Autographed by,

Joe

Director’s Artist Statement

            As a director, I want to create films that make an impact on the people who see them. I want my films to have certain qualities that allow people to understand my intentions without knowing me or what I believe in. My main goal that drives my stylistic choices is always effective storytelling. I want to use camera movements and actor direction to convey the story I am presenting without ambiguity and without leaving an opportunity open for undesired misinterpretation. On top of presenting good stories in a clear and effective manor, I want my films to inspire and evoke emotion through the visual techniques I use. I want to work closely with the DP on projects so that I am able to communicate my ideas and allow him/her to create compelling visual images that satisfy both my creative impulses and desire to display beautiful video.

Each stylistic decision I make is motivated. I do not like camera movement to be random or to distract from the subject. Even in chaotic action scenes I believe that the camera should not just shake or whip around simply to create the illusion of chaos. Instead, I like to rely on the activity of the subject and a controlled camera movement to convey the tone of a scene. I also like the lighting to be motivated by content. Lighting should reflect the tone of the scene and should not just be based on what looks flashy or impressive. It is important to me to light my subject in a way that either reveals something about a character or underscores the tone of a scene.

However, I do have a great appreciation for artistic style. I like a visual image to have vibrant, vivid colors. I like images with colors that are as bright and defined as those in the real world (sometimes brighter if the content calls for it). Black and white is overused as a way to make scenes look interesting or ‘cool.’ I feel pale or washed out coloration works better than black and white to achieve things like flashbacks or dreams, especially if I am shooting digitally. In camera movement, I like a fluid, steady motion that carries the viewer’s focus without having a jarring or confusing effect. When camera motion is jerky and shaky, it often annoys me or takes me out of the scene. Motion can be quick and focus can change rapidly, but it should be controlled rather than chaotic or messy.

Through my choices as a director, I aim to communicate the meaning of the story to viewers while appealing to their artistic interests. Keeping very controlled camera motion and accurately communicating my artistic vision to a director of photography are the ways that I achieve both of these goals. Preplanning helps me to be prepared on set so that I am able to work efficiently and get my desired shots without too much chaos or on-site improvisation.

Also, visit my reel below if you’d like.

Joe Yardley’s Demo Reel from UA, Telecommunication and Film on Vimeo.

Announced by,

Joe

To begin, his style is rather hard to pin down. Working with different directors, he has shot different styles and uses different trends. However there are some consistencies. For one, he often emphasizes bold colors (Uma Thurman’s suit in Kill Bill, the various backdrops and bright clothing in The Aviator, the flames and greenery in Platoon, etc.). He also uses low-key lighting unless specific shadows are called for. He lights pretty evenly with very few hotspots unless the director wants to emphasize or downplay something. Casino is one of the films in which he uses lots of high-key lighting. This is because of the shady nature of the characters and the business in the film (This goes for The Good Shepherd as well). In Inglourious Basterds, as in many of his films,  he uses pretty dark images overall, but does not include an abundance of overbearing shadows. Many of the films he works on center around some sort of killers (be it soldiers, hitmen, mobsters, or CIA members). This Is appropriate for his visual style which includes larger than life coloration, dark but even lighting, and steady and stable camera operation. There is not much that looks as though it is shot on handheld camera. His work with documentaries (Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control) has an influence on his work. Platoon is described as having a “documentary style with an artistic sensibility.” Most of his films have a very stylistic look. They have a distinct look that Richardson has created, and that allows his work to be identified. Though he has been known to experiment with a variety of different techniques, Richardson’s work always has a certain aesthetic that is recognizable.

This making of video shows not only the usefulness but also some of the preparation needed for effective green screen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e9RW32LxUo (it also has a bunch of irrelevant stuff in there)

This image shows how advances in green screen/chroma key technology have made filmmaking easier. (oh George!)

Money shots are the shots that a DP can be proud of. They are most often the ones used in reels. They are shots that are extremely compelling visually. Money shots of scenery are always great at money hour. Sunrise and sunset light landscapes beautifully. Appropriate and interesting lighting is always essential to a money shot. Lighting that intrigues the viewer by giving more (or less) information about a subject can help to create a money shot. Filters can help to achieve desired coloration or other visual effect. Money shots differ from person to person, but they are always the shots that are the most visually impressive.

Faithfully,

Joe 

Here are some of the ones I actually found some degree of enjoyment in:

http://vimeo.com/2468792

This first one has some pretty cool shots. It is by Goldie Jones, and is one of the first ones that seems to focus more on compelling images rather than ridiculous effects, cool music, or sex appeal. However, it lacks in certain areas as well. The DP has a frustrating obsession with the focus wheel that I suppose she considers “artful.” Aside from that, the music is rather annoying (almost distractingly so). Without sound, this reel has some great shots in it. It Does a good job or portraying urban scenery as well as the middle of nowhere. It runs a bit long and gets a bit repetitive, but overall is pretty good.

Disclaimer:Mute this one, the music is inconsistent with the content and distracts. That being said, there are several impressive shots included in this reel.

http://vimeo.com/4094171

It starts out with several wide shots and fly-overs which are fine, but not necessarily what makes a good DP. The shots that I like more are the ones that show great color contrast (like some of the ones with the scouts in them) and the shots in the hospital and the city. Although the ultra-colorful shots seem almost cartoonish, in certain settings that could be useful (maybe not a boy scout ad but there is a time and place). The hospital shots are pretty practical: they make the place look sterile and clean without seeming lifeless. Then the shots of the city in the end are fine enough. My main problem with this reel is its inconsistency. It switches between commercials and an overly dramatized guitar player. It also uses an array of cheap tricks to make the guitar player seem “epic” and important. It is corny.

http://vimeo.com/5531788

This one has some pretty artistic lighting. It is creepy and whatnot but overall I like what the DP has done on most of the shots. It is not overly flashy and doesn’t often appear to have many unnecessary shots. It also follows a story to a small degree so it flows through most of the reel (the end is a little off topic).

Overall I think a good reel needs to have great images, the ability to hold a viewer’s attention, and a flow that doesn’t confuse people who are not familiar with the DP’s work. Most of the reels available online lack one or more of these qualities. Most of them have at least a few good shots, but they are inconsistent and often resort to boring or cliché shots. It is hard to find the good ones amongst the mediocre ones. I hope that as I develop my reel, I can learn from the things that tuned me off of many of the reels I watched.

Frankly,

Joe

One of my favorites is How They Get There by Spike Jonze.

The framing and camera movement in this film allows the viewer to follow the action, keep up with the characters, and stay interested in the situation. It even has a great car crash scene. The Quick cuts between the two characters keep the viewer involved and curious about where the action will go.

Another short film that I enjoy is Michel Gondry’s Pecan Pie.

In this short film, Gondry goes for a hidden camera/home video look. In order to do this, he uses the automatic settings and very little lighting. He does not bother much with stabilizing the camera, and instead just follows the action as if using a handheld camera. This adds reflection on the content by making it seem as though this occurence is not out of the ordinary and that it was simply captured as it happened naturally.

Wes Anderson’s Hotel Chevalier which screens before The Darjeeling Ltd. is also quite visually compelling.

The colors of the hotel room (mostly yellows) are highlighted through the use of lighting, exposure, and possibly filters. The slow, deliberate cuts emphasize the tone of the film as does the framing. I only embedded the 1st part but the second part has some pretty quality visuals as well.

Note: some of the animated shorts that screen before other movies (like those off of the Pixar site) are very enjoyable as well. I like the way they look, but because it does not require the same type of work to make the visual images, I left them off.

Apparently it won’t embed the clips so here are their links in order:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ3DyxhoJR0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjDY1Tfozu4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI8EOZk3W_8

From the fingers of,

Joe

So I’ll start with some I enjoy. First up, is Children of Men. I believe I have use this film as an example before (maybe even this same shot) but for a topic on motion, I can’t leave it out. I can’t find it to embed but there is one shot in particular that is mostly just a handheld following the main characters down the road during an ambush. It is a very long continuous shot, but it includes many of the techniques we talked about including the discovery, depth dolly, and spin around shots.

Spin around can be seen clearly in two films: Reservoir Dogs, which contains a slow constant rotation that almost appears to be handheld. In this shot there are also a few discovery shots as the camera moves from behind one character to show another. It goes on for about 2 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awGkBWTlZPE

and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels which contains the spin around only very briefly and at a very high speed. Other than that brief spin around, this scene contains a lot of rapid cuts and jarring movements and looks very much like part of a music video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLGWuWt8wfY.

Finally, I want to mention the fly over at the end of X-Men II. It covers a lake and shows a very faint outline of a phoenix on the water. Although once again I could not find a shot to embed or even link to, it is a pretty impressive shot (as are most fly overs).

Overall I have come to the consensus that camera movement is good only when it adds meaning to the shot. Zipping the camera all over the set just because equipment is available is a cheap attempt at making a shot interesting. However, controlled, rational, relevant movements can add greatly to a scene. It can be used to emphasize emotion (as with a character dolly) or convey a sense of confusion and bewilderment (as with the vertigo). It can be a clever way to reveal information or add finality to a scene (discovery/spin look and pull back retraction).

From,

Joe

However, usually my projects come across disorganized and sloppy so there could be a connection. Here is what I think of preplanning…

It is actually really important. While I didn’t even used to script my stuff, I now realize how important writing down plans can be. Without at very least a script and shotlist, projects can quickly go awry. This is especially important when working with other people because they often depend on planning to allow them to get done with a project quickly so that they can use equipment for their own purposes. It is also frustrating to work on someone’s project who hasn’t planned well because it takes forever and you are constantly trying to figure out what to do next.

I think the main thing is to figure out what equipment you will need and where you are going to shoot. That way you will have what you need no matter what comes up. A shot list is also really important, without one you end up scrambling around and moving the camera and lights randomly for hours.

Supposed by,

Joe

Some lighting things I like and why:

  Lighting from the movie snatch is pretty cool. This shot for example shows Brad Pitt’s character in the boxing ring. There is a powerful spotlight in the top of the frame, simulating the powerful spots often found at sporting events such as this one. It also serves to cast a clean white light on Brad Pitt, one of the less evil characters in the film. The light doesn’t blind the viewer, and you can still see the spectators in the background. The key light appears to be s little left of the camera with a fill coming from the right. The spotlight also serves as a pretty effective backlight for the characters. There are pretty strong hot-spots on the gloves as well.

Another movie with really cool lighting is Silence of the Lambs. Here is one example:

  This shot, though quite gory, is interestingly lit. The key light appears to come from the right of the camera. However, the light that stands out the most is the backlight. Once again this is a strong white light directed toward the subject from the back. It mixes with the fog to create interesting shadows and beams of light. The fill light is really weak creating a high key lighting situation with deep dark shadows contrasting strongly with the lighter parts of the frame.

Finally, I like some of the work of Jeff Wall.

The lighting in this photo is very natural. In fact, it could be lit by the sun. However, if this is the case, it was shot at a time when the sun was low and in front of the subjects, allowing the shadows to be long and skinny. It also provides a nice natural looking key light for all three subjects.

Lit by,

Joe Yardley

 Oh yeah, the last two posts should be reversed, the shot-by-shot comes a week before the one about In Bruges.