John Mathieson - Director Of Photography

Ridley Scott turned to Oscar-nominated DOP, John Mathieson.

Describe the role of the Director of Photography.
The DOP (director of photography) records the visual image of the film. In artistic terms he or she uses the photography to enhance the telling of the story by manipulating the look or mood of a shot, drawing the audience's attention to one thing or another.

How did you hone your craft?
I hung around with mates who were into movies and assisted on shoots. Later I went to India where my producer blagged a commercial from a tyre magnate and it looked good so we kept getting asked back. India gave me the chance to work with some big gear and survive the winter on £1,000. Then when I was about 26 I started shooting pop promos where I could do almost anything I wanted.

Were pop promos useful?
The early 90's were a unique time because you had some good people in some production companies and also some good people at the record companies who were willing to go for something different, even shooting videos where the band didn't appear at all. So I could experiment and I learned a lot very quickly.

Does the director or the DOP decide how a scene is to be shot?
Both. Some directors lean on you very closely, others are interested in other things like the performance. Usually the director has a good idea about how it's going to be shot.