Private Passions: Lights, Camera, Action!

Seresin with American director Matt Reeves

What do you consider to be the most beautifully shot films of all time?

Two films that I find visually powerful are a Russian/Cuban co-production called Soy Cuba, made in the mid-‘60s in Cuba – some of the technical work is groundbreaking; and The Last Picture Show from 1971 – the images are arresting and served the film so well. Each frame could have been a standalone postcard.

Would you like to see cinematographers get more recognition?

The two people who are least recognised in terms of their contribution to a film are the editor and the cinematographer. Cinematography has become much more democratic – there’s less mystery to it now. Directors of photography used to control everything because nobody else knew how to do it. I know if I walk on a set and ask everyone to clear out then they will, but the role has become a lot more democratic and it’s not necessarily always for the best. There are monitors all over the place now and everyone can see what’s going on. The one thing you can’t change is the lighting – once you’ve committed it to film you’re stuck with it, but you can always redo sound.

Seresin on the set of Dawn of The Planet of the Apes

Have you ever sat in the director’s seat?

I’ve directed one film called Homeboy starring Mickey Rourke, who handed me the script when we were in a helicopter bound for New Orleans. He was a big star back then and we ended up mostly going with what Mickey wrote in the film. He raised all the funding and we had a good cast that included Christopher Walken.

Mickey was a bit all over the place but the final decisions on the film were his. I got offered a few other directing gigs after that but I didn’t really like them and they didn’t mean that much to me. I really like shooting movies; I get huge pleasure out of that.

What was it like working with Alfonso Cuarón on Gravity?

Cuarón is different from other directors and has an incredibly choreographed camera that’s moving all over the place, which makes the cinematographer’s job that much more difficult and that much more interesting.

We made Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban together the same way you would make a small movie. It was pretty dark but a lot of people say it was the best and the most interesting cinematically of all the Potter films. We became good friends while working on it.

I wasn’t involved in the prep for Gravity – I took over from a director of photography called Emmanuel Lubezki who went to film school with Cuarón. I was due to go in for two days to help out and ended up staying six weeks and shooting over half of the movie.

I turned up at Shepperton Studios not really knowing what was going on as I hadn’t read the script. There were more macs than an Apple store as it was filmed with maximum CGI. You get to a point where you feel comfortable in your own skin about doing most things. Alfonso was very trusting and has a really good eye. Not all directors have a good visual sense.

You shot half the movie and ended up with an ‘additional photography’ credit – would you have liked to have had a shared credit with Emmanuel Lubezki who won the Oscar for it?

I don’t even know what happened. I was only supposed to be going in for two days but they kept calling me back in. It didn’t matter as I was helping out my friend and that was the important thing. I didn’t even think about the Oscar. Alan Parker said ‘those who know, know’. It’s only when other people raise the subject that I’ve thought about it. I guess it’s nice to be recognised by your peers. I don’t actually know what it means if you get it, but I suppose any award it quite nice.

Seresin with Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón on the set of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

How important is it to have a good dynamic with the director?

Having a good rapport with a director makes working with somebody more pleasant; it’s like any relationship. Historically the camera was the centre of everything, now with digital a film crew is a lot more spread out. I spend half my time in a trailer looking at a screen.

It’s important to gain the director’s trust. Alan Parker and I have always gotten on well as we share an irreverent sense of humour. We’ve had big rows too – I’ve told Parker to stick the film up his jacksie a few times.

The next minute we’re sharing a bottle of wine over dinner. I’ve had a few run-ins with Cuarón, but you never know the pressure they’re under.

Do you feel you’re given enough time on set to execute your vision?

I don’t mind feeling rushed on set. I like the pressure and I respond to it. Days cost hundreds of thousands of dollars so the studio worries about every cent, which is how it is and how it should be. Everyone thought digital would speed up the film making process but that hasn’t really happened. Most films are 75-90 day shoots. On War for the Planet of the Apes we did 50 nights in the run-up to Christmas and finished at 4am on Christmas Eve. I’ve turned down some big films recently because I want to do smaller projects. I’ve done a film a year and I’m away for up to nine months. My kids come and visit me on set. It’s all I’ve ever known so it’s the norm for me.

What can movies teach us about life?

Life is tough for a lot of people, so film is a form of escapism. Historically America has always done that the best, from musicals to love stories. I’ve never been a big fan of that. I don’t mind really dark, unrelenting films – maybe it’s the Russian side of me. My dad was of Russian Jewish descent. Films feed our imaginations and the more our imagination is fed, the more we’re challenged. I think our brains are hugely under-used. Films teach us things but you’ve got to be careful about not being too preachy. The recently released Cold War is a bit preachy in its way. Some films are documenting what happened. The question is, do you want to be reminded of it? A lot of people do because they’ve lived through it.

What’s your next project?

I’m working on a movie with Gary Oldman about the life of English photographer Eadweard Muybridge, who was known for his pioneering work in motion-picture projection. Oldman will direct and star in the film, which is quite dark as Muybridge shot and killed Major Harry Larkyns, his wife’s lover, in 1874, but was acquitted on the grounds of justifiable homicide. We’re discussing whether to shoot it digitally or on film at the moment. Kodak are keen for us to go with them as it’s a film about a photographer. The movie takes place when there was no electricity, so we’ve done a lot of research on oil lights, candles and gas by looking at old photos. All they had back then was moonlight and gaslight.

Click through for more pictures from Seresin’s film archives…

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