Wednesday, January 07, 2009

The Cinematographers Speak

The ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) has spoken and chosen the following Directors of Photography as the tippity top of 2008 cinematic excellence.







If a movie must be lit, let it be lit by...
  • Roger Deakins (Revolutionary Road and The Reader)
  • Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
  • Chris Menges (The Reader)
  • Claudio Miranda (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
  • Wally Pfister (The Dark Knight)
As you may already know, Roger Deakins (who also lensed Doubt and consulted on WALL•E this year) has photographed films like Fargo, No Country For Old Men, O Brother Where Art Thou?, The Village, Jarhead, Kundun and Shawshank Redemption. He's a hero to cinematographers. He has never won an Oscar. Should he be nominated for the Oscars this year, it'll be his 8th attempt at winning gold -- 8th AND 9th should the Kate Winslet double feature happen.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope Australia is getting a nomination for it's Cinematography!

NATHANIEL R said...

i'm doubting that. Most of the guilds are stingy about giving new DPs their first nod and since people aren't liking that movie I'd say it's a longshot. :(

E Dot said...

Woo! Claudio Miranda!

But his chances of winning are slim, no? Seeing that Deakins, Mantle, and Pfister are all also deserving.

Peter said...

Gotta think Deakins is a longshot against Mantle, Miranda, and Pfister.

Anonymous said...

Deakins is always a contender.

Catherine said...

I don't necessarily think that Deakins has done his best work this year, but I wouldn't begrudge him a win at all. And isn't that one shot of the Joker leaning out of the car window the only example of really wow cinematography in TDK?

E Dot said...
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E Dot said...

I think Pfister is a strong contender because he used an Imax camera with a 55mm lens. Plus, I thought the film looked great.

Anonymous said...

I think Deakins should win for RR. The film is gorgeous.

Actionman said...

It almost makes me want to vomit when I think about the fact that Deakins is Oscar-less.

Australia looked beautiful but too much of the film was played around with in post with cheesy CGI.

From what I have seen so far, my "best-shot" movies of the year are:

The Fall
Button
Slumdog
The Dark Knight
Let the Right One In

Runners up would include:

Synecdoche, NY, Changeling, The Reader, Cloverfield, Rachel Getting Married, and Body of Lies.

E Dot said...

The Wrestler was shot really well too.

abstew said...

regardless of one's thoughts of BENJI BUTTON as a whole, one can't deny that it was shot beautifully. that shot is gorgeous. and i loved the saturation of color that made daisy's eyes otherworldly blue, her hair fiery red, and the bold teals and yellows that complimented them. really, anytime there was a dance scene, I was sold. I’m easily distracted by beauty.

Anonymous said...

Could someone tell me where is Claudio Miranda from? Is he American?

James Hansen said...

Deakins better hope only one of those gets nominated. The double nom killed him last year, although Elswit for TWBB was just as deserving.

Edward said...

Why no mention of Colin Watkinson for The Fall? Is the film not eligible for some reason. Imdb lists the year of release as 2006? It was the most gorgeous piece of work last year!

adam k. said...

Would Deakins win anyway though this year? Neither of his films seems to have much of a fanbase, and they're up against 3 popular best picture contenders. I don't think he's looking at a win, no matter what happens. But who knows.

I assume this means there are 2 cinematographers for The Reader. That's odd.

Anonymous said...

And isn't that one shot of the Joker leaning out of the car window the only example of really wow cinematography in TDK?

No, there's more. The Hong Kong sequences, the night vision shots, the hospital explosion, the post-9/11 imagery, etc.

Actionman said...

Adam -- yes -- two DP's on The Reader. Deakins had to leave production when it stalled. Menges came in and finished the movie.

Towelie -- Miranda is, I believe, Italian.

Anonymous said...

"No, there's more. The Hong Kong sequences, the night vision shots, the hospital explosion, the post-9/11 imagery, etc."

Your right there's also the shot when Bruce enters the party with those women by the jet and the shots where you see the view of the city from his mansion. There's also the shot when he and Alfred burn all the evidence and they leave Bruce says "I'm going to tell them it was all your idea." Wally Pfister and Nolan always shoot beautiful looking films together.

Glenn said...

Why can't I even get excited about this category? My ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE category of all time. Maybe because titles like Paranoid Park and Australia aren't showing up.

Carl Joseph Papa said...

wow i got featured in the comment part wow hehehe i feel so honored thanks nat!

uhm i did not like seeing the dark knight here most especially because i think it was too dark. If movies are going to get too dark they should use "collateral" as pattern. ASC should pick deakins among the 5.

E Dot said...
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Kalki said...

ive always been an ardent fan of Deakins and it both surprises me and troubles me that he has never received an award for his work. he is a master of the cinematographic arts and he deserves to be recognized for it.

he has my vote.

magiclantern said...

I dont know whether this film will do good