Conversations with cinematographers

Three exciting events have just happened concerning British (and francophone) cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, ASC, who attended the Cannes Film Festival to present Matteo Garrone’s new film Tale of Tales, to serve as a member of the jury of the Critics’ Week, and to teach a Master Class under the aegis of Sony available on the Internet on 21 May. David Cronenberg’s loyal partner discusses the creation of this fantasy film inspired by traditional Italian folk tales. (FR)

Selected for the Marseilles FID Festival, the documentary directed by Caroline Champetier on Bruno Nuytten was screened on 5 July. Director and cinematographer Caroline Champetier, AFC, discusses this sensitive portrait of a legendary cinematographer who brutally decided to end his career after twelve continuous years of work on some of the greatest French films of the 1980s. (FR)

Glynn Speeckaert shares his time between feature-length French-language and English-language films, but he also shoots many advertisements all over the world. Amongst his best-known films are his collaboration with Xavier Giannoli (A l’origine and soon-to-be-released, Marguerite), Koen Mortier (Ex drummer) and Guillaume Galienne on the comedy that won the 2014 César award for best film (Me, Myself, and Mum). His name will soon be on the film posters of Fred Grivois’ Through the Air, starring Reda Kateb and Ludivine Sagnier, as well as Moonwalkers, the first feature-length film of advertisement director Antoine Bardou Jacquet. (FR)

His first feature film, See How They Fall, was screened at Cannes, and three of Jacques Audiard’s subsequent films were selected to be in the Official Competition: A Self-Made Hero, Best Screenplay in 1996, A Prophet, Grand Jury Prize in 2009, and Rust and Bone, in 2012. For his seventh feature film, Dheepan, which is in the Official Competition of the 68^th Cannes Film Festival, Jacques Audiard chose an unknown aspiring actor to play the lead role, like Tahar Rahim and Reda Kateb in A Prophet. (BB)

Below, you will find a list of links for all of the articles that we published in English during the 68^th Cannes Film Festival. Cinematographers discuss their work with us on films featured in one of the Festival’s selections. These interviews are listed in the order in which the films are screened at the Festival.
The AFC expresses its heartfelt thanks to the CNC and its associate members — Aaton-Digital, Arri, Binocle, Cinemage, Digimage, Eclair Group, K 5600 Lighting, Lee Filters, Leica, Nikon, Panavision, RVZ, Sony, Technicolor, Thales Angénieux, Transvideo, and TSF Group — for their support, thanks to which these daily updates from Cannes were made possible.
The AFC also thanks Pierre-William Glenn, Angelo Cosimano, and the whole CST team for their warm welcome and for making it possible for us to be present at the Festival.

While for many the name Slawomir Idziak, PSC remains associated with the visuals of his compatriot Kristof Kieslowski’s 1993 film Three Colours: Blue, the Polish cinematographer has since enjoyed a distinguished international career (alongside Andrew Niccol on Gattaca, Ridley Scott on Black Hawk Down, and David Yates on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). He now returns to the forefront of the Cannes scene with A Tale of Love and Darkness, Israeli actress Natalie Portman’s highly anticipated adaptation of the eponymous novel by Amos Oz. (FR)

After the international success of Blue Ruin in 2013, a great revenge movie that was self-produced, directed, and filmed by cinematographer and director Jeremy Saulnier, Cannes is about to discover the world premier of Green Room, his latest thriller. This story, which portrays a group of Punks and its involvement with a gang of Skinheads, is highly anticipated at the Directors’ Fortnight. American cinematographer Sean Porter is responsible for the film’s visuals.

Cinematographer Luca Bigazzi and Paolo Sorrentino together form one of the most successful tandems in Italian cinema today. Winners of over sixty awards, including the Oscar for Best Foreign Film with The Great Beauty in 2014 – which, although it was screened at Cannes in 2013, was ignored by the jury – the two men meet again this year at Cannes with their movie La giovinezza (Youth). This film portrays two octogenarians played by Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel and was shot between Switzerland and Italy. (FR)

Yves Cape, AFC, SBC, became known as a cinematographer by filming Humanité, directed by Bruno Dumont. He then continued to work with the director all the way through Outside Satan. He has also worked with Claire Denis, Martin Provost, Cédric Khan, Guillaume Nicloux, and designed the lighting on Patrice Chéreau’s latest film, Persecution. (BB)

If Danish cinematographer Kasper Tuxen’s resume is above all filled with prestigious advertising credits (Louis Vuitton featuring David Bowie, Hennessy, BMW…), he has also already lit two feature films (Beginners by Mike Mills and M. Blash’s The Wait). After first working with director Gus Van Sant on a television series (Boss), he is currently responsible for the images of The Sea of Trees, a mysterious forest tale of survival in which Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey rubs shoulders with the most American of Japanese actors, Ken Watanabe.

After Roger Deakins, Ed Lachman is without a doubt the second most legendary cinematographer in competition at Cannes. The director of photography and director, a native of New Jersey, will be joining his friend Todd Haynes in offering us a film that stands somewhat apart from the rest of those that make up the cinematic landscape of 2015. A film shot in Super 16, recreating the New York of the 1940s, and reuniting Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. We took this opportunity to have him share his love of film with us.

Darius Khondji, AFC, ASC, is collaborating with Woody Allen for the fifth time on Irrational Man, an official Out of Competition selection at the 68^th Cannes Film Festival. _ Having most recently worked on several period pictures—James Gray’s The Immigrant, Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris and Magic in the Moonlight, and The Devil You Know, a pilot for a series directed by Gus Van Sant—Darius admits finding great pleasure in returning to a contemporary universe.

Christophe Beaucarne, AFC, SBC, works with loyal directors who call upon his talent to make most of their films. The list of these directors, from very different worlds – including the Larrieu brothers, Anne Fontaine, Bruno Podalydès, Mathieu Amalric –, recently grew with the addition of the name of Christophe Gans. The work of Christophe Beaucarne on Beauty and the Beast was nominated for the 2015 César awards. After Mr. Nobody, The Brand New Testament, a film by Jaco Van Dormael, was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, the opportunity for Christophe Beaucarne to make his second film with his Belgian compatriot.

Roger Deakins, BSC, ASC, is not just a legendary cameraman. He is a cinema aficionado who constantly pursues his visual research with great simplicity and enthusiasm. Although he hasn’t been awarded a golden statue in his over thirty-year-long career (despite his twelve nominations!), his close collaboration with the Cohen brothers has had a lasting impact on multiple generations of cameramen. After working with Denis Villeneuve on Prisoners two years ago, he is worked alongside him again on Sicario, one of the favorites to win the Palm d’Or at Cannes this year.

Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie, SBC, recently worked with Wim Wenders on Every Thing Will Be Fine and with Ryan Gosling on Lost River. Now a fixture in Gaspar Noé’s world after having filmed Irreversible and Enter the Void, Benoît Debie is once again working with the director on Love, a film that has sparked lots of discussion on the “Croisette” at Cannes. This 3D sexual melodrama tells the story of a torrid love affair that contains all sorts of promises, games, and excesses, was selected for the 68^th Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight Screening.

In a filmed interview, cinematographer Michael Seresin, BSC, discusses his philosophy and his passion for lighting, he mentions the advantages of Cameraimage’s diversity, continues with his experiences on shooting a film in digital. He misses film…, the most important thing is to tell a story.

In a filmed interview, cinematographer Nancy Schreiber discusses her experience at Cameraimage, her concerns regarding the increased accessibility of the profession and the loss of craftsmanship that this has engendered. She ends the interview with her fears regarding the loss of control over the integrity of the image from its production to the final version.

Starring Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Eileen Atkins, French release: 22 October 2014.
Magic in the Moonlight: the witching hour, spiritualism, and flying mattresses. Director of photography Darius Khondji, AFC, ASC discusses his fourth film with Woody Allen.