There is nothing I can say aboutRoger Deakinsthat hasn’t been said before. As one of the best cinematographers that has ever worked in the film industry, Deakins has over and over again delivered brilliant work that has inspired millions of filmmakers around the world. When you look at his resume, it’s impossible not be impressed. While I could go on and on about his entire filmography, here’s just a few things Deakins shot that you might have seen:Blade Runner 2049,Skyfall,Prisoners,The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,True Grit,Sicario,No Country for Old Men,O Brother,Where Art Thou?,The Shawshank Redemption, andThe Big Lebowski.
There is a reason theCoen Brothers,Sam Mendes,Denis Villeneuve,Frank Darabont,Andrew Dominik, and so many other amazing filmmakers want to work with him.
With directorJohn Crowley’sThe Goldfinchworld premiering at this year’s Toronto International Film festival before opening in theaters this weekend, I recently sat down with Deakins for an extended interview at the Collider lounge at the Nordstrom Supper Suite at TIFF. If you haven’t seen the trailers,The Goldfinchis an adaptation ofDonna Tartt’sPulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. The film starsAnsel Elgortas a boy whose life was upended when his mother was killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art when he was 13 years old.The Goldfinchalso starsNicole Kidman,Oakes Fegley,Aneurin Barnard,Finn Wolfhard,Sarah Paulson,Luke Wilson, andJeffrey Wright.
During our wide-ranging conversation, Roger Deakins shared some great stories about makingBlade Runner 2049, why he likes working on character-driven pieces, why he doesn’t shoot coverage, how often he sets up a shot and then realizes it’s just not working, why he wanted to work onThe Goldfinch, what it was like filming the bombing sequence, why he’s looking forward to seeingThe Lighthouse, why he wants Criterion to release the longer cut ofThe Assassination of Jesse James, working with Sam Mendes on1917, what technology is coming that will help the moviemaking process, his thoughts on drones being used in movies, and so much more.
Check out what he had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
For more of Collider’s TIFF 2019 coverage,click here.
Roger Deakins:
