Nominated in Director of Photography Film/Drama category
What camera did you use to shoot ‘Citadel’?
I shot ‘Citadel’ on Red One with MX Sensor on Cook S4 Lenses.
What do you prefer to use, digital or film? And why?
I still prefer to shoot film but have grown to respond favourably to digital as it has evolved. I tend to look at each as a tool now, a choice to be made, when deciding with the director and production designer how best to render the story. Technically film still has better skin tone and dynamic range in my opinion.
Can you give an example where your cinematography alone was used to tell a part of the story in ‘Citadel’?
Gosh! I'd hope all of it was told with the cinematography! Wide lens close to the actor to portray psychological distress is probably the simple key to answer this question.
Can you tell us one trick of the trade that only cinematographers might know of that you used on the ‘Citadel’ shoot?
I'm not sure it’s a trick, but where possible, I shot with back light.
DoPs work very closely with directors, and ‘Citadel’ was Ciaran Foy’s directorial debut. How did working with a filmmaker on his first feature compare to working with more established filmmakers?
It may have been Ciaran's first feature but he had a strong vision and awareness of how to achieve it and great capacity to be open to other thoughts and suggestions. Often experience brings an ease on set and the knowledge of what people's roles are, in this lies the difference between working with more experienced people.
Many people refer to cinematography as being an art form. What does that reference mean to you and do you agree with it?
Cinematography is an artform, a collaborative artform expressed through our specific technology.
What new technological developments are you looking forward to in the field of cinematography, and what new developments would you like to see?
Currently there is major development of lens technology alongside the digital capture developments, this is of great interest to me.
What other profession in the film & TV industry would you like to try?
Production Design.
What would winning the IFTA Award for Best Cinematography mean to you?
To be recognised by your peers is always cause for joy. To win would be sublime.
