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behind the camera
“I really believe the DP’s job is all about visual narrative rather than machinery.”
film that is aesthetically beautiful, you will communicate the idea all the more effectively. I think it cuts through the ‘noise’ of all the other images.”
Considering his background in stills photography, early jobs Morris did under the direction of Terence Donovan and David Bailey hold a special place in his heart.
“I was very lucky,” he nods. “One of the things I did with Terence Donovan was the Robert Palmer video for ‘I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On’, which we did with these backing dancers being shot with a ring-light in front of a painted backdrop. That was great, obviously a good one to have on the showreel.
“And the work with Bailey was particularly interesting. Meeting him for the first time I had to ask if, having dabbled in photography himself, how he’d want to work. But he said that if he was directing he just wanted to direct. Working with him is a real lesson in not getting set in your ways. Every time you worked with him it would be completely different.”
After cutting his teeth on a range of pop promos, commercials and documentaries Morris moved into features with the 1995 Irish drama Korea. “I shot that on the F-500 tungsten, and I also used the F-64 Daylight,” he recalls. “The film is one of those unknown gems, well known in Ireland even though it hasn’t been seen much in England.”
With that under his belt, he shot Up On The Roof in 1997, went to America for Masterminds the same year, and then tackled the film that has proved his most impressive
calling card, William Nicholson’s period drama Firelight.
“I’m very grateful to Brian Eastman who is one of the people in my life who gave me an opportunity that I might not otherwise have had,” Morris explains. “He gave me a chance with the television series, Anna Lee, and then very kindly gave me the opportu- nity to shoot Firelight, which was a real turning point. I think everybody has one of those people who give you the leg up. I was invited to join the BSC after that. There was a screening of it and what was nice was that same year they nominated me for the Best Cinematography award.”
The quality of his work in that film has been instrumental in securing subsequent jobs too. “Out of the blue one day I got this phone call saying ‘hello, this is Lewis Gilbert, would you like to shoot my next film? I’d never even met him before, so my first instinct was that it was a wind-up.
I went to see him and he explained the idea. It turned out that he was in France and just fancied seeing an English movie and Firelight was on, so he saw that. It was on the strength of that he gave me the call.”
Upon such pieces of good fortune whole careers are made, but then again good fortune tends to favour those who work hard and have the talent to produce the work when it matters. For his part Morris is delighted to be behind the camera again after a period as a course leader at the prestigious Arts Institute at Bournemouth, doing the job he so evidently loves.
“It’s interesting to see how much of a comfort zone a film set is for me,” he says thoughtfully. “I really believe the DP’s job is all about visual narrative rather than machinery. You use all those things at your disposal, and the choices you make about stocks and about lens- es and production processes inform the visual element.” ■ ANWAR BRETT
Minotaur was partially originated on 35mm Super F-500 8573 and F-125 8532
Above: Director Lewis Gilbert checking a shot on Before You Go Fujifilm Motion Picture • The Magazine • Exposure • 15