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Notes from Underground

  And, indeed, I will ask on my own account here, an idle question: which is better—cheap happiness or exalted sufferings? Well, which is better?---Fyodor Dostoevsky ---Notes from Underground Fyodor Dostoevsky ---Notes from Underground Even now, so many years later, all this is somehow a very evil memory. I have many evil memories now, but ... hadn’t I better end my “Notes” here? I believe I made a mistake in beginning to write them, anyway I have felt ashamed all the time I’ve been writing this story; so it’s hardly literature so much as a corrective punishment.  Why, to tell long stories, showing how I have spoiled my life through morally rotting in my corner, through lack of fitting environment, through divorce from real life, and rankling spite in my underground world, would certainly not be interesting; a novel needs a hero, and all the traits for an anti-hero are expressly gathered together here, and what matters most, it all produces an unpleasant impression, for we are...
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Hope

To be human is to be a miracle of evolution conscious of its own miraculousness — a consciousness beautiful and bittersweet, for we have paid for it with a parallel awareness not only of our fundamental improbability but of our staggering fragility, of how physiologically precarious our survival is and how psychologically vulnerable our sanity. To make that awareness bearable, we have evolved a singular faculty that might just be the crowning miracle of our consciousness: hope.-- Erich Fromm


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Roger Deakins Photography/CINEMATOGRAPHY





Master of Light, Shadow,
& Simplicity

"The best cinematography is that which is subservient to the story."


"Cinematography is no about creating beautiful shut, it is about creating film" 

Film-maker’s eye has earned Deakins 15 Oscar nominations (and two Oscars) in celebrated work with the Coen brothers, Sam Mendes , Denis Villeneuve and others.
He is a member of both the American and British Society of Cinematographers.
Deakins' first feature film in America as cinematographer was Mountains of the Moon (1990). He began his collaboration with the Coen brothers in 1991 on the film Barton Fink. He received his first major award from the American Society of Cinematographers for his outstanding achievement in cinematography for the internationally praised major motion picture The Shawshank Redemption (1994)


Core Philosophy

Understanding Deakins requires moving beyond "pretty pictures." His approach is built on the belief that visual style should emerge naturally from the emotional needs of the script, rather than a desire for spectacle.

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Emotional Naturalism

Lighting that feels motivated by the environment—sunlight, windows, or lamps—avoiding the artificial "movie" look.

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Pre-production Rigor

Famous for meticulous storyboarding and scouting. By the time cameras roll, every decision is already solved.

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Single-Camera Focus

Preferring one camera over multiple setups to ensure a specific, committed point of view and perfect lighting for every frame.





He is known for his work in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), No Country for Old Men (2007), True Grit (2010), Skyfall (2012), Sicario (2015), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).
Deakins also worked as one of the visual consultants for Pixar's animated feature WALL-E.

Roger Deakins won an Oscar for best cinematographer for his work in Blade Runner 2049 and 1917 (2019)








https://www.rogerdeakins.com/
"Create sense of reality with light"







Still Photography: The Foundation

Before he was a cinematographer, Deakins was a still photographer. His 2021 book, Byways, reveals a collection of black-and-white stills taken over five decades.

  • The "Ironic" Eye: His still work often captures the "vanished post-war Britain" with a sense of irony and quiet observation.

  • The Power of B&W: While his films are known for their bold colors (like the orange haze of Blade Runner 2049), his personal photography is strictly black-and-white, focusing entirely on texture, geometry, and light.

  • Simplicity: His stills lack the technical artifice of Hollywood. They are snapshots of life—rural Devon, seaside landscapes, and strangers—that demonstrate his ability to find a "frame" in the chaos of reality.













The Deakins "Look": Core Techniques

Whether in photography or film, Deakins utilizes a specific set of visual "rules":

Naturalism and Practical Lighting

Deakins is famous for using natural light or "practical" lights (lamps, candles, or fires actually present in the scene).

  • The Cove Light: To mimic natural window light in a studio, he often creates a "cove"—a massive 180-degree wrap of unbleached muslin lit by dozens of small bulbs—to create a soft, directional glow that looks authentic rather than theatrical.

  • Motivated Light: Every light source in a Deakins frame has a logical origin. If a character is by a window, the light comes from the window.












 
On a train returning from a day of shooting for The Reader, Germany, 2007. Photograph: Roger A Deakins


Silhouettes and Painting with Darkness

One of his most recognizable signatures is the use of high-contrast silhouettes.

  • Skyfall: The fight in the Shanghai skyscraper, where characters are reduced to black shapes against a glowing blue jellyfish backdrop.

  • Sicario: The tunnel sequence at dusk, where soldiers descend into a black void, their forms outlined only by the fading horizon.

  • Philosophy: He "lights what must be felt," rather than what must be seen, often leaving half of a character's face in total darkness to create depth.



Roger Deakins, Teignmouth Dog Jumping (2000). © Roger A. Deakins.







 

Key Filmographies & Visual Analysis

A chronological exploration of technical breakthroughs and visual narratives across his most defining collaborations.

Prison Cool

The Shawshank Redemption

1994 | Frank Darabont

Key Innovation

The Zenith Shot: High-contrast backlighting for the rain escape sequence.

The Visual Analysis

Used a drab, cool, and desaturated color palette inside the prison walls to emphasize the oppressive nature of incarceration, contrasting it with the glittering rain of the finale.

AtmosphereInstitutional Cool
Tech HighlightTheatrical Backlighting
Arid Earth

No Country for Old Men

2007 | Coen Brothers

Key Innovation

Minimalist Suspense: Using tiny slivers of light to build tension.

The Visual Analysis

Captured the vast Texas landscape with crisp, deep-focus wide shots. The motel sequences allowed darkness to swallow the frame, heightening the threat of Chigurh.

AtmosphereDesert Gothic
Tech HighlightDeep Focus Wide Shots
Neon Amber

Blade Runner 2049

2017 | Denis Villeneuve

Key Innovation

Moving light rigs simulating shimmering water reflections.

The Visual Analysis

Utilized highly saturated monochromatic schemes—radioactive orange, cold blues, and golden light—to differentiate worlds and narrate the character's internal state.

AtmosphereCyberpunk Naturalism
Tech HighlightCustom LED Light Rigs
Flare White

1917

2019 | Sam Mendes

Key Innovation

The "One-Shot" illusion required massive moving outdoor lighting rigs.

The Visual Analysis

Collaborated with Arri to develop the Alexa Mini LF for trench maneuvers. The night sequence flares used hundreds of lights to simulate shifting flare shadows in a continuous take.

AtmosphereVisceral Immediacy
Tech HighlightArri Alexa Mini LF






1. Cinematography is not about creating beautiful shots.
2. It's not about the technology.
3. Have a REASON to move the camera.
4. Have a style that suits the project.
5. Create a sense of reality with the light.
6. PLAN as much as you can but be ready to ADAPT.
7. Think about how you want the audience to feel.
8. Consider why and where you're placing the camera.











Personal Philosophy: "The Director's Film"

Despite his fame, Deakins remains humble about his role. He famously stated: "There’s nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept." He believes:

  1. Story First: If a shot is beautiful but doesn't serve the narrative, it's a bad shot.

  2. Technique vs. Technology: He is wary of the obsession with 4K/8K resolution and new gadgets, preferring to focus on where the camera is placed and how the light hits the subject.

  3. Collaboration: He has long-standing partnerships with the Coen Brothers, Sam Mendes, and Denis Villeneuve because he prioritizes their directorial vision over his own "style."













































































































































































































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