The design of photography in documentary filmmaking is sometimes conditioned by the unpredictability of working with reality. Capturing the image requires proposing a practice that is coherent with the film we want to make. The work of the cinematographer and camera operator involves making a series of decisions prior to shooting, both aesthetic and technical, that are in line with this, formally enhance the film and, perhaps, discover new unforeseen paths in previous phases.
n this chapter, cinematographers Mauro Herce, Jessica Sarah Rinland, and Lara Vilanova talk about their craft in documentary filmmaking. They explore how they use light and camera to tell stories, how they collaborate with directors, and the decisions they make about equipment and technique based on various budgets. Through examples from their own films, they reveal what goes into their cinematographic choices.
