Emmanuel Lubezki Quotes

Powerful Emmanuel Lubezki for Daily Growth

About Emmanuel Lubezki

Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki, born on October 1st, 1964, in Mexico City, Mexico, is a renowned cinematographer, renowned for his stunning visual style and groundbreaking work in the film industry. With roots deeply entrenched in the vibrant culture of Mexico, Lubezki's passion for storytelling and imagery was ignited at an early age. He attended the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC), where he honed his craft under the tutelage of esteemed Mexican filmmakers like Gabriel Figueroa and Alejandro González Iñárritu. His career began in 1987 with "El Callejon del Fuego," directed by Iñárritu, a collaboration that would mark the beginning of their long-standing professional partnership. Throughout his career, Lubezki has been lauded for his ability to seamlessly blend reality and fantasy, often utilizing innovative techniques to create breathtaking visuals. His works, which span various genres, showcase a mastery of light, color, and composition that set new standards in cinematography. Some of Lubezki's most notable collaborations include the critically acclaimed films "Children of Men," "The Tree of Life," "Gravity," "Birdman," and "The Revenant." His work on these projects earned him three Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, making him only the third person to achieve this feat. Lubezki's influence extends beyond his filmography. He has been a pioneer in the use of digital cinematography, pushing boundaries and challenging traditional notions of what cinema can be. His innovative techniques have inspired generations of aspiring cinematographers around the world. As he continues to push the limits of visual storytelling, Emmanuel Lubezki's legacy as a master of cinematography will undoubtedly endure for years to come. Quotes: 1. "For me, it's all about light and color." - Emmanuel Lubezki 2. "The camera is an instrument, like a violin, and you have to learn how to play it. You can create music with it." - Emmanuel Lubezki

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The light is the essence of the image."

Emmanuel Lubezki emphasizes that light is the fundamental component in creating an image, whether it's a still photograph or a moving scene in film. Light shapes and defines the mood, atmosphere, and visual story being told. It can create depth, drama, and emotion, making it an essential element in capturing and conveying the essence of any image.


"Every frame is a potential painting."

Emmanuel Lubezki's quote "Every frame is a potential painting" suggests that each individual shot or image in a film has the capacity to stand alone as an artistic piece, much like a painting does. In other words, the director of photography is always considering the aesthetic composition and visual impact of every single frame, treating it not just as part of a larger sequence but also as a self-contained work of art. This approach emphasizes the importance of attention to detail, creativity, and artistic vision in the cinematic process.


"Cinematography should not be about creating effects, but about creating emotions."

This quote emphasizes that the art of cinematography should prioritize evoking feelings in viewers rather than relying on visual spectacle or special effects for impact. By focusing on creating a deep emotional connection with the audience, a cinematographer can more effectively tell a story and engage viewers on a personal level. Effective use of light, color, framing, camera movement, and other cinematographic techniques serves not merely as aesthetic enhancements, but rather as tools to elicit an emotional response from the viewer. This quote highlights the importance of empathy, understanding, and human connection in filmmaking, overlying the notion that great storytelling lies in the ability to resonate with audiences on a profound emotional level.


"I try to create images that are full of life and have a soul."

Emmanuel Lubezki's quote emphasizes his creative approach in filmmaking, aiming to generate visuals that possess a vibrant essence and an emotional depth – mirroring the very qualities associated with life and humanity itself. This philosophy underscores the transformative power of cinema as it invites viewers into a world teeming with soulful beauty and deeper meaning.


"The camera can explore reality further than any human eye could ever do."

This quote by Emmanuel Lubezki emphasizes the ability of a camera to go beyond the limitations of human vision, probing deeper into reality and capturing moments or aspects that might be overlooked by the naked eye. It highlights the unique power of cinematography to convey perspectives and details invisible to us in everyday life, thereby augmenting our understanding and appreciation of the world around us.


'Little Princess' was the first big movie that I did in America with big stages where we had kind of a different schedule to work. We had a great production designer, Bo Welch, and we had time to think about the movie in pre-production.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Big, Movie, Production, Pre-Production

When you're shooting with long lenses, even if you're shooting a close-up, you feel the air, the distance between the camera and the subject.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Distance, Lenses, Subject, Camera

The most important thing in imaging for me is the dynamic range. The dynamic range means the tones that you can capture from highlights to dark and the bits, the depth of color that you can capture.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

The Most Important, Means, Highlights

I'm very attracted to directors who want to experiment. The thing that attracts me the most are people who are trying find a language that is correct for their film, for that specific film.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Very, Directors, Correct, Attracts

I have a very healthy dream life. I dream a lot many, many, many nights a week. When I'm shooting, it's even more - I don't know if it has to do with stress or with creation.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Stress, Week, Very, I Dream

I did sound for a number of years, so I know the pain of the sound mixer on a set where everybody was talking.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Pain, Everybody, Set, Mixer

I have two daughters, and they grew up and wanted to get into Instagram, and I didn't know anything about social media. I started it to learn about what they were starting to do and how they communicate with their friends. I opened an account. Very fast, in a few hours, I realized that I actually liked it.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Communicate, Very, About, Social Media

The more tools we have directors and cinematographers will be able to express more and create different worlds and feelings. It's like having more instruments in an orchestra.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Will, Worlds, Having, Feelings

The dynamic range of the digital camera is pretty crappy compared to film, but now film is not great because the labs have closed. It's going to hurt a lot of the movies that we did in this gap because I think they are going to look very old very soon.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

I Think, Very, Crappy, Labs

On 'Y Tu Mama Tambien,' we started exploring shots that are longer, where the camera is moving around the actors, and there are no cuts, and you feel like you're there.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Feel, Like, Started, Mama

I was able to shoot a movie like 'Tree of Life' because I had done 'Y Tu Mama Tambien.' The camera needed to capture that sense of freedom and joy and life you have when you're young.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Young, Movie, Like, Mama

The language of film is further and further away from the language of theater and is closer to music. It's abstract but still narrative.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Music, Away, Still, Abstract

I don't miss film projecting. I always hated it.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Film, Always, Projecting, Hated

I think the audience doesn't know a movie's lit, but they feel it. Because you've walked in a forest many times, or in a park, so you know how it looks. When you start lighting, subconsciously you know there is something that is absolutely wrong.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Forest, Movie, I Think, Park

I can tell you that going to the Oscars is not as exciting as people think, at least for me.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Think, Tell, Going, Oscars

For each movie that I do, I like to find a specific language to tell the specific story.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Find, Movie, Like, Specific

I would love if film doesn't disappear, if we can have film forever so we would have all these brushes, all these possibilities available.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Love, Possibilities, Film, Disappear

A normal day of working in Burbank is 14 hours, sometimes more. On 'The Revenant' sometimes it was eight hours, but we were shooting only five. So they were short days, but they were very strenuous because of the weather. And it was very dark.

- Emmanuel Lubezki

Normal, Hours, Very, Weather

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