Janusz K | d243

Janusz Kaminski

Born - 1959 (age 58)

Years Active - 1986 - Present

Nationality - Polish

Janusz Kaminski attended Columbia College in Chicago from 1982 - 1987, graduating with a first degree in art. Then he started film making as a profession, before transferring to the AFI (American Film Institute) Conservatory where he graduated with a Master of Fine Art degree. He worked firstly as a grafter, then a leader in the lighting technician department under a cinematographer called Phedon Papamichel. Eventually he was promoted to filming the scenery for backgrounds, he did not film the actual actors

He managed this role for numerous movies and achieved this under the directors Roger Corman and Katt Shea.

Janusz Kaminski was first discovered by the famous director Steven Spielberg in 1991.

After seeing the TV movie Wildflower (nominated for 2 awards), Steven Spielberg then went on to hire

Janusz Kaminski to film the movie Class of 61.

He won the Academy Award for best cinematographer twice in the 1990’s for Schindler's' List and Saving Private Ryan

(mainly for the opening scene on the D-day landings).
Janusz Kaminski has also been nominated for films such as War Horse and Lincoln.

I have watched the start of Saving Private Ryan and this is my technical perception on this part of the film.

Starts with a washed out American flag and old people, (close up filming on faces).
Panning shots past a tree.
An American flag now not washed out, more close-ups on Tom Hanks face.
Lines and lines of graves in 3 different shots each one is not moving.
Now one showing a name on a grave. Then fade into D-day.
Iron crosses by sea close-ups.
People carriers moving in shaking camera.
Handshaking close up of Tom Hanks.
Camera walks back through crowd, more close-ups - then rain dripping off helmets.
Close up of steering wheel and men and then men being shot in the head - shaky angle.
Camera moves to looking through a box window with machine gun firing down on the allies.
Camera changes back to Tom Hanks then a bomb explodes and flying dirt is in focus.
Camera changes to under water shot and is there for about ten seconds before rising, quite a long shot.
Blood covered water and also bodies everywhere.
You then see a man drown beneath a boat.
Camera rises then sinks below water 3 times then change of scene.
Now there is a clip of some dead bodies lying on crosses dramatic effect.
Yellow flashes of light flying over the men, which are bullets.
The camera is moving towards the beach while heavily shaking. People being filmed hiding behind cover for their lives.
Above camera angle now, as man being shot in heart, this gives you perspective of what’s going on around him.
Then a close up on a snapped tree, all bark taken off by flying bullets.
The angle the trees being filmed at is horizontal, and shaking.
The camera moves again behind firing machine guns, then a bomb explodes, camera perspective still behind guns firing.
A man comes flying down from the sky with dirt surrounding him.
Now a man wading through the sea waist deep and camera is just off the water.
Another high angle now and men are being blown to pieces and a man has a missing leg and the angle is close up.
There is more smoke and Tom Hanks emerges from this, the sea is coloured red, then there is another low FPS (frames per second) shot.
Stutters of bullets flying by, close up on what seems to be two brothers, camera angle captures all emotions and sadness.
Flamethrower holder explodes into pieces and is on fire, and he takes down 2 other teammates with his fall.
Still in a low FPS (frames per second) shot and the camera turns to a young lad with a missing arm walking back and forth looking for his arm.
He bends and picks up his arm, the camera stays on him for a longer than usual shot, for extra effect and detail.
Then he starts to run.
Camera then changes to one of the passenger boats with people running out on fire and falling out dead.
Close-up of Tom hanks picking up a helmet out of the red sea,
You can see the blood fall out of the helmet as he gets it out the sea.
He is shaking heavily as he picks it out the sea.
Camera shot changes to men wading in water past the iron crosses, to the beach.
Next scene of a man who has been blown to bits with his internal organs showing.
You can see this in clear detail no stutter no washed out colours just how it is.
He is screaming, then camera gets even closer and he is shot dead.
Close-ups of Tom Hanks's team. Now a close up on the fallen (stuttering shot) Tom Hanks's men then pushing forward.
Camera still stuttering, medics dragging half bodies while cover firing, men covered in dirt due to the bombs.
Close up of the German machine guns firing. Then the Americans gather behind a mound of sand, that is very long.
The constant bullets hitting the other side and sand spray is present.
There is a camera panning as a man rolls behind it, adds some extra action, into an already packed scene.
Tom Hanks grabs a man behind ridge and he has no face, all of this captured by an angle just behind the top of the sand.
I noticed how the camera is also hiding with the team its behind, so when the men are behind the sand the camera is behind it also seems as if the camera is looking through a man’s eyes.
Then camera scene changes to medics trying to save a man with no luck, he gets shot in the head and the camera clearly captures the medics anger and disappointment.
More close-ups now on the gunning tower of the Germans as if the camera is just peaking over the sand ridge.
Then camera shaking as the men push up behind a concrete wall sheltered from the Germans fire.
Medics close up bandaging wounds, then Tom Hanks uses a mirror to see round wall at the firing Germans and their location.
Camera also looking through mirror with Tom Hanks, also the mirror is shaking. Then the men shoot the gunners and eventually push up the cliff.

This is the first 2 scenes of the film SAVING PRIVET RYAN