Despite being incredibly collaborative, DP Matthew Libatique has a style all his own. Mixing both realism and a nightmarish elegance, Libatique has managed to become one of the best cinematographer's working today, and in this video by wolfcrow's Sareesh Sudhakaran, we get a great overview of Libatique's cinematic techniques, as well as the creative philosophy.
Like any good DP, Libatique changes his cinematic approach based on the vision of the director he's working with. However, there are a few tools and techniques he goes back to in his work time and time again, like shooting on anamorphic lenses and capturing images with natural (looking) light.
But one of the techniques he uses most in his films is shooting handheld, even in a time when the handheld gimbal train is overloaded with eager filmmakers. You see this in so much of his work, including Requiem for a Dream, Straight Outta Compton, and Black Swan. This helps him maintain a naturalistic feel to his films. However, he also uses a "vibra-cam" effect, which is essentially manufactured camera shake produced by an image shaker or, as Libatique used on Pi, a power drill.
DP Matthew Libatique and actor Jason Mitchell on the set of 'Straight Outta Compton'Credit: ICG
Source: wolfcrow
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