Master cinematographer Adam Suschitzky delivered a wide-ranging talk on lenses, formats, lighting and much more.
Scroll below for our live-tweets and photos from the session. Find out more about Adam.
Welcome to Suschitzky Selects, our masterclass with cinematographer Adam Suschitzky. Follow #DUKsuschitzky for the tweets! #DirectorsCut19 pic.twitter.com/9Lv7lCL6YJ
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
We kick things off with a look at Adam’s stunning showreel. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Adam: I grew up in a family of photographers, my earliest memories of the dark room in our house. My father made films, and I remember being on set when I was 3 years old. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Adam: We all have a lineage, we all have an ancient relationship with stories and the tools we use to tell them. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Adam: Caravaggio and Rembrandt used light and texture to tell their stories, while for me Degas and Monet are the closest painters there are to cinematographers. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Our photography: probably not as good as Adam’s. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19 pic.twitter.com/Nk1M6JKeNp
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Adam: I sat down and watched 2001 with my 12-year old son, and he didn’t move. Kubrick was obsessive about testing his lenses. He would test every lens with every set at every tea break. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
On Fear the Walking Dead, Adam was asked to give the show a new look...without moving the camera. Suddenly, the focus was all on lens, camera position, staging. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
It made Adam rethink how he watched things: why is the camera moving now? Does it need to? #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Adam: We have an amazing range of cameras to work with, but when we choose what we’re going to use, we still ultimately compare their effects to the human eye. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Adam: I am gobsmacked by the quality of digital cameras now. Fear the Walking Dead was shot on digital, while The Walking Dead was shot on Super 16. We decided to emulate that by adjusting the sensor to Super 16 levels. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
We watch an example of this effect from Fear the Walking Dead. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
It’s a beautiful sequence. Adam: I’m amazed that we got away with this technique in a mainstream show - wide lenses throughout, slow cutting pattern. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Adam: Older lenses will shift in dramatic focus-pulls. 1985 onwards is how I’d define a modern lens - though some have been designed to emulate older styles! #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
We watch a clip from 11/22/63, which was shot in 4K, using Hawk Series anamorphics. These were chosen because the director loved anamorphic flare effects. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
We watch another sequence from the same show, all shot in one continuous steadicam take. For this, Adam chose a 28mm Zeiss spherical lens. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
#DUKSuschitzky #DIrectorsCut19 https://t.co/naNqGwKKK6
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
A member of the audience asks how different lenses respond to darker skin tones. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Adam says that many of the adjustments are going to be done with your sensor- ARRI’s ones are particularly good. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
#DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19 pic.twitter.com/4OirvlZook
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Adam says that he’ll use military precision to make sure he can get a one-camera feeling even when he’s being able requested to use three. He’ll make sure the crew all know exactly how they’re set up. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
And that’s a wrap! Thanks so much to Adam Suschitzky for sharing his expertise with us, and putting cinematography in focus. #DUKsuschitzky #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
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