1....2....3....bring on the DP!

This week we talked a lot about DP's. I felt all sorts of uninformed, so during Visions of Light I wrote down a bunch of names and googled away! Out of the 9 names I wrote down I came up with...

Vittorio Storaro: DP for Apocalypse Now, which is pretty badass in itself, so I'm sold :) I'm not usually into war/action movies but hey.

William Fraker: DP for Rosemary's Baby, a classic.

Charles Rosher: A favorite of many in the 1920's. Since he was working during the silent film era, it was absolutely necessary that he knew exactly what he was doing.

I found this picture on a blog titled Chained and Perfumed and it had a quote next to it that I liked. Pickford: “Oh, I detested that picture! I disliked the director, Ernst Lubitsch, as much as he disliked me…it was a very unhappy and very costly experience.” It just shows how much loyalty Mary Pickford had to Rosher!

Haskell Wexler: DP for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Good movie, better book (as, I believe, usual). I think Wexler got the feel right for the movie, crazy but also achieved a kind of strict laid back feel. I can't figure it out at the moment, but for some reason I really dislike the composition of this still. Any thoughts?

Gordon Willis: DP for The Godfather (1,2,3) so I just can't leave him out.

Ted McCord: He was the only one who wasn't in the google quick search -- not that it means much, he was DP for The Sound of Music! I love love love this movie.

Tell me that's not a beautiful shot. No, if you disagree don't tell me, cause I love it :)

Vilmos Zsigmond: DP for The Deerhunter. I only include this because I've been told that I have to see this movie. I tried once, but barely made it through a half hour...has anyone seen this? Thoughts? Feelings?

Earnest Dickerson: I only add him because he used to DP for "Law and Order" which I just so happen to be watching now. Woo!

Then I looked at 2 more movies that I liked

Sunshine

DP: Alwin H. Kuchler

I really love how this movie turned out. While the movie itself was not my favorite, the look of it is up there. This movie had a lot of special effects and I think it takes a very good DP to create something such as the scene pictured here without making it appear fake or completely computerized.

Mona Lisa Smile

DP: Anastas Michos

Not only is this one of my favorite movies, but I also love how it really captures the conservative 50's at an all girls college. The front lighting of this picture, for instance, works perfectly because it deepens the contours of Julia Roberts face, while still leaving the other 3 in the back in the light.

I'm sorry my posts seem to be so long. It's probably cause I spend like all day on one, so it just keeps getting longer. And because I'm a pretty visual person I feel like I have to find a picture for everything to prove my point. Oh well! I hope you enjoy, and maybe even learn a thing or two! I know I did!

YouTube

Found this on YouTube and I, once again, just had to put it on here. It's actually surprisingly well put together. Enjoy :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6wRkzCW5qI

Procrastination

This is a link to something my old roommate sent me. It makes me laugh because it is so random and I love random stuff. It doesn't make much sense, but I figured that who better to share it with than my avid readers?! It's about procrastination and I hope you enjoy! :)

http://www.mickeyandjohnny.com/Johnny/procrastination.html

Visual Style

What's my visual style? Well, I'm not exactly sure. So in order to get started, I went through and found some of my favorite pictures that I have taken.

Each of these pictures has a story behind it. They inspire me when I think about each of them. The first picture is a forgotten red plastic chair left at Orange Beach this summer. People will walk by it for days, sitting in the sun, and then under the moon. Next is a simple street sign of the theatre I used to intern at. By itself it does not mean much, but rather when you look at what it represents, (creativity, power, fame, community, to name a few) it becomes inspirational. Next is a picture from Obama’s inauguration. I like this picture because it is just a snapshot of everything else that was going on when the nation was focused on the capitol. Next is a bridge and ledge hidden deep in the woods. I found it while camping and watched a gorgeous sunset in complete solitude. Next is in Mannheim, Germany outside of a modern art museum. I love this picture because while it looks real, it is just a flat steel man that many people walk by and never notice. I had to throw in the next picture because it makes me laugh every time I see it. It is in the parking lot of a hotel outside of Madrid, Spain. It really captures the mood of the day, when everyone was feeling trapped and left behind. Lastly is one of my favorite pictures. It was taken off a small bridge in Florence, Italy early in the morning. It is a simple, straightforward picture but I love the composition of it and the quick snapshot of a Italian man’s life.

So, after that I went online and around my picture collection and found some other images that inspired me and that I could connect to.

I like these pictures because they make me think. I don’t know what’s going on in the big picture or in these people’s lives. I chose this first picture because I like different cultures. I’m not sure where this is or what this actually is a picture of, but I like the color and the composition of it, and it makes me wonder. Next is a picture that hangs over my bed. It is a snapshot of NYC’s Times Square. NYC is one of my favorite places of all time because there are so many types of people and so many walks of life. Next is a still from The Time Traveler’s Wife, a movie I saw the other day. It is a great movie because you get to know the characters, but it still makes you think the whole time. Next is rain, something that I find very inspiring. It is beautiful, destructive, and cleansing all at the same time. Lastly, I found this picture and couldn’t resist throwing it in. I see this picture as a very passionate picture because you can just feel the love coming from this man for his cello.

Overall, I like things that make me think. I truly believe that everything has story behind it and I want to figure out a way to capture it on film. I like discovering hidden places and am inspired by people who are off-the-street average. I like to see the details of things rather than the really big picture, even though I think it is important too. As of right now, I haven’t completely found my personal style. I know what I like right now, and I think I am on my way to developing a true style.