411 Movies Interview: No Country for Old Men Cinematographer Roger Deakins
Posted by Tony Farinella on 03.07.2008
411's Tony Farinella sits down with No Country for Old Men Cinematographer Roger Deakins for an exclusive interview about his work with the Coen brothers!
Roger Deakins is probably one of the busiest cinematographers in Hollywood today. Not only is he one of the busiest, but he's also one of the best. He has worked on such classics as The Big Lebowski, Dead Man Walking, and The Shawshank Redemption. That being said, he's probably best known for his work with the Coen brothers. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Roger via e-mail, and we talked about his work on No Country For Old Men, which will be available on DVD on March 11th.
TONY: I'm sure it's been a crazy journey for you ever since you started working on this film. You've had the film itself, its theatrical run, the Oscars, and now it's out on DVD. For you, personally, what has the journey been like? Have you had a chance to step back and take it all in?
Roger Deakins: 'No Country...' was shot the summer before last and I had finished the color grading of the film by the time it was shown at Cannes in the spring of last year. Since shooting 'No Country....' I have photographed three films: 'In the Valley of Elah', 'Revolutionary Road' and 'Doubt'. The last finished shooting just before the BAFTA awards so, up until then I had been concentrating on my current work. The weeks before the Academy Awards were very busy with press etc. and I am only now getting a break from all the 'hoopla'.
TONY: In the same way that Martin Scorsese is associated with Thelma Schoonmaker, you are associated with the Coen brothers. First of all, what does that mean to you personally to be associated with them? Second of all, how have you seen them grow as filmmakers over the course of their career?
Roger Deakins: They are friends and it's good to have friends in this business! They are certainly more confident than when we first worked together and so am I. Otherwise their approach seems just the same to me. Personally, I wouldn't say that the filmmaking in 'No Country...' is any better than the filmmaking in 'Barton Fink'. The present film has just reached a wider audience.
TONY: Let's talk a little bit about No Country for Old Men. Do you have an internal barometer as a cinematographer? What I mean by that is do you know right away if a scene is not only going to look good on the big screen but also move the audience? Do you just feel it?
Roger Deakins: I think I do, yes, but I'm not always right. It is my job to know if a scene is going to look right but it is harder to judge if something will move an audience. I knew from the early days shooting 'Shawshank...' that it was going to be an exceptional film although that film took a while to find it's audience. I felt 'The Man Who Wasn't There' was a very moving film but many people found it cold and removed and I thought another film I worked on, called 'Jarhead', was an exceptionally emotional film but that never reached an audience. Some things you just can't know.
TONY: After watching No Country for Old Men, I had a hard time sleeping. I was just haunted by so many vivid images from the film. And I mean that in a good way. As a cinematographer, what was it like to watch it all unfold? I know it's only a movie, but this is some pretty intense stuff.
Roger Deakins: It was intense, as you say, but when a story is shot it is broken down into so many little pieces that it's real power cannot be experienced until everything it cut together. There are individual scenes that had enormous power at the time of the shoot such as that between Chigurh and Moss' wife towards the end. That was a very memorable days shooting.
TONY: Let's talk a little bit about all of the fantastic actors in this film. How involved were they with the movie-making process? I know it's Joel and Ethan's film, but were they asking you a lot of questions about different scenes and whatnot?
Roger Deakins: The actors in 'No Country....' were more often than not in scenes by themselves. Yes, Josh was in scenes with Kelly and Kelly was in a scene with Javier, but Josh was only very briefly in a scene with Javier and, similarly, Tommy was only briefly in a scene with Javier and not at all with Josh. Tommy, Javier and Josh only really spent time together in pre production, doing publicity and at the awards! I think it would be true to say that, whilst aware of the whole, each concentrated on their individual parts and the scenes they were in.
TONY: What I really admire about you, Roger, is the fact that you're always working on something and you're always busy. You never seem to take any time off, and you're always thinking about different images and pictures. Talk to me a little bit about the pride that you take in your job. How important is that to you? I mean, when you work on a film, we know we're going to get something special.
Roger Deakins: It's pretty important as it's my life. That's why I am very choosy about the films I work on. The work is such an investment of time and brain cells that the film better be something worth making! I just recently realized that I have been going for more than eighteen months with only two weeks and a few days off. When your average work day is twelve or thirteen hours and some days can be as many as twenty hours it does take a toll. I am now taking that break and who knows how long it might last! I'll have my stills camera with me though!
TONY: I'm sure you're tired of answering questions about the Oscars, so please forgive me for asking yet another question about the Oscars. Is it something that you think about a lot? The fact that you haven't won an Oscar yet. I mean, I'm sure you'd love to win an Oscar, but it's out of your control. For you, personally, how important is it?
Roger Deakins: I only really think about it because people like yourself ask me questions about it. I would love to win if only so the questions (and commiserations) would stop!!!!! The work is important, my wife is important and my friends are important. I do my work to the best of my ability and whatever someone thinks of it is up to them. As you say, I have no control over what people think.
TONY: What motivates you after all these years? From watching different interviews with you over the course of your career, I've always admired your passion and dedication. How do you keep that alive?
Roger Deakins: Can't answer that one. I just love my job, I guess. I love the people I work with and sadly it's too late for me to be an Astronomer.
TONY: Talk to me a little bit about what it's like watching a movie on DVD compared to the big screen in terms of cinematography. Do you notice different things?
Roger Deakins: I wouldn't say you notice things differently rather that you notice things less! It's hard to see the subtleties in someone's work on DVD. Everything tends to lack personality and become homogenized.
TONY: Finally, what is one aspect of your job that you think the public should know about? I'm talking about something that's maybe under the radar to us, but it's very important to you.
Roger Deakins: Most people outside of the industry think that what we do is very glamorous but they don't see what a crew looks like after working 18 hours a day for weeks at a time. The job is about so much more than the creative side, which, when the job is done well at least, is all one sees on screen. The job is probably 90% about planning and logistics, and about maintaining a standard however tired and frustrated one might be. But then, maybe some things are best kept secret.
