I wanted to research a little further by seeing what the director of photography (Cinematographer) Jonathan has said about his approach to the documentary and his view on how the production went. Here are some notes taken from 'The Credit'*
Ingalls was completely new to this style of project (wild, sea life documentaries) and therefore gained a lot of research from the Director. This is probably the approach which is similar with my film. Previous documentaries I've worked on have been with people, where we've had some control about what's going to happen, however animals are far more unpredictable. Ingalls says that 'she'd let me know, as we were getting ready to shoot, the content and storyboards.' This means that the director and cinematographer held a stable relationship and good communication throughout - another point which is definitely going to be important when it comes to producing these films, throughout any specific background knowledge, I hope that my director will take the time to keep me up to date with everything going on. So far this has been successful, there are times when I've been left to my own devices to film where I see fit, which was fun and exciting to do, however sometimes was a little confusing as I wasn't sure what key points we were aiming to capture. Saying this, our production relationship is great, we worked well together in pre-production (storyboards) and hope that this will continue further.
'From a cinematography perspective, what were your most difficult shots?
The whale stuff in the wild — on the research boat — was tough because we didn’t know what was going to happen. We’d shoot one direction, and then the whales would show up on the opposite side of the boat. We did our best. We were out there for a while, but it was a challenge to get the whales in the water doing their thing.'
I've learnt that this is common in documentary filming. The key is to constantly film, because you never know what you may capture, and if you're already filming and something occurs, it's easier to turn and film there and then, than stop and re-set up the camera - then miss the initial shot. It's always going to be a challenge in my opinion, but it's always going to be an enjoyable experience, because of the mystery of never knowing where we could end up.
'How did you get into filmmaking in the first place?
Oddly enough, I majored in biology and had a minor in film at USC, and I had this idea early on about doing films about wildlife. I didn’t realize until after I’d graduated that those films don’t get made very often, really. This film was really nice—the two subjects I was really interested in finally came together in one project.
I like the relation to this because I'm very passionate about animals and wildlife, and I feel that this was a main reason I chose to get on board with this specific project. Doing something you enjoy about something you love makes you put you're all into it, and you discover new things you didn't know.
Knowing what you know now about the film industry and making movies, what would you tell your younger self, or aspiring cinematographers?
Like anybody working in the film business, you take whatever projects you can get to gain experience, or that will lead you to the next project. One of the big things I’ve discovered over the past few years is that the projects I like working on the best are the ones where there are amazing people and also really compelling subject matter. Even in the middle of making a film, I can say, “This is one of those rare projects — like Blackfish— where everything is coming together.” You’re looking for that perfect project all the time, and every once in a while, you get one.'
*http://www.thecredits.org/2013/07/talking-with-dp-jonathan-ingalls-about-killer-whale-documentary-blackfish/
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