When does a cinematographer become an artist?

By Greek etymology, a cinematographer is a recorder of movements, but I find it rather hard to settle for this description because, contrary to popular belief, a cinematographer rarely, if ever, actually operates the camera.

So what’s the lowdown on these guys? What exactly is their job description?

Right from the nascent stages of the movie up until the end, a cinematographer is a constant accompaniment in the journey. The overall control of the use of the movie camera is given to this one person and he is quite literally a projector of the director’s vision.

From assisting the story boarding to deciding on the lighting, the angles, and even colour grading in post-production, they do it all because they are intimately aware of the nuances of the camera’s working, composition and lighting.

So does that make them technicians? Or are they artists? I’ll let you decide after you read on

Painting pictures out of words

While most of us find it hard to even put what’s in our heads into words, a cinematographer picks the brain of the director and creates is visually from scratch. Did you know that even the most ordinary sets, even a simple room, are created from an empty, white space?

So who decides what the room is going to look like? Of course there are art directors to take care of that but most cinematographers are involved in the process too!

"I see it as a part of my responsibility to work with production design and set dressing to help create a stage on which the cast and director are free and comfortable to satisfy the dramatic needs of the script. My best efforts as a cameraman are not going to save a bad script. My job is to try to get inside the head of the director, to figure out what he wants and help the performance where I can.” Says American cinematographer Neil Roach.

And if that is not an art, I don’t know what is!

Collaboration isn’t easy

It is no myth that it is hard to find a cinematographer- director duo with great chemistry.

Have you ever wondered why?

We all look to satisfy our developmental needs while contributing to our jobs, don’t we? The same way, every cinematographer tries to fulfil his creative needs while keeping the director’s vision intact.

“Atlee gives me complete freedom not only in lights and camera department but also in finalizing the costumes, colours, sets and also choosing the locations. We've known each other from our struggling days and it’s easy to communicate and its easier when there's good understanding.”, says George C Williams, on working with Atlee. I needn’t say anymore because the magic they create on screen speaks volumes more about their chemistry than a million reams can!

The director knows what he wants. How it gets done is usually up to the cinematographer. A cinematographer has to offer ideas and accept rejection.

Isn’t the line between accommodating and compromising a fine one? Then treading it should definitely be an art!

Perseverance pays!

Cinematographers put in long hours on the job and in return provide viewers, for a short period of time, the opportunity to enter a whole new world. And the obstacles that they face are endless.

“Each film is a challenge” says George

“While shooting Theri, the extreme climate was very challenging - The hot sun in Goa, the cold, chilly climate in Leh-Ladak and also the rain effect during the Chennai floods in December.”

But that doesn’t mean they stop and settle for less, they keep pushing boundaries till the vision they had in mind is accomplished and that is an art too!

On the whole, a cinematographer is an artistic technician who decides to place the camera here instead of there because he thinks it will do better justice to the script.

What’s your take?