Words of Art: Tupac's essence
Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 9:52AM Here are some inspired words about art (and Tupac) to wake up to this morning.
Joan Churchill, the talented camera operator for the documentary "BIGGIE & TUPAC" said this about Nick Broomfield, the director of the film.
"People being interviewed become very presentational. What Nick does is fantastic because he gets people in their essence. That's why he likes to be rolling when we knock on a door."
Check out the clip in the trailer below - you can see Nick filming as he literally knocks on Biggie's door. The film documents the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls and the East Coast/West Coast, hip-hop/rap rivalry that culminated in late 1996 and early 1997.
Comfort in front of the camera is so important. It allows the subject to be their true self and open up, and helps the audience connect with them. This is why I start to introduce my subjects to the camera during the research phase (pre-production). It's my job as the director to make sure they feel comfortable and to capture their essence. The more exposed they are to a camera rolling on them, the more relaxed they will be when production begins and they are surrounded by lights and a crew.
Broomfield is a master of capturing the essence of his subject. He explains further:
"Our brains are saturated with information within the first second of seeing somebody. I think there's been this tradition in the past of interviewing people and changing their sitting room or re-lighting it. And all you're doing is destroying the very things that you should be filming."
