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MOTION PICTURE & PRO-VIDEO behind the camera
GIVING AS GOOD AS IT NEGS
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROBBIE RYAN
F or Robbie Ryan, the nightmare job would be filming a static subject against a boring background in the most sober, straightforward manner. The cheery, 33-year-old Dubliner is never happier than when he is flying by the seat of his pants, giving full rein to his creative instincts and experimenting to his heart’s content.
He already has two features, Large and This Is Not A Love Song, under his belt, and another one in production. Add to that a slew of commercials and pop
promos, as well as clutch
of awards for his pains,
and it’s clear that Ryan’s
experimentation tends to
work out rather well.
“I prefer something I can get my teeth into,” he explains. “Then I’m happy. If I can experi- ment and try everything under the sun to make a different look and image, I’m all for it.”
One short film on
his CV illustrates the
point nicely, as
Shadowscan – originat-
ed on Fuji 35mm and shot anamorphically – picked up the BAFTA for Best Short Film in 2001.
“I shot this scene where this guy has a breakdown,” he explains, “and I had the lens out of bellows so it was really loose on the focus, and a guy taking care of the shutter angle. It ended up being two stops under exposed. I got the rushes back and it was really dark, but that was what the director wanted. It stands out in the film, and every time I see it I think it looks great. It was a big gamble, but it paid off.”
If there is the air here of a man who can’t quite believe his luck at becoming a fully-fledged DP then that might be
because the journey was not without its pitfalls. An enthusias- tic cameraman in his teens, Ryan and his friends would make short films, first with an old Super 8 camera and then with the family Canon camcorder. He parlayed this past-time into more formal studies at the Dún Laoghaire Art College which accepted him at the second attempt.
“I spent a year doing a design course and kept on making the short films,” he adds. “Then at the next intake they felt I had what
it took. I was there for four years and it was brilliant, that really informed me a lot better than anything else I could have done at the time I think.”
Leaving before the fourth year degree
course was completed, Ryan entered the indus- try properly only to find the union restric- tions demanded he work his way up through the ranks. A few jobs as operator provided experience
but little else, so Ryan came to England to try his luck.
“I met another cameraman called Darren Tiernan and together we started working with these two Irish directors who were making
short films. Then they got a break with a commercials company in England, and me and Darren went over and were like a collective for a year doing commercials that took us all over the world.
“That was great for me, after struggling along doing short films and a bit of operating here and there, to all of a sudden be drafted in to do major commercials. And being respected as a cameraman came as a total shock compared to the system I’d come from.
Photo main and others Robbie Ryan at work
20 • Exposure • Fuji Motion Picture And Professional Video
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