roger deakins is actually pretty good at horror

#rogerdeakins #cinematography #horror
This is a cinematography and filmmaking breakdown video essay on how Roger Deakins shoots horror and thrillers.
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00:00 Intro
00:41 House of Sand & Fog
01:22 Prisoners
02:08 The Village
02:40 Best Horror Scene
03:49 Why it works
04:33 Free Pizza
05:19 My Horror Short Film
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Movies featured:
House of Sand and Fog
THE VILLAGE
Prisoners
Doctor Sleep
The Fall of The House of Usher

[@blakeO34]

Prisoners was the most horrified I’ve ever been while watching a film. Most horror movies don’t invoke the dread and fear that Prisoners does.

[@impatrickt]

100%

[@TheDRODOR]

My man Dennis and Roger, always a good combo

[@AkshayKumarX]

​@@TheDRODORAhem, I think you meant to write "God Combo" there but that's alright, we all make mistakes in life.

[@kowalsolosolo]

This is not true.

[@DanielPestanaTranslations]

I felt very uncomfortable watching that movie, The Witch and Hereditary. These last two made me feel I was watching something forbidden.

[@TheShavingTulsan]

Great acting in your short film! Loved the closeups and just the unsettling of nature of seeing their reactions as each moment unfolded. Also, LAMPS

[@impatrickt]

Thanks! it’s always the LAMPS!

[@j.zuberi]

Thats why i love John Carpenter bc dude is extremely simple with how he tells stories. As u said its not about forcing a look…simply pulling from real life shit and just adding to it to tell the story. Lot of ppl lack simplicity bc they chase modern cinema. I love simplicity bc i stay in the era i grew up in. The 90s.

[@gab2561]

I have a video suggestion about Conrad L Hall's cinematography in American Beauty, which was awarded in all the awards in 2000, but it is far from what is considered beautiful since he photographs"ugly" environments, but he still manages to deliver a beautiful photograph, today Nowadays you don't see so many films like American Beauty in the sense of cinematography, being awarded, Roger Deakins for example follows a lot of Conrad's philosophy, he is his idol, and it took more than 13 nominations to get a win, anyway I wanted to dive a little deeper in this discussion, by the way, great video man

[@impatrickt]

Love that film and how it looks. Also check out THE PLEDGE if you like that aesthetic.

[@brentpeddy4223]

Awesome video! 100% agreed on Deaken's lighting. And that scene from the Village is one of my favorites! And the other one where they're sitting on the porch and that simple violin solo is playing. Also loved your short! Felt very David Lynch meets Sam Esmail. Btw looking forward to Leave The World Behind!

[@tejassetlur806]

Love the use of lamps Patrick absolutely love it! So simple so beautiful.

[@cammackey]

Great. Work.

[@impatrickt]

Cheers man!

[@joshuaconti989]

watching this made me realise just how many deakins films i absolutely love for all these reasons.

[@omaralcantara1142]

Was hoping for a short film at the end, great work brother huge fan 🙏

[@nitsugazemag]

I think what makes Deacon’s so great at what he does is his grasp at mood. I think many over think it and choose style over atmosphere, but I think atmosphere lends better to the visual medium. A filter is a filter if there’s no intention or attention to the story being told. I didn’t really like Prisoners as many do, but I do admire his visual language. I think what he does expertly well is building tension and dread. Another movie that he does this insanely well is Sicario. From that buildup to the bridge shootout to that underground tunnel sequence, tension and dread is conveyed in such a way that doesn’t have to necessarily follow the typical formula of horror. It can happen in the daylight or in pitch darkness. Roger Deacons is magnificent gem of a cinematographer. I remember seeing The House of Sand and Fog around the time or after its award season contention for Ben Kingsley, Shohreh Aghashloo in lead actor and supporting actress, and James Horner for original score at the Oscars. I wasn’t aware that he’d done the cinematography for The House of Sand and Fog.

[@marximus4]

TIL Deakins shot The Village. Maybe another reason it's one of my favorite movies (and my favorite Shyamalan film).

[@camerachronicles7]

This was all so great. So much content in one video. An awesome breakdown on Roger Deakin’s work with an added short film of your own at the end?? So good. I love how filmmaking in general is changing from being available only to those with big Hollywood budgets, to the everyday person with a decent camera, passion, and a good story to tell. Excellent stuff 🎉

[@impatrickt]

Cheers! Thanks for watching.

[@AllThingsFilm1]

I never get tired of talking about Roger Deakins and looking at his work. Your commentary was spot on. In your short, I loved how you created so much mystery and tension in just under 3 minutes. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@JonJosephKuhn]

Amazing work as always. Just for a little conformation, I always feel the same after watching your work. Inspired.

[@innatemusic]

Hey, great stuff, man! Actors are on point, too. Congrats.

[@Brookssmedia]

Blue hour. Great comp, love the creativity. Great job

[@thetruthseeker23]

Thanks for this and the film recommendation. I think it's all down to his beginning in documentary film-making. Using available light.

[@CameraManWelcome]

Love your videos, man. There is something so different about your videos compared to the rest of KZbin. Keep it up and thanks!

[@impatrickt]

Appreciate you! Thanks.

[@NICOLASSIMONIN]

Hey Great video. Nice short. Plus The Cure at the End! You got me man

[@impatrickt]

Thanks!

[@AndyAksen]

The house of sand and fog is sooooo good (and depressing). I love this movie and the style!!! (And I am a Jennifer Connelly fan 😅)

[@impatrickt]

So good. I don’t know why Moore people don’t talk about it.

[@cubax26]

Great video Patrick. Roger Deakins will definitely go down as one of the best of all time. I love his work with the Coen brothers. Also, I loved your short film. Thank you for making these quality videos. Btw, did you use the Sony FX30 for the short film?

[@impatrickt]

Thanks for watching! 90% FX30 yeah.

[@cubax26]

@@impatrickt thank you for the reply. The FX30 is a great camera.

[@asianjared]

Appreciate the 'VILLAGE' love. Over the years, it has become my favorite Shyamalan film. Just a beautiful film.

[@impatrickt]

Same. Def top with SIGNS.

[@asianjared]

@@impatrickt Goated shit.

[@AlbertBalbastreMorte]

OMG The Village. My fave film! There's many things I like about the film, even ones I don't usually notice. I've never paid much attention to acting work, but I remember being impressed by Adrien Brody even though I didn't even know of him. On that regard, congrats on the actors of your short film. The horror of the understated lighting and directing where one of the Those Who We Do Not Talk About just stands there in the forest, completely still, for a few seconds. The forest is not particularly dense, the lighting is naturalistic daylight, and yet it's so scary. Anyhoo, I'm more of a sound guy, and there's a bit of trivia I'd like to share about the scene you showed. When Brody stabs Phoenix, there was originally a metallic slash sound FX. However, when Age Rating came, that sound FX would've made the movie +18 and hurt sales, so they took it out... Only to find out the scene works better this way.

[@roncinephile]

This is some quality film nerdery. subbed.

[@SOLIDSNAKE.]

THANK YOU!

[@Paradoxgt]

Lograste una composición muy bueno, la musicalización, la sonorización, el acting, los encuentras y la edición logran perfectamente trasmitir las emociones de cada uno de los personajes, creo que la luz le da un toque Tarantino a tu escena. Saludos desde Guatemala.

[@Mr.StealYoCat]

U got good actors

[@brianlockyer6056]

The reason they light horror that way is because it sells. People don't appreciate horror anymore if it doesn't "Look scary." I made an entire body-horror thriller feature with almost all natural light, and most people who watch it say, "I liked the gore." Which is fine, but the vast majority of people don't look for artistry, etc, in horror films. Unless you're an already established filmmaker, horror and art aren't recognized in the same film.

[@Then.]

Hi. Interesting essay. Wondering why you didn’t include No Country For Old Men. It has shots that are simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. Check it out.

[@impatrickt]

I've seen it many times, I don't get the same horror/terror feeling from that film. Fargo is a good example too but you could over think a bunch of his work and find horror stylizations, even in blade runner 2049.

[@julian9898]

Picture this: The best scene of a fame cinematographer's career. Joaquin Phoenix turns around exclaiming "there are different types of love," only to be surprised by a visibly distraught Adrien Brody. Without music, or any indication of what is to come, the scene shifts to Brody's knife buried deep inside Pheonix's belly. The tension builds as Brody slowly pulls the knife out, and the camera cuts to... A FUCKING KACHAVA COMMERCIAL.

[@megamastah]

Think about making a piece about David Lynch. He is a master of the dread you didn't know you can feel in broad daylight.

[@madlookzvfx]

Nailed it!

[@temitayoisme]

Interesting take Patrick. I sort of feel the same way about David Lynch but can't quite place it yet. The lighting is more dramatic than that of deakins but not as much as modern day horror

[@impatrickt]

yeah I need to do a Lynch video too, I have a much bigger short hopefully releasing by end of year that's heavily Lynch influenced, not that my weird alien light orb isn't already.

[@temitayoisme]

@@impatrickt Looking forward to it

[@thechaostrials1964]

It's truly an art crime that RD doesn't get the recognition he deserves. I think your take on "simplicity" is accurate. The dread you speak of is perfectly illustrated in, say, ALIEN, where what makes the monster so terrifying is almost it's total absence from the film. When it does appear, it's in the flash of a strobe or in slow motion.

[@impatrickt]

Absolutely. Love how Alien moves and looks too.

[@prodpokeyspider]

i wish that horror movies would get more creative. horror is such a good genre and it sucks that so many modern horror movies feel the same as the one before it. while Suspiria isn’t my favorite horror film, it has beautiful cinematography. the way it uses color is so stylistic and iconic. i hope that horror movies continue to get more experimental.

[@impatrickt]

I agree! horror should be weird.

[@kiykim277]

The village is definitely under rated.

[@superbowl205]

Interesting short film. How do you get copyrighted music into your film without getting dinged by KZbin? Is there a paid subscription with real music you can use?

[@impatrickt]

I just use it. There's no subscription model. Thanks for watching!

[@fourth1000]

Facts! Something is wrong with modern horror- visually. But I also have a complaint the way digital is used in genral with dark genre films. The look is very flat. Or heavily desaturated where the image looks like tinted log footage.

[@ShawnSakamoto]

What song is playing over the credits?

[@impatrickt]

M - The Cure

[@ShawnSakamoto]

Awesome choice and cut. Somehow Shazam, SoundHound and ChatGPT failed to identify 🤔

[@lukedavis6157]

0:23 & 3:54 - the only two "bad" (at lighting) examples are from Mike Flanagan (and Mike Filmognari), throwing a little shade (or more since TFoHU is honestly too dimly lit). But yeah, TFoHU didn't really click with me, with the reasons you've mentioned. (Some scenes?) seems too hard to be "horror" with almost all scenes that are too dark to see.

[@martinmoore7279]

No country for old men had the most frightening monster ever on film.

[@emberseye3059]

I’m personally so tired of “grounded” horror movies about how awful people do awful things. We know… sweep me off to a wild, stylized world with monsters, and heroes. Where good must overcome evil and restore hope.

[@impatrickt]

Not my cup of tea

[@stevemuzak8526]

Prisoners was the most disturbing movie I ever seen.

[@seansims2475]

The whole first half I kept thinking this looks like Prisoners.

[@mobilebloggingguy]

❤

[@clivebrincat88]

It’s not dps who are afraid of cinematographers, usually its directors and producers who wants to see faces in every shot

[@impatrickt]

It’s a collective

[@ald385]

What's wrong with Mike Flannigan's Doctor Sleep?

[@impatrickt]

It’s ugly as sin. Love the movie though.

[@Brookssmedia]

So not going to lie to you, you're like one of the first people I've seen talk about the village in a positive light. I guess the movie so ASS I never appreciated the skill of RD. But even with RD shooting this the way he did the movie is still just not it for me

[@impatrickt]

The Village is one of my favourite movies of all time. What don’t you like about it?

[@Brookssmedia]

@@impatrickt I think for me upon original release it was being pushed heavy as a horror movie and I think around this time he was still on the sixth sense heat wave and the sixth sense was excellent so when I seen this it was just very underwhelming especially more so watching it on my 30s. The villian reveal was just so weak. The horror aspect was almost non existent for me. The story/plot was just really weak for me.

[@impatrickt]

@@Brookssmedia I agree the marketing was wrong for sure, I just think it’s a really beautiful human drama, with some excellent horror elements peppered throughout.

[@Brookssmedia]

I respect that@@impatrickt

[@FromTheAtticTV]

Honestly, I think you might be attributing the frame a bit too much to the DP. The director is the one telling the story, he's the one framing. That's a massive misconception shared by a lot of people. Of course, the DP has a word and will give ideas on the frame, but the storyboard is usually the work of the director - or at least he's the one that has the final say and when the director has a "style" you bet he'll decide on every centimetre of the frame. Just take Villeneuve, he had the same exact style of framing before he worked with Deakins and still does now. I even asked him in person during a masterclass and he literally said "I'm paid to frame the image. That's my job". Or better, the stabbing scene you talked about in The Village. Everything about the framing, especially the editing and the reveal was 1000% Shyamalan. That's not even a question. I know you say this in the video, but I just needed to say it out loud because it was driving me nuts haha! Other than that, I agree with everything else you said lol. Deakin's use of lighting is perfect for horror.

[@impatrickt]

I agree for journeymen DP’s - not Deakins. He’s got shots in nearly every movie he’s done that he’s done for a handful of different directors. The way he frames and lights is his way. It’s why he is he who he is. A true DP.

[@FromTheAtticTV]

For sure Deakins has a bigger impact on the frame than most DPs, no doubt about it. But when you talk about directors like Villeneuve and Shyamalan, who both had established styles before working with him, I dunno. Especially when it revolves around mystery, tension and stuff like that. Framing is so integral to storytelling that I can't even imagine both of these directors letting go for a second of the frame and what it reveals. I had the chance to make three short films in professional settings, with funds, big teams and all that, and that's really how it worked. At the end of the day, it's the director who's telling the story. Obviously, the DP might have awesome ideas you want to integrate into the storyboard, but framing is to film what syntax is to writing, in my opinion.

[@impatrickt]

@@FromTheAtticTV Denis style changed drastically when he started working Roger though. I actually almost did an entire section on how Prisoners completely rips off House of Sand and Fog. I dunno what being on sets has to do with anything. I’ve made and been a part of countless films and commercials too. Every ship runs different.

[@FromTheAtticTV]

For sure, there are definitely directors who aren't as precious about framing as others. I just believe directors of Denis' calibre ARE haha! His style did change after Prisoners though, I'll give you that. But if Deakins were to shoot a Wes Anderson movie, we'd see no change in framing, that's all I'm saying.

[@impatrickt]

@@FromTheAtticTV what you’re perhaps missing is that Roger wouldn’t shoot a Wes movie. He’s been vocal about how M Night worked and he didn’t like it because it was so prescriptive. He’s definitely a hands on vocal DP. I feel like you’re discounting them as operators but they’re storytellers too. The good ones at least.

[@scttymn]

Came for the essay, stayed for the fruitopia.

[@impatrickt]

As one should.

[@kokomanation]

House of sand and fog was mostly a dramatic film I would say a tragedy film not horror

[@impatrickt]

Yeah that’s what I said

[@kokomanation]

@@impatrickt It was a good film very unpleasant though but these things happen to people even worse I didn’t believe it then

[@Eggplantman21]

Did you really just spoil The Village? What the hell man! Without even warning? Not cool at all.

[@MadelineMysterious]

mike flannagan is overrated nonsense. netflix all flash and no substance