Roger Deakins; Master Cinematographer

by Kyle Kull

Roger Deakins has been nominated an astounding eleven times for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, (however has never won the award) and has been labeled as one of the premier cinematographers in the field today. Notable works include of his include:

• The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
• Fargo (1996)
• O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
• No Country for Old Men (2007)
• Skyfall (2012)
• Prisoners (2013)

All of these films were nominated for Best Cinematography, and rightly so. Roger Deakins has easily become one of the most recognizable cinematographers on the market, and we will look at some of the beautiful shots he created, as well as his background and the journey he took to become one of the elites in his field.

Deakins with Directors Joel and Ethan Coen

Deakins grew up as an Englishman, and discovered a passion for photography from an early age. Because this passion was accompanied with a talent for the art, he quickly created documentaries which were praised for their beautiful and powerful images, even though the was not well known in the genre. He specifically worked in Africa on films such as Zimbabwe and Eritrea, both of which were created and directed by Deakins. Before heading to the narrative filmmaking scene in the early 1990's, he also created a few music videos as a transition. 

Deakins first true work as a cinematographer was for the film Mountains of the Moon (1990), which also focused on Africa. However, the move that truly made a name for Roger Deakins as a professional artist was his collaboration with the critically acclaimed directors The Coen Brothers, starting with the film Barton Fink (1991). The Coen Brothers had seen a few of Deakins' films and were particularly impressed with the interior scenes in the film Stormy Monday (1988). They sent Roger Deakins a script and asked him to the project. Deakins accepted the invitation immediately and the group began working together on the project. The collaboration worked so well, that Roger Deakins became the directors' first choice for the next two decades. 

Surprisingly, as many of The Coen Brothers' films have won numerous awards throughout the years, Deakins has yet to win an Oscar. However, Deakins has been awarded by the American Society of Cinematographers for three of his films. Beginning with The Shawshank Redemption in 1994, Deakins also won for The Man Who Wasn't There in 2001 and the James Bond film Skyfall in 2012. He has since been invited to become a part of both the American Society of Cinematographers and the British Society of Cinematographers. Both of these groups are organized of cinematographers who have received distinguished credits in the field, and are considered of the ultimate status as a cinematographer. The American Society of Cinematographers has even given him the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 for his work.

Let's look at some of Roger Deakins' iconic shots that have been praised:

Here we see the most famous shot from The Shawshank Redemption, where the wrongly accused Andy Dufresne has finally escaped from prison. Supposedly the crew had been overbooked for the night shots, wanting to shoot a few sequences of Tim Robbins running from the prison. However, the filmmakers were running out of time, and Deakins suggested that they simply get a shot of the character putting his arms in the air for the final shot of the scene. Surprisingly, this shot became an icon for the film and stands out as one of the most inspiring and memorable shots in all of film. His victory is epitomized when he is finally given the liberty to wash himself in the cool rain unrestrained. Deakins showed his expertise in this beautiful shot and how he understood the film as a whole.

Fargo is a film which is not well known in non-cinephile groups, but is considered one of The Coen Brothers best films. The movie is focused on a woman detective in Minnesota investigating a string of murders during a harsh winter. The film opens during a blizzard with a car traveling down the road through the thick snow. This scene sets the tone for the whole movie. From here we see the clouded setting and how it reflects the clouded nature of the events taking place in the film. Take a look at the scene above to see the mastery that Roger Deakins displays in this opening scene.

One of the most difficult tasks in filming a scene occurs in daylight, when light is changing. This is what makes Deakins say that the gripping opening scene in No Country for Old Men was one of the most difficult scenes for him to shoot. Here we see a man who has just stumbled upon recently murdered men in the desert at dawn and is on the run from the killers. Given that the scene was at sunrise, Deakins had a difficult time being consistent with the lighting. He shot over a period of days during the two magic hours of the days (sunrise and sunset), trying to convince the audience that the scene happened all over the course of a single morning. Although it may be hidden from us as the viewers, Deakins says that he can notice which shots were filmed at night and which were filmed in the morning, being slightly unsatisfied with the scene. Nevertheless, Deakins was able to provide audiences with a dark and gripping opening scene to a notable dark and gripping film. Check out the scene above.

Deakins is gifted to say the least, and is someone who has influenced numerous modern cinematographers. Make sure you stay tuned to what this man is working on and go view his films; they are beautiful works of art.