The vaulted job of the cinematographer is one of subtlety and time-honored technique. The ability to capture stories not only through dialogue and narrative order, but to show them, using striking, visual combinations of lighting, shadow, composition, and symmetry, is not a natural skill, but rather, one refined and honed through decades of practice and hands-on experience.There is a reason, simply put, that most cinematographers don't earn the lofted credit of "Director of Photography" until well into their thirties—this is an art form that, in addition to volumes of knowledge and practical ability, requires a grace the mastery of which is usually only achievable through intellectual and emotional maturity.
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One such master cinematographer is Roger Deakins; if you call yourself a cinephile, or even a moviegoer of the most fundamental capacity, chances are, you've seen his work. From A Beautiful Mind, to Fargo, to The Shawshank Redemption, to yes, even Skyfall, this UK-born Commander of the British Empire (C.B.E.), American Society of Cinematographers (A.S.C.), and British Society of Cinematographers (B.S.C.) legend boasts more Academy-Award nominations than letters in the acronyms that make up his full title.In DEAKINS: Shadows In The Valley (above), the 65-year-old Deakins gets the tribute treatment. Presenting some of the most visually-striking sequences from nearly 25 years of Deakins' storied career, the five-minute compilation watches like a masterclass on cinematic storytelling. From aperture adjustment to zooming, and everywhere in between, this is the work of one artist who, like a fine wine, only continues to improve with time.
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