Just what sort of cinematographer do you think you are

It's summer Bank Holiday weekend in the UK, so while most days away are staying local and the industry is still generally on hiatus, we bring you the RedShark News lockdown quiz!

Image: Shutterstock.

Being a successful DoP involves many dark arts, but perhaps the most crucial of all are the arts of compromise and confidence. We all know, or rather fantasise, that given the time, the equipment and the crew we could create images as magnificent as the very greatest cinematographers. Unfortunately we never do have all those resources and the Academy Awards continue to elude us. Now you have some time on your hands, here is a chance to ponder over your past and possible future and work our where you may have gone wrong. 

Technical skills are relatively easy to learn. What is far harder is knowing when to stand your ground and demand more time and when it is necessary to make do and move on.

Painstaking scientific research has revealed that these ongoing dilemmas fall into three categories: The Perfectionist, The Steady Pair of Hands and The Cowboy.  The eight questions below will determine which one fits you.

1. Waiting For The Light

There is just one shot to do. It is a profile close-up of the lead character looking wistfully out of the window. You know that in 45 minutes the rosy glow of the setting sun through the window will strike his face at the perfect angle. The crew is getting restless, the producer is concerned you are running into overtime and the actor is tired and wants to go home. In fact everyone wants to go home. Except maybe you. The shot was the director’s idea but, under pressure, she is getting increasingly grumpy and is willing to compromise.

Do you:

• a) Insist everyone waits for that 45 minutes. It will be worth it. Really it will. But you might need 50 Or perhaps an hour. 
• b) Close the curtains, which happen to be a brownish-yellow, and bounce a light with off them. It doesn’t really look like a sunset, but at least it’s in focus and exposed and they can probably make it look a little better in post. You do the shot in 10 minutes and go home.
• c) Go for a very big close-up of the actress’ eye and get the director herself to shine an orange-gelled flashlight into it. Convince the Director it was her idea, and a brilliant one at that. You do the shot in 3 minutes and finish on time.

2. Crossing The Line

You are working with a young director who has asked you to set up a shot which you know will ‘cross the line’.

Do you:

• a) Sit him down, carefully draw several diagrams and patiently explain how this is not going to work and offer some alternatives. 
• b) Shrug your shoulders, mutter under your breath about how standards have fallen and do the shot as requested.
• c) Exclaim loudly, ‘Fantastic - I love rule breakers! Way to go!’

3. Finding Power

You are shooting a night exterior in a city street and you really need a backlight. You asked for a generator but one has not turned up. There is a 2.5 HMI standing by but no source of electricity - the shops and offices have closed. There is a pub across the road which could supply you with power but they have refused to cooperate with the production company or the crew after last night’s incident.  

Do you:

• a) Refuse to continue until a generator arrives or a source of power is found.
• b) Push the gain by 24db and shoot by available light.
• c) Get your gaffer to tap a cable into the nearest lamp post.

4. The Substitute

You have been booked for a day’s shoot by a regular and trustworthy client but, at the last minute, you find you can not make it as your previous job is going to overrun. 

Do you:

• a) Recommend a highly qualified colleague to take your place who will do a fantastic job, perhaps even better than you would have done.
• b) Recommend someone competent and uninspiring who will not be an embarrassment but will ensure the client will be a little relieved when you are back working with him again.
• c) Get someone else to recommend a replacement who you know will be a disaster, send a bottle of vintage malt whisky to the client apologising for missing the job, and let it be known when you are available for the re-shoot.

5. The Shaky Assistant

You are half way through shooting a TV documentary series. You have a bit of a hangover so you let your assistant, who was also drinking with you last night, shoot a series of hand-held cutaways which turn out to be crucial to the final film. The assistant’s shaky hands mean the shots are unusable. The director is very unhappy with the results and has asked the producer to replace you.

Do you:

• a) Accept that although you weren’t personally responsible for the unusable shots, you are the one who delegated to the assistant and it is your responsibility.
• b) Make it very clear the assistant was responsible for those shots and guarantee to the production company you will make sure he will never be allowed to take hold of the camera again.
• c) Insist that the assistant personally visits the production company and makes a very grovelling apology, taking all the blame, or you will never work with him again. The assistant makes the apology but you still never work, or drink, with him again.

The results

If your answers are:

Mostly A - You are The Perfectionist

You are a master of your craft, admired are respected by all who have worked with you. You have produced some beautiful work in your time. You are, what’s more, a very decent human being. But, let’s be honest, you don’t work much these days, do you? 

Mostly B - You are The Steady Pair of Hands

Competent and reliable. You know your job so well you can do it with your eyes closed - but, sadly, that is sometimes what the results look like. Few have bad things to say about you but you will never win an award. You are busy enough to never quite have the time to finish the proposal for a BBC 4 documentary series you have been developing for years.

Mostly C - You are The Cowboy/girl

You are ingenious and successful. I think we’ve worked together. I’ve heard you’re shooting something for Netflix now. Congratulations. I think you might have some of my cables in your bag. It’s possible you’ve stolen a job or two from me as well. And a girlfriend. I forgive you.  Let’s keep in touch - you may be able to put some work my way.