Thanks for the recommendations guys, please keep them coming and we'll do our best to cover your favourite cinematographer! Also what was your favourite tip from Roger?

Roger Deakins: Cinematography should not stand out All of Roger Deakins' works: Allow me to introduce myself

Deakins is not only a great cinematographer, but is wonderfully articulate about the subject and his part in it.

Roger Deakins: “Cinematography should not stand out.” Roger Deakins’ entire career: “Yeah, about that.”

I love it when he's in an interview saying, "I wouldn't light it like this" or "I wouldn't be shooting from way over there with a long lens." I know he's not criticizing, but imagine how the crew on those shoots is feeling haha.

I really love that one shot in 1917.

1. Cinematography is not about creating beautiful shots. 2. It's not about the technology. 3. Have a REASON to move the camera. 4. Have a style that suits the project. 5. Create a sense of reality with the light. 6. PLAN as much as you can but be ready to ADAPT. 7. Think about how you want the audience to feel. 8. Consider why and where you're placing the camera.

His shots do show his personality well - he’s humble. This doesn’t mean his shots are boring, hell no - quite the opposite. But he lets the story breathe and characters do their thing. He provides a backdrop that doesn’t clash or fight for primacy.

I love how he plays down just how good he is and always happy to share great advice and experience. You kind of get the impression that even his 'worst' work would still be superb.

Some guy : I really love that shot. Deakins: oh dear, that's not good, they should like the film as a whole. +creates movie that is almost entirely one shot. There, compliment away.

Rodger Deakins is so good, the best compliment a DP could receive is taken as an indirect criticism. What an absolute legend, I hope him and Christopher Nolan collab one day :(

This man has a lot of discipline. I really like his point about not taking away the spotlight from the script, and not being obsessed with making everything pretty.

Sir. Rogers D. Philosophy on Cinematography is everything..

As a photographer, not cinematographer, I found his advices about creative thinking very useful for photographers. Will share this to my friends phot dogs... 😉

His emphasis on the audience being engaged as opposed to breaking down the shot speaks words. But common Roger, take a compliment here and there will ya

Standing out successfully is called "having style"

One of the few speakers on the subject that I have listened to, who puts the human side of the storytelling, light etc. before any specific technique. Lovely, actually. :)

"I love that shot" is something I've said about every single film shot by Deakins. Don't worry man, I LOVE THAT SHOT, and it gets me excited about cinema and filmmaking. And that means everything to me. I'm honestly so thankful that his work doesn't just simply disappear into the storytelling, that the images he has created truly stand out.

this guy thinks exactly like me when it comes to filmmaking.. wow... we're jus passionate about telling great stories and a nice, simple way.

"Create a sense of reality with the light" is a brilliant suggestion. He's not saying create reality itself. He's speaking to a reality that supports the story of that project. I'm always immersed in a movie that is shot by Deakins, because of this very idea of reality created with the light. As an artist and filmmaker, I'm a very visual person. So, often times, I'll look back at a movie and think about how it was shot. But, while I'm watching it, I don't want to be distracted by camera movement, etc. If it suits the story, I'll remain interested. I think a lot of newer cinematographers are hooked on handheld shots. They think it's "cinematic". What I've learned is that it's cinematic if it supports the story. Not because it looks like a cool or pretty shot. I've seen too many TV shows and movies where the camera is constantly floating around. Which, personally, takes me completely out of the film and the story, because I'm constantly being reminded that I'm watching a movie. Deakins mentions how in dramatic scenes you don't want a lot of camera movement because you want to focus on what the character is experiencing. Think about how you interact in real life. If you're having an emotional or intense conversation with someone, is your head floating around. No. You're usually sitting still and focusing on the other person. That same should hold true for the camera. Thank you for this series on cinematographers. It's fascinating to see how they approach filming from a philosophical point of view instead of a technical one.

He’s such a true master, he makes something so complicated and hard become so simplified and easy. He’s one of the best for a reason, awesome video!

I could listen to this all day. Really grabbing a few lights, that you got and test out what he just said helps so much. I was able to create some pretty shots in my basement, after i watched many videos of Roger Deakins, talking cinematography and really tried to emulate what he said. But that where exciting light scenarios that i created, but what the true strength of Deakins really is, is that he can make a boring place like an office (in the movie "Sicario") look incredibly stunning and that is something people who are interested in cinematography should do more. Just search a boring ass location and try to get stunning shots of that place. That way - in my humble opinion - you really get a sense of what great composition and lighting is all about.

geez can you image having the job of lighting Roger deakins for an interview?

He is very humble in the way he speaks about himself

Some words there to heed for all new gimbal users. And I include myself there. Quite often a tripod is all you need.

I have a lot of time and respect for Roger Deakins. I agree with his philosophy. In my films I want the characters and their story to be the focal point and the cinematography, sound, music etc to compliment and enrich, but not to be so obvious and therefore distracting.

He's literally the definition of an "open minded" person, and with that; to me, should be what all cinematographers to be, going into every new project, without bias, and with a full, open mind, about the movie itself.. good stuff

Roger is very intelligent, He has very strong vision for himself and for audience.

Loved this video. I have come to realise that I was starting to lose my passion in cinematography over the years to wanting to succeed in business and create a successful production company. I stoped being a student and stopped learning and slowly I started losing my passion. Hearing this helped ignite that spark again. To become a student again and work on my craft. I always admired Rogers work and he nails it in the head when he says everything needs a purpose, a camera move or lighting setup. It needs to support the story and the overall vision. In a world of UKposts taught filmmakers Random lights that have no meaning but making an image “pop” , gimbals being used for shots that dont need a camera move just because it “looks cool” and people using RGB lighting in scenes that don’t make sense. All in the name of filming something cool and not driving the story in a real way. Thanks for the reminder of what great cinematography should be!

Thank you for creating this channel. I always listen to these interviews but it’s really nice to have them in a sort of category so we can better understand point by point what their philosophy of filming is.

Best cinematography advice i've ever heard. The philosophy is so strong

What a cool, enthusiastic, humble guy. You can feel it. Awesome. All the best to Roger.

One of my favorites DP of all time.

thank you for making this. loved every second

If you could sum up all his works in one word : Breathtaking. His movies are such a visual treat !!

He is so grounded and humble. When he says he cares more about immersing the audience into the world, into the story.

What a Legend this guy is!! Great things to put into perspective for every Filmmaker or aspiring Filmmaker!

A 19 mins masterclass in cinematography. Awesome amd thank you.

Move the camera when the subject moves. This was informing

so amazing that Deakins looks for inspiration in stills photographs - I am into photography and frequently look for inspiration in cinematography :)

Thank you so much for sharing. This video makes me believe in my work and my perception about cinematography that you use the camera to tell a story in such a way to draw the audience attention.

Sir Roger Deakins works is amazing

I am so glad I found your channel! You've got a great style of content. Keep them coming! I'd love to see a video about editors :D

"it's not about the technology" I loved hearing that. I know of it but as he said he just goes through one ear and out the other. I try not to dwell on the specifics, and always thought should I know more, but hearing that from him mad me glad.

Thus is a great lesson for all the gimbal and fpv youtube kids who need rollercoaster shots in every video.

This was great, thanks for putting it together!

Great video! I agree with Deakins here, cinematography has times to be invisible and other times be jaw dropping, but the end goal should be in service of the themes/message, feeling, script, and blocking of a scene, and not the other way around

Thank u for posting this

Uau! Thank You Roger. That was a lesson I needed to hear.

one who knows his craft. I was very impressed and i agreed his statement "I think it's good when people say what a great film and not how good the scene was"👩‍🚀🚀

Simply amazing!

Thank you for this!

Was already thinking about how nervous I would be setting up lights to interview Deakins 😂

Dude every movie I watch I look for the shots the first time. The second viewing is when I pay more attention to the story.

Its so weird seeing those older videos of Roger

As a person with dreams of creating great films in future am thankful that I came across this video its so educative. Thank you Alter Cine

Great stuff - thanks for putting this together!

At 6:40 with a single Comment he crushed the hopes and dreams of the interviewer!!! LOL!!!

I remember watching The Assassination of Jesse James and i said to myself "Is this ANOTHER Roger Deakins spectacle?" and of course it was. His horizons. The way he fills the frame with lateral lines. Clean, yet dirty. Hes the best. John Ford is his only better.

Your channel is amazing, dope content !!!!

He mentioned not having a multitude of colored lights for no reason, I was glad to hear him say it. I was watching some short films on youtube a few months ago and couldn't place why the shot felt amateurish. Something looked off, but the composition was nice, everything looked fine, and then I realized that for no reason at all there were red, yellow, and blue lights all over the place in the apartment. It's annoying when the shot would look amazing but the key light is red or an unnatural color. I also really love how he doesn't care about having all this gear or that, it's refreshing.

5:13 - Rodney Dangerfield's face is mine whenever I see a Roger Deakin's film.

Thanks for this video! It’s so important and useful for young filmmakers.

Thank you! More of this please :))

Amazing. Thank U.

Imagine setting up the camera lights infront of Roger to interview him XD

A great informative video.

Roger is a real person with great talents, great people are humble and don’t claim credit as they know it’s just not them and a greater source, tats what keeps the craft alive

Great watch.

Seems like the main idea is that we have to make the viewer get involved in the story and feel something. the camera is used to emulate the experience of being there and the lighting , lens choices and shots that you put in front of the camera all need to be focused on the idea of not just what someone would be seeing if they were in the scene but how they would be seeing it.

love this guy

What a genius. The best to learn from.

Happy birthday legend 🙌

I wish all cinematographers would listen to this advice. There is to much non-sense camera movement and seems like it’s a trend now, move the camera from side to side on a dolly or gimbal, so common and so non-sense. It’s hard to find a great cinematographer these days that are really focusing on belt the story with visuals instead of creating a bunch of pretty shots. This advice is Gold, pure Gold!!!

Brilliant video. Deakins is an incredibly interesting guy to listen to, he makes it sound so chill when in reality cinematography has so many factors it can be difficult to think of them all on set sometimes. I loved what he said about how it always feels like you're still learning and doing stuff for the first time. I've always found the difference between reality and a feeling of reality a fascinating discussion as well. Thank you for these great clips.

Hoping to be like him one day!

The section of him talking about technology is interesting for me personally. I have some experience doing wedding videography - so sort of similar to what he says about his documentary roots in terms of lighting etc - and I have to say, going into shorts, there are DoP's who are way too invested in the technical aspects of cinematography. Even very well regarded ones fall into this trap (one of the most excruciating experiences of my life was listening to one of the DoP's of a very well know Netflix show going into great detail about the inner workings of Red Epic cameras at a Cinematography Festival discussion).

Within the first 30 seconds I was given enough insights from the master to SMASH that like button!

Thanks for the great video.

Great❤

Roger is amazing person. I think its a real pleasure to work with him-it is one of the key why he works in hi-end AAA+ level movies and films. Despite being cinematography master, of corse. I guess Roger is great guy to watch movie/film and have a glass of beer/coffee to talk about afterwards. This is also the idea every filmmaker and DP should consider and endure a thought after this video. Thanks to AlterCine for bringing great philosophyof a great guy into 18:36 :))))

I need the same to-the-point, meaningful stuff that Roger Deakins puts forth.🙂

geez,,Mr.Deakins has made some great movies...

Wow fantastic........

Deakin's philosophy is not knowing to have to fix the car, but know how to race the car...if you're a racecar driver.

"and there's time to stay back and..." yep, fab, really fair point were it not that deakins 'staying back and letting the audience observe the space' is often times more prominently beautiful than the best work of a good number of jobbing DoPs. i love the man, but even his 'phoning it in' setting is sublime.

He so underplays it!

Blown away, that's all I can say.

Great!

greatest cinematographer of all time!!

Gold words. And take him serious. It’s not about technique or lenses or… it’s about the feeling you create

6:47. That poor interview DP must have felt that 😂.

3:12 when he said Alexa my Amazon Alexa started talking 😂

I have no idea yet, but please cover Rodrigo Prieto and Chivo Lubezki! maybe also the guy who made Queen's Gambit.

Great video =)

MASTER

"I dont know anything about cameras" Becomes the first DP to use the Alexa mini LF

He looks and sounds like a boomer rock star. Even the minimalist "I don't need pedals, just a volume knob" vibe is there.

Deakins is very articulate about his craft. Very clear that cinematography should not be showy, but be part of a piece. This is why I find it so strange that he made a movie that people only remember because of a cinematography gimmick. Seems to fly in the face of his oft repeated advice here.

7:10...man to hear the same guy who captured Shawshank Redemption admitting that a lot of the times he's really just winging it as he goes.