Dick Pope died yesterday.
Danny Mays posted: "Deeply saddened and moved by the death of the great Dick Pope. A master cinematographer and Mike Leigh's long time collaborator. I had the profound joy of working with Dick on All or Nothing and Vera Drake. A lovely man whose passion for his craft and endeavour to find the truth in the scene was infectious. He was not only wonderful to work with but he also taught me a great lesson in filmmaking on All or Nothing. My first proper movie fresh out of drama school and I was shooting a highly explosive argument scene opposite the wonderful Helen Coker Wyatt. Filmed on a real sink estate in Greenwich, the scene took place on a small, tricky and narrow staircase inside one of the council flats. Finding the correct camera position was key and I remember offering to change the blocking to help capture the shot. Dick turned to me and said "Danny, always remember, we're here to accommodate you, not the other way around. Don't change a thing about the performance." It's a lesson I learned that day that I've carried with me ever since. Always the truth.
"Oscar nominated for Mr Turner, I last saw Dick at the cast and crew of Mike's latest Hard Truths at the BFI. It was a joy to see him again and to congratulate him on yet another beautifully shot and exceptional piece of work. Make sure you flood to the cinemas when it's released next month A fitting tribute to one of the best and much missed cinematographers this country has ever produced."
A lovely testimonial, as it highlights the qualities of a good cameraman as not just being where to point the camera. An exceptional shot in this film is the single take scene between Tim Spall and Leslie Manville in which the camera tracks in so subtly on the couple - and Dick was operating too, so he's moving the camera himself.
And subtlety is key to the whole film, as it's the looks and expressions and lies and behaviour of the characters that makes it such a rich viewing experience. And it's not depressing - there's too much going on - in fact half the time you want to burst into tears, the other half into laughter. And it powerfully makes the case that lack of opportunity and education leads to poverty and depression.
And - what an incredible cast.
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| A horizon that is through the middle of the image can work |
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| Another most interesting composition |
We're a bit behind with Mike, still not having seen 2018's Peterloo.
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