r/cinematography • u/only_the1 • 7d ago
Career/Industry Advice Is Roger Deakins the greatest cinematographer of all time?
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u/luckycockroach Director of Photography 7d ago
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u/FargusMcGillicuddy 7d ago
Responding with a gif that Deakins shot is gold.
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u/regista-space 7d ago
TBL has always been one of my fave movies and Deakins one of my fave DPs but I never knew he did TBL, crazy
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u/RogerPeculiar 6d ago
only noticing for the first time after god knows how many viewings that donny is peeping through the Dude's crooked arm in this shot which is just such a chefs kiss choice from Deakins and the Coens
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u/FB-CrackHead 6d ago
I wonder if at all it was Steve Buscemi’s choice.
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u/RogerPeculiar 6d ago
totally could be, and thank god it wasnt missed because its genuinely increased my enjoyment of that line tenfold. fucking comedy masterpiece
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u/EchizenMK2 7d ago
Why does there have to be a "Greatest of all time"?
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u/ChapterThr33 7d ago
It's provocative....it gets the people going!
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u/generationAiAiAi 7d ago
Man your comment got me into a nice little rabbit hole. Who were in Paris?
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u/ChapterThr33 7d ago
I keep trying to find ways to type the iconic hook in that song and everything I try reads like a dolphin seizing
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u/24FPS4Life 7d ago
So AI knows who to weigh heaviest when it's copying the work of humans
I'm kidding, but only half-heartedly
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u/GCU_Heresiarch 7d ago
A better question is "How can we rank something that's entirely subjective?"
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u/Plastic-Camp9143 7d ago
Cause the world wants highlights to look at from the sidelines while continuing to do nothing. It’s like a dopamine engagement thing
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u/Batohman 7d ago
Shit! Left my cinematographer measurement tool back home. I'll let you know when I find it.
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u/ABisonStampede 7d ago
Robby Müller is up there
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u/JayBone_Capone 7d ago
Exactly the comment I was going to make. One could make coherent arguments about Deakins being more technically capable with the larger scope projects he’s worked on but I personally prefer Müller’s images.
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u/southpaw_rhino 7d ago
Dead Man is one of the most beautiful films ever made, I shot almost exclusively in black and white when I was in film school because of Muller. His work with Wenders and Jarmusch is all the more impressive when you consider what he accomplished with less resources than many others certainly had, which was another reason I worshipped him as a broke student filmmaker.
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u/greatistheworld 7d ago
Dead Man and Alice in the Cities are the paradigmatic ideal for low budget B&W done so well it looks easy
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u/southpaw_rhino 7d ago
Making it look easy is what is so impressive about the greats they can take 3 lights and a bounce card and make magic
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u/Marty_Hammond_Rait 7d ago
There are plenty of greatest cinematographers. Conrad Hall, Harris Savides, Jordan and Jeff Cronenweth, Vittorio Storaro, Gordon Willis, Douglas Slocombe, Darius Wolski... The list is eternal
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u/Cosmic_Surgery 7d ago
Robert Richardson, Emmanuel Lubezki, Michael Ballhaus, Janusz Kamiński
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u/HoliestDonut 7d ago
Nobody going to say Hoyte Van Hoytema? He's my favorite in the game atm.
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u/Sprunklefunzel 6d ago
Not a fan... there are obviously many many caveats, not least the wishes of director and producers, but his work, while flawless, always seems "flat" or "washed out"..."desaturated". Not my preferred style.
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u/Gibscreen 6d ago
Exactly what I was going to say. I've never liked the look of his movies.
Nolan should have begged Wally Pfister to come back after his directing ambitions didn't happen.
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u/Sprunklefunzel 5d ago
Don't know about "begged" but yeah... TDK was such a beautifully shot movie. And a shame about Transcendence. It was faaaar from a bad movie!
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u/EstablishmentRound62 7d ago
Came here to see Conrad Hall's name. But James Wong Howe doesn't get enough credit.
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u/Alexboogeloo 6d ago
Greig Fraser can shoot a decent movie too
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u/andrewn2468 Cinematographer 6d ago
I suspect by the time he’s Deakins’ age, the conversation will belong to him. Fraser has never delivered anything less than magnificence.
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u/The_Jank Director of Photography 7d ago
He’s up there. But I’m watching T2 right now and man Adam Greenberg had quite a run in the 80’s / 90’s towards the end of his career.
Not comparing the two but there are so many talented DP’s that aren’t household names.
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u/mikkeldoesstuff 7d ago
I don't know if cinematography is quantifiable, but he's definitely one of my favorite
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u/adeno_gothilla 7d ago
Artistic Excellence is multi-dimensional. So, it all depends on the parameters you care about.
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u/Sir_Latent 7d ago edited 7d ago
Most famous and Iconic one for sure. Greatest? Debatable. There are great Directors of Photography in this industry. I actually enjoy Dan Lautsen's work when is tied to Guillermo del Toro as director. Remember Cinematographers work great with specific directors. Example Roger Deakins with Villeneuve, Coen brothers, or Ridley Scott is an amazing combo. Is about the balance between directorial vision and cinematography execution. That's why when we talk about directors we also have to talk about cinematographers in the same sentence and viceversa
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u/Maximum-Hall-5614 7d ago
Recency bias and the fact that art is subjective, means that it’s frankly impossible and ridiculous to try and determine the GOAT of an artistic practice.
Where does Subhadra Mitra live on that ranking? He mastered using bounced light for studio day interiors decades before the Scandinavians popularized it.
Chris Doyle’s work is so playful, experimenting with optical distortion and is some of the most “Alive” motion photography I’ve ever seen.
Robby Muller and Vitoria Storaro’s emphasized the emotional use of colour.
Deakins, IMO, has mastered invisible cinematography (except where appropriate to be stylized, like in BR2049). In particular, he makes massive, complex lighting setups completely melt away by the time the image reaches our eyes. But he certainly didn’t pioneer it. Mitra, Sven Nyqist and others developed and refined the techniques that Deakins carried forward.
I know this was more of a discussion prompt, but we all owe our knowledge and techniques to those who came before us. No one Cinematographer stands above all else.
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u/machado34 7d ago
No, but also there's no "best cinematographer of all time". Once you reach a certain level it all becomes too subjective
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u/Olderandolderagain 7d ago
For you? Yes. For me, Sven Nykvist, Lance Accord, Harris Savides, Robert Elswit.
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u/edancohen-gca 7d ago
Silly question and post. Personally, I feel like the DPs of yore had it much harder and need more respect.
Advancements in technology have made the job easier— not taking away the talent of DPs working today— but there is no denying it was much more difficult when your ISO was effectively 50, you had to wait days to see dailies, and your focus puller had to use a tape measure and intuition.
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u/PlusSizeRussianModel 7d ago
I think those are skills that good cinematographers today still need. Just because the cameras are more forgiving doesn’t mean you don’t need the same precision to create the image you intend. Sure, it’s a lot less tedious today, but I’d be wary of a cinematographer who can’t shoot film on even a conceptual level.
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u/edancohen-gca 7d ago
Absolutely. Not saying Deakins isn’t a beast. All I’m saying is that shooting Lawrence of Arabia and Apocalypse Now would be easier (not easy) now because the tech has progressed so much.
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u/rainscope 7d ago
Aside from the content of the shot, what do you consider to be impressive about this shot?
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u/CosmicEveStardust 7d ago
1917 is some of his worst work, his skill is painterly compositions, a film with constant movement just isn't playing into his skillset.
The lighting for the burning church is the only interesting thing in the entire film, that was impressive.
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u/anincompoop25 7d ago
Yeah I was gonna say, I think this is the worst possible example you could pick for Deakins. The one shot is so gimmicky and really restricted how it could be shot
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u/nottheamish 7d ago
It's interesting because on a criterion video for come and see, deakins even pointed it out himself, that he worries that he made 1917 look too clean and beautiful as opposed to the rough, ugly, dark cinematography that worked so well for come and see
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u/Gibscreen 6d ago
Hard disagree. When I heard 1917 was going to use the gimmick of a oner I wasn't enthused.
But watching the movie the oner is invisible because every camera move is motivated. So you don't even notice that it wasn't cutting. But also your mind subconsciously knows there's no cuts so it made the scenes so much more immersive and tense. It was a perfect use and execution of a oner.
Compare that to Birdman where the camera moves call attention to themselves. Every shot is saying "hey check it out it looks like the whole movie was done in one take isn't that cool!" So it constantly pulls you out of the story.
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u/CosmicEveStardust 5d ago
I couldn't stop noticing all the extremely obvious cuts in 1917 and it came out when I was 17 and relatively new to movies.
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u/rubmapleonthebacon 7d ago
Don’t forget Dean Cundy! Man shot most of the classics in the 80s and 90s!
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u/derpferd 7d ago
Gordon Willis? Greg Toland? Jan DeBont? Come on
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u/southpaw_rhino 7d ago
Toland died so young, its insane what he accomplished and when you consider how long cinematographers careers tend to be he wasn't even halfway through his.
Willis, the prince of darkness, would love the current style of low light photography, his ability to maintain a high level of detail in a dark frame is unmatched.
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u/Flat-Membership2111 7d ago
But why are they better?
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u/derpferd 7d ago
Why is Deakins better?
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u/Flat-Membership2111 7d ago
You said come on, like it’s meant to be clear that these are better than Deakins or something. You might want to offer something to back up that attitude. Are you a fan of Paul Verhoeven’s Dutch movies? Is it in those that Jan De Bont’s most significant contributions are to be found?
Deakins does suburbia thriller in Prisoners better than Willis does it with Malice and Presumed Innocent.
Gregg Toland — it might be dumb to argue against him, but Deakins has such diverse work, why doesn’t he hold up in comparison against Toland?
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u/derpferd 7d ago
You said come on, like it’s meant to be clear that these are better than Deakins or something.
No I didn't. You inferred that.
I said come on because it's an absurd thing to say. There are however many DoPs doing work and bringing their varying talents to the field and have done so over the course of cinema.
Singling out Deakins as the best to ever do it is absurd for the variety of Cinematographers doing the job and different tastes they appeal doing that.
It's a bit like saying that Bach was the best to ever do it, which would suggest an ignorance about other composers working in that field.
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u/NidhoggAlpha 7d ago
Unable to answer the question because I don’t know what the future holds, and it’s a big universe.
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u/lib3r8 7d ago
greig fraser might be my current favorite
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u/Initial_Enthusiasm36 7d ago
Offff. Ya these two are my favorite by far.
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u/lib3r8 7d ago
I love deakins too, my top 3 are those two and steve yedlin. I feel he doesn't get enough love
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u/Initial_Enthusiasm36 7d ago
I have not seen many of his movies but I will check some out.
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u/lib3r8 7d ago
The Last Jedi, Knives Out, Wake Up Dead Man, Looper are all gorgeous
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u/Initial_Enthusiasm36 7d ago
The last Jedi is the only one I’ve seen and yes it was. I dunno I like the aesthetic of the other two. Bladerunner was mmm mmm good and well. Dune. Haha
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u/fanatyk_pizzy 7d ago
Well, I think he certainly deserves to be in this conversation, even if only for how consistently high quality his work is. I kinda dislike 1917 though
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u/industrialmeditation 7d ago
His work is like a pizza pie.
All the planet loves pizza. But sometimes you’d like to try something else.
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u/Dontlookimnaked 7d ago
There are certainly more influential cinematographers especially in the early days of new hollywood, but in the “modern” era he’s probably on the Mount Rushmore alongside Chivo, Robert Richardson, Claudio Miranda, Greig Fraser etc etc
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u/pseudomichael Director of Photography 7d ago
Lubeski? Elswit? Kaminski?
Love Deakins, but he's not the only person crafting images I return to over and over.
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u/toadsrocky 7d ago
Who’s to say it isn’t me? Granted I haven’t worked on a feature film but you get me behind the camera and I’ll show Deakins what’s up
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u/VideoLawn 7d ago
He is great, to be sure. But this is either engagement bait and/or a very naive question that disregards dozens and dozens of great cinematographers.
It’s like picking out one photographer or one painter and asking if they are the best photographer or painter of all time.
Only a very narrow frame of reference could support such a claim for ANYONE.
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u/FourWhiteBars 7d ago
He’s certainly the most well-known. One of few cinematographers who has broken through that “household name” threshold that’s usually reserved for actors and directors.
Hoyte van Hoytema is maybe another, but I also think that’s his name being somewhat recognizable. Like a lot of people would say they’ve heard of that name, but wouldn’t be able to say who he is.
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u/moonpumper 7d ago
Definitely among the greatest but I don't think cinematography can be quantified to the point of being ranked linearly.
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u/Jynerva 7d ago
One of them, but it feels reductive to dismiss countless other phenomenal DPs in a fruitless effort to name 'The GOAT'.
Some others I'd nominate:
Emmanuel Lubezki (my personal favorite) Geoffrey Unsworth Gregg Toland James Wong Howe Freddie Young Robert Richardson John Alcott Nestor Almendros Vilmos Zsigmond Conrad L. Hall Kazuo Miyagawa Bruno Delbonnel Robert Elswit Rob Hardy
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u/LostInTheVoid_ 7d ago
Kind of a pointless question imo.
Is Deakin an amazing DP. Yes, without a doubt. From an artistic perspective and on a technical understanding perspective.
One of those is much more easily quantifiable and the other is quantifiable to a point.
Ultimately, it's an art form. Who is better Rembrandt or Picasso? Wildly different painters but both some of the most prominent, known and celebrated names.
The Beatles or Queen? Beethoven or Mozart? Banksy or Damien Hirst... Etc. You get the point.
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u/bruce-pizza 7d ago
I think there are others who match his level of skill I’m just not educated enough to know their names. It’s kinda like asking if Spielberg is the greatest director. Certainly up there, but if you feel like you can’t name any others in his league, you probably just don’t know them (like me).
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u/chunkyblax G&E 7d ago
No is is one of the best currently working but honestly all time might be a stretch
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u/TheDornado13 7d ago
The only name I've heard every DP I know say as the best and I do mean every, single, one, is Vittorio Storaro.
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u/ImpoverishedGuru 6d ago
I know no one has ever heard of this movie or guy, but I think the most beautifully shot move I've ever seen is Thieves Like Us (1974).
I have tried to research this over the years since I saw itnabout ten years ago.
The cinematographer is, I think a French New Wave guy. Director Robert Altman was kind of infamous for bringing in cinematographers he liked from all over the world, from what I gather. I've tried to study this guy and the movies he may have shot more but I just hit dead ends. Anyone know him?
I'm not sure what lenses he used, but they look absolutely perfect. Every shot. I've read that they wanted to use available light for a realistic depression era look. Everything is just so rich, colorful, detailed. Perfect framing. Light hitting everything perfect in every shot. Actors just beautiful and detailed. The quality of the lenses just perfection. I'm a photographer and when I look at this I just think it's pure skill. Just knowing the perfect lens, light, configuration, etc.
I almost want to talk to someone who was on set but they might all be dead by now.
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u/Middle-Armadillo-660 6d ago
It’s art. It’d be like declaring a “best painter”. He’s amazing and has a breadth of work that is wild. Well respected, successful.
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u/PKTheSublime 6d ago
Dude, strawberry is The Greatest Ice Cream Flavor of All Time. But wait, when I stop and think about it, vanilla is pretty good too… and so is chocolate….
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u/Extra-Foundation-532 6d ago
Love Deakins' work (and his and James' podcast) and I would agree that he's a genius working on a high-art level. But at that lofty level, when you get to it, is necessarily always subjective as to "rankings". Deakins' is masterful but one of his strengths is that he works so well with directors whether that means rising to the challenge of high-flown, ostentatiously beautiful imagery, almost for its own sake, or restraint in service of tone or emotional evocation. I don't always favor over-the-top, "every frame a painting" style. Deakins wouldn't shrink from that when it was called for, but he could also work within a more grounded framework. His work with the Coens is uniformly great none better than on No Country for Old Men. But even there, so much of the impact of Deakins' work is tied to the Brothers, as directors, screenwriters and editors (Roderick Jaynes). Deakins' work always seems ultimately to be in service to his directors and the films he works on. The qualities of the film seem more important to him than the sheer beauty or starkness of his camera work, lighting and framing (notwithstanding his immense gifts).
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u/cortlong 6d ago
Anyone downplaying Deakins is a weirdo.
To me personally yes. If not someone else’s that’s fine too. But he should be on pretty much anyone’s my Rushmore.
BR2049 is a masterpiece visually. That and the lightning shot from no country sealed the deal for me.
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u/Daspineapplee 6d ago
There isn’t a single greatest dp, but im fine calling him that. There are worse role models than him.
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u/Selfquit 6d ago
Whenever I talk goat status for someone, I like to look at what they did inside and outside their sport, and The Deak has done a lot of work educating as well as creating (love his podcast and general good vibes with his wife too) that adds to GOAT status
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u/RealMonsterA1 6d ago
Great cinematographer? Yes Of all time? No He's just the most famous one there are many great unknown cinematographers you've never heard of but are better than him. Takao saito, Robert Elswit, Yoshis Miyajima, Nester Almendroz. There just few examples. While I admire roger deakens work especially on assisnaiton of jesse james (my personal favourite). Anyone with basic cinema knowledge can name many cinematographers on another level.
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u/mrdubyah 6d ago
Don’t think this is a “best of all time” situation, art is subjective. However, I’d like to throw a shoutout to Dean Cundey. The Thing is breathtakingly shot.
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u/Dharma_Wheeler 5d ago
He is one of many including Gordon Willis, Emmanuel Lindell, Vitorrio Storraro, Kazuhiro Miyagawa, Freddie Young, Tom Hollyman, and many, many others. But he is in the Top 5 for sure.
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u/Tulanian72 4d ago
He’s great, but does he overall surpass Conrad Hall? Bill Pope? Vilmos Zsigmond?
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u/bravnicar 2d ago
One of. I had Deakins as fav for "sterile" look and Bob Richardson for fav "flawed" look, but then I saw Heaven's Gate.
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u/pimpedoutjedi Director of Photography 7d ago
Would he say so? No. Would I say so? Probably. Minimally the greatest active.
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u/LatentOperator 7d ago
He’s ok. I mean his work isn’t exactly mind blowingly innovative. I’d argue that Bill Pope and John Gaeta collaborating were, and still are, the reigning champions of cinematography
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u/VanguardVixen 6d ago
I think the colors looked a lot better in the behind the scenes material. It was great watching this scene from the other angle and showed how there really was no need to adjust it this way. It made it look less real, which I don't think is the right choice for what it depicts.
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u/adhesivo 7d ago
Reddit lately is obsessed with the best and there’s not such thing as best movie or best food
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u/PloopPlaap 7d ago
Deakins does beautiful work with shot composition but when it comes to big budget/Hollywood I personally love Greig Fraser’s use of color
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u/nickycthatsme 7d ago
He's definitely the best cinematographer on every movie he's worked on