Artist statement

My favorite science fiction author H.P Lovecraft  once said “Pleasure to me is wonder—the unexplored, the unexpected, the thing that is hidden and the changeless thing that lurks behind superficial mutability. To trace the remote in the immediate; the eternal in the ephemeral; the past in the present; the infinite in the finite; these are to me the springs of delight and beauty.”As a cinematographer these are the things that i want to show people. when people see movies I have made I want them to be actively looking not just at the subject but the entire frame. I want people to look for the answers not just in the story but in the lighting, in the camera angles, and in the background. I have always loved science fiction and horror because, the answer could be place right in front of you and you wouldn't even know it because you were looking at what you thought the director wanted you to see. these  are the kinds of movies I think the world is ready for, and that I will make. Some may be hard for some audiences to grasp but that's the whole purpose of making them this way.Like Lovecraft says "Like the late Mr. Wilde, I live in terror of not being misunderstood" 

Final reflection

I have been wanting to have a class like this since I was a freshman. I'm glad I got the chance to take it in my final year here at alabama, better late then never I guess. I feel like I have a better understanding of pre-production of a film. Although I have a long road ahead of me I feel like I have at least started out strong. Now, instead of getting sucked into the plot of my favorite shows and movies, I'm thinking about where the camera is placed, how the previous shots tied into the current ones, and how I can mimic their techniques in my projects. TCF 312 has really opened my mind about the movie business, it's perks and its disadvantages. I feel like I can handle all of the negative aspects of pre-production just because I like doing it so much. I feel like I could get up at whatever hour to do this job and hopefully I'll get the chance. 

inspring lighting

shot by shot of the shower scene in psych

im going to to the best i can with this one...

the camera follows her from the living room to the shower. evrything is pretty evenly lit nothing out of the ordinary.

MS of her getting her shower on. a bit erotic and distracting, still nothing out of the ordinary.

another erotic MS 

this is not a MS, this is a wide shot with the main character in the foreground 

through the obscurity of the curtain the real subject inters the scene

as the camera pans/zooms to a medium shot

the curtain is pulled back to reveal a silhouetted figure. heavily backlit no key key light or anything. who/whatever it is, is a dark evil entity.

 

reaction shot. MS 

ECU of the scream 

the first shot of the killer stabbing her. still heavily backlit with nothing lighting its face.

Medium two shot of the struggle. from previous shots it looks like the killer is stabbing at nothing, this shot fixes this by putting the killer almost in the shower with her.

a

MS of the blood falling in the tub.

This is the best glimpse of the killer we see through the entire ordeal. the water still on reminding us that, a couple of seconds ago she was peacefully taking a shower. 

close up of her hand clinging to the last bit of life she has.

close up of the curtain falling as she grabs it to stand but is to much dead weight for it to hold her up (pun intended)

we see the blood running down the tub into the drain  

close up of the bath drain. the exact place her life went down.

extreme CU of her lifeless eye.

pull out to a close up to reveal her lifeless body

motivated camera movement

at about 3:15 the camera moves from dicaprio playing with his kids, to the totem. even though the action is happening offscreen the audience knows to look at the spinning top on the table. 

in this scene we have the establishing shot of the underground scientific lab. The camera moves down to continuing the last shot to suggest that the place we are now in is beneath the place we saw before.

this scene uses camera movement as an introdution of an important charachter. at first all you see is a black and red blurr as the camera follows  rufio down the roller coaster still keeping him a bit obscured. 

5 scenes

this famous scene in pulp fiction is one of my all time favorites its a simple shot reverse shot between Vincent, a hitman, and Brad , some nobody who pissed off the wrong gangster. As far as lighting goes, Vince's key light is a lot brighter, establishing him as the character in charge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE9Qm8mShik

I love kung fu movies, even though Kung Fu Hustle was a bit more comedic, the action scene are nothing less than incredible.. in this scene the kung fu masters fight off a threat from gangsters. This scene is really beautiful because it is shot at night and the background of the slum is complemented with green light giving it depth and implied signs of life (it's not an abandoned building, people live there) Also a lot of wide shots and reaction shots used. its hard to follow a kung fu fight if all the shots are too close so the WSs lets the audience get their bearings as to whats going on.

I love how they shot this scene, simply because its one long shot from the time the camera enters count room to the time the subject leaves the casino. the cool thing about it is the camera doesnt just follow the subjuect it  goes around the room as the voiceovers explain what's going on. I don't know what the name of this kind of shot is called but it is one of my favorite techniques and how they do it so smoothly is beyond me at this point.

Hit Me! nolan really amped up the tension with this scene. in a way it is a shot reverse shot, just with movement. the camera switches from one to another showing both character's unrelenting will. this really goes with what the joker says later in the movie " the unstoppable force (batman) meets an immovable object (Joker)" 

Portrait of a place

For my Portrait of a place I wanted to shoot in the basement of Gorgas. i wanted to make it seem as if the main character was trapped in a maze. the shelves and limited lighting helped give the frame symmetry, making the aisle seem longer than it actually was. one of my favorite little things about the movie is the blue light that shows up on some of my shots. It added a haunting glow that made it look like something was watching him. The POV shots were done on a shoulder mount, making it seem like someone or something was gliding through the aisles.

3-5 scene assignment

. this scene is so compelling not just because  its a lightsaber fight but how intense the cinematography. lots of wide shots are used but for the more intense parts of the battle they go in for  medium two shots or over the shoulder reaction shots. they do a good job of putting the audience in the middle of this epic battle. The best part to me is the constant change in scenery. They go from fighting on a landing pad to a control room to a lava pit. The lighting from the lava pit really accentuates anakins rage and obi-wan's sadness.

This movie got me into horror movies and cinematography in general. Sam Raimi loves to keep his camera moving, and I still do not know how he managed to pull it off. Its a POV of whatever the thing in the woods is and its chasing ash through the woods but the way the camera sways and looks around makes it seem like some kind of monster.

There is no other scene in my mind that exudes the power generated by samuel l Jacksons performance in this. They made the atmosphere of the room contrast with the formality of SLJ and John Travolta's style.

blog post #!

The Dark Knight

 content: Medium, shot dead center. his face is highlighted from the left.
Context:  This is the scene where the joker is brought to jail.and his reaction to lieutenant Gordons promotion. the fact that he stares directly into the camera makes this scene so much more intense.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand

content: XLS of the gladiator arena in Capua. the fire and the stadium exits are the main sources of light
context This is the ring of fire scene in Spartacus. This is scene is one of the defining moments in the show where all of the gladiators fight to the death in the center of the ring.

The Evil Dead 2

Content: Close up on bruce Campbell. his face lit from above and shot at a dutch angle.
Context: this is the scene in the evil dead 2 called dead by dawn. The main character is being screwed with by spirits/demons. at this point he begins to lose it and succumb to the madness.

Reservoir Dogs

Content: medium two shot with lighting coming from the left. to add shadow to Mr. White's face
Context: This is the final scene in Reservoir Dogs where Mr. Orange reveals his big secret while being cradled by Mr. White.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 2)

Content: XLS with natural lighting and computer generated light from the wands.

Context: This is the final battle between Voldemort and Harry Potter. 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Contenet: a long two shot of Joel and Clementine. The lighting is shown as if it were shining through trees. Not to mention the gigantic crack in the ice as an eye catcher. 

Content: 

iRobot

 this is an xls of the brooklyn bridge 22 years from now apparently. Im pretty sure this is all CGIs.
context: The Old Robots fought the new evil robots and are now looking to will smith to show them what they're supposed to do now.

ABCs of Death

content: extreme close up of buddy with above lighting. 

Content: this is the scen in a short film where a man is forced to fight a dog. as the fight ends and the dog is about to win he stops. and realizes the man he is fighting is his original master. when his new master yells at him to keep fighting, this is the look the dog gives him.

Kill bill

Content: over-the-shoulder very long shot. aboe lighting on the bride and prctical throughout the rest of the club.

Context: This is the end of one of the most epic fight scenes of all time, when the bride addresses all of her  fallen adversaries.