Good Morning POU!
Thank you to POU commenter Goldenstar for gifting me with this week’s topic. A comment by Goldenstar a few months ago included a list of prominent cinematographers and VIOLA! An open thread topic was born!
Cinematography is the science or art of motion picture picture photography by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as film stock. A cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, television production or other live action piece and is responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image.
The American Society of Cinematographers defines cinematography as:
- a creative and interpretive process that culminates in the authorship of an original work of art rather than the simple recording of a physical event. Cinematography is not a subcategory of photography. Rather, photography is but one craft that the cinematographer uses in addition to other physical, organizational, managerial, interpretive and image-manipulating techniques to effect one coherent process.
Today’s featured Cinematographer is Malik Sayeed.
You can read Malik’s bio in his own words on his official site. Its too long to repost here, but a few biographical notes:
He was born in NYC (1969), but grew up in Los Angeles. Both parents were in the entertainment business; however, his mother did NOT want her sons to follow in their footsteps and encouraged both to go into medicine – which his brother heeded the message and is now a surgeon. Malik though, followed his heart and a passion that had been fueled as a child watching his father’s photography skills. He attended Howard University initially as a pre-med major, but the passion took control after taking a film class as an elective and he changed majors to Film. Early experience via an uncle that was a union electrician for many art and film projects in the DC area, solidified his love of the industry and established the early important contacts that would profoundly effect his career.
Today, Malik is known for his outstanding work on He Got Game (1998), Clockers (1995) and the cult classic, Belly (1998). The latter for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award: Best Cinematography
Belly Movie CLIP – Rise Above All This Madness
He has shot countless music videos, in addition to feature films, and has moved in and out of directing projects, with a list of colleagues, ranging from the likes of Spike Lee to Stanley Kubrick. His visual style and sense has run the gamut.
Clockers Movie Clip – Children Of The Ghetto
Using at times a saturated tone then switching to a blurred, out-of-focus feel, his eye experiments with how we view beauty through the lens. One example of his style is Ex-Factor with Lauryn Hill, which remains a classic to this day.
Awards abound for his commercial work for which he, unlike other Cinematographers-turned-directors, serves as Director of Photography on all his projects.
Reebok presents Kendrick Lamar, directed by Anthony Mandler, Director of Photography Malik Sayeed