MATTHIAS GRUNSKY, bvk

TECHNOLOGY

Cinematography has started with and came out of technology, with the invention of the stroboscope in 1830 and later 1891 with the Kinetograph. It was mainly a technological invention and the first fascination with it was the ability to capture movement. Eventually films were made that told stories and then more and more complex ones, where technology still was an essential and necessary tool, but the stories with all their emotions and how they were visually told, became what really attracted audiences to the cinemas of the world.

Technology today changes much faster than it used to. A new camera model might be out of date in a couple of years. There are exhibits and demos all the time where manufacturers come up with more, more resolution, more sensitivity, 3D, smaller, lighter, cheaper, faster…. And most of those new products are real improvements and can make the life of a filmmaker much easier if they are available and affordable for the project.

When I start thinking about a script though, technology is not an issue at first, I concentrate on the story the director wants to tell and most of that is very emotional, figuring out the essence of the scenes, notes of feelings. Then in a later step when the director and me have ideas what we want to do, I start to make a plan on how we can achieve it and then the selection of tools comes into the picture. But I never want to approach it the other way around. Of course a lot of times practical reasons determine the equipment list. It is the budget that forces a lot of decisions and some other realities.

For example when I have shot the movie “The Honor Farm”, directed by Karen Skloss, in Texas last year. Most of the story consists of night exteriors in the woods with an ensemble cast walking through it. We had an extremely tight budget however.

SERENDIPIDTY

I like to be surprised in the moment, when reading a script for the first time, without thinking in a mold, like what the producer wants this movie to be, what other movies could be a reference etc., just reading it as a reader/as the audience. I also approach locations at scouts that way, I take pictures, observe and explore, search for angles, often finding myself on the opposite corner of the room than everybody else and always being the last one in the group, falling behind, because I need the most time. Later then I am thinking about the script with those photographs and talk with the director about ideas and options. I find that process very exciting.

When taking stills, you can just capture moments as you find them. You can’t quite do that when shooting a movie with all the elements and schedules. But I try to still take pictures and find moments, angles, light situations, moods in prep for a movie and on scouts or when I spend time on a set during prep, which I always try to do as much as I can. Then I select from those ideas and hopefully manage to use some of those elements in the movie by re creation, picking the right time to shoot, planning around the elements I like.