PRE-PRODUCTION UNIT: Petra Korner - Director Of Photography - Research

I decided to do some research into female Director of Photography; Petra Korner, focusing on her film The Wackness. 

Petra Korner studied film at NYU's Tisch School of Arts and graduated with a BFA. Following this she trained at the Czech National Film Academy in Prague and the Maine Photographic Workshops. She also obtained an MFA in Cinematography from the American Film Institute in LA. She has won many awards for her cinematography. 

One of her films that I particularly admired the cinematography of was The Wackness which was shot on Balthar Lenses on Super 35mm film. 

Korner uses vintage colour grading throughout The Wackness. This can be seen through the muted colour palette used. The shadows of the image are a dark muted brown colour whilst the mid tones are a medium muted green colour and the highlights are a pale yellow colour - the same sort of tones are seen throughout the different scenes of the film. Combined with the bright exposure, this creates quite an idyllic, nostalgic look which seems very appropriate considering this is a coming of age comedy / drama and is therefore depicting an idyllic, youthful, care-fee time. This is an opening scene of the film showing the main character cycling through the park. Positioning him in the foreground and at the right side of the frame in a wide shot allows him to be the focus of the frame (clarifying to the audience that the film follows his story) but also works to establish the location as the remaining two thirds of the frame are left free to show the setting. 

As well as establishing the main locations through the opening scenes of the film, further panning establishing shots are used to show the changing locations throughout the narrative. The fact that all the establishing shots are panning shots struck me as interesting as it gives the impression that the city is rife with life and movement. This also shows that establishing shots don't need to solely establish locations, they can also be used to convey more than this (e.g. the vibe of the atmosphere etc.) Establishing shots such as these can also be used to break up the action in the film - it helps to transport the audience to different locations and different parts of the narrative which can act as a break from high intensity scenes.

Further interesting techniques are used throughout the film - this scene in particular caught my attention. The camera pans and tracks as the girl gets up off floor - this creates the same disorientating feeling for the audience as the woman is feeling herself. This shows that the camera techniques can also be used to convey the emotion of the character which allows the audience to gain insight into their state of mind and empathise with this. Camera movements which allow the audience to connect with a character prove effective in engaging the audience as they are able to put themselves in the characters shoes. This suggests to me that to ensure audience engagement with VET-MAN, I should be using the camera to do more than just capture the action within the scene, I should also be trying to get the audience to connect with the characters to that they can become more engaged with the scenes.

The colour grading of this scene is slightly different to the beginning scenes - whilst a muted colour palette is still used, this scene uses more rose gold toned colours. This continues the vintage feel of the film but there is an added warmth (as opposed to the cooler green tones of the opening scenes). This helps to show a change in environment - this is an interior scene, whereas the greener tones were present in the exterior scenes - showing that whilst colour grading can enhance a story by conveying the mood and emotions present, it can also be used to reflect the changing locations.

This film uses a lot of standard cinematic techniques to depict action and conversation (e.g. medium and close up shots are used in quick succession during action scenes to highlight the intensity of the situations and shot reverse shot is used during conversational scenes) hence why I have not spoken much about this style of shot within the film. These shots are used to move along the narrative in a way the audience can easily understand and follow.

The more notable shots in the film are the wide establishing shots used to change locations. This scene is established by a panning shot of a person walking by with a trolley. This camera movement helps to move the audience into the scene as they find themselves following the trolley and therefore feel more present within the action. The shot begins as a medium shot as the trolley enters the frame, it then becomes a close up shot as the trolley passes the camera and then becomes a wide shot as the person walks away - providing the wide frame that establishes the location. As this scene mainly occurs in an interior location, the warm rose toned colours are used - however, in the distance, the green muted colours make a reappearance as the outdoor park is in sight.

Another thing to note is the lighting within the film. A lot of the more positive scenes within the film appear well lit and brightly exposed to reflect the happiness within them. More negative scenes such as the one shown below in the therapists office appear a lot darker. The only light coming into the room is from the window - this illuminates half of the teenage character's face and keeps the therapist's face in silhouette. This plunges most of the room into darkness - reflecting some of the dark topics covered within the therapy session.

Overall, from looking into The Wackness, I have found that wide shots needn't only be static to establish locations - movement within the shot can help to connote aspects of the location. Further to this, panning and tracking shots can be used in conjunction to move the characters along in the scene - this can especially be seen in the shot where the character is getting up off the floor in a disorientated manner. I have also found that muted, brightly exposed colour grading helps to create a vintage feel which creates a sense of nostalgia for the audience. The lighting used also helps to reflect the mood and emotions of the scenes - lighter, brightly exposed scenes are typically happier in tone and the darker lit scenes are more dramatic and negative tone - this is a very simple yet effective cinematic technique as it conveys a strong sense of emotion.

To gain more insight into what its like to be a Director of Photography, I decided to get in touch with Petra to see what knowledge and advice she could give me.

1. How would you describe your personal cinematography style?

I’m not a big fan of the word “style” when it comes to cinematography. We shouldn’t impose our “style” onto a film, but rather adapt to any given story or director. Then again, every cinematographer certainly brings their own personal taste and experiences to the table. In my case, I guess you could say that I gravitate towards atmospheric images, which take the viewer on a journey, as opposed to realistic ones.

2. How did this style evolve?

See above. Personal taste and life experience.

3. Do you have a favourite piece of kit to use that helps you achieve this style? How did you discover this piece of kit?

Other than haze, I don’t think there is any piece of kit, lighting or otherwise, that stayed with me throughout my career. The toys evolve so quickly. I started with special lab processes, such as partial ENR (silver retention) printing, in order to get the look I wanted, later I was one of the early explorers of shooting with vintage lenses (before it became the hip thing to do), I went through phases of different filtration that added to the look I wanted, I swore on tungsten lights and tungsten only, later I was crazy about the Arri M-series HMI pars, I used to shun LEDs, and now that they’ve evolved so much I couldn’t imagine a studio without them. I barely use filtration anymore.

It’s important to try different things, so that your toolbox consistently expands and you can reach for exactly the piece of gear you need for a specific project. As I said, the only thing I continue to use, since the beginning of my career is haze. Unless there is a good reason not to, I use a little bit of atmosphere in pretty much every interior; just to add a bit of texture.

4. What do you get ready during the pre production of a project? In your opinion what’s the most important part of pre production?

It’s important to really know the script inside out. And to talk through it with the director, so you know which story beats are important to them and why.

I also accumulate a lot of visual references – stills I pull from movies, photographs, whatever.

Lastly, I put all the photos I take from various location scouts together with my inspirational images and notes from all the talks with the director, art department or AD. This concludes my “visual strategy”, which is my most important document when I go into a movie.

Also, shot lists and overhead diagrams are crucial. I usually shotlist together with the director and then do the diagrams by myself. These are also very useful for the 1st AD, in terms of shooting order and when we need to turn around.

Also important: lighting diagrams for the riggers.

5. How would you describe your use of colour grading? Would you say colours are used to enhance to the visual quality of the piece or to enhance mood/emotion or to establish your personal style? (or a mixture of all three?)

Personal style should have no part in cinematography!

Colors have assigned meaning within the framework of your story (this is established by the director, you, the production designer and costume designer in pre-production) and are generally a strong tool to evoke a certain emotion.

6. What do you like to play around with most: lighting, colours, framing or depth of field? (or other?) And why?

All of the above. I tend to favor good light over a perfect frame though. A lot of DPs do the opposite.

7. What would your top advice be for an aspiring director of photography?

- Lighting, lighting, lighting. Learn to understand light.
- Read American Cinematographer cover to cover, every month.
- Don’t obsess about gear. It doesn’t matter at all.
- Be selective in the projects you choose. If you can’t find inspiration in the project you take on, leave it, wait for something better and find another way to pay rent in the meantime. You are an artist, and you don’t want to do cheesy shit.
- Be kind to your crew. Know what you can ask of them and how long it takes. Have a twinkle in your eye.
- Never forget that you work for your director, and that even if you think you have more experience, you have to give him the benefit of doubt if he chooses to make a decision you can’t relate to. Don’t make life hard for him!

8. Would you say being a female has hindered you at all in your career or do you feel this hasn't had an impact?

Yes, for sure. I used to be completely ignorant and think it didn’t matter, but once I had kids I quickly realized how backward society still is.

Then I became a single mom overnight -- and that just doesn’t happen to men, unless they’re widowers, but I don’t think there’s one single working cinematographer single-dad out there. Their wives are all handling the bulk-load of the child rearing, while they go chase their careers and usually sky rocket.

In any case, yes, huge inequality if you choose to have children. If you don’t, you might get lucky and ride the wave of equal opportunity. However, you never really know what plays a part in the decision made by producers / studios to hire you or not. They used to openly frown upon too many women in key positions, and no production wanted to pair a female director with a female DP. It was considered “risky”. Things have changed only in very recent years.

What I have learned through this research:

Colours used within a piece are entirely dependent on the story and what emotions you are trying to evoke from the audience, not the personal style of the cinematographer. As a coming of age comedy / drama, The Wackness is portraying quite a prime time of life - the colours and colour grading of the production reflect this. It is given a vintage look through the use of bright exposure and muted neutral colours. Warmer, rose colours are used further through the film, again giving the production a vintage look. This vintage look helps to evoke a sense of nostalgia which may help the audience sympathise with the characters as this may remind them of their own similar coming of age story.

Establishing shots do not need to be used to only establish the location, when combined with movements or with characters in shot they can depict much more. Fast panning establishing shots can be used to reflect the high energy within the environment whilst a slower pan can symbolise a more peaceful atmosphere. I will consider this in VET-MAN when establishing locations - as the main character Tim bodges his way through life, quick panning shots may be a good idea to reflect his hectic life.

Collaboration is key for a smooth production and trust the other production members - even if you think the director is wrong, you must follow and trust their ideas. In our shoot, issues like this can be resolved by me producing clear storyboards and shot lists so that the director knows my intentions and agrees them prior to shooting - this way there should be little clash of opinions.