There is no one perfect shot
Cinematography is one of the most complex of all cinematic skills. And that’s the beauty of it.
The cinematographer, or director of photography, combines visual artistry with technical knowledge. It is often said that the cinematographer is “painting with light”. But compared to painting on canvas with a brush, the camera is merciless in its realism. It shows everything in incredible detail. This means that unlike the painter, we are restricted in many ways by both the laws of nature as well as technology.
One of the key features in cinematographer’s craft is to be able to reshape the realism according to film’s dramaturgy and planned vision so that this creates desired impact to the audience. In this work cinematographer must be able to understand different layers of the story and structure of the drama.
He / she must be capable of using cinematic tools throughout the whole process of filmmaking and work in a leadership role alongside with the director and producer of the film as well as with other HODs (Head of departments).
For a cinematographer, filmmaking means helping the director tell the story with images and with the flow of those images. We can manipulate the depth of focus and framing, colour, lighting, camera angle, frame rate, film stock, rhythm of images…
But after the technical aspects comes the hard part: creating a vision, a recognizable look and feel for a whole feature film. We want to engage the audience and evoke emotion.
Next to the director, it’s often the cinematographer who works closest to the other professionals on set: costume and set designers, actors etc. Movie making is teamwork in which each decision creates a different outcome. We make a lot of these crucial decisions. That’s why the cinematographer’s personal touch shows through in the finished product. This is a positive thing, a unique feel often resonates the best in people. The audience can see traces of the team’s artistic voices in the work — they’ll love it or hate it, but they will not be left indifferent.
Cinematography should be approached with a craftman’s mindset. Like other crafts, we need to put countless hours in the perfection of our profession and accept trial and error. The result is more than just capturing moments, we are giving life and form to the entire artistic vision of a film. We are creating something that cannot be copied or duplicated by anyone.
It’s not about one perfect shot. It’s about the film having a soul.
Rauno Ronkainen
Director of photography Rauno Ronkainen is Associate Professor of Cinematography at the Department of Film, Television and Scenography, Aalto University. His career in the cinema began in 1987, first as a focus-puller, gaffer or camera operator. Beginning in 2000, Ronkainen became a full-fledged director of photography. He has since been nominated as best cinematographer at Camerimage 2015 and as one of the top five finalists at IMAGO Gala 2019, won three Finnish Jussi Awards for Best Cinematography and the Nordic Vision Award in 2005. Ronkainen is known for his work in films such as Purge, Almost 18, Frozen Land, the Midwife, Eternal Road and Helene.
