Nominated in the Director of Photography Film/Drama category
What camera did you use to shoot ‘Game of Thrones’?
The show is shot on Alexa using Optimo zooms and Cooke S4 prime lenses.
What do you prefer to use, digital or film? And why?
I’m very happy working on either, depending on the specific requirements of the particular job. I probably prefer working on film for sentimental reasons, though there are certain aspects of digital that make it more user friendly and better suited
to some projects.
Can you give an example where your cinematography alone was used to tell a part of the story in ‘GOT’?
Cinematography is a fundamental part of the story telling process but it is only one part, I would never claim that the cinematography alone can tell a story or part of a story.
Can you tell us one trick of the trade that only cinematographers might know of that you used on the ‘GOT’ shoot?
We had a scene where the camera is meant to be a dire-wolf’s point of view. The scene called for the dire-wolf to run into Brann’s room and jump onto the bed, then Brann wakes suddenly and sits bolt upright into a BCU. In order to achieve the shot we mounted the camera on a telescopic crane and hothead. Because it would have been virtually impossible to co-ordinate the moving crane with the actor sitting upright into such a specific position (not to mention the focus) we shot the move in reverse. i.e rather than having the actor jump up as the crane approached we had him lie down as it pulled away then ran the footage in reverse. It worked perfectly.
’GOT’, the books and the TV series, have such huge fan bases all around the world, who are very vocal when it comes to any aspect of the ‘GOT’ culture. Did you feel more pressure working on this project than you have done on previous projects?
Not really. The show’s writers, producers and directors have created a terrific series that the fans have responded really positively to. The only pressure comes from trying to maintain the high standards they have set.
Many people refer to cinematography as being an art form. What does that reference mean to you and do you agree with it?
I have no doubt that it is an art form, I only have to look at the work of the masters like Storaro, Willis or Lubezki to confirm that.
What other profession in the film & TV industry would you like to try?
Trainee location manager. They always seem to be having the most fun...
What would winning the IFTA Award for Best Cinematography mean to you?
I’ve been fortunate enough to win the award on a couple of previous occasions and it’s always a good feeling. The fact that the winner is chosen by a jury rather than by a popular vote means that your work has gained the respect of your peers and that is the best compliment any professional can receive.
