Roger Deakins

"The Alexa is a game-changer. This moment has been coming for a long time, really, but with the Alexa I believe digital has finally surpassed film in terms of quality. What is quality? It’s really in the eye of the viewer, but to me, the Alexa’s tonal range, color space and latitude exceed the capabilities of film. This is not to say that I don’t still love film — I do. I love its texture and grain, but in terms of speed, resolution and clarity of image, there is no question in my mind that the Alexa produces a better image. There is a beautiful roll-off between highlights and shadows [on the Alexa] that I haven’t seen before. There’s a subtlety in color rendition that is fantastic. I tested it in candlelight, and it was beautiful how the camera picked up variations in skin tones and texture. If you shot that same scene with film, you’d get a very monochromatic feel — just a color wash — but the Alexa can read subtleties that film cannot. Sometimes I get annoyed with the garbage I hear about film vs. digital...Most of it is simply nostalgia and silly thinking. I love film, sure, but this camera has brought us to a point where digital is simply better. In my opinion, there are now more advantages than disadvantages to digital cinematography.” —Roger Deakins, in the November 2011 American Cinematographer

Wenn ich nach einem Film unbedingt rausfinden muss, wer denn für diese wunderschönen Bilder verantwortlich ist, war es meistens Roger Deakins. Für mich ist der Mann ein Künstler, der aber trotzdem nicht zum Selbstzweck, sondern immer im Dienste der Geschichte dem jeweiligen Film seine ganz eigene Bildsprache verleiht. No County For Old Men und Die Ermordung des Jesse James durch den Feigling Robert Ford sind meine persönlichen Deakins-Faves; Frame für Frame gemäldetauglich.