Diego Quemada-Diez
A Table is a Table

The Cinematographer…

Diego Quemada-Diez was raised in Barcelona, Spain, and started his career with British director Ken Loach. After assisting for several years, he studied cinematography at the American Film Institute (AFI), graduating in 2001. He was director of photography on Roads and Bridges, directed by Abraham Lim and produced by Robert Altman. In June 2001 he graduated from the AFI and won the American Express-AFI Anthony Hopkins Cinematography Award. His work on A Table is a Table earned him the 2002 Robert Surtees Heritage Award for Outstanding Cinematography from the American Society of Cinematographers.

The Film…

A Table is a Table is the story of a disappointed old man seen through the eyes of a little girl who is just learning the ways of the world. The rules of the world are symbolized by language, although there is no dialogue. The bitter old man makes up his own words for things. The story could be real or it could be in the imagination of the girl, so it has the feel of a fairy tale. Unlike the man, the little girl is full of hope and passion for her existence.

Diez photographed the man's world with desaturated greenish and brown hues, while the girl's world is rendered in more saturated primary reds and blues. Sets, locations and wardrobe were chosen for their limited color palette. Diez tested some diffusion materials but decided to shoot without any. The filmmakers also studied the work of silent film masters like Murnau and Eisenstein for inspiration.

Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC and Diego Quemada-Diez