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Aguirresarobe: Basque cinematographer on 'New Moon'

Olwen Mears

11/27/2009

The director of New Moon considers him "one of the world's best cinematographers alive today" and actor Viggo Mortenson thinks his work on The Road worthy of an Oscar.

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Javier Aguirresarobe, the Basque cinematographer on the 2009 box-office success New Moon spoke to EITB''s Radio Euskadi about his work on that and this year''s other big release The Road with celebrated actor Viggo Mortenson.

Of New Moon director Chris Weitz, whom he referred to as a "great friend", the Eibar-born Aguirresarobe described the "complicity and camaraderie" between them while on the set of the latest in the Twilight saga.

Of both Weitz and Viggo Mortenson, with whom he worked under the direction of John Hillcoat on the film The Road based on the Pullitzer prize-winning novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy, he spoke warmly of their "generosity". Chris Weitz has classed the cinematographer as "a genius", while Mortenson has spoken of his enjoyment collaborating with the Basque, describing his work as "phenomenal". "We''re not so used here to speaking about each other in the same (generous) way," said Aguirresarobe. The Basque cinematographer , for his part, expressed his respect for the actor''s opinion since the Lord of the Rings star is himself an accomplished photographer.

During the interview, Aguirresarobe spoke of his work on small-budget film The Road, and box-office hit New Moon as "two totally different jobs": The big-budget more "American" New Moon implied "certain rules" of cinema, while his work on John Hillcoat''s film, which has a "more European" style allowed him much greater "freedom", something he clearly relished.

Speaking further about his experience on the latest in the Twilight saga, the Eibar-born cinematographer paid tribute to the genuineness and humility of its male lead, Robert Pattinson, the world''s most popular vampire. Aguirresarobe has also worked on the third part of the series, Eclipse (due out in 2010) and let it slip during his interview with Radio Euskadi that fans can most likely expect not one but two more films in the saga since "the fourth book is pretty extensive".

Filming will start towards the end of 2011; as yet we still don''t know who the cinematographer will be.

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