The first time I read the Fish Tank script was in June of 2011. It was fresh out of Ethan’s screenwriting class, and I wasn’t sure how to react. After initially being critical of it by virtue of our condescending relationship at the time, I finally decided to sit down and read it attentively.
That second reading really hit me in the gut. I became absorbed in the world of the film; seeing images vividly in my head, hearing the characters speaking, imagining their movements. What I experienced during certain moments of the screenplay was emotionally resonant to me, on a subtextual level. These characters touched and engaged me.
I have always been compelled by heartbroken youth. Reflecting on my own adolescence, it is certainly a time of unfading emotional uneasiness. In reading the script, I was reminded of this reality again. It was a major reason for taking on the project as the Director of Photography.
As a cinematographer, my job will be both collaborative and autonomous; technical and creative. While the director’s task is to stage the performances, the director of photography is in charge of capturing them. I have the responsibility of executing the visual aesthetic determined by the director and developed through in-depth discussions. DPs also provide their own artistic input before or during the production of the film that are inspired by these conversations. These proposals are either met with criticism or praise; either way, these choices are always to serve the story and its interpretation. The visual aesthetic is rarely distinguishable in good films because they are so consubstantial with the themes and text, and that is what I aim to do on Fish Tank.
I am convinced that Ethan is deeply concerned with fundamental social issues that afflict us all and are rarely addressed in mainstream filmmaking. His directorial vision, with the aid of myself and the rest of the production team, will be integral in drawing the audience into the world of Fish Tank.
That second reading really hit me in the gut. I became absorbed in the world of the film; seeing images vividly in my head, hearing the characters speaking, imagining their movements. What I experienced during certain moments of the screenplay was emotionally resonant to me, on a subtextual level. These characters touched and engaged me.
I have always been compelled by heartbroken youth. Reflecting on my own adolescence, it is certainly a time of unfading emotional uneasiness. In reading the script, I was reminded of this reality again. It was a major reason for taking on the project as the Director of Photography.
As a cinematographer, my job will be both collaborative and autonomous; technical and creative. While the director’s task is to stage the performances, the director of photography is in charge of capturing them. I have the responsibility of executing the visual aesthetic determined by the director and developed through in-depth discussions. DPs also provide their own artistic input before or during the production of the film that are inspired by these conversations. These proposals are either met with criticism or praise; either way, these choices are always to serve the story and its interpretation. The visual aesthetic is rarely distinguishable in good films because they are so consubstantial with the themes and text, and that is what I aim to do on Fish Tank.
I am convinced that Ethan is deeply concerned with fundamental social issues that afflict us all and are rarely addressed in mainstream filmmaking. His directorial vision, with the aid of myself and the rest of the production team, will be integral in drawing the audience into the world of Fish Tank.