Stella Grammenos-Dimadis Blog

"Cinematography is infinite in its possibilities...much more so than music or language." Conrad Hall There is always such a sense of achievement when the full stop is placed at the end of that script.  As a writer and director, that script has already been played out, but how to relay to the cinematographer exactly what is in each shot?   Con Filippidis is a cinematographer with over twenty years experience.  Together we have completed two films to date: 25.12 and Lifting Clouds.   Both films required lots of planning in pre production that entailed shot lists, recces and storyboarding.  I asked Con a few questions on his experiences as a cinematographer and the responsibilities that come with it, which in so many ways make it "infinite in its possibilities." 1. How does the cinematographer work with the director to create a film? As a cinematographer it is important to spend as much time as possible in pre production talking about and analysing the

Location, location, location "I mean, the whole idea of movies was it was special to go and see - you went to a movie theatre to see something that was magical and amazing, in a very special location." Bob Balaban. The magic of a film can always be attributed to the location that the film is set in.  A location is not just a space where the characters will play out their roles, it is more than that.  A location is the space that becomes a character in its own right, a new world, familiar, but all so alien, sets the mood and the tone of the film, and becomes the overall psychological precipice for the duration of the film.  In a lot of ways, it is one of the most important elements for consideration, for it becomes the canvas that the director will draw and paint on. The photo on the left was taken on location for Lifting Clouds, a short film I directed which is in post production.   It was filmed on an estate in the Warrnambool area, isolated, beautiful, dreamy, w