other artwork sculpture these are kind of analyzing this because it could contribute you.
I know few directors they just bring me kind of completely irrelevant material and they show me and they say not to copying this but to analyzing and to bring the same atmosphere.
Like piece of cardboard with kind of you know strange color I say oh I want to look like that.
It does not mean you have to look like cardboard but it project the same kind of atmosphere.
Something else happen like shaft of light from the sun and some other thing or actors play differently that you assume they will.
And you have to take the advantage of that.
And one of these was I don't know if people remember watching is one long track and corridor before Samuel Jackson and they go going to to assassinate these boys in their room.
And the corridor was very long and we were timing the amount of the dialogue and the dialogue was not was long much longer than the track.
So when they arrived to the door if they continue at the door to to continue the conversation will be kind of boring you go to normal kind of coverage.
So it was we would get kind of idea as a question what about you extend the work not by means of working slower.
But when they arrive to the door they looking at the watch and they suddenly OK still we have time and they go to right side of the frame and camera panic to right side of frame and camera is static.
They walking away they have conversation in in further away camera static and later they returning back they have a little bit conversation at the door and now entering.
So by this planning left we gain much more time.
Now I love to operate myself because at that moment I could judge judge my work and make sometimes small adjustment because during operating when your eyes stick to to view finder.
Nothing else exists except except the image of this sound man other people looking looking left right of this instrument the lighting or anything else or it doesn't distract you.
Choosing what the later viewer going to see on the on the screen student had to show more initiative to push the staff to be on the service to student.
Hey tell me how you do this.
There are not only guys who judging you but the guys who the expert is could you give you advice.
Second to work as much as possible take advantage of equipment make mistakes and learn from the mistake.
