Welcome to The Queue — your daily distraction of curated video content sourced from across the web. Today, we’re watching a video essay that explores what distinguishes the cinematography of Wally Pfister.
Creative partnerships aren’t unheard of in Hollywood. While frequent pair-ups might have been mandated during the Studio system, the old adage holds that you don’t mess with a good thing. And for plenty of directors, the good thing in question is a reliable cinematographer.
From Roger Deakins’ frequent team-ups with the Coen Brothers to Wes Anderson’s enduring creative partnership with Robert Yeoman, it’s easy to guess why some directors are stuck at the hip with certain DPs. It’s probably a huge relief to have someone behind the camera who you can trust to capture your vision; to pick up on your expectations and read between the lines of what you’re going for.
One such director-cinematographer pairing that deserves mention among the best is the collaboration between DP Wally Pfister and director Christopher Nolan. The pair worked together between Nolan’s second feature film, Memento and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. Indeed, for many, you might know Pfister best (or at all) because of his work with Nolan. But as the video essay below emphasizes, Pfister is much, much more than his most infamous collaboration.
So, in the interest of digging deeper into Pfister’s work history, artistic philosophy, and gear preferences, here’s a look at how Wally Pfister melds art and technology to produce some of modern cinema’s most iconic images.
Watch “Cinematography Style: Wally Pfister”
Who made this?
This video essay on Wally Pfister’s cinematography is by In Depth Cine, a YouTube account dedicated to providing its audience with practical rundowns and explainers on some of the more technical aspects of movie-making. Gray Kotzé, a documentary DP based in South Africa, is the man behind the channel. You can check out Kotzé’s portfolio on their website here. And you can check out In Depth Cine on YouTube here.
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