Growing up in London, Jess Hall was the odd man out in his family: His father, mother and sister all liked to write, but he was a student of the visual. From an early age he drew pictures, and later created paintings. At school he began shooting photographs. "I was a very enthusiastic painter. I am a very visual person," says Hall, a DP represented by bicoastal New York Office. "I was always fascinated with photography."
It’s no wonder then that Hall is the visualizer to whom such commercial directors as Rupert Sanders of Omaha Pictures, Santa Monica, and Outsider Films, London; and Nick Lewin of Crossroads Films, bicoastal and Chicago, keep coming. Hall is the DP who recently shot "Coffee Table," directed by Sanders, out of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GS&P) in San Francisco.
The ad, which earned Top Spot recognition (SHOOT, 9/28, p. 14), promotes the benefits of a digital camera manufactured by Hewlett-Packard (H-P). "Coffee Table" was ideal fodder for Hall. The spot tells the story of a man who owns an unusual coffee table—it’s a piece of round glass supported by a large, sculpted white hand’s outstretched fingers. The man decides to take photographs of the table in a field, on the beach, on the ledge of a building, by a carousel, on railroad tracks, in a water fountain, and in a tunnel. In most of the images, it appears that the hand is holding objects aloft. The tale concludes with the photographer manipulating his images on an H-P computer to create a book seen sitting on the table in the final shot: an over-sized volume called, appropriately enough, My Coffee Table Book. The voiceover explains it all: "Point. Shoot. Create. The H-P digital photo studio. How will you use it?"
The commercial is typical of Hall’s work, which frequently stresses unusually compelling imagery, as well as multiple locations. "We came to ‘Coffee Table’ with a vérité approach," Hall explains, noting that the spot was shot in London and completed in three days. "We didn’t want to do anything too constructed and slick. We used as much natural light as possible, and the smallest 16mm camera—an Aaton Minima—in conjunction with a lightweight 35mm camera so we could get that handheld look. We tried to give it an observational feel, as we watched this guy do his thing."
He adds that "Coffee Table" was "a nice challenge because we were moving around doing a lot of locations, using a variety of film stocks—black-and-white, color, 16mm , 35mm. I’ve always enjoyed utilizing different stocks and types because they all bring different qualities for different moods."
Hall says that he likes utilizing black-and-white film, as much for its look as for the lessons it teaches. "You learn a lot about cinematography by working only with the gray scales and by having the color removed," he observes, noting that he also frequently works with color film. "[With black-and-white] you are just working with the composition. There is a level of simplification that goes on when you take the color out. There is a great contrast in lighting. [Cinematographer] Gregg Toland was great for that with his work on Citizen Kane. These days, most color film is very flat. Inherent in black-and-white film are the contrast and the control you need to take to get the right effect."
Picture Show
Hall remembers marveling at the unusual visuals in Bernardo Bertolucci’s film The Conformist. Seeing that 1970 movie was one of the events that prompted him to decide to become a cinematographer. "That did it for me," he says. "[The movie] had such an expressive use of cameras and lighting. You can really feel the power of cinematography in telling a story. I realized how far you could take the art."
While studying at London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, from ’91 through ’95—he also went to New York University in ’94—he worked on short films, and after graduating from Saint Martins, he began working on music videos. His first commercial, which he DP’d for his friend Sanders, was a spec spot for Sony. The ad was an unusual guerrilla operation that Sanders wrote, directed and also financed for about £1,000. Sony wound up buying the ad, "Don’t Just Walkman," and airing it in theaters throughout the U.K. "It was shot in 16mm, with practically no lights and no money," Hall recalls. "But Sony liked it and that got me started in spots."
He hasn’t looked back. Hall’s credits include Volvo’s "Turtle," directed by Lewin out of Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer Euro/RSCG; and the Audi A2’s "Eye," directed by Sanders through Outsider, via Bartle Bogle Hegarty, London. He has also shot spots for Nike, UPS, Volkswagen, and Intel. He refuses to be pigeonholed, insisting that a good cinematographer brings his artistic sensibility to the work, but must also adapt to whatever the job requires. Even though he has done effects work and shoots in the studio, the idea of adaptability is perhaps why Hall also enjoys location work. "I like being out in the elements," he observes. "There is something about going on location which I do enjoy."
And while his emphasis is always on the image—"I very much come from a visual arts background. I studied fine art, painting and still photography"—he says he always looks for a good story. "It’s very important to keep hold of the story. As a cinematographer, there is the temptation to lose yourself in the visuals," he states. "Ultimately, the power of visuals is in storytelling; they should enhance the story rather than take it over. You want to get into the director’s mind and use whatever visual tools you can to enhance and collaborate on it."
Hall is enthusiastic about the collaborative process. He frequently works with the same directors, carefully building up a bond of trust. "I’m always more interested [in the project] when the director draws the boards to see what’s coming from them," explains Hall. "I like to build ongoing collaborations with directors. The look of commercial film is the result of a collaboration between the director and the cameraman—the more dialogue you have about what is needed, the further you can go. In the end if you have a certain level of trust, you can push the boundaries further."
