The cinematographer is one of the film’s founding members who is in charge of film photography modeling and is responsible for the creation and technical processing of photographic art.
Two famous and unbelievable Korean films are the reason I started to pay more attention to Korean film in these years, one is called The Host, the other one is called Memories of Murder. At the meanwhile, these two great Korean films created by the same director Bong Joon-ho and cinema photographer Kim Hyeong-gu.
Kim Hyeong-gu studied photography at university, he has his own understanding about the relationship between film and photography. In an interview in 2009, Kim Hyeong-gu said that: There is no difference between movies or photos. However, I majored in photography in college, and I am familiar with photography and photography. A few years ago, I shot a movie featuring Long Take or Long Short. So, I did not move the camera, close up, move the person in it with one shot fixed. It was obviously a movie, but I worked on the idea that I would take pictures. When you take a picture, you have to focus more on the picture than on the movie. In that regard, when making Long Shot Long Short films, you have to make it really complete (정리 김성훈,2009-10-13, http://www.cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=58206).
What he believes about the relationship between film and photography, is something I really agree. I believe that film is actually some dynamic photos, in other words, thousands or millions of photos being put together could make a video or a film. It’s necessary and significant to form and find our own aesthetic and style since an aesthetics and styles with our own style can help us stand out. Learning photography is the best way I personally think.
In the creation of a movie, the cinematographer is responsible for the creative task of using various technical means to achieve the modeling of movie images. Based on the content of the film and the intensions of the director, the cinematographer carefully designs and organize the implementation of the light, color, composition of each scene, and operate the movement of cameras in the shooting process. As a means of recording, the cinematographer is the key to transfer the scripts to images which is the most important aspect of the essence of film. However, as a means of art, the cinematographer also largely helps to demonstrate the story, characterize the characters, express the environment, enhance the atmosphere in a film. The artistic level of a movie is shaped cinematographer to a large extent.
In most films crews, cinematographers do not talk directly to the director of the film. They follow the order from the ‘Director of Photography’(PD). Usually, a PD is also from a cinematographer. When a cinematographer reaches a certain level of skills and aesthetic, it is natural that he would be in charge of the overall situation and it is not necessarily for a PD to actually operate a camera.
Also, he said that” The film on the other hand is entirely a director’s work. If you hang on only a visual aesthetic, your work dies. The shots should not shine. ” His filming philosophy followed. “I first see who the director is in selecting the work. I work with a coach who can communicate. After choosing a piece of work, I wonder what the director wants to express, what the director wants, and how the director can best convey the message he wants ” (Jong Dae Yong, 2006, http://ny.koreatimes.com/article/20061111/348741)
All in all, cinema photographer is a significant part of filming creation team, it needs many communications between the director, actor, actress and so on film worker. To understand what they are thinking, to combine with the reality, finally visualize the story and present its aesthetic.