Christopher Doyle is one of my favorite cinematographers. His work in the Jet Li film “Hero” is exquisite, as is his cinematography in “Lady In The Water,” the one redeeming feature of that film. I just recently heard of another martial arts flick he made back in the 90’s called “Ashes of Time” — I can’t wait to see it! Half out of his mind and obsessed with globetrotting, Doyle says a lot of crazy things about filmmaking, but occasionally he says something really insightful. Here he’s being interviewed by icf.com for his work on “Paranoid Park.” This is what he has to say about working in the film environment:
“… Most films actually do make themselves. How well they make themselves depends on our openness to, and global understanding of, all the elements that contribute to a “work.” The actors respond to a space. The production designer and the director and cinematographer have chosen or manipulated or created the space. The light defines the space, but if the light is “natural,” it may be temperamental… changing in unexpected ways… and what if the actors are new to their craft? And what if someone falls ill? The parameters have to be engaged. Film is life, too… I try to “go with the flow.”
So cool! Filmmaking really is the most improvised of all art forms. No matter how hard you plan, the space you shoot in and the actors playing the parts will always change things. Some of the greatest cinematic art comes out of these unavoidable, improvised changes. Film really is a lot like life. If you’re like Doyle, you’ll just “go with the flow;” but even the most controlling directors must improvise from time to time–it’s what makes cinema such a unique art form.