Yet, despite all of this, he is something of a mystery.<\/p>\n
Because, unlike contemporaries like Emmanuel Lubezki<\/a> and Robert Richardson<\/a>, who have easy-to-pin-down visual hallmarks, Prieto is able to effortlessly change styles with every film, making him a bit of an enigma in Hollywood. Let’s look at a closer look at his approach<\/p>\n Prieto took cinematography to the next, unprecedented level by rebelling against studio-dictated standards. Image via AmaFilms<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n To understand why Prieto is so successful and his style so elusive, we must first understand what Hollywood was like in 2000, when his work on Amores Perros<\/em><\/a> gave him his first taste of\u00a0international attention.<\/p>\n At the time, most films were shot by a handful of DPs, and most were using a style that had changed little in decades. Take a look at the film that won Best Oscar for Cinematography in 2000 \u2014\u00a0American Beauty<\/em><\/a>, shot by 74-year-old Conrad Hall<\/a>. That film is mostly remembered for the transcendent image of a naked Mena Suvari<\/a> raining rose petals on Kevin Spacey<\/a>. But while the rest of the film is well-shot, it looks pedestrian by today\u2019s standards.<\/p>\n About this era, Prieto states, \u201cStudios were tight. No new DPs were shooting anything. The studio DPs were using 1950s lighting\u2026in the 1980s. So, in a way, we were all rebelling against the look.\u201d<\/p>\n Lubezki joined Prieto in breaking the chains of cinematic conformity in his unconventional approach to filmmaking. Image via Focus Features<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Prieto and his fellow Mexican DP Lubezki injected new life into cinematography, taking advantage of smaller cameras and faster film stocks, freeing it from studio-dictated lighting ratios and standards of beauty. They shot mainly handheld in real locations and used color and texture to evoke a vivid, dreamlike atmosphere.<\/p>\n They threw out the rules of conventional cinematography that dictated how to approach eye lines, angles, ratios, and coverage. They championed camerawork that wasn\u2019t afraid to bring the audience into the center of the action and come face to face with human emotion. They photographed performances in a way that would’ve been considered too intense by old Hollywood standards, but it was a perfect match for new actors who wanted to push the limit.<\/p>\n Frida is a perfect example of Prieto’s cinematic sensibilities appealing to a director’s creative side. Image via Miramax<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Twenty years later, these elements have become the standard in Hollywood; most DPs use some or all of them. Innovations that Prieto made as part of a new generation of DPs are now the norm.<\/p>\n As Lubezki became almost a household name and developed a signature style, Prieto carried a more adaptable version of this sensibility that appealed more to directors who were used to being the creative leader on set, but still wanted to work with someone who could inject life into their films.<\/p>\n
\nRebel with a Cause<\/h3>\n
![\"Gael](\"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/amor-11.jpg\" "\\"Gael")
<\/a>![\"Benicio](\"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/toro-1.jpg\" "\\"Benicio")
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\nThe Big League<\/h3>\n
![\"Salma](\"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Screenshot-2020-06-10-14.27.29-1.jpg\" "\\"Salma")
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\nThe Invisible Man<\/h3>\n