What's the difference between the Best Director and the Best Cinematography Award?

[indy4 152]

I always thought that a director's job was to direct the actors, have control over every branch working on the film, and deciding how the film will be shot. But that would be cinematography, so why is there a seperate award for that?

I guess my question is: what is the Academy (supposed to be) basing their opinions on when deciding these two awards?

[Morlock 9]

The Academy is basing their votes on the look of the film. The question of the roles of cinematographer and director in achieving the look of the film is variable. Cinematographers deal with the lighting and the camera.

There are so many ways for a shot to be formed, so many levels on which it could be effected, that I think it's impossible to draw a clear line as to who's responsible for what. This is true of a great many aspects of film. Beyond that, I can't think of a way to answer your pondering.

[indy4 152]

The Academy is basing their votes on the look of the film. The question of the roles of cinematographer and director in achieving the look of the film is variable. Cinematographers deal with the lighting and the camera.

There are so many ways for a shot to be formed, so many levels on which it could be effected, that I think it's impossible to draw a clear line as to who's responsible for what. This is true of a great many aspects of film. Beyond that, I can't think of a way to answer your pondering.

So there's no way to know for sure who was responsible for what camera motion and what lighting effects...so how does the Academy pick seperate films for each award?

[Morlock 9]

Your line of questioning is a bit peculiar. The Academy picks the films they thought looked the best (in context of the content). And it's assumed that the cinematographer is the man who's job it is to make the film look the way it looks. So if a film looks good, he's the person to be awarded. If a film feels well-directed, than the director is awarded in his own category. Not much more to it than that.They pick the film they thought looked the best for best cinematography award. They pick the film they thought was directed best for the best Director award. I don't understand your lack of understanding.

[indy4 152]

I think I get it now...so what is the Best Director award given for?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,765]

This is like asking "What's the difference between the Best Director and the Best Editing Award"? The director tells the cinematographer what kind of look he wants to achieve. Everyone has their responsibilities, and the director has so many other things to worry about, he can't micromanage everything, even the photography.

[Mr. Breathmask 480]

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

Now we know why Kingdom of the Crystal Skull isn't as good as the others! Kaminski is no Slocombe and Spielberg is an imposter hogging the limelight!!

[Marian Schedenig 5,520]

I think I get it now...so what is the Best Director award given for?

So what does the director do anyway? Why not just drop him? For example: Does Spielberg have no influence on his own films?

[AC1 3,565]

Depending on his power, the director is the orchestrator (definition: to arrange or control the elements of, as to achieve a desired overall effect). It's the task of all the people working on a film to help forward the director's vision. Each element has to pass the director's quality control, so to speak. A lot of time goes into working out and expressing this vision to all those involved. That's why so many directors like to work with people with whom they already have worked before.

Alex

[Red 73]

<_<

[Koray Savas 2,095]

I find it funny that No Country For Old Men got nominated for editing. The Coen Brothers always edit their own movies, but use aliases. So if it won for editing, they would be physically picking up the word instead of "Roderick Jaynes".

When comparing cinematography and directing, both are rather different tasks. The DP is responsible for the lighting and everything, as said before, it makes a big difference. Directing is more overall, covering other aspects of the film than just lighting.

Steven Soderbergh is his own cinematographer, but uses an alias as well.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

In a very, very simplified way of putting it, the cinematographer gets the Oscar for the film's look - the director gets it for the film's feel.

[AC1 3,565]

In a very, very simplified way of putting it, the cinematographer gets the Oscar for the film's look - the director gets it for the film's feel.

You can't put it that simple. The production design determines the film's look and cinematography is also about the feel of a film.

[Neimoidian 13]

They just do different things in the movie. Director organises and supervises all the things according to his vision based on the screenplay. Production designer provides the director with design of the sets - again according to the director's vision (which is often mediated by conceptual artists' works). Cinematographer is responsible for the light on the set, specific lenses and all the stuff which eventually make the director's vision look good on screen. I used to wonder who is responisble for framing the shot (conceptually, not literaly), but learned that it's mostly director's job to say what frame he wants.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

In a very, very simplified way of putting it, the cinematographer gets the Oscar for the film's look - the director gets it for the film's feel.

You can't put it that simple. The production design determines the film's look and cinematography is also about the feel of a film.

Fine then. I'll add some more "very"s to the original post.

[AC1 3,565]

Like I said, you simply can't put it that simple. If you do, it will become confusing and even inaccurate.

[Luke Skywalker 1,284]

ennio morricone makes his own cinematography.

[AC1 3,565]

ennio morriscone makes his own cinematography.

With his music? I think Sergio Leone was responsible for that.

[Luke Skywalker 1,284]

ennio morriscone makes his own cinematography.

With his music? I think Sergio Leone was responsible for that.

I think Alex Cremers missed the joke.

[AC1 3,565]

I think Alex Cremers missed the joke.

Yes, I suppose I did. What joke?

[BLUMENKOHL 1,064]

Director = Mood, Tone

Cinematographer = Color palette and framing

[Morlock 9]

In general. But a director and DP can influence one another in so many different ways...it's impossible to really know who did what. So much of the mood and tone can be telegraphed in the color palette.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

ennio morricone makes his own cinematography.

Ennio Morricone does everything with an alias.

[Luke Skywalker 1,284]

I think Alex Cremers missed the joke.

Yes, I suppose I did. What joke?

i was making a paralelism between untouchables ''williams' orchestrators have much to do in how his music sounds' and this thread.

Williams->Spielberg

Orchestrators->Cinematographers.

[Morlock 9]

I love Don Savio's score to A Fistful of Dollars.

[Koray Savas 2,095]

I love it as well.

[JoeinAR 1,759]

Director = Mood, Tone

Cinematographer = Color palette and framing

Great Directors tell their DP's what they want, and if they can't give it to them, replace them with someone who can.

Example: James Cameron fired his first DP for Aliens because he had his way of shooting things and he wouldn't bend to James Cameron's will so he was canned the 2nd DP was much more amiable.

The DP is not in charge, he is a supporting player to his director.

[indy4 152]

Does the director specify each shot he/she wants, or is that the DP's job? I thought it was the directors.

[JoeinAR 1,759]

Does the director specify each shot he/she wants, or is that the DP's job? I thought it was the directors.

so directors give their DP's more authority, depending on how they have worked with each other in the past, assuming they've worked together at all.

I doubt Kaminski doesn't have a lot of free reign with Spielberg these days considering their long tenure together.

And of course there are directors who are total control freaks, cough, cough James Cameron, cough, cough, who have absolute power, yes.

[Marian Schedenig 5,520]

Does the director specify each shot he/she wants, or is that the DP's job? I thought it was the directors.

Does a conductor tell each individual player how to phrase each bar? At some points he will, at others he won't. Same with directors and actors. Etc.

[Hitch 55]

Your line of questioning is a bit peculiar. The Academy picks the films they thought looked the best (in context of the content). And it's assumed that the cinematographer is the man who's job it is to make the film look the way it looks. So if a film looks good, he's the person to be awarded. If a film feels well-directed, than the director is awarded in his own category. Not much more to it than that.They pick the film they thought looked the best for best cinematography award. They pick the film they thought was directed best for the best Director award. I don't understand your lack of understanding.

That is why he fails on so many levels

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Great Directors tell their DP's what they want, and if they can't give it to them, replace them with someone who can.

I really don't think that's necessarily a trait of greatness.

[AC1 3,565]

I doubt Kaminski doesn't have a lot of free reign with Spielberg these days considering their long tenure together.

Spielberg's look depends very much upon the cinematographer he's working with, so I guess the DP does have a serious input with Spielberg, just like his composer has.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,765]

A Kaminski film looks nothing like a Cundey film.

[Alejandro 5]

A Kaminski film looks nothing like a Cundey film.

If one actually wants to look to see what a DP's influence or skill is, just compare Dean Cundey's Jurassic Park with Janusz Kaminski's Lost World. I'm not a fan of Janusz's at all, and I knew that the Premiere article where Spielberg said Kaminski was going to adopt the style of his predecessor for Skull was going to be untrue. Kaminski just can't help himself.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

and I knew that the Premiere article where Spielberg said Kaminski was going to adopt the style of his predecessor for Skull was going to be untrue.

I thought the vast majority of the movie looked very Slocombe-ish

[Neimoidian 13]

and I knew that the Premiere article where Spielberg said Kaminski was going to adopt the style of his predecessor for Skull was going to be untrue.

I thought the vast majority of the movie looked very Slocombe-ish

Adopting the style doesn't have to mean abandoning his own. I am also not sure whether it's possible to imitate someone's cinematography style in 100%.

[Morlock 9]

I frankly don't understand that talk of KoTCS looking like the Slocombe ones. It didn't.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

and I knew that the Premiere article where Spielberg said Kaminski was going to adopt the style of his predecessor for Skull was going to be untrue.

I thought the vast majority of the movie looked very Slocombe-ish

Adopting the style doesn't have to mean abandoning his own. I am also not sure whether it's possible to imitate someone's cinematography style in 100%.

Exactly. I believe the exact word Spielberg used was 'approximate'.

I frankly don't understand that talk of KoTCS looking like the Slocombe ones. It didn't.

I thought it did, especially in the darker scenes.

[JoeinAR 1,759]

I frankly don't understand that talk of KoTCS looking like the Slocombe ones. It didn't.

yes it did, in many ways, Kaminski did a nice approximation

[Morlock 9]

Compared to the richness of Slocombe's work, it felt awfully slick and (relatively) plastic-y to me. I don't think it looked bad...but it didn't hit the nostalgia vibe in that regard for me.

[JoeinAR 1,759]

it should also be pointed out that the award for Best Cinematography is given much earlier than the Best Director which is given late in the award show.

[Richard Penna 2,082]

That has no bearing on importance. The score award is somewhere in the middle, and without a doubt it's "the most important aspect of any motion picture"