DP-Roger Deakins

The DP that i chose to study is Roger Deakins. Roger Deakins has done many works, most notably with the Coen brothers, as he has been their main cinematographer for several films. Deakins started out in still photography, but moved to film work as a way for a career. Originally, Deakins was interested in documentary and that style, but soon began working on dramas and other films. Deakins has an extensive resume and his style can change to please his directors.
The thing i enjoy about Deakins work is the variety he can create. Look at 'O Brother Where Art Thou' which is bright, colorful, and fun and compare it to "Fargo" which has a dimmer look, with a lot of black and while colors. however, his frames are always visually interesting and he makes great use of subtle things on a set that catch the viewers eye, things like symmetry and depth.
Deakins has talked about his different styles, adn how with different directors he can do different things. Even just for teh coen brothers Deakins will show variety. Deakins says that the more he is able to work with a director the more they can explore more ideas and get more complex, but even as teh difficulty increases the understanding and ease increases.
One can look at 'Fargo' and see a simple scene, a lot of snow and night shots with a static frame. That movie is played in masters and X2 coverage shots, not too much camera movement. However in 'Barton Fink', Deakins uses much more camera movement to guide the action. The camera is more involved than in other films, but this variety adds to Deakins ability. He is able to make a simple shot very compelling with angles and depth, and he collaborates with teh Coen Brothers perfectly.




"O Brother, Where Art Thou"




"Barton Fink"




"Fargo"