Cinematography Style: Greig Fraser

Summary

Greig Fraser's cinematography is characterized by its subtlety, flexibility, and functionality in service of the story. Known for his restrained style, Fraser avoids flashy visual techniques, instead adapting his lighting, camera movements, and gear choices to enhance the emotional tone of each scene. His preference for natural light and minimal lighting setups, combined with a keen adaptability in choosing different cameras and lenses, allows his work to blend seamlessly into the narrative. Through this approach, Fraser emphasizes storytelling over the visual spectacle, ensuring the audience feels the emotion without overtly noticing the cinematography.

Takeaways

• 😀 Greig Fraser’s cinematography is often described as invisible, flexible, restrained, and always functional to the story.
• 😀 He avoids using an overarching visual style, allowing the story's emotional content to inform his cinematography choices.
• 😀 Fraser believes in a cinematography style that is supportive of great performances, prioritizing subtlety over bold imagery.
• 😀 His approach to camera movement is driven by the pacing of the story, using stable, grounded movement for slower, emotional moments and more dynamic, rougher movement for action scenes.
• 😀 Fraser’s lighting style is minimalist, utilizing natural light and negative fill, aiming for simplicity and authenticity in his setups.
• 😀 He prefers LEDs for lighting, due to their low carbon footprint, ease of transport, and ability to work in remote locations with small generators.
• 😀 Fraser often changes his lighting approach and gear based on the emotional tone of each scene, using a variety of lighting equipment like Digital Sputnik DS6s and LiteMat panels.
• 😀 The choice of camera and lens is highly dependent on the project’s needs, with Fraser switching between different formats, such as large-format digital and film, depending on the story.
• 😀 He favors lenses like Cooke Anamorphics and Panavision anamorphics, along with the Arri DNAs developed in collaboration with Arri for certain shots.
• 😀 Fraser’s choice of tools, such as cameras, lighting, and lenses, is driven by the belief that the right tool should always be used for the right job, ensuring the emotional power of a scene is felt but remains invisible to the viewer.

Q & A

What is Greig Fraser's philosophy on cinematography?

Greig Fraser believes that the ultimate goal of cinematography is for it to be 'invisible'—not noticeable but felt by the audience. He strives to make the cinematography support the story without standing out, allowing the emotions of the scene to come through naturally.

How does Fraser describe his cinematographic style?

Fraser's style is characterized as 'invisible,' 'flexible,' and 'restrained.' He focuses on subtle, nuanced details that contribute to the overall storytelling, rather than bold, attention-grabbing visuals.

Why does Greig Fraser avoid using visual references for inspiration when preparing for a film?

Fraser avoids visual references to prevent consciously or subconsciously copying other images. Instead, he prefers to read about the source material or the story itself, which allows him to create original, personal visual interpretations based on his imagination.

How does Fraser approach camera movement in his films?

Fraser tailors his camera movement to the emotional pacing of the story. For more reflective or emotional moments, the camera movement is stable and grounded. In action or tense scenes, the camera becomes more dynamic and rougher, reflecting the heightened energy.

What role does natural light play in Fraser's cinematography?

Fraser often prefers to use natural light or minimal lighting setups, utilizing techniques like negative fill to shape the light. This approach is less about creating artificial light sources and more about enhancing the existing light in a scene.

What kind of lighting equipment does Fraser typically use?

Fraser minimizes his lighting equipment, often opting for LED lights when possible due to their lower carbon footprint, ease of transport, and quick setup times. He has used lights like the Digital Sputnik DS6s and Creamsource Doppio Bicolours in his projects.

How does Greig Fraser approach the selection of lenses for his films?

Fraser selects lenses based on the needs of the film and the scene. He has used a variety of lenses, including Cooke Anamorphics for their smooth bokeh, Angenieux zooms, and even Arri DNA lenses, which he collaborated with Arri to develop.

What is Fraser's perspective on the use of film versus digital formats?

Fraser acknowledges that film is effective for certain storytelling needs, such as placing the audience in a specific historical context (as he did with *Vice*). However, he also embraces digital formats, especially large format digital cameras like the Alexa 65, for their ability to capture intricate details of natural textures.

How does Fraser adapt his filmmaking tools to the emotional content of a scene?

Fraser chooses his tools—lighting, camera movement, and lenses—based on the emotional tone of the scene. He does not follow a fixed style but adjusts the technical aspects of filmmaking to best support the story and evoke the intended emotions.

What specific camera models and formats does Fraser prefer to use?

Fraser often uses Arri cameras, including the Alexa Mini, Alexa 65, Arricam LT for 35mm, and the Arriflex 416 for 16mm film. He appreciates the Alexa 65 for its ability to capture sharp, detailed images, especially in natural environments.