James Frain Quotes

We build camera rigs tailored specifically to the story we're trying to tell or the shot we're trying to capture.

A lot of male cinematographers stick a pillow to their stomachs so they have somewhere to rest their elbows while shooting.

Anything involving the camera, you're passionate about. Because there's no movies without it.

Motion-picture studio floors used to be all wooden and not smooth at all. This was difficult when moving a camera around on a dolly.

I know what to do with the camera because I see the giant in the camera when I'm operating it live on the set.

3D is not a fire and forget tool. It takes a lot of very careful consideration and it will change your approach to where you put the camera so 3D isn't for everybody.

People think that all cameramen do is point the camera at things, but it's a heck of a lot more complicated than that.

Depending on the budget [whether to use 3D on future movies]. I think I prefer 3D to 2D now. Also, because of 3D I have to use a digital camera, which is the way it's going anyway. That still confuses me, a digital camera versus film.

All my films are shot on hand-held cameras. These cameras took five years to build and had to be light enough to be carried.

The difference between a regular camera and a 3D camera, for an actor, is really no different except that the turn-arounds are longer. It takes a lot longer to set up a shot because the cinematographer is really trying to set up a whole world, so it can't be more intricate and more beautiful to the viewers, in 3D.

I remember doing a little student film where we had a guy that couldn't pull focus. We ended up spending three times the amount of time shooting this thing as opposed to if the guy could've just pulled focus.

Get out and make films. There are so many cameras now to suit any budget, so there are no excuses.

I started out with this dream of being a director and doing cinematography and bought my first film camera at 15.

I don't get tripped up in technology. I use technology as a tool. 'Oldboy' we shot Two Pro 35mm. For 'Da Blood of Jesus,' we shot digitally. We shot the new Sony F55. It's a 4K camera.

I was always interested in film, but I never knew how to go about becoming a filmmaker.

The IMAX cameras are big and heavy. And they're loud. So you have to be mindful of whether or not they're worth it; I'd say the image quality is incredible and the scale is amazing.

Everything about camera movement, about how film was made, shot architecture, and time management... I was horrible at all that.

I actually carried a Panavision Platinum and a G2 when I was seven months pregnant for a film called 'Little Birds,' and the whole movie was handheld. And we were shooting in the desert. That's a 35-millimeter camera. It's huge, probably at least 50, 55 pounds, and I did all my own operating.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend shooting a feature film on a still camera.

TV helped me understand camera angles, close-ups, master shots.

What's funny is, I was always certain that I couldn't be a director because there are things about the physics of camera and lighting that I fundamentally cannot wrap my head around.

I really enjoy behind the camera stuff and I'm a frustrated photographer myself and just love the camera. I love that side of it and that part of the filmmaking world and I enjoy developing things. It's an area that I'll continue to be more active in as time goes by.

Even back in the '90s, I shot certain things on something that wasn't digital then, but it was on VHS with a smaller camera and we would up it to film.

A digital camera does have many advantages and I was a believer that digital video would be a big influence on film-making.

I grew up as a cameraman, so it's much easier for me to shoot it myself. I work with an operator and a crew, but it's way easier for me to function as a cinematographer, than to have a cinematographer between me and the lens. I don't need that.