INTERVIEW DEAKINS
YOU’D THINK DIGITAL would simplify everything, BUT IT HASN’T”
Something else Deakins keeps simple is his camera choice. He admits he just about always works with ARRI ARRIFLEX. “My lens choice has changed a bit as new lenses have come along and have become faster, cleaner and more lightweight,” he says. “I am very simple when it comes to equipment really and just get what I need. I like the cleanest When it comes to cinematography’s rules, Deakins argues that they need to be learnt – and then dismissed when necessary. “Rules are important, but they don’t define what you do.” The role of a cinematographer, he proposes, is to immerse the audience in the film. No single shot should stand out. “If it does, then you have failed in a way,” he says. “It is not just about pretty pictures. You can’t really put your finger on great cinematography; it just gets you and adds something to the story and the performances. It creates a world you are suddenly immersed in and emotionally moved by.” James takes a similar viewpoint, and image possible.” TEAM DEAKINS suggests it’s not just a film’s dialogue that works to tell a story, but also its visuals. “The actors may be doing whatever they are doing, but the framing is also telling you something on a very visceral level. To me, that is great cinematography.” According to Deakins, every film he has shot is of its time and, if he had the option to revisit any of them, he wouldn’t change anything. Despite this, he admits he’s often disappointed when he first rewatches something because it reminds him of the inevitable trade-offs made in production. “Everything you do is a
compromise,” he explains. “But then we watch it again a few years later and think it’s not so bad really.” Similarly, when I ask him to highlight a favourite shot from his career, he finds the question impossible to answer. “We have wonderful memories of different movies, but you can’t say one is better than the other because sometimes it’s about the people or place and different things you remember.” Since working on Empire of Light in 2022, Deakins has not been tempted by any scripts, although he admits he would consider a science-fiction film if the right one came along. For now, the plan is to continue the Team Deakins podcast. “James started it and does all the work on it and I just waffle on,” he laughs. “I had no idea what a podcast was when we first started it during the pandemic. It’s nice to hear people’s paths and how they got into the position they hold within film.” “We never know what is going to happen or what the other person is going
AHEAD OF THE CURVE Taking a break from making features like Skyfall (top), Deakins runs a podcast with his wife James (above)
to say,” James adds. “We do a lot of research beforehand and then most of the time during the podcast we are just chatting and going off what they are saying, so it is a conversation.” Both point to people’s shared interest in knowing how others got into the film business. They always pose this question to guests on the podcast. “It is really important you tell younger people there are multiple possible paths into the film industry,” Deakins concludes. “You have just got to have the passion and the patience.” Over five decades, Deakins’ approach has remained consistent. The tools might have changed, and the industry itself has been upended several times over, but his emphasis on clarity, collaboration and simplicity endures to this day.
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