A Master Class in 5 Scenes From Gravity Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki

By Kyle Buchanan

The best cinematographers often form a long-lasting, creatively fruitful relationship with an A-list filmmaker — think of how Steven Spielberg uses Janusz Kaminski, for example, or how many iconic shots Roger Deakins has set up for the Coen brothers — but few are as fortunate as Emmanuel Lubezki, the 49-year-old Mexican director of photography who can count both Alfonso Cuarón and Terrence Malick among his closest collaborators. Oscar nominated five times, the gifted Lubezki (nicknamed "Chivo" by his friends) has strung together some stunning, impossible shots for his buddy Cuarón, including the wowser of a scene that opens their new space epic, Gravity. At the same time, he has a talent for making those technically difficult shots look natural and tossed-off, a trick he puts to good use in his gorgeously filmed projects with Malick. How does he do it? Let Lubezki himself explain, by way of five superb sequences he's shot for both directors.