25 tips from Roger Deakins

I doubt Deakins would stand by all of that though, seeing as how all of the "Tips" are simply quotes taken from posts he's made in his forum to specific users with specific questions.
They should be refered to as what they are (Quotes) rather than Tips, as god knows we all say a lot of things online and the answer may vary greatly based on a lot of factors (Did I have my coffee this morning or not for instance).
 
One of the things I found interesting was where Roger talks about not being able to take a lot from watching other DP's work, about developing his style independently. I myself learned a great amount from watching other shooters, starting from my PA days, and in fact I made a choice while I was already working as a DP in a small market to move to LA and fall back to operating so that I could work for and glean knowledge from DP's like Roger. As luck would have it, about four years after the move I got to do Steadicam for him and was subsequently brought back for a few more projects. What I discovered, much to my surprise (and disappointment) was that Roger's methodology was so unique and subtle and internal that I took away almost no "secrets" on his lighting style, other than it was minimalist. I used to stare at the setup and struggle to deconstruct it, and thus I knew I'd never really be able to emulate it. But as he points out, it's not about emulation (unless you are shooting a parody or such), it's about finding your own style.

I always enjoyed his temperament and it was certainly fun to operate handheld side by side with him (sadly I have no stills of that). On that particular show, "In the Valley of Elah", I recall once telling him at lunch about this new camera system called RED that was beginning to emerge--he was interested, or at least feigned it well!

Anyway--a fabulous cameraman, a fine gent and deserving of all the praise that is sent his way--and yet, admirably humble about it.
 
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CharlesPapert said:
One of the things I found interesting was where Roger talks about not being able to take a lot from watching other DP's work, about developing his style independently. I myself learned a great amount from watching other shooters, starting from my PA days, and in fact I made a choice while I was already working as a DP in a small market to move to LA and fall back to operating so that I could work for and glean knowledge from DP's like Roger. As luck would have it, about four years after the move I got to do Steadicam for him and was subsequently brought back for a few more projects. What I discovered, much to my surprise (and disappointment) was that Roger's methodology was so unique and subtle and internal that I took away almost no "secrets" on his lighting style, other than it was minimalist. I used to stare at the setup and struggle to deconstruct it, and thus I knew I'd never really be able to emulate it. But as he points out, it's not about emulation, unless you are shooting a parody or such; it's about finding your own style.

I always enjoyed his temperament and I was certainly fun to operate handheld side by side with him (sadly I have no stills of that). On that particular show, "In the Valley of Elah", I recall once telling him at lunch about this new camera system called RED that was beginning to emerge--he was interested, or at least feigned it well!

Anyway--a fabulous cameraman, a fine gent and deserving of all the praise that is sent his way--and yet, admirably humble about it.
Click to expand...

That is so very cool!!

I am a huge fan of Mr. Deakins' work. After reading a lot of his posts on his website/forum, I was amazed at just how inspirational he is. I love his approach that the "How" is always subservient to the "What"; i.e. what the final image looks like to you. I love that and I have been inspired to experiment with a lot of different types of light. Thank you Mr. Deakins!
 
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