Roman Polanski: "It's simple"

[combatentropy]

I always thought that Roman Polanski's films had a unique and vivid look. And here I find out that basically all he does is watch the actors rehearse, then puts the camera where he stood. From an interview:

Is it true that you put the camera close to her, and that added to this jitteriness of her performance?

No, I put the camera where it's required for the given shot, for the given scene. I do not put, just arbitrarily, the camera closer to an actor's face. . . . I put the camera where I stand. I stand and watch the action. And then I'm just trying to film it the way I saw it. It's simple.

And it’s classic filmmaking in that scene, isn’t it? There’s, like, no camera moves.

I'm mainly an invisible witness to the events, and my camera follows me. And for that, I hate these convoluted moves which make you nauseous and interfere, in fact, with the story very often. I think if you have a story to tell, try to tell it in a simple or maybe elegant manner, and care about the emotions that it can evoke in those who are kind enough to watch it.


And from an article:

Roman Polanski is one of the directors I always go to whenever I’m looking for inspiration, cinematography-wise. His Knife in the Water is also my all-time favourite film, which makes studying his visual language an even more enjoyable experience.

Polanski came from a background in painting, which probably had an impact on his meticulous attention for composition. One of his trademarks is the use of wide-angle lenses. In Masters of Light, John Alonzo, A.S.C, who worked with the French director in Chinatown, said the only lens used in the entire film was a 40mm anamorphic, which produces an angle of vision similar to that of a 20mm spherical lens.

These are the lenses used in some of his films:

Rosemary’s Baby:	18mm and 25mm
Chinatown:	40mm (anamorphic)
The Ghost Writer:	27mm and 35mm
The Pianist:	27mm and 32mm
Oliver Twist:	21mm and 27mm
Carnage:	21mm and 27mm
The Ninth Gate:	25mm and 32mm (he used a 75mm for just a few close-ups)

 

[mcbob]

Another case of a very gifted artist and filmmaker who is sadly a total scumbag.

 

[dmitrizigany]

I love Roman Polanski. Easily one of my favourite directors.
The Pianist, Bitter Moon and Frantic are some of my favourite films of all time.

 

[yoclay]

Another case of a very gifted artist and filmmaker who is sadly a total scumbag.

Well, glad to see that we aren't making blanket generalities, but rather engaging in specific, insightful commentary.

 

[alohype]

Another case of a very gifted artist and filmmaker who is sadly a total scumbag.

That is very harsh, unnecessary comment, as who we are to judge anyone?

 

[mcbob]

Well, glad to see that we aren't making blanket generalities, but rather engaging in specific, insightful commentary.

That is very harsh, unnecessary comment, as who we are to judge anyone?

OK, guess I'm bringing in a whole lot of outside information to this party...

I don't disagree with anything he says in the above comment. Sure, put yourself in the situation, view it, visualize it through the camera, etc etc. He's a great artist. I've liked his work. It's the whole drugging and raping 13 year old girls that I really don't fancy about the fellow.

But sure... swell filmmaker.

 

[dmitrizigany]

Maybe you should read up on the case? The girl (not girls) even stated that "the media, reporters, the court, and the judge caused her way more damage to her and her family than anything Roman Polanski ever did, and that the judge was using her and a noted celebrity for his own personal gain from the media exposure".

Also you should try walk a mile in his shoes before judging? The man grew up in the Kraków ghetto in Nazi occupied Poland, having to watch his mother being taken away (and later killed) to a concentration camp, having his pregnant girlfriend killed by the Manson "Family" etc... He did one not so nice thing, but with a background like that, I can't say I would be any better.

And he is one of the best filmmakers in history.

 

[combatentropy]

I'm the threadstarter.

guess I'm bringing in a whole lot of outside information

Not to anyone who bothered to watch the video I linked at the very beginning. It talks about it one minute in. Secondly, it's impossible to google Roman Polanski without running into the story of him having sex with a 13-year-old in 1977.

As far as I know, it's the only incident of its kind in his life. Drugs and alcohol were involved. "I have regretted it for 33 years," he said.

I think it's interesting that the girl later said in a recent interview that politically motivated judges and district attorneys have "caused way more damage to me and my family than anything Roman Polanski's ever done."

But I would rather this thread not be about that. If anyone wants to talk about Roman Polanski's work, bring it here. If someone wants to talk about the morals and life of Roman Polanski and how it relates to his work, or about artists in general, I think that's actually an interesting topic, worthy of its own thread. It would teeter dangerously close to incineration by the moderators, but I think it's a worthwhile conversation.

I just would prefer it not be conducted here, because it has a tendency to overwhelm discussion of anything else worthwhile. It was incredibly hard for me to find the video I linked to above, simply because googling for Roman Polanski leads to an inundation about the case with the girl. Polanski's style and works: here. Polanski's sins: somewhere else, if anywhere at all.

 

[combatentropy]

The Pianist, Bitter Moon and Frantic are some of my favourite films of all time.

I recommend also his version of MacBeth. I don't normally like Shakespearean movie adaptations, even though I was an English minor and generally enjoyed reading his plays. Something about the gritty setting balances out the highfalutinness.

MacBeth and Chinatown are my two favorites, although I do like The Pianist and Frantic. Looking back, I would say Polanski is a gifted storyteller. His movies show a slow and steady build, a confident pace in revealing each step in the story.

 

[OldCorpse]

Goodness gracious. I agree - he's one of the greatest filmmakers ever, and one of my very favorites. I have also met and talked to him on several occasions. Having said all that, I think he's an amazing case of a filmmaker who performed at a very high level, and then one day simply plunged artistically never to recover. I love his work - almost all of it - up to and including The Tenant. And then he falls off a cliff. Subsequent films had flashes of his genius, but were mere shadows of his former glory - Tess is mostly a cinematography achievement, there are flashes of brilliance in Pirates and Bitter Moon, and then... really only bad movies and the occasional barely passable one (Ghost Writer). I am so disheartened by his decline, that I've never even bothered to watch some of his later movies (such as Carnage). I couldn't even finish watching Tess.

Oh, but I love me some Polanski work - including the brilliant short films he's done. Such a talent, at such an early age.

Again, however, I think he's an intuitive artist, and I don't necessarily think he's right about artistic stuff. Once his intuition deserted him, he didn't have the intellect to guide him, because that's what he is: an intuitive artist first and foremost, not a cerebral one. I asked him why his films are so much less visually inventive after The Tenant. He answered that when he was younger (I asked him this question in 1993), he was like a young artist, stretching his muscles and so did a lot of camera work that was more "because he could", and that when he matured, he became laser focused on just the story and telling it with the simplest means, and abandoned any movement of the camera that he didn't think was motivated by the story... oy. What a terrible, terrible simplification of the function of an artist in a visual medium such as film. I thought and still think, that Roman Polanski died as an artist after delivering the masterpiece (one of many) of The Tenant.

RIP, Roman, you were one of the greats.

 

[Fluoro]

I'm a huge Polanski fan. I think he is one of the greats. Chinatown is as close to perfect as any film. And I actually love The Ghost Writer. Something about the pacing and mise en scene entrances me.

 

[geffyb]

These are the lenses used in some of his films:

Rosemary’s Baby:	18mm and 25mm
Chinatown:	40mm (anamorphic)
The Ghost Writer:	27mm and 35mm
The Pianist:	27mm and 32mm
Oliver Twist:	21mm and 27mm
Carnage:	21mm and 27mm
The Ninth Gate:	25mm and 32mm (he used a 75mm for just a few close-ups)

I love this, so much talk of the need to have a huge assortment of lenses and one of the greats using 2 lenses for entire films. I need to limit myself in this regard occasionally to force myself to rely more on framing.

 

[alohype]

Sorry, for maybe stupid question, but that's the list of actual focal lengths of lenses or equivalents?
So is that, let's take The Pianist for example: 27mm x 1.5 crop factor of Super35 and 35 x 1.5 = 40.5mm and 52.5mm?

I am just wondering, sorry for my lack of knowledge, how is that information provided, what is a general rule of thumb.

 

[combatentropy]

I need to limit myself in this regard occasionally to force myself to rely more on framing.

It is a discipline that some photographers recommend to, paradoxically, improve your shots:

- Why Fixed Lenses Take Better Pictures
- Why I’m a Big Believer in 35mm Lens Photography
- 5 Reasons You Should Be Using Prime Lenses with the GH4

Also if you go the article on Polanski's lenses, at the end it lists many films from the 40s by other directors that were shot with just one lens.

 

[rob norton]

It's the actual focal length of the lenses.

Let people figure out an equivalent field of view on their own. Today, different people accept different sized sensors as the standard.

Even if a particular sensor size makes more sense to own the title of THE reference point, I like to give people the option to think in terms of whatever sensor size they want.

If you do give someone a "crop factor" you can just include the lens' focal length, as well as whatever standard you're using (e.g. full frame, S35, iphone 6s with taped on speed booster etc.)

 

[dmitrizigany]

Sorry, for maybe stupid question, but that's the list of actual focal lengths of lenses or equivalents?
So is that, let's take The Pianist for example: 27mm x 1.5 crop factor of Super35 and 35 x 1.5 = 40.5mm and 52.5mm?

I am just wondering, sorry for my lack of knowledge, how is that information provided, what is a general rule of thumb.

No, Super35 is the size of film. For filmmakers that's the norm. So a 27mm is a 27mm lens. Period.

 

[alohype]

No, Super35 is the size of film. For filmmakers that's the norm. So a 27mm is a 27mm lens. Period.

Thanks for clearing that out. We have that crop factor issue and I was wondering how does it works on top sets. If they're using different cameras (or different modes: like slow motion) I guess when DOP demands let's say 35mm for a scene it's assistant responsibility to calculate to get exactly that?

 

[David W. Jones]

No!

When a director or DP calls for a specific focal length lens, that's what they want.

If I call for a 32mm, you put the 32mm on the camera.

Do yourself a favor... Forget about all this crop factor crap!

The only time you need to know how your camera sensor size/lens combo compares to a full frame 35mm camera, is if you need to match a particular full frame 35mm shot.

All the best!

Dave

 

[alohype]

No!

When a director or DP calls for a specific focal length lens, that's what they want.

If I call for a 32mm, you put the 32mm on the camera.

Do yourself a favor... Forget about all this crop factor crap!

The only time you need to know how your camera sensor size/lens combo compares to a full frame 35mm camera, is if you need to match a particular full frame 35mm shot.

All the best!

Dave

Thanks

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

Thanks for clearing that out. We have that crop factor issue and I was wondering how does it works on top sets. If they're using different cameras (or different modes: like slow motion) I guess when DOP demands let's say 35mm for a scene it's assistant responsibility to calculate to get exactly that?

It is at this point I bang the drum for two iPhone apps, which allow one to avoid all this 'crop factor' crap, and just calculate the Field of View, Angle of View, Depth of Field numbers based on the given digital camera, or 35mm Film film aspect ratio. I think both have 'custom' options if the camera of choice is not listed in their respective lists of cameras.


pCam

Toland

I've been using pCam more of late, but these tools cut all the crap and give far more accurate numbers for these important parameters.