Hidden Agenda

For DP Rodrigo Prieto, it's better that you don't notice his work

by Jennifer M. Wood | Published February 3, 2007

8 Mile

8 Mile

In the two years since the release of Alejandro González Iñárritu's Amores Perros, nearly everyone involved has been catapulted onto Hollywood's A-List, including cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto. After proving his cutting-edge style on Perros, he has gone on to work with some of America's most celebrated auteurs, including Spike Lee and Oliver Stone. Currently, his work can be seen in Curtis Hanson's gritty urban drama 8 Mile and Julie Taymor's Frida, a lush retelling of the legendary life of Frida Kahlo. And being released this December is Spike Lee's eagerly awaited follow-up to Bamboozled, featuring an all-star cast that includes Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin and Barry Pepper.

Prieto is currently in Memphis, Tennessee, preparing to re-team with director Iñárritu, screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and production designer Brigitte Broch (all Amores Perros collaborators) for 21 Grams. The film stars Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro and Naomi Watts. The ultra-hot Prieto took time from his incredibly hectic schedule to talk about his quick rise to the top, how being a DP is like being a psychologist and how a children's haunted house started it all.

Jennifer Wood (MM): When did you first become interested in film? Was there a particular movie or event that really initiated your desire to become a moviemaker?

Rodrigo Prieto (RP): I think I first became interested in filmmaking as a 10-year-old kid, when my brother and I made a three-minute 8mm monster movie for a Halloween party. Each year we used to throw Halloween parties with a haunted house, in which we had floating objects, background music and miniature horror landscapes with clay monsters. A friend's father suggested using stop motion animation to make our clay monsters come to life. We had no idea what this was, but my father lent us his Bell & Howell 8mm camera.

We learned how to use it, and shot short animated clips of the monsters roaring and menacingly waving their arms at the camera. We then rear-projected this footage on white sheets hanging from the ceiling as the climax of the haunted house. Needless to say, the impact was amazing and I discovered the power of pictures in motion. From then on, we shot many short science fiction or horror movies, each time with more sophisticated special effects. I haven't stopped filming stuff since that Halloween party.

MM: Was your initial desire to be a cinematographer, or did your first interest lie elsewhere?

RP: As you can imagine, I didn't even know what a cinematographer did, since all the jobs blended together when we made our short movies. We took turns with the camera, acted, directed, edited, etc. It wasn't until I worked as an assistant in a still photography studio with photographer Nadine Markova, that I became more aware of the use of lighting and composition.

I worked as an apprentice in the camera department on a movie that Nadine shot called Welcome Maria, and it was during that shoot that I fell in love with the camera. Right after that movie, I enrolled in a film school in Mexico City, Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica. By that time I knew that I wanted to be a cinematographer. I also discovered, in film school, that when I directed school assignments, I got bored waiting for the DP to light. It was much more fun to be constantly active setting shots up, lighting them and operating the camera.

MM: What do you consider the complete definition of what a cinematographer does? From the actual preparing and shooting of the film to your role on the set, relationship to the director, etc.?

RP: The cinematographer's work starts as soon as you read the script. Inevitably, you start visualizing the movie and translating things you felt at your first reading into images. When you meet the director, you need to listen to his (or her) ideas and visual concepts with an open mind. It is the cinematographer's duty to try to get into the director's mind and understand his vision and communicate it through the lighting and camerawork.

I try to take the director's concepts further, and shoot as many tests as possible during prep to show him different possibilities and ideas I have. This gets the dialogue going with the director and production designer in very specific terms. You can conceptualize as much as you want, but until you actually see images projected on a screen, you can't get exact feedback from the director on what ideas of yours he likes or not.

For me, the collaboration with the director before, during and after shooting the movie is essential to establish the visual language of the film. You just can't approach cinematography as a means to make beautiful, dramatic or "cool" shots. Every shot has to be organic with what the director and production designer are trying to do. On the set, I try to attune myself to what the director is feeling, and hopefully I can help transmit that on screen. You have to learn to read the director's body language because sometimes it is difficult to express with words what he wants from the lighting or framing or camera movement. You also have to be a little bit of a psychologist to know how and when to sell your ideas to the director.

MM: How did you land your first feature film gig?

RP: I started my career as a DP on commercials in Mexico when I was 22 years old. I shot my first feature while still in film school. It was a low, low budget murder thriller. The producer had seen some of the shorts I had shot in film school, as well as my second unit work for Emmanuel Lubezki on Sólo con tu Pareja, and hired me for ridiculous money to shoot the movie in three weeks in locations around Mexico City.

MM: In the past few years, helped along by great movies like Amores Perros, American moviegoers have shown an increased interest in Mexican cinema. How do you think the Mexican film industry has changed, if at all, since you first started working there? What are the major differences between working in Mexico and the US?

RP: It seems as if each year a film comes out of Mexico that promises to revitalize the industry. After Amores Perros came Y Tu Mamá También, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and now El Crimen del Padre Amaro, directed by Carlos Carrera. Unfortunately, economic circumstances have not permitted the industry to expand and meet the challenge of foreign movies in Mexico.

I would say the main difference between shooting American and Mexican movies is the freedom allowed to the filmmakers. In Mexico, producers don't use sophisticated marketing research to determine what will make a movie successful in the box office, so directors are generally left alone to do the movie they envision. In the U.S., it seems to me, the almighty dollar has the loudest voice in the end. Directors have to be very intelligent in their relationship with the studio to deliver an artistically and commercially viable film.

MM: Do you consider Amores Perros a turning point in your career, at least as it relates to your opportunities to work in Hollywood. Certainly you're a very in-demand DP, with Frida and 8 Mile in theaters now, and 25th Hour opening in December.

RP: I moved to the U.S. right after shooting Amores Perros, so the first U.S. film I was offered happened before the movie was shown. Michael Cristofer had seen Un Embrujo and hired me to shoot Original Sin. When Amores Perros was released in the U.S., many other directors became aware of my work, and it opened more opportunities for me. The next few months will be interesting because Frida, 8 Mile and 25th Hour are all very different in style from each other, and are being released almost back to back. Also, soon to be released are two documentaries I shot on DV cameras for Oliver Stone. I don't pick the projects I shoot thinking of "career builders." I try to photograph the films that feel close to me at that particular moment in my life.

MM: Briefly, what was the main reason that you were attracted to each of these three projects- Frida, 8 Mile and 25th Hour?

RP: For many years, I had been aware of the project to take to the screen the story of Frida Kahlo. I knew that I wanted to film that movie no matter what, because it deals with one of the most interesting moments in Mexican history, particularly in relation to the visual arts. When Julie Taymor became attached to direct, it was clear to me that I had to shoot it. And fortunately, Julie liked what I proposed for Frida, and I was hired.

When I was about to finish shooting Frida, I got a call about Curtis Hanson wanting to meet me. I flew to LA for the meeting after having read the script. My concern was that 8 Mile could have easily been interpreted like an extended music video. When I met Curtis, we both agreed that we wanted to avoid the MTV clichés and make a truthful, realistic film. This, plus simply having the opportunity to work with Curtis, convinced me to pursue getting that job.

25th Hour was offered to me because Ellen Kuras was not available to shoot Spike's movie and she recommended me after seeing Amores Perros. I loved the script, the cast was incredible and with Spike directing, well, what else could you want?

MM: Is it easy for you to quickly adapt to a new working environment? Each of these films-in terms of location, story, look, etc.-are very different. Do you actively seek out new "challenges"?

RP: I thrive in finding new challenges and working with people with very different views and perspectives. I feel that I grow more as a person and cinematographer by working on very different environments, keeping myself open to learning from new places and people. I don't believe there is a "right" way to shoot a movie. Each project and every director has a different point of view on a story, and I enjoy immersing myself in the process of understanding that perspective without my preconceived ideas. In that sense I am very flexible.

On the other hand, I have found that it is not necessary to change my way of working because I am now in "Hollywood." Since my days in Mexican movies, I have been very hands-on and hyperactive on the set, and the crews may be startled at first, but they quickly adapt to my rhythm, and things flow the way I like them.

MM: Is there anything specific you hope an audience will see or notice about your cinematography? Some sort of "signature" that you would like to make? What would be the best compliment you could hear from someone who just watched one of your movies?

RP: It is inevitable that a certain "style" is present in any cinematographer's work. I would prefer to not have a trademark way of lighting or framing, since this works against the idea that the visual language of a movie should emanate from the material you deal with; from the story, the locations and the director's needs. The best compliment I could receive on my work is: "What a great movie you worked on!" This means the cinematography doesn't stand out from the film, but rather enhances the storytelling in ways that the audience doesn't notice.

MM: You've had the opportunity to work with some of our most celebrated contemporary directors. Before deciding on a project, what are the most important questions you ask of the director? What questions do you hope they ask of you?

RP: I don't know how to answer this. Each situation is different, and I take them as they come. I like to work with collaborative directors who will be looking for my input, and who will listen to my ideas, but who will also discard my suggestions if they don't fit their concept.

MM: A more personal question: The past few years have been such a whirlwind for you. Have you had a chance to sit back and enjoy your success?

RP: It has been pretty crazy lately, but I can't complain. I wasn't able to attend the premieres of Frida (except in Mexico) or 8 Mile, and will not be present at the premiere of 25th Hour. This is sad, but I try to see the films at normal cinemas instead and feel the true reaction of a typical audience. I miss out on the "glamour," but I get to see the real thing.