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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

All I did was provide the .r3d file!

P

Peter Hodgins

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If as a Cinematographer you hand over the .r3d file and the Editor drastically changes your vision in POST via RedCine-X etc. Can you plead that all you did was provide the .r3d? Can you get your film credit changed from 'Cinematographer' to '.r3d Provider'?

Nowadays it's as if after the shoot they changed your film selection and exposure and everything ... what is the Cinematographer responsible for?
 
Peter Hodgins said:
If as a Cinematographer you hand over the .r3d file and the Editor drastically changes your vision in POST via RedCine-X etc. Can you plead that all you did was provide the .r3d? Can you get your film credit changed from 'Cinematographer' to '.r3d Provider'?

Nowadays it's as if after the shoot they changed your film selection and exposure and everything ... what is the Cinematographer responsible for?
Click to expand...

If the Director is telling the editor to bring up the exposure a bit, well there's your answer.

However, ideally the level of collaboration on this front would be the Director and Cinematographer working together to provide a concise vision. Not all collaborations go over that smoothly though.

I do my best to shoot as accurate as possible towards the final image most of the time. However, I've worked on films as a colorist where some shots were brought up "handsomely" from where they were exposed at. Though luckily in the cases I'm referring to it was to help inform the viewer and assist with the clarity of the scene.

Ideally the Cinematographer is there to capture and oversee the general process of creating the best possible image that is desired for a given story.
 
Definitely happened to me for the better quite a few times. A big part of the Director Cinematographer bond I feel is the post workflow. I see this happening a lot in the music video world, just handing the files over to a colorist who changes everything sometimes. I think its all apart of choosing your battles. I will bring up general color pallets to directors and sometimes they don't even care to follow a general color pallet with wardrobe props etc...

Phil Holland said:
If the Director is telling the editor to bring up the exposure a bit, well there's your answer.

However, ideally the level of collaboration on this front would be the Director and Cinematographer working together to provide a concise vision. Not all collaborations go over that smoothly though.

I do my best to shoot as accurate as possible towards the final image most of the time. However, I've worked on films as a colorist where some shots were brought up "handsomely" from where they were exposed at. Though luckily in the cases I'm referring to it was to help inform the viewer and assist with the clarity of the scene.

Ideally the Cinematographer is there to capture and oversee the general process of creating the best possible image that is desired for a given story.
Click to expand...
 
My 2c for any DP (apart from "build the director / editor / post house relationship") frustrated by this is:

Learn grading software. Make friends with colorists.

If they're screwing up your look in post... email / show the director a frame of how you would rather have it graded and say "Hey, take a look at this and tell me if you like this look. I can process everything that way if you want (for a small fee), or I can send over the DaVinci Resolve nodes with this look to the post house if you want..." or whatever. Get your image to the post house somehow.

Depends on your relationship with the director, of course...

Even if you do it after the fact, a friendly "hey, I think things could have looked better on that last job. Here's my take on it. In future can I help with the process?"

Few will pay for the DP to sit in on all of the post and point fingers and tell people to do stuff.

But if the DP gets their hands dirty and actually helps... that's another story.

End 2c.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com
 
Many, many, many A-list cinematographers are increasingly concerned by the changes that run rampant in post. Some have the clout to insist that they be present and approve all color-corrections and repositions prior to release.

I know of a case where a huge, Oscar-winning DP nearly had a fist-fight with a bigtime director over the director's decision to throw out the majority of the DPs look in a specific scene. The DP almost took his name off the picture, but was convinced not to by the studio execs. The DP and director eventually shook hands and not only worked together again, the DP won another Oscar. (This sounds like a National Enquirer story, but it's 100% true.)

I am very reluctant to change a look that I know the cinematographer approved, but ultimately it's the director's film, not mine. And we all work for the director. Having said that, I know of cases where the executive producer overruled the director, and also where studio execs came in and threw everybody's decisions out and made more changes. In post, the last man standing has control over the picture.
 
Marc Wielage said:
Many, many, many A-list cinematographers are increasingly concerned by the changes that run rampant in post. Some have the clout to insist that they be present and approve all color-corrections and repositions prior to release.

I know of a case where a huge, Oscar-winning DP nearly had a fist-fight with a bigtime director over the director's decision to throw out the majority of the DPs look in a specific scene. The DP almost took his name off the picture, but was convinced not to by the studio execs. The DP and director eventually shook hands and not only worked together again, the DP won another Oscar. (This sounds like a National Enquirer story, but it's 100% true.)

I am very reluctant to change a look that I know the cinematographer approved, but ultimately it's the director's film, not mine. And we all work for the director. Having said that, I know of cases where the executive producer overruled the director, and also where studio execs came in and threw everybody's decisions out and made more changes. In post, the last man standing has control over the picture.
Click to expand...
You can mention the name of DP, as Tarantino talked at length about this epic fight in the interview;)
 
I wish we were working in Europe, as there DP is very much involved in post process. I can hardly remember when last time I worked on a project without a DP. And the director ALWAYS defers all creative visual decisions to the DP, because it is only makes sense- he shot the damn thing!
Here in US I feel for you. But if you feel so strong about the final look of your work, do spend little extra time, find some references, use RCX, Photoshop or Resolve to come up with an idea (please do NOT send Resolve nodes. I would be offended, if someone felt, that I'm incapable of recreating the look from scratch). Or better yet, do attend grading session on your own time. All it takes just an hour or so to set up a look, obviously if you have a permission from the director or producer;)
 
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