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Chadrick Lontoc-Preuss

Professor Michael Carmine

History of Cinematography

23 October 2019

Midterm Abstract Paper on Matthew Libatique

Matthew Libatique has an eclectic style because he tailors his approach to shooting a film

based on the director’s vision. While that may seem like an obvious trait for a director of

photography to have, other more idiosyncratic cinematographers—like the frequent Wes

Anderson collaborator Robert Yeoman—maintain a singular style when working with the same

director. Libatique has performed the cinematography for every feature film made by Darren

Aronofsky, barring The Wrestler (2008), yet these films have a range of visual styles (IEC).

Whether it’s the frenetic, highly-shaky camera work (with the occasional use of the “vibra-cam”

effect) that reflects the mental state of the protagonist in Pi (1998) to the precise and visually

stunning cinematography of The Fountain (2006), Libatique is able to tailor his style to perfectly

fit the tone of any film he works on. Aronofsky reflects this when he said, “I think he completely

reads performance like a director, and reacts to it emotionally… he can feel what’s going on in

front of him and then he can apply his great experience to figuring out the best way to capture it”

(O’Falt). While Libatique has a range of styles, he does prefer handheld for its more naturalistic

feel. In the case of A Star is Born (2018), this preference for a handheld style was more

pragmatic than stylistic, because he wanted to give the actors room to experiment (Tizard).

Ultimately, Libatique shows that cinematography must be innately tied to the story of a film.

Simply looking good isn’t enough, the filming style has to marry with the director’s vision.

Work Cited
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IEC Editors. “Matthew Libaqitue ASC.” MATTHEW LIBATIQUE,

www.cinematographers.nl/PaginasDoPh/libatique.htm.

O'Falt, Chris. “The Cinematographer Who Gave Birth to 'A Star'.” IndieWire, 14 Feb. 2019,
www.indiewire.com/2019/02/a-star-is-born-cinematography-matthew-libatique-bradley-
cooper-1202044040/.

Tizard, Will. “'A Star Is Born' DP Matthew Libatique on Lensing With Bradley Cooper.”
Variety, 13 Nov. 2018, variety.com/2018/film/news/a-star-is-born-matthew-libatique-
bradley-cooper-lady-gaga-1203027822/.