AUGUST 2020

A M E R I C A N C I N E M ATO G R A P H E R • A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 • A C 1 0 0 T H A N N I V E R S A RY S P E C I A L – F U T U R E O F C I N E M ATO G R A P H Y – S M P S P P H OTO G A L L E RY • V O L . 1 0 1 N O . 8

 A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 V O L . 1 0 1 N O . 8
1920 — 2020

On Our Cover: A progression of covers traces American Cinematographer’s progress

from its inception to the present day.

FEATURES
22 The Future of Cinematography

36
Esteemed ASC members assess their art and craft with an eye toward what’s next

Portraits of the Artists

A selection of photos taken by the industry’s top still photographers show

52
cinematographers at work

A Brief History of AC

54
A look back at the magazine’s journey, editor by editor

Collected Wisdom
22 Excerpts from vintage AC articles offer comments and observations from

70
ASC members and other renowned filmmakers

Drawing From Experience

72
Vintage cartoons by ASC member Glenn R. Kershner reflect his work and career

Odes to AC
Some of the magazine’s most prominent readers offer their thoughts on AC’s

80
importance to their careers and the industry
36
Staying Power
Cinematography’s “magazine of record” stands the test of time

DEPARTMENTS
10
12
72 Editor’s Note

14
President’s Desk

84
AC Special Focus: The ASC’s associate members

85
International Marketplace/Classified Ads

86
Ad Index

88
Clubhouse News
Wrap Shot

— VISIT ASCMAG.COM —
 Clubhouse Conversations
In this new video interview series on the AC website, leading
cinematographers share their inspirations and experiences while
analyzing their work and creative process.

Though these events are traditionally held live at the ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood with a guest
audience, allowing for their participation, concerns about Covid-19 have changed our procedure for this
year, taking the discussions online. The projects discussed include:

The Marvelous
Mrs. Maisel
Cinematographer
M. David Mullen,
ASC discusses his
Emmy-winning
work on the
comedic Amazon
Cosmos: Possible Worlds Studios period
Discussing his camerawork in the Nat Geo science drama with
series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, cinematograph- Stephen Lighthill,
er Karl-Walter Lindenlaub, ASC, BVK details his ASC — focusing on the new creative challenges and
approach to a complex, global production. opportunities presented in the show’s third season, fea-
turing major production numbers and new venues.

Westworld
Interviewer Eric Steel-
berg, ASC talks to Paul
Cameron, ASC about
shooting and directing
episodes for Season 3
of HBO’s critically
acclaimed series.

Ozark
Tales From the Loop Cinematographer
Interviewer Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC talks to Armando Salas, ASC
cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, ASC about his work and director Alik
on the fantastical Amazon Studios sci-fi drama series. Sakharov, ASC discuss
their collaboration on
The Handmaid’s the Netflix family crime drama series with interview-
Tale er Eric Steelberg, ASC.
Cinematographer
Colin Watkinson,
ASC, BSC dis-
cusses his visual
approach to the
award-winning
dystopian Hulu
drama with inter-
viewer Steven
Fierberg, ASC.

You’ll find this entire video series at bit.ly/ASCClubhouseConversations

 Introducing
Pocket Cinema Camera 6K

Now
works as
a studio
camera!

Dramatically increase the production values of

your work by using cinematic 6K digital film quality!
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera is better than a simple video Dual Native for Exceptional Low Light Performance
camera because it has professional features allowing you to create The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera features dual native ISO up to 25,600,
the same “look” as Hollywood feature films. The combination of high which means both the 4K and 6K models are optimized to minimize grain
dynamic range, great low light performance and Blackmagic RAW or noise in images, while maintaining the full dynamic range of the sensor.
gives you feature film images with precise skin tones and gorgeous The native ISO of 400 is ideal for scenes with on-set lighting. The secondary
organic colors. high base ISO of 3200 is perfect when shooting in dimly lit environments.

High Resolution Cinematic Digital Film Sensor! The quality of RAW and the speed of video!
Featuring a  larger 6144  x  3456 Super  35 sensor and EF  lens mount, the Blackmagic RAW is a revolutionary new format that preserves the quality of the
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K lets you use larger EF photographic camera’s sensor data in small, fast files. Unlike compressed video formats such as
lenses to create cinematic images with shallower depth of field, allowing creative H.264, which adds noise and artifacts that damage the image, Blackmagic RAW
defocussed backgrounds and gorgeous bokeh effects! Extra resolution also gives gives you stunning images with incredible detail and color throughout the
you more room for reframing in editing and color correction. production pipeline from camera to edit, color and mastering.

Multifunction Grip with Fingertip Controls!

The multifunction handgrip features a comfortable and familiar design that puts Blackmagic Pocket
important functions such as ISO, WB and shutter buttons right at your fingertips.
You get easy to reach recording and still buttons that are placed exactly where Cinema Camera 6K
you expect them to be, along with assignable function keys and buttons for high
frame rate, focus, zoom, menus, playback and more. Only $1,995

www.blackmagicdesign.com Learn More!

 A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 V O L . 1 0 1 , N O . 8

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and PUBLISHER

Stephen Pizzello
————————————————————————————————————
WEB DIRECTOR and ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
David E. Williams

EDITORIAL
————————————————————————————————————

SENIOR EDITOR Andrew Fish

TECHNICAL EDITOR Christopher Probst, ASC
SHOT CRAFT EDITOR Jay Holben
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER and WEB PRODUCER Mat Newman
DIGITAL CONTENT CREATOR Samantha Dillard
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Benjamin B, Rachael K. Bosley, John Calhoun, Mark Dillon, Michael Goldman, Jim Hemphill,
David Heuring, Noah Kadner, Debra Kaufman, Michael Kogge, Iain Marcks,
Matt Mulcahey, Jean Oppenheimer, Lauretta Prevost, Phil Rhodes, Patricia Thomson
PODCASTS
Michael Goldman, Jim Hemphill, Iain Marcks
BLOGS
Benjamin B • John Bailey, ASC • David Heuring

ART & DESIGN

————————————————————————————————————

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marion Kramer

ADVERTISING
————————————————————————————————————

ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Angie Gollmann

323-936-3769 Fax 323-952-2140 e-mail: [email protected]
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Sanja Pearce
323-952-2114 Fax 323-952-2140 e-mail: [email protected]
CLASSIFIEDS/ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Diella Peru
323-952-2124 Fax 323-952-2140 e-mail: [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTIONS, BOOKS & PRODUCTS

————————————————————————————————————

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Saul Molina

SHIPPING MANAGER Miguel Madrigal
————————————————————————————————————
ASC CEO Terry McCarthy
ASC SPONSORSHIP & EVENTS DIRECTOR Patricia Armacost
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER Alex Lopez
MEMBERSHIP ADMINISTRATOR Salvador Maldonado
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ACCOUNTING Thanh Lai
ACCOUNTING Kim Pallares
————————————————————————————————————
American Cinematographer (ISSN 0002-7928), established 1920 and in its 100th year of publication, is published monthly in Hollywood by
ASC Holding Corp., 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood, CA 90028, U.S.A.,
(800) 448-0145, (323) 969-4333, Fax (323) 876-4973, direct line for subscription inquiries (323) 969-4344.
Subscriptions: U.S. $50; Canada/Mexico $70; all other foreign countries $95 a year (remit international Money Order or other exchange payable in U.S. $).
Advertising: Rate card upon request from Hollywood office. Copyright 2020 ASC Holding Corp. (All rights reserved.) Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA
and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA.
POSTMASTER: Send address change to American Cinematographer, P.O. Box 2230, Hollywood, CA 90078.
 American Society of Cinematographers
The ASC is not a labor union or a guild, but
an educational, cultural and professional
organization. Membership is by invitation
to those who are actively engaged as
directors of photography and have
demonstrated outstanding ability. ASC
membership has become one of the highest
honors that can be bestowed upon a
professional cinematographer — a mark
of prestige and excellence.

OFFICERS - 2020/2021
Stephen Lighthill
President
Amelia Vincent
Vice President
John Simmons
Vice President
Levie Isaacks
Treasurer
Gregg Heschong
Secretary

MEMBERS OF THE
BOARD
John Bailey
Christopher Chomyn
Curtis Clark
Dean Cundey
Jim Denault
Frederick Elmes
Larry Fong
Edward Lachman
Stephen Lighthill
Lowell Peterson
Steven Poster
Lawrence Sher
Rodney Taylor
Mandy Walker
Robert Yeoman

ALTERNATES
Levie Isaacks
Richard Crudo
Michael Goi
Buddy Squires
Steven Fierberg

MUSEUM CURATOR
Steve Gainer

8
 THIS MONTH’S
CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR’S NOTE
Samantha Dillard is AC’s digital
content creator (“Odes to AC,” p. 72). It’s humbling to serve as the steward of a publication
that’s proven indispensable long enough to celebrate a
Andrew Fish is the senior editor (“A centennial. Few magazines reach the ripe age of 100,
Brief History of AC,” p. 52; “Odes to but in 2020 American Cinematographer has done it,
placing the ASC’s flagship periodical in rarified company.
AC,” p. 72).
(For a look at some of the others, see ASC CEO Terry
McCarthy’s piece “Staying Power” on page 80.)
Jay Holben is a filmmaker and an
My own journey with the magazine began nearly
associate member of the ASC three decades ago — first as an editorial assistant, then
(AC Special Focus, p. 14). as associate editor, eventually progressing to executive
editor and my current role as editor-in-chief and
Tara Jenkins is a USC MFA film and publisher. Ever mindful of the magazine’s mission, and
TV production candidate and an ASC its importance to the industry, I’ve tried to do my part by
intern (“Odes to AC,” p. 72). expanding AC’s network of freelance writers in the U.S.
and abroad; prioritizing its coverage during decades of momentous change; cultivating a
Charlie Lieberman, ASC is a cine- wide range of informed sources; creating award-winning editorial with the help of our
matographer, Society member and very talented staffers and contributors; assisting the ASC with the revamping of its
photographer (“Portraits of the website (primarily by enlisting the assistance of my longtime friend and colleague David
Artists,” p. 36). E. Williams as our web director and associate publisher); and ensuring that American
Cinematographer continues to evolve as an open, inclusive source of information and
Iain Marcks is a filmmaker and a education that gives voice to a diverse array of creative and technical professionals.
New York correspondent for All of these initiatives, and more, were undertaken in the hope of bringing the
the magazine (“The Future of magazine — and cinematographers — a higher level of recognition and appreciation not
only in our niche, but in the industry at large and the wider world of all who appreciate
Cinematography,” p. 22).
artful imaging. In this regard, I’ve taken the baton passed along from early AC editor
Foster Goss, whose Editors’ Corner in the November 1922 issue included the following
Luci Marzola (Ph.D., USC) is a
thoughts (meaningful in sentiment, though also a product of the time):
historian and visiting assistant professor “Films are seen on the screen but commented on through the medium of the
of film and media at University of printed page. The average person’s information as to the making of a picture comes
California Irvine (“Drawing From from the accounts he reads in magazines and the dramatic sections of newspapers. His
Experience,” p. 70). opinions are prompted and formed thereby. And the cinematographer does not occupy
his deserved place in those opinions — the conception of the masses…
Terry McCarthy is the ASC CEO and “The American Cinematographer believes that the cinematographer, major factor
a former correspondent for Time in motion picture production, should be recognized for what he does. He is entitled to
magazine, ABC News and CBS News have his name mentioned in the review if his connection with the production in question
(“Staying Power,” p. 80). can be ascertained at all. The abstract mention that the photography is good, bad or
indifferent is not complete, and no publication prides itself on publishing incomplete
Ryan Patrick O’Hara is a reports.”
cinematographer (“Collected Heeding this mission statement from my venerable predecessor, the magazine will
Wisdom,” p. 54). continue to respect and reflect upon its heritage while focusing resolutely on the future.
This celebratory issue attempts to strike that balance by blending historical highlights
from AC’s pages with comments from some of today’s most talented cinematographers,
Stephen Pizzello is the editor-in-chief
including informed prognostications about the future of motion imaging.
and publisher (“Portraits of the
I hope you enjoy reading these insights as we progress together — people of many
Artists,” p. 36; “Collected Wisdom,” backgrounds and perspectives — toward an infinite horizon of visual artistry.
p. 54; “Odes to AC,” p. 72).
Photo by Chris Pizzello.

David E. Williams is the web director

and associate publisher (“The Future of
Cinematography,” p. 22; “Collected Stephen Pizzello
Wisdom,” p. 54). Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
10
 PRESIDENT’S DESK
We are living in very, very challenging times. The Covid-19 pandemic is raging
around the world, our industry is on an unprecedented hiatus, and a simulta-
neous widespread movement in the U.S. is seeking racial equity. As the newly
elected president of the ASC Board of Governors, I am committed to address-
ing the twin challenges to our members posed by the industry shutdown and
our membership’s lack of diversity.
The year the ASC was founded 101 years ago, 1919, saw the end of the
so-called Spanish flu pandemic, which infected some 500 million people and
had a death toll of around 50 million. Our magazine, then titled The American
Cinematographer, was founded the following year. 1920 saw the first U.S.
presidential election in which women were allowed to vote — half a century
after Susan B. Anthony started her campaign for women’s suffrage, which
culminated in the passing of the 19th Amendment.
Today we face another pandemic, and another campaign for greater
equality — this time between races — that has brought thousands of protest-
ers into our streets. The ASC will play its role in the world of cinematography
to confront both of these challenges.
Our First Vice President, Amy Vincent, ASC, and Erik Messerschmidt, ASC are leading the
new Future Practices Committee, which is holding regular meetings with key industry professionals
to discuss how we will all get back to work as safely as possible in the face of the Covid pandemic.
The committee has held lengthy discussions on a wide array of issues, including the potential hazards
of using smoke on sets, the value of virtual location scouting, and ways to sanitize equipment — invit-
ing relevant industry experts to address each meeting and to answer questions. I imagine this
committee will also add to the discussion on the various proposals to make cinematography
“remote” or hands-free.
Increasing diversity at the ASC will be one of the priorities in my time as president. Our
Vision Committee will be stepping up its outreach through events — both virtual and ultimately in-
person again — to help increase diversity amongst cinematographers. We will continue with our
student awards and our mentorship and education programs, and we will also strengthen our efforts
to propose more diverse candidates for ASC active membership.
The world looked bleak in 1919/1920 — but it quickly bounced back and the Roaring Twen-
ties took off, as America reinvented itself, just like it has done so many times in the past. I am

Photo by Michael M. Pessah, ASC.

convinced that this nation, and the ASC, will also emerge from our current challenges stronger, fairer
and more inventive. It is, simply, in our nature — and in our history of 101 years.

Stephen Lighthill
President, ASC

12 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 AC SPECIAL FOCUS
The Associate Branch of the ASC
By Jay Holben

In December 2017, I hit a milestone in my career by

becoming an associate member of the American Society of Cine-
matographers. I was a former cinematographer who had transi-
tioned to directing and producing, and I had reconciled myself
to the fact that I would never become an active member of the
ASC, an organization I had admired my whole life. But after 20
years of working closely with the Society as an AC contributor,
and through serving on the ASC Motion-Imaging Technology
Council, I was invited to join this truly world-class society as an
associate member. My sponsors for this extraordinary honor
were ASC members Michael McDonough, Bill Bennett and
Curtis Clark.
I’d like to take a closer look at this special branch of the
ASC and answer some questions I’m asked at nearly every public
event.

Origins
At the end of the Society’s first decade, there were 100
active members and 62 members categorized as Special Process
and Trick Cinematographers, Akeley Cinematographers, News
Cinematographers, Still Photographers and Second Cinematog- Honorary ASC member and ASC associate Burton “Bud” Stone,” former
raphers. There were also three honorary members: Arthur C. president of Deluxe Laboratories, served as chair of the ASC Awards for 17
Webb (a lawyer), Thomas Edison and George Eastman. years. In 2012, the Society first presented the Bud Stone Award of
Distinction in his honor. It is given each year to a key industry figure who
In May 1930, the ASC Board of Governors, under Presi- has made significant contributions to the motion-picture community.
dent Hal Mohr, ASC, voted to create a new category of member-
ship: associate. As noted in the June 1930 issue of AC, this new sales, that was quickly changed in recognition of those who
branch would “enable [the ASC] to place on its rolls the names significantly contributed to the cinematographer’s craft. In fact,
of outstanding men who, while not actual cinematographers, such individuals today comprise a large portion of the associ-
are contributors of vital importance to the art. … Associate ate-member roster. ASC associates now include many who
membership may be extended to those who, while not active work as laboratory executives; camera, film and lens makers;
cinematographers, perform work essentially of a cinemato- and specialists in other related techniques — basically, those
graphic nature and are not directly connected with the manu- who support the art, science and practice of cinematography in
facturer and sale of cinema apparatus. ... Those who become an extraordinary way.
associate members will enjoy all the privileges of the Society By the end of the ASC’s fifth decade, the associate roster
except that they shall not vote, hold office or share in the Soci- had grown to 59 members, including Edmund M. Di Giulio of
ety’s assets or liabilities.” (As this text was written decades ago, Cinema Products, whose achievements included customizing
the gender notation is a relic of its time, and of course no longer the famous Zeiss 50mm f/0.7 used by John Alcott, BSC on Stan-
represents the sentiments of the Society.) ley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon; Robert Gottschalk, founder of
The first two associate members were Emery Huse of Panavision; Wilton R. Holm of the Association of Motion Picture
Eastman Kodak Laboratories in Hollywood — he became a tech- and Television Producers’ Research Center, who would later
nical editor for AC later that year — and Fred Gage of Warner help create the Canon K-35 lens series; Herb A. Lightman, long-
Bros. Laboratories. A third associate, Philip W. Chancellor, time editor of AC; Kemp R. Niver, Academy Sci-Tech Award-
“noted for his unusual work in photographing rare animals and winning film preservationist, historian, author and ASC
plant life in various parts of the world,” was soon added. Museum curator; Peter Mole, co-founder of Mole-Richardson
Although the original definition of an associate member Co.; Sidney P. Solow, president of Consolidated Film Industries,
excluded those who worked in equipment manufacturing and Academy Sci-Tech Award winner, USC Cinema professor and

14 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 p ASC associate member Milt Shefter, film
preservationist and director, was honored with the
Bud Stone Award in 2013. u ASC associates Bruce Berke
(left), formerly of Eastman Kodak, and Frank Kay,
marketing director at J.L. Fisher, Inc., were so honored
in 2017.

AC contributor; Earl Sponable, 20th Becoming an Associate Member from the business, in the late 1950s, he
Century Fox’s technical director, who Membership in the ASC is by was made an associate member. Today,
was instrumental in the introduction of invitation only, and to become an asso- however, ASC members retain their full
CinemaScope (along with Herbert Bragg, ciate, one must be sponsored by at membership when they retire.
who brought the Chrétien Hypergonar least two active members who write
lens to Sponable’s attention); and Jack letters to the ASC Membership A Look at Associates
Webb, a producer, director, actor and Committee on behalf of the individual. Many ASC associate members
cinema technophile. The Committee reviews the letters and hold prestigious positions in other orga-
The first female associate the individual’s achievements, charac- nizations within the motion-picture
member, inducted in 1983, was Barbara ter and contributions to the Society, industry, including the Society of Motion
Prevedel, who started at the ASC as the and then votes on the matter. If Picture and Television Engineers and the
receptionist in 1954, and went on to approved by the Membership Commit- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
serve the Society in multiple ways for tee, the individual’s candidacy is Sciences.
four decades: as circulation director of forwarded to the ASC Board of Gover- There are also many ASC associ-
AC, as the magazine’s one-woman nors for consideration. Once approved ates who are active members of the
advertising department, and then as the by the board, the candidate is Society’s Motion Imaging Technology
ASC office manager and accountant. She presented to the entire active member- Council (formerly the Technology
was invited into associate membership ship of the Society. If there are no Committee) and play crucial roles in that
by vice-president Stanley Cortez, ASC at objections, the person is invited to join body’s work. In fact, of the 21 commit-
the annual ASC gala celebration. Upon the ASC. Associate members do not tees and subcommittees that make up
Prevedel’s retirement, in 1992, Cortez apply the ASC credential to their names. MITC, 11 chairs and vice chairs are asso-
presented her with an honorary ASC Associate membership cannot ciate members:
membership — the highest distinction lead to full membership — they are
the Society bestows on an individual wholly separate categories — but there’s • Greg Ciaccio, chair, Motion
who is not a cinematographer — making one instance of the reverse happening: Imaging Workflow and Motion
her the first woman to become an Floyd Jackman was an ASC cinematogra- Imaging Workflow ACES
honorary member of the Society as well. pher for 32 years, and when he retired Subcommittee

16 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 • Grover Crisp, chair, Digital ries in Los Angeles. He became an ASC
Preservation & Restoration associate member in 1975 and tirelessly
• Al DeMayo, vice chair, Lighting and selflessly donated his time to the
Committee Color Science Society. In 1986, when the ASC inaugu-
Subcommittee rated its annual awards ceremony,
• Gary Demos, chair, Advanced Stone immediately joined the commit-
Imaging tee and strove to make the event a
• Matthew Duclos, chair, Lens success. So significant were his contribu-
Committee Filter Classification tions that he was named chairman of
Subcommittee the ASC Awards Committee, the first
• Gary Mandle, vice chair, Professional time an associate had led an ASC
Monitor Displays committee; he held that position for 17
• Nancy Murray, vice chair, Lighting years. In 1993, Stone was named an
Committee Educational Committee honorary ASC member.
• Josh Pines, co-chair, DI and Stone died in 2008, and the
Plenoptic Imaging following year, the Society named its
• David Reisner, secretary, MITC; Heritage Award — for outstanding
secretary, Advanced Imaging and student cinematography — in his honor.
Camera Committees; co-chair, The Heritage Award is usually named for
DI and Plenoptic Imaging a different cinematographer each year,
Committees and Stone was the first non-cinematog-
• Joachim “JZ” Zell, co-chair, rapher for whom the award was named.
Next-Generation Cinema Display
• Jay Holben, co-chair of Lens The Bud Stone Award
Committee of Distinction
The Society went even further to
Some of the inspirational ASC honor Stone’s memory by inaugurating
associate members who are now the Bud Stone Award of Distinction in
deceased include Tak Miyagishima, 2012. This award, usually presented as a
Panavision’s chief design engineer; Ed surprise on the night of the ceremony,
Phillips, founder of Matthews Studio honors an associate member for extra-
Equipment; David Samuelson, inventor, ordinary service to the Society. So far, 11
cinematographer and author; Nat Tiffen, associates have been so honored. Here
founder of The Tiffen Co., and George they are in chronological order:
Turner, author, film historian and long-
time AC editor. • Fred Godfrey, Eastman Kodak Co.
Additionally, a number of ASC • Milt Shefter, film preservationist,
associate members have received the director
Academy’s highest technical honor, the • Beverly Wood, EFilm/Deluxe
Gordon E. Sawyer Award: Gary Demos, Laboratories
Edmund M. Di Giulio, Jonathan Erland, • Denny Clairmont, Clairmont Camera;
Ray Feeney, Fred Hynes, Don Iwerks, Tak Otto Nemenz, Otto Nemenz
Miyagishima, Donald C. Rogers and Irwin International, Inc.
W. Young. • Grover Crisp, Sony Pictures
Entertainment
Burton “Bud” Stone • Bruce Berke, consultant;
Among the associate members Frank Kay, J.L. Fisher, Inc.
who have contributed to the ASC over • Frieder Hochheim, Kino Flo Lighting
ppp ASC associate Beverly Wood, former executive the 90 years that the branch has existed, Systems
vice president of Deluxe Laboratories and managing one name stands out: Burton “Bud” • Franz Kraus, Arri Group
director at EFilm, was honored with the Bud Stone Award
in 2014. pp ASC associate Grover Crisp, executive vice Stone. Stone entered the industry as an • Kimberly Snyder, Panavision
president of asset management, film restoration and apprentice editor after serving two years
digital mastering at Sony Pictures Entertainment, received in the U.S. Navy. He started working at “Since my early days as a passion-
the award in 2016. p ASC associate Frieder Hochheim,
Kino Flo Lighting Systems founder and president, was CFI on the East Coast and eventually ate film preservationist,” says Shefter, “I
presented with the honor in 2018. became president of Deluxe Laborato- admired the cinematographer’s use of

18 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 membership by listening and by under-
standing the challenges they were deal-
ing with in their creative process,” says
Hochheim. “It was a fabulous honor to
be asked to join as an associate. I was a
gaffer and cinematographer in my
youth, and the ASC represented the
visual elite of our industry. I could only
dream of being associated with them. I
believe the associate’s role is becoming
more important as imaging technology
rapidly evolves and becomes increas-
ingly complex. Every aspect of our indus-
try has changed in the last 15 years.
Inviting associates who represent the
cutting edge of new technology is essen-
tial; we must open direct lines of
t ASC associate Franz Kraus, advisor at Arri Group, received the Bud Stone Award in 2019. u ASC associate Kimberly communication with the artists that use
Snyder, president and CEO of Panavision, was honored with the award in 2020. the technology.”
“In my opinion,” says Kraus, “an
both sides of their brain — technically exchange. As an associate member, you ASC associate member should support
knowing and using all the tools of the also bring the participation of your in work life and private life the same
trade and creatively interpreting the employer, which provides the ASC with values an ASC active member is asked to
vision of the writer and director. The added support, both practical and finan- uphold: loyalty, progress, artistry. My
ASC associates represent all the support cial. As the process of moviemaking contributions are mainly focused on
systems and organizations for cine- continues to change, the cinematogra- supporting projects, including the ASC
matographers and cinematography. As pher must continue to have a voice and Arri Education Center and the ASC
volunteer collaborators, they keep the be involved in all decisions surrounding Master Classes, as well as individuals on
ASC going financially and organization- a project. Support from the associate their pictures — from a talented film-
ally.” members and their companies is essen- school student to the award-winning
Berke, who worked with Stone at tial.” ASC cinematographer.”
Deluxe, helped to create the Bud Stone “Helping cinematographers to Snyder, the most recent Bud
Award. “Bud was more than a boss to maintain the integrity of the images Stone Award honoree, notes, “I feel it’s
me,” says Berke. “He was a mentor. He they have created through the restora- our responsibility to dedicate our time
said prayers at my wedding and carried tion and preservation of their films is and resources to enable the ASC as an
my mother to her grave. He represented the most fulfilling part of my job,” notes organization to reach its goals. Our
the gold standard for what an ASC asso- Crisp. “I also think it’s important that participation becomes even more
ciate member should be. When I associate members contribute to impactful when we listen to members’
became an associate in 2006, I chal- furthering the overall goals of the Soci- needs and develop tools and solutions
lenged myself to give back like Bud did. ety. It’s an honor that people I’ve to support their creativity and craft.
I feel I still have a long road to travel to admired my whole life for the work they “I have always had a passion for
match even 25 percent of his contribu- do thought enough of the work I do to and fascination with the moving image,”
tions.” make me part of their universe. It’s a Snyder continues. “It’s a tremendous
Wood, another co-worker of rarified club, I know, and I do not take it honor to be part of the organization that
Stone’s at Deluxe, recalls, “Bud was a for granted.” stands for excellence in imaging with a
true ambassador for the cinematogra- “Being an associate member is focus on loyalty, progress and artistry.
pher, and he introduced me around the much more than just your name on a Each of those three words has profound
Clubhouse in the early years. The associ- badge,” says Kay. “For me, it means meaning to me. It’s very inspiring to be
ate member’s role is one of support, being a student of the world’s best film included.”
and understanding the role of the cine- school. I’m part of an iconic group of Today there are 248 associate
matographer in the business of making men and women who are responsible members of the ASC, each working to
movies. It was always my mission to for the amazing visuals we see on the support the art and science of cine-
help solve problems for the cinematog- big screen, TV and other visual media.” matography. u
rapher and help create technical “I always saw my role as an asso-
support and an environment for ciate as being there to support the

20 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

The Future of
Cinematography
The art form of motion-picture
imaging is facing new creative
challenges, but also exploring
new technological frontiers
Forward Focus
Over the last few months, the American
Cinematographer staff has spent plenty of time looking
back on the magazine’s 100-year history of publishing
— a century-long snapshot depicting the evolution of
motion-picture production — but nostalgia is not our
stock in trade.
Established by the ASC in 1920 as its key educa-
tion and communication implement, the magazine,
like the Society and its members, has always
respected the past but expended far more effort on
examining how the latest techniques, trends and tools
support the collaborative creativity of cinematogra-
phers, their crews and other production counterparts.
Today this matrix of influences is ever more
complex, with an increasing number of factors in play,
including greater access to filmmaking tools and a
welcome openness to perspectives long underrepre-
sented.
Since the beginning, the cinematographer’s role
has been an evolving one, and AC has worked to
document that progress as it happened, offering a
platform and establishing a record that can be exam-
ined by readers around the world. This magazine is,
in many ways, the original film school. Its pages are
also a marketplace of ideas; they have included
discussions (and sometimes debates)  about the
creative opportunities posed by a succession of novel
advances — including color, sound, television, 3D,
HDTV and digital capture — and documented diffi-
cult challenges. Today’s challenges include the impact
of the Covid-19 pandemic and how it may forever
alter the production landscape.
In the following pages, ASC members offer
their thoughts on the future of cinematography and
the dynamics that will affect it. Their observations
may open your mind to unique prospects and possi-
bilities, or at least confirm the one thing of which we
can all be certain: change is inevitable and constant.

— David E. Williams

22 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

The “Volume” stage created for the production of the Disney Plus sci-fi series Advances & Opportunities
The Mandalorian captured the imagination of filmmakers everywhere, as
high-quality LED screens present not only parallax-correct HD background
material, but interactive lighting and reflections. Is this the way of the future? ASC Motion Imaging Technology
Council Chair Curtis Clark, ASC on the
state of the art and how to stay ahead of
the curve.

Interview by David E. Williams

“It’s imperative for cinematogra-

phers to maintain an understanding of
new technology if we want to retain a
creative edge,” says ASC Motion
Imaging Technology Council Chair
Curtis Clark, ASC, who has guided this
body of cinematographers, postproduc-
tion experts and technologists since its
founding in 2003. “That doesn’t mean
one has to be an expert in everything,
which is impossible, but having a work-
ing understanding of new methods and
techniques allows one to be part of the
creative discussion when new solutions
are required. Look at our current situa-
tion: Everyone is looking for workflows
to help get production up and running,
and cinematographers are a key part of
that. We should be prepared.”
Among other honors, Clark
received the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts & Sciences John A. Bonner Award in
2019 in recognition of extraordinary
service to the industry. In tandem with
his deep understanding of the latest tech-
nology, he is fascinated by the evolution-
ary past; his recent projects include
producing the acclaimed TCM documen-
tary Image Makers, about pioneering
Hollywood cinematographers in the
1920s, ’30s and ’40s, who creatively
employed the latest tools and techniques
to establish the visual styles that continue
to inform narrative filmmaking today.
Clark and his collaborators recently
completed the 2020 edition of MITC‘s
Progress Report, a sweeping, in-depth
survey of advances in production and
post technologies that is traditionally
published in the Society of Motion Picture
and Television Engineers’ Motion Imaging
Journal. This created the perfect opportu-
nity for Clark to discuss MITC’s latest
findings and how they might impact the
future of cinematography. ➔
www.ascmag.com August 2020 23
 The Future of Cinematography
progressed tremendously, and a new through the lens that is very close to a
version of it will be released sometime final result — and because the back-
next year that offers even more signifi- grounds have to be captured or created
cant advancements. In the past, I’ve in preproduction instead of in post,
been fairly cautious about the virtual- everyone on the team can agree upon
production approach, but given the what things will look like and make
circumstances and the progress of the choices informed by that. So many
technology, I can foresee a time when times, a cinematographer will light and
these gaming engines will be able to photograph a scene against a green-
create on set, in real time, a lot of the CG screen with an understanding of what
characters we see in movies today. That the background will later be, and then
will allow cinematographers the chance that background is completely changed
to actively participate in their creation in post, making the on-set lighting no
Curtis Clark, ASC
and appearance — how they interact longer appropriate and creating a result
American Cinematographer: with the lighting on set and are that doesn’t look quite right. Requiring
The Covid-19 production lockdown presented in the frame. Currently, all backgrounds to be created and selected
and global travel restrictions have that work is done in post, and cine- before a scene is shot will help erase
many people talking about the matographers typically don’t have the that dilemma. It also opens up endless
virtual-production techniques used opportunity to participate in that creative opportunities in terms of light-
on The Mandalorian [AC Feb. ’20], process. I think our participation will ing, movement and compositions,
which are discussed in this year’s go a long way in helping to enhance which leads me to another technology,
MITC report. these kinds of characters, making them a controversial one, covered in the
Curtis Clark, ASC: The living, breathing participants in the report this year: plenoptic — aka
advances in that area have been story. The Virtual Production Field Guide, computational volumetric — cine-
impressive, and it’s the focus of our published this year by Epic Games, matography, which employs a light-
Joint Technology Committee on Virtual goes into great detail on this. field camera. It’s definitely coming and
Production [a collaboration with the The ability to capture so much will be a factor for cinematographers in
Visual Effects Society, the Art Directors in camera — as opposed to shooting the future.
Guild, the Producers Guild and with blue- or greenscreens and comp- The MITC report by the
International Cinematographers Guild ing backgrounds in later — would Computational Cinematography and
Local 600, chaired by David Morin]. appeal to many cinematographers. Plenoptic Imaging Committee
The Epic Games Unreal Engine, which Clark: Of course, in part because describes some of the recent advances
drives the LCD-screen imagery, has everyone can immediately see an image in this area, particularly the research

Google’s Rotating Panoramic Light Field Still Camera (seen in a time-lapse image) employs a curved array of 16 cameras that rotates to capture roughly 1,000 viewpoints.

24 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

being done by Paul Debevec, the senior goes back to a process we’re all familiar that the technology needs to be
staff engineer at Google VR. Tell us with, rear projection, which has been improved if this is how we’ll be doing
more about that. around for many decades. Yet it’s also business in the future. It has to be as
Clark: We’re lucky to have Pete interactive, allowing for real-time inte- easy as a phone call. Many people have
Ludé co-chairing that committee with gration of elements in camera. It’s very been using additional cameras to
David Reisner. Pete is the president of effective, and having a background improve picture quality, as you don’t
the Immersive Digital Experiences perspective that’s in perfect sync with get much out of the typical laptop
Alliance, a nonprofit devoted to devel- the foreground and the camera move- camera, so I see computer manufactur-
oping plenoptic cinematography by ment adds an incredible degree of ers greatly improving the quality of
helping to set standards. He’s about as authenticity. And it’s only going to those just as they have with smart-
authoritative as anyone on the subject. improve as we better integrate that phones, many of which are now
Cinematographers have faced many with previs and 3D previs. So, being marketed primarily as cameras, even
challenges when it comes to oversight on comfortable making on-set decisions 4K cameras. A number of features have
image creation, but plenoptic cinematog- that result in an image that’s very close now been shot on iPhones, like
raphy will be our biggest. It’s a ‘You ain’t to final — aside from the standard Tangerine and Unsane. Adopting non-
seen nothin’ yet’ moment. Because it color tweaks and such — is going to traditional tools for creative purposes is
records the characteristics of all light have a huge impact. It’s combining the very interesting, as it offers new oppor-
within a volumetric space, that data can entire visual-effects process with the tunities and choices. Might we some-
be manipulated to alter the image in infi- live-action production process, and day see a feature shot mostly with a
nite ways. Where does that stop? Where that’s very exciting. If you don’t like laptop? Possibly. Somebody might
and when will decisions be made, and what you’re seeing through the devise a very creative way to do that,
who will make them? camera, you can change that on the and that would certainly be a product
ACES [the Academy Color spot instead of having to come back of our current situation, which is not
Encoding System] was an attempt to get and reshoot something. This also going away soon.
a handle on that issue vis-à-vis the DI speaks to cinematographers’ creative
process — to protect the creative intent need to have a visceral connection to A complete archive of MITC
and decisions made on set. Can you the images we’re creating. If we don’t Progress Reports can be found in PDF form
imagine something similar for plenop- have that connection, we’re just at theasc.com/asc/committees/reports. The
tic cinematography? making a component to be used in Virtual Production Field Guide, written
Clark: Absolutely, but this is a another process, and that’s not really by frequent AC contributor Noah Kadner,
paradigm shift away from what we cinematography. can be found at unrealengine.com/vpfield-
know today, a revolution in motion During World War II, movie guide
imaging. When you line up shots using audiences saw newsreels of combat
this technology, you can later completely footage from the front lines, which How Will the Show
shift not only the lighting, but also the changed their perception of images. Go On?
composition, the point of view; there’s Handheld, poorly framed, out-of-
no limit to what you can later do with the focus and otherwise imperfect mater- ASC members and Future
image. So what is the role of the cine- ial was suddenly no longer ‘amateur,’ Practices Committee chairs Amelia
matographer? We’re also dealing with but ‘authentic,’ and those defects Vincent and Erik Messerschmidt
3D spatial relationships and different were adopted by filmmakers trying to discuss concerns over Covid-19 and
multi-perspective angles. How do you depict realism. With the Covid shut- ensuring health and safety for all.
plan for that or previsualize it? It’s very down, people are using a variety of
difficult for some directors to make those video-conferencing systems to an Interview by David E. Williams
decisions in preproduction and stay extent we’ve never seen before. Might
committed to them when so many other, that eventually impact how we relate On May 7, the ASC announced
unanticipated issues arise during to images? the formation of the new Future
production. Clark: That’s an interesting Practices Committee, formed in
Over the past several decades, the comparison. I certainly feel like I’ve response to the severe challenges that
need to make hard-and-fast decisions been on one endless Zoom call over the the Covid-19 situation poses to the
certainly seems to have decreased, in past few months, and it has been a life- production community. Chaired by
part thanks to new technology. line. But the larger the number of Society members — and longtime
Clark: It’s true, but one of the people, the less effective it is. You don’t friends — Amelia Vincent and Erik
things I find most interesting about want a creative discussion to turn into Messerschmidt, the committee’s
virtual production is that it essentially a webinar. The experience illustrates mission statement notes that “filmmak-

www.ascmag.com August 2020 25

 The Future of Cinematography

On the set of the sci-fi feature Haven: Above Sky,

director Tim Fehlbaum (in Munich, Germany) and
cinematographer Markus Förderer, ASC, BVK (on screen,
from Los Angeles) confer via Zoom during a “remote control”
additional-photography shoot.
ers around the world are scrambling to continue to work to protect us all with together to report on and discuss
understand the immediate impact of regard to labor issues, so this commit- what’s happening on the front lines.
the virus. Many groups are discussing tee’s intention is not to formulate alter- We have someone about to go back to
how and when we might get back to native recommendations or working work in New Zealand, we have Mandy
the set. As these proposals are guidelines. Instead, we intend to Walker [ASC, ACS] in Australia keep-
presented to the global film commu- reflect on the IA and studio guidelines ing us up to date, Erik has contacts all
nity over the coming months, ASC and communicate directly with Local over the world, and we have people
members and cinematographers as a 600 and similar committees at the from the networks and the streaming
whole have the responsibility to DGA, PGA, and SAG-AFTRA, as well services. We’re bringing that into one
continue to advocate for our craft, as our trusted vendors and crew shared discussion.
artistry and voice, all while keeping the members.” Erik Messerschmidt, ASC:
health and safety of the cast and crew Here, Vincent and We’re looking at the reality of shooting
at the forefront. It is essential that we Messerschmidt offer additional details in an active Covid world. And given
participate in this conversation. about this plan. the established responsibilities of the
“Members of the ASC are American Cinematographer: cinematographer on the set, we could
uniquely qualified to advise and The new procedures and methods anticipate that we’re going to have to
propose creative and technological being investigated by your commit- assume the responsibility in terms of
solutions, as we adopt and adapt to tee are clearly going to have a major reacting to the guidelines and solutions
new health and safety protocols. As the impact on the future of cinematogra- that will be presented by the guilds and
industry works to design and imple- phy. More than 100 years of produc- healthcare experts. We have to deter-
ment these new guidelines, we must be tion protocols are literally being mine how we can practically work
cognizant of not just how they will called into question. amidst those rules in a very compli-
impact our schedules, budgets and Amelia Vincent, ASC: cated, dynamic environment.
crewmembers, but also the images we Everyone involved in this committee Meanwhile, the crisis is also dynamic.
work so hard to create. This must be cares about cinematography, our It’s changing very rapidly. So whatever
done while remembering our No. 1 crews and the world, and this crisis rules and procedures that are put in
priority: the health and safety of the has brought that all to the forefront. place will have to also be able to
cast and crew. This committee has been about bring- evolve, if necessary, to better protect
“Our colleagues at Local 600 ing an eclectic group of people people. And from a management, tech-

26 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 very nature of cinema. Creative deci-
sions are going to be made to comply
with what’s required. Some kinds of
stories will be more problematic to
produce in the same way they might
have been before [Covid]. The politics
Amelia mentioned are around the
ways that we will make those choices.
As cinematographers, we have to
consider all those factors to determine
how that process will impact what
images we make and how they are
made. We’re optimistic, but also realis-
t Amelia Vincent, ASC. p Erik Messerschmidt, ASC. tic. The hope is that this situation is not
permanent, and that when science
nology and creative standpoint, cine- They are not as concerned about tradi- overcomes the situation, we can decide
matographers are uniquely skilled in tion and are open to new methods, and, how we will again evolve the process
solving issues such as this. But how we right now, we need to embrace that in the best way possible. Maybe it will
interpret and communicate the chal- rather than offer any resistance. A be the same process we were using
lenges to our collaborators and the number of our committee members before, or a new, improved way after
people we report to — producers and joined the ASC within the last five we learn new techniques and methods
directors — is going to be crucial. years, some within the last year. There and put them to the test. We’re opti-
‘What’s possible? What’s practical? is a certain timelessness to our art form mistic that much of this is temporary.
What sorts of things in a script are — which has been around for more Vincent: Initially, we all joked
going to create a challenge? How will than 100 years — and we’re trying to that if the crisis ended, the committee
the guidelines affect the way movies protect that, but we also have to deal would just self-destruct. [Laughs.] But I
look?’ These are all things we’re with a crisis that’s very current. We’ve think we’re now finding that as we
discussing as we get directives from seen the safety guidelines that have start to go back to work, we will defi-
the unions, in an effort to figure out been suggested [by the state of nitely maintain this global discussion
how to make these issues workable California] and by Local 600, and now and flow of information that we didn’t
[for us] as storytellers. by ‘The Safe Way Forward’ document. have before. As we get back to work
How active can Future Practices We’re starting to react to them, but and implement all the guidelines into
be in helping to design guidelines or we’re not labor negotiators, although our process, it’s going to be incredibly
rules? we are involved in some discussions important to get feedback on how
Messerschmidt: We’re not that are more politically complex. We people learn to overcome things we
Vincent photo by Douglas Kirkland. Messerschmidt photo courtesy of Netflix.

taking a role in drafting anything. It’s are offering up technological solutions, thought would be issues, and, espe-
not appropriate for us to dictate, as communication tools, creativity, and a cially, to alert each other if things are
that’s the union’s place. But as DPs, devotion to keeping everyone on set not working. There will be a lot of
we’re going to be reacting to them and safe. improvisation and a lot of learning.
determining how they will be enacted Messerschmidt: The one thing Who knows, we may find new effi-
on the set. Fortunately, there are a lot of we all agree on as filmmakers is that ciencies, better methods than we ever
very smart people working on this due to the pandemic, some things are had — especially in applying new
issue, and they are bringing a lot to the going to change, and they may never communications and visual-effects
table. go back to where they were before. And technologies — and we’ll be able to
Vincent: A lot of DPs are friends we have to adapt. The growing pains of take those things into the post-Covid
and go way back, and I’m very encour- that process are being felt by everyone, world once we’ve got a vaccine.
aged by the energy that some of our including directors, actors, producers,
ASC members are bringing to this editors, crew people and cinematogra- Vincent and Messerschmidt can be
discussion, especially some of our phers. Everyone is affected. And that’s reached at [email protected]
newer members. Erik is one of them. acknowledged, which helps. Nobody is with questions or comments. You’ll find a
Collaborating with directors and keep- in denial here. We will be able to incor- complete story on the “remote” shooting of
ing creative energy high on the set porate some changes into our work- Haven: Above Sky at ascmag.com/
requires a lot of passion, and these flow, and they will not be apparent to articles/cinematography-across-conti-
young cinematographers have that. audiences, but others may change the nents. ➔
www.ascmag.com August 2020 27
 The Future of Cinematography

Roy H. Wagner, ASC Collection

Shamroy image courtesy of the
From left: ASC members Leon Shamroy, John Bailey and Gregg Toland.

American Cinematographer featured contribution to a motion picture. What

Cinematography’s an article by “the cameraman’s the writer has created in the written
Future: Past as cameraman,” Leon Shamroy, ASC. word must be translated to the screen
Prologue Only in his mid 40s, he had already [through] the eyes and minds of the
received six of his eventual 18 Oscar director and the cinematographer ….
How days gone by and great nominations (a record he shares with The creative cinematographer continues
artists of their time embraced and Charles Lang Jr., ASC). That article, to experiment. He looks for new ways of
anticipated change, and how our also titled “The Future of intensifying mood and projecting the
technical and creative landscape Cinematography,” includes observa- emotions of the actor beyond the screen.
challenges us today. tions about the creative role of the As we look back at this maga-
cinematographer that are as relevant zine’s century-old history, which
By John Bailey, ASC today as they were then. features many revealing contribu-
A director of photography makes tions by ASC members (especially in
The October 1947 issue of something more than a mere technical the early years), we cinematogra-

Future Factors all the technical departments, and young

Cinematographers share their visions of women are seeing this and being inspired.
tomorrow, each focusing on a unique aspect of I hope that the Black Lives Matter move-
the vast, ever-evolving tapestry of image- ment will increase opportunity for people
making: “We seem to be living in a world of of color in a similar way. I wouldn’t have
endless innovation.” my career without all the wonderful
people who mentored me and gave me a
Polly Morgan, ASC, BSC, on expanding chance, and I hope the ASC’s Vision
opportunity for new voices Committee, which I co-chair with
Over the years, I’ve been frustrated by Fernando Argüelles, ASC and John
the barriers of entry into cinematography as a profession, and Simmons, ASC, will continue to be part of that process. I have
not just the unconscious bias that has affected opportunities for some envy for young people today in that they have the means
women and people of color to rise up through the ranks. Also, to gain so much experience behind a camera at a very early age
film programs and cinematography courses were very expen- — even with just an iPhone – and self-distribute or broadcast
sive and difficult to get into. But what has excited me over the their work. It used to be that a cinematographer was consid-
past few years are the new training and education workshops ered very young if they were shooting their first feature by the
that are much more affordable, which is in part a reflection of age of 40 or 50, but that was because it was so difficult and
the technology we have today. People are also more aware of expensive to gain experience. Those days are over. Today you
cinematography, and they understand that this is something can prove that you can tell a story at a much younger age.
that’s accessible to them and can be a career. It’s exciting that
the closed-door aspect of our profession is opening up. The — David E. Williams
#MeToo movement helped increase opportunity for women in

28 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 The Future of Cinematography
Dejan Georgevich, ASC, on training and education camera? What’s the
The effect of institutional education on the craft of cine- composition? What’s the
matography is largely defined by who’s teaching it. I believe in choice of lens? Will the
a real-world nexus with the film department’s program and camera move? Is it high-
aim to provide my students with a bridge to the professional key or low-key lighting?
motion-picture arena. To successfully merge with the profes- What’s the direction and
sional world, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the color of the light? Are
tools and protocols currently in practice. It’s critically impor- these visual elements
tant having School of Visual Arts’ institutional support for serving the idea, mood
investing in new tools so we can augment past practices with and emotion of the
new technologies. The tools may constantly change, but we’re scene? Apart from the technical know-how, I always remind
still re-creating the real 3D world in a 2D medium with varying my students that what separates us from each other are intu-
degrees of light and perspective. As we’ve evolved into the ition and taste.
digital realm and adopted its applications, cinematography is
still that same craft asking the same questions: Where’s the — Iain Marcks

phers find validation in a defining merely impresarios of the camera, —  “the movies” — that informs the
principle of our art: the collaboration outsized alchemists of the now- past, the present and the future of
between director and cinematogra- receding photochemical age. They our art.
pher that is near sacrosanct. understood that cinematography’s Last November, I was honored
Nowhere has it been more clearly key elements of composition, move- with the Lifetime Achievement
expressed than in Orson Welles’ ment, shot selection and light Award at the Camerimage
shared main-title credit with Gregg creation and control were means to International Film Festival in Torun,
Toland, ASC at the end of Citizen visually express our shared human Poland. Festival Director Marek
Kane. Our greatest directors have story: created by writers, given the Zydowicz asked me to introduce
long given credit for the success of breath of life by actors, and molded screenings of half a dozen films I had
their work to the cinematographer’s into a coherent, emotional whole by photographed. I told him I preferred
magic cocktail of light and composi- directors, cinematographers and not to present work that showed
tion. editors. It is this, the frame-to-frame, only artful imagery, but movies that
Legendary cinematographers shot-to-shot, scene-to-scene creation presented cinematography support-
like Shamroy and Toland were not of fictive imagination become real ive of the film’s visual/dramatic arc.
I have often spoken of Ordinary
People and The Accidental Tourist as
Richard Edlund, ASC, on the future of two films that I hope exemplify how
cinematography and visual effects cinematography informs the
When a new technology appears, the creative and contours of a movie while being
ambitious cinematographer will grab hold of it and make subsumed into a unity of drama and
something out of it. The show I’m working on now is a character.
10-year study of Cuba from the rise of Fidel Castro to the I’ve referred to myself as “an
assassination of J.F.K., and we have to resurrect several accidental cinematographer,” not
recognizable historical figures in a believable way. We’re one gifted with a Kodak Brownie in
working with several scientists to develop a machine- my cradle. As a student at USC
learning/AI process that uses existing footage to teach Cinema, I envisioned a career as a
Edlund photo by Owen Roizman, ASC.

the computer to re-create the personality of the person writer of film history and aesthetics,
you want to re-create. The results are stunning. When I certainly not what the trades still
started working on Star Wars in 1975, it took 40 to 90 dismissively label a “lenser.” One
people two years to finish 365 effects shots. Today a movie has thousands of shots evening after work in 1969, when I
and hundreds of artists with virtually god-like power over the image. Pretty soon you was still a new camera assistant
won’t be able to believe everything you see because image-manipulation technology recently initiated into the IATSE
really can do anything. The future is exciting … and scary. camera local, I went to see The
Conformist with my mentor, the
— I. M. techno-whiz cinematographer Jim

30 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 Dickson. I was learning from Jim the Sharon Calahan, ASC, on cinematography’s role
mechanics of the motion-picture in new media
camera: lenses and apertures, depth Improvements in digital technology are rapidly
of field, field of view, exposure. That expanding what’s cinematographically possible in
evening, watching Bertolucci and computer feature animation and video games. Raw
Storaro’s work in a quiet Laemmle computer speed, cloud computing and memory caching
Westwood theater with Jim, I had a facilitate faster, more complex image generation; physi-
“Road to Damascus” revelation of cally based shading and lighting support greater realism;
the power of filmmaking thanks to motion capture and VR enhance previsualization; and
the rich marriage of technique and tools to emulate film stocks, lenses and camera moves, or
aesthetics these two supreme artists create innovative looks are more powerful. The virtual
had created. It is a conviction that shooting environment increasingly resembles the live-
has sustained me for more than 50 action one in which everything is “in camera.” Likewise, in
years. a hybridized live-action working environment, the cinematographer can see close-to-
From the very first public final visual effects “in camera” on a set monitor. Our ability to create within these
screening by the Lumière brothers in increasingly sophisticated digital environments in real time will require increasingly
the Salon Indien du Grand Café on interactive, collaborative, synchronous and contextual workflows.
Dec. 28, 1895, to our present home
streaming of theatrically intended — I. M.
movies during the Covid-19 stay-at-
home order, the side-by-side march Booths were packed with eager novel). Menges wrote to me about
of technology and aesthetics has young film students as well as work- how quickly technology had
remained a defining hallmark of ing veterans, all exhibiting hands-on changed during his six-year hiatus
cinema. It gives us great pleasure concentration. As a veteran of the since the dark drama Redemption
today to extol the near-daily Analog Age of perforated film, one (2013). Yet, as if by instinct, his cine-
advances of digital technology as if it who’s still working in the shifting matography in Waiting for the
were the edge of a new Golden Age landscape between film and digital Barbarians is revelatory, as always.
in filmmaking. During last year’s (my first foray into digital was 2001’s Near the end of his article
Camerimage festival, dozens of The Anniversary Party), I find myself about the future of cinema, Shamroy
companies and vendors exhibited a increasingly swamped by it all, envisioned what this future might
mind-numbing array of cameras, reliant on a crew of digital natives — look like, and his comments are
lenses, recording and storage not unlike the great cinematographer remarkably prescient:
devices, postproduction software, Chris Menges, ASC, BSC on his as- Not too far off is the “electronic
and large-screen monitors —  the yet-unreleased film, Waiting for the camera.” A compact, lightweight box no
future of cinema here in the present. Barbarians (from John Coetzee’s larger than a Kodak Brownie, it will
Dibie photo by Owen Roizman, ASC. Calahan photo courtesy of Pixar.

George Spiro Dibie, ASC, on the next generation the ability to be a creative collab-
of cinematographers orator that will carry you through
The ASC was founded on the idea of making the future a career — that, passion and love.
better by sharing experience and educating anyone who Without those things, you will
would listen; that was the original purpose of American never make it. People around you
Cinematographer. First, we are storytellers. Second, we are need to see and hear your
collaborators, and not only with the director, but with many passion. And we must love one
other departments, from sound to production design to another to be good collaborators.
makeup to props to the actors in front of the camera. And Because many young people
we have to support one another. That is the essence of what today will not rise up through the
we try to communicate to every student who attends our system as we did, we have to
Education & Outreach Committee events, whether it be at the continually stress storytelling and
Clubhouse or a trade show. But it’s a constant struggle the need to collaborate over just
because young people get very caught up in the latest tech- making beautiful pictures.
nology and think that’s the solution to everything. It’s not; it’s
just a tool to tell the story, and it will always be changing. It’s — D. E. W.

www.ascmag.com August 2020 31

 The Future of Cinematography
early in their careers, technological
David Stump, ASC, on the application and artistic shifts that included the
of new technology introduction of sync sound and three-
Timing makes a big difference in how a strip Technicolor. Shamroy’s first
technology will affect our approach to making credit was the 1926 silent feature
films and telling stories. When I first started talk- Pirates of the Sky. His last silent film
ing about metadata, people questioned the was in 1928, a short from Poe’s
value of it — and they still do! — but if I can point The Tell-Tale Heart. That same year
to one thing that’s integral to the development also saw Toland’s experimental silent
of new technologies, it’s metadata. For instance, gem, The Life and Death of 9413,
the virtual cinematography that integrates a Hollywood Extra. (Both can be
videogame graphic technology like Unreal found on YouTube.) These two shorts,
Engine with live-action photography depends shot by iconic cinematographers then
110 percent on real-time data from a lens — where its focus is, what its length is, in their mid 20s, are stunningly
height, tilt — and if you can’t deliver that metadata in real time, the technology fails. experimental, embracing the new
Group consciousness moves much more slowly than individual consciousness film style of German Expressionism
because it takes time for a large group of people to absorb an idea and make it their in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari or
own. Metadata is just coming out of the chasm between early adopters and an early Nosferatu, movies whose visuals still
majority of users, and most of these users are a younger generation of filmmakers for astound us.
whom videogames have always been around. Now enough of them have assimilated Film scholar Sohail Daulatzai
into the digital environment and made it their own, and enough technologies — has written an insightful essay on
game engines, digital cameras, computers, VR — are simultaneously available that The Battle of Algiers, a film that, like
people can see how they fit together. The Conformist, revolutionized cine-
matography. Directed by Gillo
— I. M. Pontecorvo and photographed in a
seemingly documentary style by
contain a highly sensitive pickup tube, possible to view the scene as it is being Marcello Gatti, this film, in its
100 times faster than present-day film recorded. Control of contrast and color nervous intensity, continues to influ-
stocks. A single-lens system will adjust will be possible before development. ence our camera style, a grammar
to any focal length by the operator Shamroy wrote this at the start reflected in the rough cellphone
merely turning a knob, and will replace of the movies’ electronic age. We videos shot today by witnesses to
the cumbersome interchangeable lenses recognize elements of his “future” as real events, disturbing images that
[of] today. Instead of waiting for a day our own present. But what is our are redefining our society. In ways
—or days, in the case of shooting with future? never imagined a generation ago, the
color — electronic monitor screens Shamroy and Toland witnessed “democratization” of image making
connected into the system will make it seismic changes in motion pictures has become a weapon for social

Bill Dill, ASC, on the effect of can create high-quality imagery, filmmaking has
democratized technology become a more democratic medium. The gate-
When I was a kid, my mother would send keepers are dead. Yes, budgets are smaller, and I
me to pick up The Buffalo Evening News and the wish the director of photography still had unques-
Buffalo Criterion. The Evening News was a white tioned control, but that’s the way of the world:
newspaper, and the Criterion was Black. The from the concentrated to the atomized. The deter-
Evening News’ photographs were these amazing, mining factor of human creativity will never be its
beautiful half-tones — well shot, lit, composed mechanical tools; it’s your voice, and finding that
Dill photo by Owen Roizman, ASC.

and printed. The Criterion’s were terrible, muddy isn’t easy. As an educator, I spend the vast majority
half-tones of half-tones. And Black movies had a of my time helping people figure out what they
particular look that had to do with the amount of want to say and how to best say it with an image.
money allocated to their making. How do you overcome that More often than not, the most direct route to creating work
image of yourself? It’s significant for Black folks to have access that resonates with an audience is creating work that
to quality imagery; it says something about you as a group. For resonates with you.
my part, I wanted to make movies that were excellent in their
technical execution and creativity. Now that digital cameras — I. M.

32 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 The Future of Cinematography
Dennis Muren, ASC, on navigating the story by carefully crafting light and shadows and
temptations of limitless possibilities spaces into feelings. We make images that
I see an exciting but complicated future for emotionally resonate and are appropriate for each
cinematographers. We used to follow the guide- moment. I’ve always been attracted to this: the
lines of our predecessors, but our checklists of final, compelling moving image. So what happens
“how-tos” and “final” have blown up with the with the media where cinematographers usually
acceleration of technology. are not included, such as theme-park videos, CG
Display sizes can vary from inches to games, animated CG features and VR experiences?
hundreds of feet in many different resolutions. Our The look of the content sometimes seems to be an
images now show more detail and a wider spec- afterthought. We should be in there, helping
trum of tones and colors, but hidden away are problems that enhance the experiences. In the field of visual effects, where
you can’t see until you run into them. Edges in composited separate disciplines must come together as one shot, there are
shots can show mismatches in resolution, lighting, focus point, seldom any lucky accidents. It takes thoughtfulness, experience
motion blurring and color matching. Camera sensors come with and concentration to make fantastical scenes convincing and
their own artifacts, which can cause mismatches when also visually understandable, emotionally resonant and appro-
compositing CG into live action. CG renderers look different. priate for the story. That sounds like cinematography, and we
Different sensors have their own curves. Metadata can be should be the ones to write the new checklists for the future.
clumsy. And a DI can change everything. We seem to be living

Muren photo courtesy of ILM.

in a world of endless innovation. We know how to enhance a — I. M.

justice. Sean Baker’s edgy, streetwise an anomaly, but a harbinger. images grounded only in their own
feature film Tangerine, breathing an Today’s high-concept, VFX- memes. It’s difficult to see beyond
urgent documentary immediacy, was larded filmmaking factories churn- this wave’s leading edge to know
photographed on an iPhone with an ing out mostly escapist diversion are whether our movies can regain some
anamorphic attachment. It was not swamped in a tsunami of chaotic correspondence to the real-life

34
dramas unfolding before us. Sam Nicholson, ASC, on the collision of
These ever-propagating tent- production and postproduction
pole/franchise movies are certainly Virtual production is a new tool that is largely a
challenging for a filmmaker like me, combination of live-action cinematography and virtual
one admittedly steeped in classic film assets in real time. It’s a director of photography’s dream
history. I’ve become increasingly in terms of creating with finished visual effects. Over the
anxious that the dazzling image- years, I’ve helped to develop new approaches to digital
making tools we now wield might set extensions and virtual assets. [My company]
become instruments for creating not Stargate’s latest is “ThruView,” a system for real-time
“cinema,” but “content.” I recall the virtual asset rendering in an augmented-reality environ-
subtitle of Daulatzai’s essay: “Past as ment, with emissive OLED screens and interactive light-
Prologue.” We recognize that the great ing. It shifts control from postproduction back to the camera. You spend your money
cinematographers who came before us in prep — from set design to depth of field — rather than in post, presuming you’ve
are kindred spirits, colleagues in a made up your mind about what you want to see. When you walk on set, your assets
seamless creative continuum that must be complete, organized and optimized for high-speed playback. You respond to
explores new pathways in technology the director, the DP and actors in real time. The final image is visible in camera,
— but as a means to deepen our own through the lens. It’s a very different animal than postproduction.
human experiences. Great images
document a continuous present — I. M.
regardless of the time of their creation.
Confined by the Covid-19 lock- technical future of film will be — VR, individually and collectively to give
down and facing an uncertain socio- yet another round of 3D, or some- ourselves over to this magical synthe-
economic and political future, we may thing like the deeply immersive expe- sis of visual storytelling is not only
find solace in the thought that rience of Iñárritu and Lubezki’s Carne the art form’s past, but also its
although none of us knows what the y Arena — cinema’s power to move us present and future. u

35
 Portraits of the Artists

Members of the Society of Motion Founded in 1995 by a group of professional unit

Picture Still Photographers (SMPSP)

photographers, the Society of Motion Picture Still

help chronicle the history of

Photographers (SMPSP) is a nonprofit, honorary organiza-

production — and cinematography

tion dedicated to the art and preservation of set still
photography. Its members represent some of the world’s
leading international unit still photographers, and is
comprised of full members who are currently working in
Gallery selections by
the field, honorary members who are now retired or are
Charlie Lieberman, ASC fellow photographers working in association with film
and Stephen Pizzello and television, and associate members who are select
industry professionals working in fields that support the
On any set visit American Cinematographer’s editors and organization’s craft. Further information about the
writers have made over the years, our first question is SMPSP’s members and mission, as well as photo galleries
almost always the same: “Where can I find the set photog- and portfolios of its individual members’ work, can be
rapher?” found on the group’s website: smpsp.org.
These very talented individuals have been among In the following pages, you’ll find a gallery of stills
the magazine’s best friends over the years, providing us that capture cinematographers — including many ASC
with informative, instructive and artistic images of film- members — at work on a variety of sets and locations.
makers; the tools and techniques they employ; and the Acting on our behalf, SMPSP President Hopper Stone
sets, stages and locations they work on. No centennial reached out to his organization’s photographers for
issue would be complete without a tip of the cap to these submissions, and the response was extremely enthusiastic;
consummate professionals — and, by extension, to the Hopper passed some 650 shots along to AC. We truly
publicists from the same union (ICG Local 600) who help wish we had enough pages available to run all of the
us access their images. outstanding work we received, but space limitations

36 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 tt A shot by SMPSP President
Hopper Stone taken on the
greenscreen VFX stage for the 2003
feature Daredevil, shot by Ericson
Core. t Cinematographer Amelia
Vincent, ASC (right) confers with
director Kasi Lemmons during
production of The Caveman’s
Valentine in an image taken by
Kerry Hayes, SMPSP. q Edward
Lachman, ASC was captured at work
on Mildred Pierce by Andrew
Schwartz, SMPSP.

mandated a selection. ASC member

Charlie Lieberman, an excellent still
photographer who has curated
several of the Society’s photo exhibi-
tions, helped editor-in-chief and
publisher Stephen Pizzello make the
final picks for publication in this
issue. However, you can access addi-
tional images via our website at
ascmag.com/articles/smpsp-gallery.
We also asked Hopper to say a
few words on behalf of his organiza-
tion and his fellow photographers. He
replied, “When I applied to the
SMPSP in 2011, there was one ques-
tion on the application: ‘Why do you
want to join the SMPSP?’ I knew right
off the bat that “because I want initials “Without film stills, textbooks “Any still photographer worth
after my name in the screen credits” on the subject would be pretty dry. their salt will tell you that what we
was not a good answer — although The movie camera doesn’t capture the most enjoy shooting are behind-the-
you’d be surprised how many appli- chemistry between the actor and the scenes photos. If you’ll please excuse
cants actually offer up a variation of director as they discuss a scene. It the use of a cliché, that is where the
that answer. I really had to think. Why does not capture the moments of real magic happens. Honestly, it never
All images courtesy of the SMPSP.

did I want to join? levity that happen between takes gets old.
“The still photographer doesn’t among crewmembers and actors, and “We at the Society of Motion
only produce publicity material. it certainly does not capture the sweat Picture Still Photographers are
Rather, the industry’s still photogra- on the brow of the cinematographer as honored and gratified to be a part of
phers are the shepherds of film he or she transmits photons to cellu- this issue showcasing 100 years of the
history. We have the awesome respon- loid —  or silicone — and transforms work that our esteemed colleagues at
sibility of making sure that the world smoke and mirrors into stories that the ASC and American Cinematographer
around a movie exists for posterity. endure.  have brought to the world.” ➔
www.ascmag.com August 2020 37
 Portraits of the Artists

p François
Duhamel, SMPSP
found Roger
Deakins, ASC, BSC on
the front lines during
the filming of
Jarhead. u Scott
Garfield, SMPSP
orbited Bradford
Young, ASC on the
set of the
forthcoming feature
Space Jam: A New
Legacy.

38 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 t Ellen Kuras, ASC steps to the fore
on the set of Away We Go, in a still
by François Duhamel, SMPSP.
qt Linus Sandgren, ASC, FSF
simulates a test flight by astronaut
Neil Armstrong (played by Ryan
Gosling) for First Man in a photo by
Daniel C. McFadden, SMPSP.
qu A shot by Mark Rogers, SMPSP
shows Russell Crowe taking a
peek over the shoulder of Andrew
Lesnie, ASC, ACS on the set of The
Water Diviner.

www.ascmag.com August 2020 39

 Portraits of the Artists

p Mandy Walker,
ASC, ACS on the set
of Hidden Figures in a
shot by Hopper
Stone, SMPSP.
u Greig Fraser, ASC,
ACS frames up actor
Tannishtha
Chatterjee on the set
of Lion in a still by
Mark Rogers, SMPSP.

40 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 t Uta Briesewitz, ASC
composes a high-school
basketball scene for the
series Hung in a shot by
Lacey Terrell, SMPSP.
qt Hoyte van Hoytema,
ASC, FSF, NSC peers through
an airlock while shooting Ad
Astra in an image by François
Duhamel, SMPSP.qu Chris
Menges, ASC, BSC (at
camera), 1st AC Gregor
Tavenner (left) and dolly grip
Brendon Malone on location
shooting Extremely Loud &
Incredibly Close (2011), with
stills coverage by Duhamel.
qqt Remi Adefarasin, BSC
(right) with actors Ricky
Gervais (left) and Stephen
Merchant while shooting
Cemetery Junction, as
captured by Giles Keyte,
SMPSP. qqu A portrait
of M. David Mullen, ASC
by Terrell.

www.ascmag.com August 2020 41

 Portraits of the Artists

p Matthew
Libatique, ASC
examines his light
meter — and Tony
Stark’s armor — on
the set of Iron Man 2
in a still by François
Duhamel, SMPSP.
u Emmanuel Lubezki,
ASC, AMC takes five
with a companion
while shooting
Lemony Snicket’s A
Series of Unfortunate
Events in another
photo by Duhamel.

42 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

p Cinematographer Nicola Pecorini (right) goes out on a ledge for director Terry Gilliam while filming Tideland, in a still by François Duhamel, SMPSP.
q In another shot by Duhamel, Robert Elswit, ASC adjusts his lighting on the set of There Will Be Blood.

www.ascmag.com August 2020 43

 Portraits of the Artists

p Robert Richardson,
ASC preps a scene with
actor Dakota Fanning for
Quentin Tarantino’s
Once Upon a Time … in
Hollywood, in a still by
Andrew Cooper, SMPSP.
u Frederick Elmes, ASC
supports director Lisa
Cholodenko while
shooting Olive Kitteridge,
as observed by JoJo
Whilden, SMPSP.

44 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 p Reed Morano, ASC
shoulders the camera
while shooting the
series Vinyl, in a still
by Macall Polay,
SMPSP. t Nicola
Goode, SMPSP caught
this shot of
cinematographer
Daniel Patterson
working on a Cadillac
Escalade car spot with
director Spike Lee.

www.ascmag.com August 2020 45

 Portraits of the Artists

p During production
of The Prestige,
Wally Pfister, ASC
surveys the set while
director Christopher
Nolan peers through his
viewfinder, in an image
by François Duhamel,
SMPSP. u Photographer
Kim Gottlieb-Walker, an
honorary member of the
SMPSP, found director
John Carpenter and
cinematographer Dean
Cundey, ASC giving each
other pointers on
location during
production of Escape
From New York.

46 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 t While shooting
Lucky, Tim
Suhrstedt, ASC
angles in on actor
Harry Dean Stanton
as director John
Carroll Lynch checks
his notes, in a still
by Stefania Rosini,
SMPSP. q Shelly
Johnson, ASC
adjusts a fixture
while shooting
Captain America:
The First Avenger,
as captured by Jay
Maidment, SMPSP.

www.ascmag.com August 2020 47

 Portraits of the Artists

p Kramer Morgenthau, ASC has everything in hand on the set of Thor: The Dark World, as observed by Jay Maidment, SMPSP. q Paul Cameron, ASC wets
down a street while shooting The Commuter, in another shot by Maidment.

48 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 p Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC captures the launch
of actor Oakes Fegley while shooting The
Goldfinch, in a moment frozen by Macall Polay,
SMPSP. t Philippe Rousselot, ASC, AFC
and Tom Cruise discuss an upcoming scene in
Lions for Lambs, with still photography by
François Duhamel, SMPSP. qt An on-set
portrait of Anthony B. Richmond, ASC, BSC by
Daniel C. McFadden, SMPSP. qu Anette
Haellmigk finds her next shot in a photo by
Lacey Terrell, SMPSP.

www.ascmag.com August 2020 49

 Portraits of the Artists

50
 tt Cinematographer Romain Lacourbas, AFC examines a high angle for the series ZeroZeroZero, in a
shot by Stefania Rosini, SMPSP. t Adam Arkapaw reflects on his next composition for Season 1 of True
Detective in an image by Lacey Terrell, SMPSP. p Andrew Cooper, SMPSP found Janusz Kaminski
basking in the light while shooting Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds.

51
 A Brief History of AC
The editors and eras of
American Cinematographer
By Andrew Fish

After its founding in 1919, the ASC editor and the general manager of the
began publishing The American ASC. The book expanded to 48 pages,
Cinematographer. The first issue, and typical content included articles
November 1920, launched an institu- such as “The Value of Photographic
tion that informs, supports and Training to a Motion Picture Director,”
inspires the global motion-picture and coverage of camera-silencing
community. This special 100th- devices.
anniversary issue offers a look back at Charles J. VerHalen became
defining moments in AC’s history, and editor in October 1932, and the next
the following is a concise chronicle issue was the first to showcase a
highlighting the editors who guided behind-the-scenes photo on the cover.
the magazine through its first century. AC continued to delve into issues
The inaugural editor of AC was facing cinematographers, with such
“Captain Jack” Poland, former editor pieces as “You’re Surrounded With
of Static Flashes — the newsletter of the Continuity” (March ’33) and
Static Club, the West Coast organiza- “Cinematographic Working Conditions
tion that merged with the Cinema in London Studios” (June ’36).
Camera Club (its East Coast counter- VerHalen was succeeded by longtime AC writer Herb A. Lightman
part) to later form the ASC. Under George Blaisdell (March 1937- briefly assume the editorship after
Poland, AC was the first Hollywood December 1940) and William Stull, Gavin’s untimely death. Will Lane
trade publication, and presented philo- ASC (January 1941-July 1943), and edited the March 1965 issue, and then
sophical pieces about the profession, then Hall returned, leading the publi- Don C. Hoefler served through
information on cinematographers’ cation through 1945. Articles covered January 1966. Lightman resumed duty
latest projects, and thoughts about such subjects as the new “Animaction” in February 1966 and continued
productions of the day, as well as spot- unit at Hugh Harmon Productions — through June 1982.
lights on emerging technologies “making it possible to combine the “I didn’t edit from a desk,”
including electric light and color talents of live actors and animated Lightman said, “but traveled to where
photography. characters in a single scene with star- films were being shot to get a close-up
In March 1922, AC became a tling realism.” look at moviemaking, and often shot
monthly magazine. Three editors Walter R. Greene was AC editor my own photos to go with the articles.”
followed Poland in rapid succession: from December 1945-June 1948, and He steered AC away from amateur cine-
Mary B. Howe (January-July 1921), S. the ’50s were ushered in under the matography to focus on professionals.
Earle Nise (August 1921) and Silas editorship of Arthur E. Gavin, who The magazine also covered interna-
Edgar Snyder (September 1921-June held the position through January tional and independent films, and
1922). The July 1922 issue was credited 1965. With the 1950s came the prolifer- documented the Space Race as well as
to Alfred B. Hitchens, and Foster ation of TV and increasing coverage of the New Hollywood revolution — and
Goss took the helm in August. The small-screen production. AC also the dawning of the age of the block-
“The” was removed from the maga- continued its longstanding focus on buster with such films as Jaws (March
zine’s title upon the cover’s redesign in “amateur” cinematography, a popular ’75) and Star Wars (July ’77).
September 1923. In September 1927, topic covering 16mm, 8mm and later When Lightman departed,
Snyder returned to the editor’s desk. Super 8 filmmaking. Richard Patterson became the maga-
In May 1929, Hal Hall became The February 1965 issue saw zine’s editor and business manager. In

52 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 addition to organizing AC “more as a the first time, and we also started to techniques that resulted in some of
business,” he also oversaw a complete cover the ways in which computers AC’s best-selling issues ever (April and
redesign that drew the monthly closer affected cinematographers’ work.” May ’00, respectively). Today, Probst is
Collage by Ryan Patrick O’Hara, using AC covers and www.turbomosaic.com technology.

to the look of the publication we know Our current editor-in-chief and an ASC cinematographer and the tech-
today, while increasing coverage on publisher, Stephen Pizzello, began his nical editor of the magazine, and
Collage based on photo of the ASC Clubhouse by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC, with

new electronic image-capture and top-spot tenure in July 1995. He assem- Holben is an ASC associate and editor-
manipulation. bled “a global network of freelancers, author of AC’s Shot Craft column.
George Turner succeeded expanding the magazine’s reach. The Pizzello notes that although
Patterson in May 1985 and brought AC staff and I have worked to raise the “technical matters remain a corner-
into the ’90s with cover stories on films profile of AC within the entertainment stone of AC’s content, I try to embrace
including The Color Purple (Feb. ’86); industry at large — beyond the both the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of cine-
Empire of the Sun (Jan. ’88) and Who community that has known us well for matography. Some of our most
Framed Roger Rabbit (July ’88), and a 100 years.” Another priority has been to esteemed ASC members feel that why
50th-anniversary retrospective on ensure that with each “tectonic shift” — they do things is more important than
Citizen Kane (Aug. ’91). Meanwhile, the such as the evolution of digital visual how they do them. Motion-picture
latest technologies were explored with effects, the digital intermediate and equipment changes at a rapid pace, but
lighting by Donald M. Morgan, ASC.

such pieces as “Film to Tape Mysteries digital capture — “the magazine keeps creative instinct and intent is timeless.”
Unraveled” and “Computer up with the technology.” With print and digital editions
Animation Comes of Age.” In-depth features with a strong and a strong online presence, American
David Heuring became editor in technical focus continue to be popular. Cinematographer continues to expand in
February 1992. “I tried to make sure the In 2000, two young filmmakers new directions, keeping close record of
writing was always first-rate,” he said. Pizzello hired to write for AC, image-making and this unique art
“My models were National Geographic Christopher Probst and Jay Holben, form’s ongoing evolution. u
and Smithsonian. I also moved into new teamed for an exhaustive comparison
areas … AC covered a music video for of motion-picture negatives and lab

www.ascmag.com August 2020 53

 Collected
Wisdom
A selection of highlights from
past eras of AC

Researched by Stephen Pizzello,

Ryan Patrick O’Hara and David E. Williams
For the sake of the historical record, these curated (and November 1922
minimally edited) excerpts from AC’s pages of days past are re- From “The Editors’ Corner,” by Foster Goss
published here complete with their original insights and Despite the expansion and popularity of motion
anachronisms, and should be considered products of their time. pictures, the public has not yet learned to regard the well-
made production as the result of the combined efforts of a
March 1922 corps of experts. The “one-man” idea — that a single star or
From “How Much Are We Worth?” producer is the brains of the entire operation — still persists.
by John Leezer, ASC The successful motion picture is no more a “one-man”
What is the most important thing about any struc- affair than a consistently successful football team can be a
ture? The foundation, of course. What is the foundation of “one-man” organization, even though some star or coach
this business? Photography! On the whole, I should say may monopolize attention with such a contingent.
that the photographer bears a rather important relation to “Team work” for success applies in motion pictures
the industry, but what compensation has he had? Usually just as the maxim holds true in other quarters. And the
the more important or responsible a position the greater eminently successful productions have evolved from such
the compensation. The following ratio is a fair example of co-operation. It may be that some stars or producers have
real conditions. Directors’ salary, 600.00; Star, 1,000.00; attempted to make themselves the “know all” within their
Photographer, 250.00. No matter what the conditions, the organizations because they were paying the salaries, seeking
ratio remains the same. to move about the members of their staff as so many puppets
The motion picture photographer, as well as any without consulting or making the most of the intelligence of
other artist, must decide what he will ask for his labor. If the people in their employ, but such individuals if they have
he can not get it or, in other words, if the law of supply not already, will eventually flounder by the wayside. This
and demand does not operate to his advantage, he can does not mean that the employer should be ruled by his
take up something else until such time as he may consci- employee, but he who boasts that he pays the salaries owes
entiously work as an artist again. it to himself at least to encourage his employee — if this term
must be used — to exercise his creative ability to the utmost.
•••
•••

54 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 tt The cover of the March 1922 issue offers a bold mission statement from ASC
members.t In that same issue, John Leezer, ASC spoke up about cinematographers’ value
to productions, sharing a page with an early Zeiss ad (enlarged here). p A page from the
May 1929 issue touts a new camera crane invented by Dr. Paul Fejos, built by the
Consolidated Steel Corporation and employed by Hal Mohr, ASC on the feature Broadway.
pu A Jan. 1935 piece by Victor Milner, ASC maintains that cinematographers should be
brought onto productions early in prep to facilitate better planning.

August 1926 portrayed on the screen. Some of Cinematographers have developed

From “What It Takes to Be a these characteristics are visible on the this faculty to a marked extent, it
Cinematographer,” countenance and in human actions, would be incalculable to the industry if
by Daniel B. Clark, ASC and some are invisible. In the more Producers and Directors made it
The artistic is probably the portrayal of a character, cinemato- a rule to consult the Cinematographer
dominant note in the success of the graphically, it often is necessary to earlier in the preparatory stages of
cinematographer. In the artistic lies eliminate the visible and reveal the production, and to allow him more
the basis of presenting the subject in a invisible, either by adaptation of light ample time to familiarize himself with
visually pleasing manner. The cine- or by any other of the things which the script before actual filming
matographer with artistic ability does are a part of the cinematographer’s commences. There would result, of
not worry if a subject lacks beautiful stock in trade. It is only by knowing course, an immediate commercial
qualities. The experience that is pecu- his subject thoroughly from a human advantage gained through more
liar to him teaches him that after all interest standpoint that the cine- complete pre-production cooperation
“art” is not “what” but “how.” As matographer can decide upon just between the Cinematographer and the
proof of this, the homeliest sandpile, what treatment to use in a given case. Art-Directors and Costumers, in that
the flattest landscape, or, on the other the physical production and the
hand, the most irregular features can ••• photography would be better coordi-
be made, by thoughtful treatment, nated beforehand, with less need of
beautiful to look upon. However, that January 1935 alterations during actual shooting.
which we term as artistic ability has From “Creating Moods With
Photos courtesy of the AC Archive.

no value at all unless the possessor Light,” by Victor Milner, ASC •••
has a balance of judgment of how, The real art of lighting for
when and where to use it … mood and tempo must depend August 1935
Being a student of human primarily upon the individual From “James Wong Howe —
nature is a very important factor in Cinematographer’s artistic sense, An Uncommon Artist,”
the calling of the cinematographer. and upon his ability to visualize in by Harry Burdick
All human beings have certain char- terms of lighting. The true artist always conceals
acteristics, and these must be Since the majority of the effort. He takes his technical perfec-

www.ascmag.com August 2020 55

 Collected Wisdom

t Harry Burdick penned a glowing salute to

esteemed ASC member James Wong Howe for
the Aug. 1935 issue. p A Feb. 1932 ad placed by
Kodak distributor J.E. Brulatour, Inc., and
illustrated by ASC member Glenn R. Kershner,
lauds Eastman’s “supersensitive panchromatic
negative.”

February 1944
From “What It Takes to Be
a Cameraman,”
by Phil Tannura, ASC
Despite the fact that both the
cameraman and the director assigned
to a production are working towards
the same end, some directors unwit-
tingly work against their own inter-
ests by being at cross purposes with
the cameraman by failing to take him
into their confidence …
Then there are certain stars —
tion for granted; and it becomes but a trusive in her appearance. It should who owe their positions in the firma-
means, not the end itself. It is as the not be conspicuous either for being ment of the Hollywood heaven, to
concert pianist who plays composi- over-dressed nor under-dressed. some extent at least, to the camera-
tions requiring extreme technical skill Jimmy wants a scene to look man’s skill — who consistently work
and impresses his audience with his humanly and naturally real, rather against their own interests by adopt-
exhibition of mechanical deftness, than being only a demonstration of ing unorthodox ideas about the
compared with the artist who with no the scientific perfection attained by manner in which they should be
noticeable exertion to divert his audi- chemists. With the new, faster and photographed and by demanding
ence makes sweet music. better lenses, film and lights available, that their ideas be carried out …
Screened photography, to he can see scenes photographed Under any circumstances a
Jimmy, should never be obtrusive, it under actual lighting; a candle-lit cameraman works among people
should not screamingly clamor for table actually lit by candles. Giving who are extroverts and temperamen-
notice. Its perfection should be so truthfulness and fidelity of reproduc- tal, frequently under conditions of
unassumingly perfect as not to pull tion from life to the screen. nervous strain in which tempera-
audience attention from the unfolding ments clash. Therefore, in order that
drama. It should be as a well-dressed ••• he may better, and more quickly get
woman — reticent, confident, unob- the result he is after, a cameraman

56 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

must be a psychologist. And, if he
would accomplish his end harmo-
niously, a diplomat too …
Finally, having achieved recog-
nition for his work, a cameraman
must guard against becoming too
methodical; in the sense that his work
becomes typed. Within the elastic
framework of the fundamentals of his
profession he must continue to exper-
iment. The good cameraman is he
who dares. Like all other creative
work his will be better for spontaneity
and nuance. He will be defeated in
this objective if he is forced to turn out
motion pictures on a mass-production
method. No cameraman can go on
endlessly from one picture to another
without sacrificing something of the
picture and of his professional self.

••• p Covers from the

Feb. 1935, Nov. 1940
and Feb. 1949
February 1949 issues.t An ad placed
From “The Case for on behalf of
the Cameramen,” Technicolor and its
president, Herbert T.
by Lewis Adler Kalmus, expresses
Cinematographers of Holly- gratitude to skilled
wood are agreed that one of the cinematographers for
showcasing the
important things the producers company’s signature
should consider, in aiming for greater processes.
economy in motion picture produc-
tion, is closer cooperation with the
cameramen. The history of motion
picture production shows that when-
ever a recession has struck the indus-
try, the directors of photography
invariably are among the first to be
put on the spot for high production
costs. There’s a tendency to criticize
instead of facing up to the facts. We are quite frequently brought about Directors, too, are often respon-
hear the same criticism again about through shortsightedness in planning sible for costly delays. Some will
the cameraman whose last picture and by inexcusable ignorance of the shoot from five to twenty takes of
required, say, forty days to shoot cameraman’s problems. Despite the every scene, but if the cameraman
instead of the scheduled thirty. knowledge of the art director and the halts the proceedings for just a
There’s the needling of cameramen producer, it is always possible for the moment to adjust a light, they are
fortunate to be employed to “step on cameraman sitting in on a planning quick to complain. Such directors are
it”— “speed up!”— and the tendency session to suggest many shortcuts. On constantly on the spot for slowed
of a producer to do a quick switch to the other hand, if those who plan and production and often succeed in pass-
some cameraman who has bragged of design sets have not a full conception ing the buck to the cameraman. Those
his ability to cut production costs by of the cameraman’s problems on the in the front office, for reasons best
some strange new system … set, time wasting situations are bound known to themselves, will seldom
Delays on the set which so often to arise when it comes time to shoot openly criticize a director, but they
reflect unfavorably on the cameraman the picture … have no compunctions about calling

www.ascmag.com August 2020 57

 Collected Wisdom

pt The cover of the June 1955 issue shows Cecil B. DeMille directing Yul Brynner as Ramses II and Anne Baxter as Nefertiti in The Ten Commandments, while
ASC member Loyal Griggs (standing between Brynner and DeMille) prepares to roll the VistaVision camera. Visible at left in the background is makeup artist
Frank Westmore. pu 1950s issues of AC focused attention on new big-screen formats such as CinemaScope and 3D.

a cameraman on the carpet, once he’s tude we find today. Also occasionally closeups and over-shoulder shots,
suspected of braking production speed. the unscrupulous one — the fellow of because the lens would not capture
It is situations such as these that too dubious skill who seeks to advance the full field of vision that they
often develop the production office himself by assuming a false front of wanted to show. Today, if Griffith
viewpoint that leads to criticism of the ability. Hasn’t he, too, contributed were using CinemaScope, he would
cameraman for conditions beyond his something toward creating the critical seldom have to move in close with the
control. attitude toward cameramen in some camera, nor would he change angles
So often we have the situation studios? often.
where the cameraman of twenty or Griffith regretted that the
twenty-five years experience is working ••• narrowness of the screen made it
with a director or producer who has necessary to cut from cause to effect,
recently come into the business. There is May 1953 instead of being able to present them
a wide gap between the knowledge of From “Filming the Big simultaneously. CinemaScope over-
one and the relative inexperience of the Dimension,” comes this limitation.
other that invariably creates friction by Leon Shamroy, ASC Henry Koster, currently direct-
where the tendency is not to consider the The Robe, Twentieth Century- ing The Robe, is making full use of this
wisdom of the more experienced man. Fox studio’s initial CinemaScope new freedom. In almost every shot
Not all directors, of course, pass production, will show what D. W. cause and effect are so closely linked
the buck to their cameraman. There are Griffith always wanted to show but they are as one. This brings added
many cinematographers who are highly seldom could— cause and effect at the meaning, impact and flow to every
respected by directors who lean heavily same time. It is destined to open a sequence, and, of course, to the entire
upon the cameraman’s ability and expe- new era in motion pictures. production.
rience in staging and photographing a CinemaScope is the key which
successful production. Many directors, unlocks the door to the future. Darryl •••
as well as stars, will not undertake a Zanuck decided that Frank Ross’
picture unless they can have a cine- production of The Robe was to be in June 1955
matographer of known ability in charge CinemaScope and Technicolor From “The Cinematographer
of the camera. because it is the ideal subject for this and the Independent,”
As in all crafts, there are bound to broad, personal medium. by Frank Daugherty
be a few uncooperative cameramen, and Griffith and his cameraman, Is it a good time for the cine-
perhaps the records of one or two have Billy Bitzer, were forced to invent new matographer who has been with a
contributed to the present critical atti- ways to use the camera, including major studio for a long time to think

58 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

of making a change to the indepen- t A Jan. 1949 ad placed by Bell & Howell
showcases Cooke Speed Panchro lenses.
dent field? What has the director of q AC editor Herb A. Lightman interviewed
photography to give the independent Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock for the
picture? Does work in the indepen- May 1967 issue.
dent field lead naturally to television?
Are there more problems for the no. I would do it in bright sunshine
photographer in the independent with no place to hide, in open prairie
field than for the same photographer country. And what is the mood? A
in a major studio? sinister mood. There’s not a sign of
These questions are generating where the menace can come from, but
in many photographers’ minds today. eventually it turns up in the form of a
Independent production is burgeon- crop-duster airplane. Someone inside
ing. So is television. Is it time for a the plane shoots at Cary Grant and he
change? has nowhere to hide.
Joseph La Shelle, ASC, who
spent 24 years at Fox, and has recently •••
been working in the independent
field (having just completed Storm June 1968
Fear with Cornel Wilde for the latter’s From “Filming 2001: A Space
independent company), has had to in trying to get mood is the cliché, the Odyssey,” by Herb A.
answer some of these questions for shadows in the room and what have Lightman
himself. you. I spend half of my time avoiding 2001: A Space Odyssey abounds
The major lot director of the cliché, in terms of scenes. In North in unusual settings, but perhaps the
photography, La Shelle says, has a by Northwest, the girl sends Cary most exotic of them all is the giant
definite and growing place in the Grant to a rendezvous where we centrifuge which serves as the main
independent field, because he is know an attempt will be made to kill compartment of the Discovery space-
equipped by experience to save costs him. Now the cliché treatment would craft and is, we are told, an accurate
and to aid a production considerably be to show him standing on the representation of the type of device
in the pre-production planning. He corner of the street in a pool of light. that will be used to create artificial
works more closely in this field with The cobbles are washed by the recent gravity for overcoming weightless-
the writer, the producer, and the rains. Cut to a face peering out of a ness during future deep-space
director; and story, cast, and ways of window. Cut to a black cat slithering voyages.
lining up shots for the greatest econ- along the bottom of a wall. Wait for a Costing $750,000, the space-
omy in effort and money get his delib- black limousine to come along. I said going “ferris wheel” was built by the
erate consideration. These matters, in Vickers-Armstrong Engineering
the majors, are too likely to be depart- Group. It was 38 feet in diameter and
mentalized and not reach his atten- about 10 feet in width at its widest
tion, or receive his direction, until the point. It rotated at a maximum speed
day the picture goes before the of three miles per hour and had built
cameras. into it desks, consoles, bunks for the
astronauts and tomb-like containers
••• for their hibernating companions.
All of the lighting units, as well
May 1967 as the rear-projectors used to flash
From “Hitchcock Talks About readouts onto the console scopes, had
Lights, Camera, Action,” to be firmly fixed to the centrifuge
an interview by structure and be capable of function-
Herb A. Lightman ing while moving in a 360° circle. The
AC: What do you feel are the magazine mechanisms of the Super-
most important elements to be Panavision cameras had to be
considered in the establishment of specially modified by Panavision to
mood on the screen? operate efficiently even when the
Alfred Hitchcock: I think, to cameras were upside down.
sum it up in one way, the risk you run “There were basically two types

www.ascmag.com August 2020 59

 Collected Wisdom
January 1972
From “The Last Picture Show
— A Study in Black
and White”
AC: I’d like to ask first, how it
came about that The Last Picture
Show was photographed in black and
white instead of in color.
Robert Surtees, ASC: That’s the
question I’m asked most often. It’s
generally understood in the industry
that it’s harder to sell a black and
white picture to TV later on, because
all features are shot in color now.
They’re afraid that TV viewers, seeing
a relatively new picture on the tube, in
black and white, will think some-
thing’s gone wrong with their
receivers. The idea of shooting in black
p The cover and an interior page from AC’s June 1968 issue, which presented extensive coverage of Stanley and white came from the director,
Kubrick’s sci-fi 2001: A Space Odyssey. The magazine’s visit to the movie’s sets produced insights from Peter Bogdanovich. He had become
Kubrick, cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, BSC, and other key members of the filmmaking team. well known as a film critic (the only
American critic who liked American
of camera set-ups used inside the Kubrick directed the action of pictures) and also as a film historian,
centrifuge,” Kubrick explains. “In the these sequences from outside by and had studied the styles of all of the
first type the camera was mounted watching a closed-circuit monitor outstanding films of the past. He is a
stationary to the set, so that when the relaying a picture from a small vidi- great admirer of John Ford and Orson
set rotated in a 360° arc, the camera con camera mounted next to the film Welles, technically speaking, and has
went right along with it. However, in camera inside the centrifuge. Of the written books about both of them. He
terms of visual orientation, the specific lighting problems that had to especially liked Citizen Kane and in our
camera didn’t ‘know’ it was moving. be solved, he says: ‘‘It took a lot of preliminary meetings, before I was
In other words, on the screen it careful pre-planning with the definitely assigned to the picture, he
appears that the camera is standing Lighting Cameraman, Geoffrey asked what I thought about shooting
still, while the actor walks away from Unsworth, and Production Designer his picture in black and white.
it, up the wall, around the top and Tony Masters to devise lighting that Naturally, I said it would be great. It
down the other side. In the second would look natural, and, at the same would be a change. Gosh, I don’t
type of shot the camera, mounted on a time, do the job photographically. All know how many years it’s been since
miniature dolly, stayed with the actor of the lighting for the scenes inside I’ve done a black and white picture.
at the bottom while the whole set the centrifuge came from strip lights Basically, what we did was go
moved past him. This was not as along the walls. Some of the units back and use some of the techniques of
simple as it sounds because, due to were concealed in coves, but others Orson Welles — but not as extreme,
the fact that the camera had to main- could be seen when the camera angle because we were shooting in all real
tain some distance from the actor, it was wide enough. It was difficult for interiors and on a very small budget. It
was necessary to position it about 20 the cameraman to get enough light takes a huge amount of foot-candles to
feet up the wall— and have it stay in inside the centrifuge and he had to get extreme depth of field shots
that position as the set rotated. This shoot with his lens wide open practi- indoors and we had neither the room
was accomplished by means of a steel cally all of the time.” in our “sets” nor the budget to accom-
cable from the outside which modate a lot of big lighting units. As
connected with the camera through a ••• for style, Bogdanovich and I arrived at
slot in the center of the floor and ran the idea that the photography should
around the entire centrifuge. The slot look as if it had been done by an expe-
was concealed by rubber mats that fell rienced amateur who had a camera he
back into place as soon as the cable could hold awfully steady and who
passed them.” liked to drop in on people and photo-

60 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

graph them. This meant getting away
from certain things we’ve done photo-
graphically in every picture over the
years — things like lighting a wall so
that streaks of shadow fall onto it.
Instead, I decided to light the walls with
soft, flat light. As it was, we had to put
most of our lighting units on the floor
and hide them everywhere in the actual
interiors.
AC: There’s no way for them to
gain that black and white experience
anymore, is there?
Surtees: No — that’s the trouble.
All that experience is gone. I hate to see
black and white go completely. I think
we’ve lost a great tool, because it’s
absolutely right for certain types of
stories. It’s like the difference between a pt In the Jan. 1972 issue, Robert Surtees, ASC discusses his striking use of black-and-white
cinematography for The Last Picture Show. pu An Angēnieux ad from the Jan. 1969 issue. q In 1969,
painting and an etching. The work that renowned photojournalist Gordon Parks testified to the quality of the Arriflex 35 camera, which he and
Arthur Miller used to do in black and cinematographer Burnett Guffey, ASC had employed on the feature The Learning Tree. Twenty years
white, for example — it was like an etch- later, in 1989, the film became one of the first 25 titles selected by the U.S. Library of Congress to be
preserved for all time in the National Film Registry.
ing, just beautiful art. It’s simply not
possible to get the same kind of halftones
in color that you can get in black and
white.

•••

February 1978
From “The Mind Behind Close
Encounters of the Third Kind,”
an interview with Steven
Spielberg by the film’s 2nd-unit
cinematographer,
Steven Poster, ASC
Poster: What kinds of things
happened in your earlier films that may
have taught you to handle the pres-
sures?
Spielberg: Only that the worst
they can do is fire you; they can’t kill back and laugh and tell yourself that it was designed in papier mâché and
you. I’ve always taken movies seriously, the movie business is a wonderful, plaster — 12 x 18 inches. I’d laugh. It
but I’ve always sort of had my tongue in intoxicating carnival, but that if you was a big erector set.
my cheek at the same time. When you take it too seriously, it’ll kill you. But
stand back and get those sudden if you can always laugh about it when •••
precious moments of total objectivity the pressure is really on — if you can
and you see 100 people running around, stand back and find something funny June 1984
doing their jobs, trying to impress their to laugh at — it’s a way of saving From “Laszlo Kovacs, ASC
partner, dropping things, making your presence of mind, and this is and Ghostbusters,” 
mistakes, crying over their mistakes, what I do when things get really bad, by Randy Lofficier
losing their tempers, locking themselves like on Close Encounters. I’d go up on Ghostbusters had its beginnings
in their dressing rooms, spilling their a scaffold, look down at this 400 x in the fertile mind of comedian/
coffee, losing their money — you just sit 200-foot concept, and remember how writer Dan Aykroyd. One of the orig-

www.ascmag.com August 2020 61

 Collected Wisdom

t Steven Poster, ASC, who supervised second-unit cinematography on Close Encounters of

the Third Kind, interviewed director Steven Spielberg about their collaboration for the Feb.
1978 issue of AC. The production earned an Academy Award for director of photography
Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, HSC, who commented on his own work on the movie in the Jan. 1978
issue. p The 1984 box-office hit Ghostbusters teamed ASC great Laszlo Kovacs with director
Ivan Reitman, who asked Kovacs to shoot the comedy more like a drama to lend onscreen
credibility to the story’s outrageous supernatural elements.

inal stars of NBC’s Saturday Night effects — some of his matte painters want this film to look like a comedy.
Live, Aykroyd’s film career includes and artists, and myself. We had actual He wanted it to look just like a
1941, The Blues Brothers and Trading sketches available to all of us to give dramatic piece. Afterwards, I thought
Places. Aykroyd reportedly wrote a us a very strong idea of what to about it and realized it was really a
first draft screenplay and showed it to expect and create. Everybody has to great approach. It really made
longtime friend and fellow Saturday have an idea of what is going on in tremendous sense.
Night Live alumnus, Bill Murray. the scenes, especially the gaffer. “Automatically, everybody
Murray and Aykroyd, in turn took the Certain things had to be pre-planned shoots comedy in the traditional
idea to director Ivan Reitman, who and set up, lighting-wise. Without the approach. Very high-key photogra-
was instrumental in shifting the storyboards, we couldn’t have done phy, bright, cheerful, and all that. I’ve
emphasis from pure fantasy to wilder that because, for certain things, you done other comedies before and, for
comedy. can’t wait until the day of production. various reasons, I always followed the
Director of photography Laszlo A lot of things have to be prepared old, traditional way of lighting
Kovacs, ASC [HSC] was chosen to before then. For example, I used the comedy film. But, when you think of
photograph the picture. Kovacs’ cred- largest arcs ever built in Hollywood. it, comedy is really a piece of drama.
its include Easy Rider; The King of They built 16 of them, and I used 14! I It’s in fact, harder to do than a drama.
Marvin Gardens; Paper Moon; had specially built shutters for these Especially a film with this subject
Nickelodeon; New York, New York; and, arcs, because we needed to simulate a matter — ghosts getting loose in New
more recently, Frances and Crackers. lightning effect. So every shot had to York, which is kind of a silly idea. So,
Kovacs describes his involve- be very carefully designed.” if you don’t treat it seriously visually,
ment with the film: “I had never done Photographing Ghostbusters as you would a drama, it’s not going
anything like this before. That’s why I indeed presented its own set of prob- to have any credibility.”
was very excited when Ivan asked me lems. The situations which arise in the
to do this film. It was such a challenge film, and which are humorous to the •••
because there were so many different viewer, are taken very seriously by
facets to it, the magnitude of the the characters. Therefore, the filming February 1988
visual effects, [shooting in] the 65mm was done as if the film were a drama, From “School Daze — Black
format, and so forth. and not a comedy. “I can be grateful College Is Background,”
“We had a pretty close commu- to Ivan,” says Kovacs, “because the by Linda Lynton
nication between Ivan, Richard first thing he told me — and I love There have been plenty of films
Edlund, ASC — supervisor of special him for that! — was that he didn’t made about college life over the years,

62 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 u Ernest Dickerson, ASC discussed School Daze,
one of his early collaborations with director
Spike Lee, in the Feb. 1988 issue of AC.
qt The magazine’s 80th-anniversary issue in
March 1999 put a new spin on the iconic March
1922 cover by placing senior editor David E.
Williams (now AC’s web director and associate
publisher) in an astronaut suit to “film the
universe.” qu In 1992, director Quentin
Tarantino and cinematographer Andrzej Sekula
gave AC editor Stephen Pizzello early interviews
about their collaboration on Reservoir Dogs.

but [writer-director] Spike Lee’s

School Daze is probably the first film to
ever focus specifically on the Black
college experience.
Based on Lee’s observations
from his college days at Morehouse in
Atlanta, the film explores the conflicts
of class and color among students of a
fictitious, well-established Southern
Black school called Mission College.
The action takes place over homecom-
ing weekend, starting Friday night
and ending Sunday morning.
“School Daze is about student
apathy and class divisions within the
Black community,” said cinematogra-
pher Ernest Dickerson, who has
collaborated with Lee on every one of
his films since they were both gradu-
ate students at NYU Film School.
Dickerson himself attended one
of Lee’s school’s traditional rivals,
Howard University, in Washington,
D.C. “Mission College has financial
interests in South Africa, and the main
character — Dap, played by Larry
Fishburne — leads a campaign to
persuade the school to divest them.
However, most of the students either
aren’t interested in his activist move-
ment or don’t want to rock the boat.
They just want an education in order
to get a good job,” he describes.
Although the tension builds up
until Dap realizes he is “talking to a comedy in the Grand Old MGM the darkness of the night.
brick wall, for even his friends start Tradition (although it’s Columbia This is quite a change from the
questioning his motives,” the film which is footing this bill). There are low-budget independent movies that
ends on a high note. “Everyone comes five main characters, 75 speaking Lee, Dickerson and production
together at the end of the weekend roles and a cast of [apparent] thou- designer Wynn Thomas have worked
because they finally understand that sands — Dickerson manipulates his on before.
they have one common identity: they camera so 500 extras look like 5,000. She’s Gotta Have It, which was
are all Black Americans,’’ said Lee. There are also eight musical numbers Lee’s first and at that time
But don’t let the intensity of this and crowd scenes including one that Dickerson’s third feature film, aston-
story fool you. School Daze is a musical stretches for a quarter of a mile into ished the film community in 1986 by

www.ascmag.com August 2020 63

 Collected Wisdom

Classic ads from Sony (March 1974, touting the company’s video cameras), Steadicam (Feb. 1978, featuring inventor and ASC associate Garrett Brown) and
Fujifilm (Feb. 1997, spotlighting its film stock and the legendary cool of ASC member Steven Shaw).

being produced in 12 days on a total ••• tor are just vital,” Sekula maintains.
budget of $175,000. By the end of that “You can create a skeletal plan for a
year the film had grossed $7 million. November 1992 shoot, but the real art of cinematogra-
It was the critical success and Reservoir Dogs, shot by phy is in the improvisation. If you
profitability of this film that persuaded Andrzej Sekula and directed keep the lines of communication
Columbia to put up $6 million to by Quentin Tarantino open, it usually leads to those sudden
finance School Daze, which went into From “From Rags to Reservoir inspirations that make a film special.”
production in early March, 1987. Dogs,” by Stephen Pizzello
With such an enormous jump in “I’m a stickler about framing, so •••
film budget size even Lee admits that basically I controlled the framing and
many people at the time openly Andrzej controlled the lighting,” February 1997
wondered if he and his crew could Tarantino adds. “I’ll have a few ideas From “George Lucas: Past,
handle it. Eight weeks later, when about the lighting, but his ideas are Present and Future,” an
production ended on time, within going to be far richer than mine; he interview by Ron Magid
budget and with no reshooting, it was knows a lot more about it. Likewise, AC: So you feel that the art of
clear they could. he’s going to have some ideas about cinematography won’t be dimin-
Dickerson voiced a sense of the framing that will always be taken ished just because the technology is
technical and creative satisfaction into account. While I was at changing.
from working with a larger budget Sundance, Terry Gilliam said to me, Lucas: I like to think of the cine-
and longer time frame than he had for ‘You know, Quentin, it’s funny, you matographer as an artist, not as a
his previous movies. “When I shot have very arch framing. I’m really technician. I am very much for the art
Brother from Another Planet in 25 days going to be curious to see what of cinematography, but I don’t worry
and Krush Groove in 24 days, it was a happens when you work with a cine- about the technology, because the
case of getting it done as fast as possi- matographer and filter your ideas technology changes all the time. I deal
ble in the best way I could. Having through another person. I think it will with this in film schools. They say,
eight weeks to shoot School Daze soften your ideas a bit and make them ‘Well, we need more 16mm cameras,
meant I had the time to put a lot more just right.’ And that’s what Andrzej the kids want to work on 16.’ And I
quality into each shoot,” he said. did. The rough edges were showing say, ‘Why do you need film cameras
Dickerson feels that the rigorous just a bit, and that one baby-step back at all? Give ’em Hi-8 cameras and let
financial training of independent gave me what I wanted and kept the ’em learn that it’s not how you oper-
filmmaking helped the School Daze shots from looking like wild filmmak- ate the camera that’s important, it’s
team create a “$6 million movie that ing for its own sake.” how you decide what the lighting is,
looks like $15 million.” “Conversations with the direc- what the images and graphics are,

64 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 t Longtime contributor Ron Magid visited Skywalker Ranch to interview
George Lucas for the Feb. 1997 issue. p AC made a memorable trip to the
sets of Titanic in Rosarito, Mexico to observe the epic collaboration
between director James Cameron and ASC member Russell Carpenter,
whose jaw-dropping cinematography earned him an Academy Award.
u The magazine’s Aug. 1998 coverage of Saving Private Ryan features
interviews with director Steven Spielberg, Oscar-winning cinematographer
Janusz Kaminski, and key members of the camera crew.

and how they move in the frame.’ cated. Our safety divers were just out achieved with both in-camera tricks
Those are the things that are impor- of camera range when the actors were and other technological means. First
tant — not whether you can figure out doing these kinds of things, where off, I thought about the lenses they
what your f-stop is supposed to be. they had just inches of space to catch a had back in the 1940s. Obviously,
You can figure that out — that’s the breath. It looks real because it basi- those lenses were inferior compared
math and the technology — but the f- cally is real — except that we could to what we have today, so I had
stop and the lens ratio and everything instantly stop the water, and the Panavision strip the protective coat-
shift from year to year depending on divers were right there. But the situa- ings off a set of older Ultraspeeds.
what aspect ratio you’re using, what tion certainly put the actors and the Interestingly, when we analyzed the
kind of cameras you’re using and camera crew through some paces.” lenses, the focus and sharpness didn’t
what kinds of mediums you’re using. change very much, though there was
What you really want to focus on is ••• some deterioration; what really
the artistry — the thinking behind all changed was the contrast and color
of that. August 1998 rendering. The contrast became much
Saving Private Ryan, shot by flatter. Without the coatings, the light
••• Janusz Kaminski and directed enters the lens and then bounces all
by Steven Spielberg around, so the image becomes kind of
December 1997 From “The Last Great War,” foggy but still sharp. Also, it’s much
Titanic, shot by Russell by Christopher Probst easier to get flares, which automati-
Carpenter, ASC and directed Saving Private Ryan begins with cally diffuses the light and the colors
by James Cameron a truly harrowing 25-minute depic- to a degree and lends a little haze to
From “All Hands on Deck,” tion of the carnage and chaos experi- the image…
by David E. Williams enced by the soldiers storming “Next, we shot a lot of the film
Something beyond frustration Omaha Beach. Both Spielberg and with the camera’s shutter set at 45 or
and closer to fright is the feeling Kaminski sought to infuse the 90 degrees. The 45-degree shutter was
Carpenter describes as he recalls the sequence with a high degree of real- especially effective while filming
filming of the flooding scenes. He ism, and studied newsreels and docu- explosions. When the sand is blasted
expounds, “Jim likes to film ‘real for mentaries shot by combat cameramen in the air, you can see every particle,
real’ — that is, to construct a shooting in order to capture a true sense of the almost every grain, coming down.
scenario that is as true to the situation insanity and frenetic panic of war. That idea was born out of our tests,
being depicted as possible. For exam- “We wanted to create the illusion that and it created a definite sense of real-
ple, there are scenes in Titanic where there were several combat camera- ity and urgency.”
Rose and Jack are trapped below men landing with the troops at
decks and the water is rising so fast Normandy,” the cinematographer •••
that you have to wonder how they submits. “I think we succeeded in
can get out before they are really emulating the look of that footage for
crushed into the ceiling and suffo- the invasion scenes, which we ➔
www.ascmag.com August 2020 65
 Collected Wisdom

The June 2000 issue features interviews with Academy Award winner Conrad L. Hall (American Beauty) and ASC Award nominee Tak Fujimoto (The Sixth Sense); the
Dec. 2001 issue offers insights from Andrew Lesnie, ASC, ACS about his Oscar-winning work on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Lesnie is shown
here on the set of Rise of the Planet of the Apes alongside actor Andy Serkis, who played the roles of Caesar (in Apes) and Gollum (in Rings) with the aid of a
motion-capture suit.

June 2000 June 2000 December 2001

American Beauty, shot by The Sixth Sense, shot by The Lord of the Rings: The
Conrad L. Hall, ASC and Tak Fujimoto, ASC and Fellowship of the Ring, shot
directed by Sam Mendes directed by M. Night by Andrew Lesnie, ASC, ACS
From “Impeccable Images,” Shyamalan and directed by Peter Jackson
by Christopher Probst From “Impeccable Images,” From “Ring Bearers,”
“When I interviewed for the by Jay Holben by Simon Gray
film, I told Sam that I loved the script, The final revelation of the Although he forged an immedi-
but I was very concerned with how story’s major plot secret made it ate rapport with Jackson, Lesnie still

Conrad Hall photo by François Duhamel, SMPSP; Tak Fujimoto photo by Ron Phillips;
we were going to ultimately like these necessary for the filmmakers to plant took a few days to say yes to the Lord
characters,” Hall recalls. “They were clues throughout the film that the of the Rings project. “After all,” he says,
all so quirky, dysfunctional and basi- majority of the audience would not “we’re talking about 15 months of
cally unlikable people. However, Sam even notice. This was carefully done principal photography; multiple units
said if we didn’t like these characters, through costume design, lighting and shooting simultaneously; huge sets;
we were in deep, dark trouble and vigilant blocking of scenes. Willis’ rugged locations ranging from snow-
couldn’t possibly have a successful clothing, for example, was meticu- capped mountaintops accessible only
film. He made it clear to me that it lously chosen to appear slightly by helicopter to actual swamps; and

Andrew Lesnie/Andy Serkis photo by Joe Lederer, SMPSP.

was quite simple to like these charac- different in various lighting situa- macro, miniature, aerial, scenic, moun-
ters by examining my own psyche tions. “The material would look tain and water photography — as well
—  he asked if there weren’t deep, subtly different — grays, grayish-blue as the issue of maintaining one’s phys-
dark areas within myself that I or grayish-brown — depending on ical, emotional and intellectual
perhaps didn’t necessarily act out on, what light it was in,” confirms stamina over a two-year period.”
but felt nonetheless. It then became Shyamalan. “Tak made sure to light it
quite easy to identify [with] a lot of slightly differently from scene to •••
their dysfunctionality, because it’s scene, but in a very controlled way so
within us, too.” as not to draw any attention to it. The
objective was for the audience not to
••• notice at all.”

•••

66 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 Left to right: In 2002, Robert Richardson, ASC provided the magazine with memorable entries from the journal he kept while shooting The Four Feathers; the
April 2004 issue spotlighted the surreal cinematography Ellen Kuras, ASC lent to Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; brothers and industry
stalwarts Denny and Terry Clairmont, of Clairmont Camera, appeared together in this July 1997 ad for Angēnieux’s 25-250HR lens.

October 2002 unseen. Can I apply this to the streets that you’re in a memory, or a memory
From “Desert Storm,” by Jay of London following Harry’s leaving of a memory, but the reality of where
Holben, featuring excerpts from of the regiment? A broken officer you are in time and space is not
Robert Richardson, ASC’s slinking at night in the shadows of exactly clear,” Kuras explains. “One of
production diary for London streets… the ways Michel wanted to suggest
The Four Feathers Desert as penance? We can do this visually was by calling back to
Perhaps the Sudan, with its better than this weak and overused early cinema, where magicians were
bleached whites and yellows, should concept. When one overcomes its using live-action practical effects in
initially feel liberating from the defined physical and mental hardships, the order to change time and space. He
and overbearing weight of architecture desert offers “freedom unattainable in didn’t want them to feel or look
and Society in England. The joy that the civilization” (Thesiger). Tranquility completely seamless. In one of the
boys feel in being summoned to fight and satisfaction. Personal courage scenes, he wanted me to shake the
for God and country should explode and an indomitable self-confidence camera so we could see it was a hand-
upon their arrival in the desert, but the drive Harry as these very qualities held effect in camera, as opposed to a
country’s vastness will reduce their have driven his father, General locked-off superimposition effect or
sense of self. Faversham. The apple doesn’t fall far double exposure. That was the
Proportion a key here. Explore from the tree. Men of one stamp. enigma of the film to me: trompe l’oeil
contrast. Extreme contrast. Let the transitions that were not transparent
Photo of Robert Richardson, ASC by Andrew Cooper, SMPSP.

bleached whites and crushed blacks ••• film language, but the lighting
give home to fear, to mystery, to the sources had to be naturalistic at the
unknown. Single-source lighting, pools, April 2004 same time.”
fragments of the single source. Broken, Eternal Sunshine of the
bleeding hot whites framed by pitch Spotless Mind, shot by Ellen •••
black. Black as infinity? Sculpt with Kuras, ASC and directed by
black. Direct the eye. Further, create Michel Gondry December 2006
mystery in the blacks and, with more From “Forget Me Not,” Children of Men, shot by
difficulty, the bleached whites. Dust? by John Pavlus Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC,
Flood the audience with backlight. Let Running parallel to the direc- AMC and directed by
the dust scream during the battle. The tor’s desire for naturalism were his Alfonso Cuarón
sand of the desert burns. The shadows decidedly “unnatural” ideas for the From “Humanity’s Last Hope,”
of the dunes crash black. The prison film’s transitions between reality and by Benjamin B
— deeper yet into black. Force the audi- memory. “Much of the syntax of the Shot entirely handheld with
ence to ask what is lurking in the dramatic action leads you to believe very little film lighting, Children of

www.ascmag.com August 2020 67

 Collected Wisdom
started the movie, Darren and I went
to some stage plays in New York to
see how theatrical-lighting designers
dealt with live performance. In one
off-Broadway play starring Scott
Glenn, there was a scene where he
walked up to a doorway and this fluo-
rescent glow came on; I was struck by
how simple and effective the lighting
was, and I tried to apply that kind of
approach to this movie. The main
lesson I took away was that it doesn’t
really matter whether you see the
source — the audience will get an
idea of where the light’s coming from.
Because this movie had a theatrical
edge, I decided I could take more
pt Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC discussed his liberty with the lighting. I took a natu-
Oscar-nominated work on the dystopian sci-fi film ralistic approach, but didn’t try to
Children of Men in the Dec. 2006 issue.
p Matthew Libatique, ASC gave the magazine an
justify every source.
insightful 2010 interview about Black Swan,
which earned him the first of his two Academy •••
Award nominations. t A memorable Panavision
ad from the Jan. 1996 issue.
March 2018
evolved that much. Many films just Black Panther, shot by Rachel
cover the dialogue without really Morrison, ASC and directed
covering the visual dimension.” To by Ryan Coogler
avoid intercutting, much of Children of From “Warrior King,”
Men was shot in lengthy single takes, by Iain Marcks
which were shortened in editing “When Ryan said he was going
“either for rhythm or dramatic intent. to do  Black Panther, I immediately
We did the movie in long shots to try knew it wasn’t going to be a super-
to get the audience to feel they are hero movie in the traditional sense,”
there.” says Morrison. “There would be a
more powerful message behind it.
Men has a visual aesthetic that ••• The film wants to challenge the audi-
borders on documentary. Lubezki ence to think about how we treat not
recalls that the genesis of this look December 2010 only our neighbors, but people from
started with a decision to avoid stan- Black Swan, shot by Matthew all over the world.”
dard shot breakdowns. He explains Libatique, ASC and directed The film’s people-oriented
that he and Cuarón have an aversion by Darren Aronofsky focus was one of the things that
to traditional coverage, with “A-B-A- From “Danse Macabre,” attracted Morrison to the script,
B” intercutting of opposing shots of by Stephen Pizzello which was penned by Coogler and co-
two actors. “We decided to have every AC: How did your lighting writer Joe Robert Cole. “I’m much
shot be a shot in itself and avoid the philosophy take shape? more affected by stories that are
A-B-A-B of coverage, even though we Libatique: The beautiful thing grounded in humanity, and what I
couldn’t get away from doing it some- about Black Swan was that I could like about this film is that it’s not
times. The more I work this way, the apply what I’d learned on indepen- about aliens and it doesn’t go off into
more I realize that conventional dent films and what I’d learned on space,” the cinematographer remarks.
coverage is what makes most movies studio films. From a craft perspective, “It’s about real people, and it’s set in
feel the same. You go to see a comedy, this is probably the most satisfying this world.”
a drama, or a horror movie, and they movie I’ve ever done, because it had Morrison and Coogler first
all somehow feel the same. It’s as if some big-movie situations, like the collaborated on the independent
the cinematic language hasn’t really ballet, but in real settings. Before we feature  Fruitvale Station  (AC April

68 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

Rachel Morrison, ASC became the first woman to earn
an Academy Award nomination for cinematography
after shooting 2017’s Mudbound. She followed that
project with Black Panther, a blockbuster she discusses
in the March 2018 issue.

’13), which told a very real story about

the 2009 shooting death of Oscar Grant
by a BART police officer in Oakland,
Calif. “It never occurred to me then that
we would one day make a superhero
film,” the cinematographer muses.
“Now that I know Ryan better, it makes
perfect sense. Graphic novels, comic
books and superhero films were always
in his DNA, even if they weren’t in
mine. What we have in common is a
desire to challenge ourselves.” …
Morrison and Coogler employed
Arri’s Alexa Mini to help expand the
intimate, character-oriented visual
language they had employed  on
Fruitvale Station. For Coogler, bringing
that style to Black Panther’s epic canvas
meant taking a personal, subjective
approach to staging each scene; for
Morrison, it meant drawing upon her
background as a documentary camer-
aperson. “Documentaries are a great
training ground for shooting from the
gut and the heart,” she notes. “We
really wanted there to be a humanity to
our film, so the approach was almost
single-camera, to get really tight
eyelines and move with the characters,
to be very experiential with the camera-
work, and to create something intimate
but with scope.” u
 Drawing From
Experience were eventually introduced. In late 1927, as a part of a
restructuring of the magazine, editor Silas Edgar Snyder
hired a cartoonist named John Hill to illustrate covers and
articles. But AC soon found another cartoonist who could
more vividly portray the lives of cinematographers — one
of their own members, Glenn R. Kershner.
Kershner began his photographic career as Henry
Ford’s personal cinematographer from 1914 to 1921.
(According to a piece in the February 1930 issue of AC, his
work for the business magnate had evolved from a stint as
flute soloist in the Ford Band. The article went on to tout
the cinematographer/cartoonist/musician’s skills as
sculptor, fine-art painter, carpenter and stone mason.)
After moving on to Hollywood, Kershner worked for
Frank Lloyd, Tod Browning, Cecil B. DeMille, Samuel
Goldwyn, First National, Universal, Hal Roach, and
Famous Players-Lasky throughout the 1920s. A jack-of-all-
camera-trades, Kershner was on the Technicolor crew of
Ben-Hur in 1925, and became a cinematographer on
features and travelogues alike. He was an Akeley specialist
on bigger films, working with the specialty camera
designed for difficult location work. This skill garnered
him work on aerial films like Hell’s Angels (1930, directed
by Howard Hughes), and expedition work in exotic loca-
tions like Labrador and Tahiti — all experiences that
would inform his cartoon work. In one early cartoon, he
portrayed fellow ASC member Charles G. Clarke’s ill-fated
trip to Alaska to shoot film for Fox.
Kershner’s cartoons were seen in just about every

ASC member Glenn R. Kershner

issue of American Cinematographer from mid-1928 through
early 1931. This period saw the shift to sound production,

drew inspiration from his

experiments with new technologies such as wide film, and

profession to produce a series of

the ASC’s 10-year anniversary — all given life in his draw-

cartoons for the magazine

ings. During that anniversary year, Kershner produced a
cartoon each month celebrating the accomplishments of
the organization, and imagining the ASC as everything
from a construction crew to a field of four-leaf clovers.
By Luci Marzola Kershner also made ads for key suppliers such as the
Mitchell Camera Corp. and Eastman Kodak. His cartoon-
In 1920, the year after the ASC formed, the Society began ing work slowed from mid-1931, as he increasingly
publishing American Cinematographer as a bi-monthly. worked overseas. Kershner became a regular traveler to
While the earliest issues of AC lacked much in the way of the South Seas, even directing a B-movie called Island
visual elements, the magazine professionalized more over Captives in 1937. During World War II, he came back to
time, and photographs and graphics appeared. Imagery Hollywood, acting as the Senior Air Raid Warden for
became more common throughout the 1920s, and cartoons Culver City. In 1945, when Kershner was the subject of an

70 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

u A cartoon by Glenn R. Kershner, ASC from the
August 1928 issue of American Cinematographer.
uq This Kershner cartoon appeared in AC’s
January 1930 issue.

“Aces of the Camera” profile, the

magazine’s ongoing series on promi-
nent Society members, the story of his
life and career began with a single
word: “Adventure.” The pages that
followed detailed more of Kershner’s
exotic travels and mishaps than his
professional accomplishments —
though there was hardly any distinc-
tion.
Still, Kershner’s work at the
time was more reflective of the state
of the industry in the mid-1940s. He
had given up the adventurous life and
moved into process photography — a
common fate among experienced
camera operators from the silent era.
Kershner’s few cartoons from this
period portray this studio-based
work, even showing one of the work-
ers lamenting that he won’t get to go
fishing in Oregon, since location work
has been replaced by rear projection.
Kershner remained the art
editor of American Cinematographer
through 1948 and held a position on
the editorial board until the mid-
1950s, though he wrote only sporadi-
cally during this period. He retired to
Hawaii, where he lived an active life
until the age of 100. His cartoons from
the studio era remain a vivid illustra-
tion of the profound changes in the
industry and the role of the ASC’s
members.

For more information on

Kershner’s cartoons, see the author’s
forthcoming article in the Historical
Journal of Film, Radio and Television,
“The Illustrated Cameraman: Labor,
Industry, and Technological Change in
the Cartoons of Glenn Kershner, ASC.”
u

www.ascmag.com August 2020 71

 Odes to AC

Society members and other filmmakers reflect on

the impact of American Cinematographer
Compiled by Stephen Pizzello, Samantha Dillard,
Andrew Fish and Tara Jenkins

Paul Thomas Anderson Rodney Charters, ASC, CSC, NZCS

“I actually learned a lot of what I know by reading “From sound, to editing, to camera, the binding
American Cinematographer. The magazine has remained learning tool over the course of my film career has been to
very consistent over the years, which makes it timeless read about the experiences and solutions shared by fellow
and such a great archive. It’s the Holy Bible for filmmak- cinematographers in the ASC’s magazine — American
ers.” Cinematographer.”

Stephen H. Burum, ASC Christopher Chomyn, ASC

“I discovered American Cinematographer in the photo “I have always been amazed by the generosity of the
store where I would buy my 8mm Kodachrome  movie members of the ASC in sharing their experience and
film. I was pleased to see the real professional stories about knowledge with the world. Even today, American
the making of many of the movies I had seen. The behind- Cinematographer remains the most in-depth, most reliable,
the-scenes photos, the advertisements for and most trustworthy source of information I have found
professional  equipment, the advice by ASC cinematogra- anywhere in the world. Without access to American
phers and the secrets of the craft wowed me. After all these Cinematographer, I have no doubt that I would not have
years, it still does.” been able to build my career and would not have become
a member of the ASC.”
Tim Burton
“American Cinematographer is a great magazine that Jeff Cronenweth, ASC
I’ve always enjoyed reading. It’s good for people who “Story-driven, emotionally directed and visually
know about the technical side of filmmaking, but it’s also interpreted images are the art of cinematography.
good for people who want to learn more about it.” Committing those images to the screen, the challenges
those ideas create, the collaborative effort that is needed,

72 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 Steven Spielberg
and the shared knowledge that Richard Edlund, ASC “American Cinematographer has
supports those creative choices are the “I remember seeing the beauti- been a mainstay in my life. One of the
craft. ful black-and-white movie Hud after biggest honors I’ve ever received was
“American Cinematographer has I’d spent a couple of years at the USC when the magazine put one of my early
always been the embodiment of that Cinema department. I was already an films on the cover back in the 1970s.
to me, a powerful resource as well as a avid reader of American Everybody has their own measurement
great source of inspiration. AC allows Cinematographer, and in an interview, of success. For me, it was getting the cover
us to see the visions of our comrades, James Wong Howe, ASC let out one of of AC.”
present and past, with insight into his secrets: he shot its many exterior
developing technologies of the new scenes on Eastman Double X film with
and explanations of the old. But most a 23A56 filter — that is, deep orange
important to me is the mutual sharing coupled with process green. That very
of experiences with our peers as they striking combination canceled out all
strategize solutions to technical and blue light and made Patricia Neal and
narrative obstacles. My father, Jordan Paul Newman’s flesh tones seem
Cronenweth, ASC, and I always warm and vibrant, the backlit trees
agreed that the heart of what we do is lush, and the Texas land hot.
seek collaborative truth. It’s that “This discovery set me off on an
shared truth that makes both our endless quest to experiment with all
magazine and our craft unique.” kinds of filters to see how they could
Steven Spielberg and Jorge Valdés-Iga look at the April
be used to modify the mood and 2008 issue of AC, featuring the latter’s short movie.
Caleb Deschanel, ASC balance of scenes. I still read AC
“I discovered American eagerly because it gives me a chance
Cinematographer while at USC Film to meet the finest cinematographers of written, extremely informative and
School. Before that I hadn’t realized our day, and I find in its pages that creatively stimulating.
there was a magazine totally devoted they are still happy to share their “AC also provides me with the
to what I loved. It was part-inspiring discoveries.” latest information on new technology
and part-intimidating, but always in its articles and advertisements,
fascinating. The most uplifting aspect Michael Goi, ASC, ISC which keep me completely up to date
of reading it was discovering that “I first came across American on state-of-the-art equipment.”
cinematographers on a big Hollywood Cinematographer at the local camera
movie set had the same damn chal- store where I would go with my father Albert Hughes
lenges to get it right as we did — to buy 8mm digest versions of movies. “I was able to afford a subscrip-
maybe on bigger and more expensive It was the first magazine I read that tion to American Cinemtographer after
projects, but not with any greater care was about the people who make my first job in the early ’90s, and AC
or dedication.” movies and create the images. I was like my version of comic books in
collected every back issue I could find, my young years. I looked forward to
Bill Dill, ASC reading and re-reading every one. The every issue, reading it front to back,
“You can’t photograph what cinematographers who shot the just to learn how the pros did it. Little
you can’t see. That’s the guiding prin- movies in those pages became my did I know back then that I would
ciple of both my teaching and my heroes, and I would go see movies also find my future collaborator,
work. In order to photograph specifically because of who shot them.” director of photography Peter
anything in a powerful way, you have Deming [ASC], by reading the 1997
Magazine covers courtesy of the AC Archive.

to have a deep understanding of the Henner Hofmann, ASC, AMC issue featuring David Lynch’s Lost
story. That places the ultimate priority “I discovered American Highway. I was so taken with that
on communication between the direc- Cinematographer during my first year film, the visual style and the boldness
tor and the cinematographer. in film school. My fellow students and with its use of darkness, that I reached
Technical expertise alone isn’t enough. I shared the cost of buying two or out and set a meeting with Peter.
“American Cinematographer is three copies per year, which we then “At the time, my brother and I
about the role of the cinematographer treasured like rare, first-edition books. were prepping From Hell, and I
and its significance in this storytelling “Today, I still enjoy reading thought Peter would be the perfect fit.
process. It is not just a ‘how-to’ publi- about how cinematographers around In our first meeting, I brought the
cation.” the world are constantly reinventing issue and asked him if he could please
our craft. I find the articles to be well- sign it for me. I was totally a fan boy

www.ascmag.com August 2020 73

 Odes to AC
over his work and realized then as I The Natural. My young mind was on a conversation — you got a sense
do now that DPs are my rock stars. blown. I realized cinematography of each cinematographer’s philoso-
American Cinematographer is responsi- was not just a technique, but an art phy.
ble for me finding not only my friend form — it was just as important to the “I remember Jordan
of over 20 years, but also making a storytelling of a film as writing and Cronenweth talking about keeping it
dream come true by working with directing. From that moment forward, ‘simple, simple, simple.’ He would
one of the people I had read about in I devoured every issue of American use just one light in the right spot to
my favorite magazine of all time.” Cinematographer I could get my hands accomplish three or four different
on —  it was my own private film things — backlight, accent, fill. Such a
Paula Huidobro, AMC school.” pure way to convey story.
“In film school, I would go to “Over the years, AC has been a
the library and check out the issues of Rian Johnson marvelous resource for technical
American Cinematographer featuring all “When Steve [Yedlin, ASC] and information, and it continues to
the films I admired, and read about I were in our 20s and trying to get our capture the spirit of the cinematogra-
the lenses and film stocks. I still have first movie made, we would get every pher. AC has had an indelible impact
the notes I kept.” issue of American Cinematographer. It on my work, providing inspiration
was an invaluable tool for figuring that reaches far beyond its pages.”
Jon Joffin, ASC out how the pros did it. It was some-
“As a film student, one of the thing we learned so much from. And I Ellen Kuras, ASC
first articles I read in American remember with Brick, when Steve got “AC is a place where cine-
Cinematographer was an interview his very first article in there, it was matographers share our knowledge
with the legendary Caleb Deschanel, sort of like a ‘put it up on the wall’ in the spirit of creative camaraderie,
ASC. He discussed his work on The moment. But mostly, just as young and it introduces our work to those
Natural, and how he had used mostly filmmakers, I remember it especially. outside of Los Angeles. Having your
greys and blacks while restricting And to this day, it’s invaluable to be work acknowledged and recognized
reds. His color scheme created an able to hear [from] people you respect is critical if you’re going to continue
emotional impact upon the audience, and hear what their processes are. It’s working creatively in the film busi-
such as when the character Harriet pretty wonderful.” ness.”
[played by Barbara Hershey] first
appeared in the film. Because Harriet Shelly Johnson, ASC Robert Legato, ASC
was wearing a red rose that stood out “I started reading American “I got my first job because I was
visually, the audience understood Cinematographer in 1971, and I still can reading American Cinematographer.
instinctively that she would play an recall quotes from Howard Schwartz The day after graduation [from film
active role in the story. In the inter- [ASC]’s interviews with ASC icons school], I flew home to New Jersey. I
view, Deschanel went on to explain like Conrad Hall, Vilmos Zsigmond was on the plane and in no mood to
that he had created a visual point of and Jordan Cronenweth. Reading talk to anybody, so I just buried
view for each significant character in those interviews was like listening in myself in my American
Cinematographer magazine. The guy
next to me took a look at it and said,
Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF ‘So are you interested in the film busi-
“The magazine was my first teacher ness? You should give this guy a call.’
when I was a still photographer in the late He grabbed his business card and
’90s, dreaming about going to film school. wrote down a name.
And it continues to teach me today, after 20 “It was a director named Stu
years of practicing this craft. I still experi- Hagmann, who had directed a bunch
ence the excitement of seeing what my of Mission: Impossible [episodes] and
peers are doing, and what new experi- the film The Strawberry Statement, and
ments, ideas and impossible challenges he was a big-time commercial direc-
they set for themselves and how they solve tor. I literally called this guy for six
them. There is always something to learn, months until eventually he picked up
and the magazine never ceases to amaze and said, ‘What do you want?’ I told
me and inspire me.” him the story, and he thought it was
adorable. He invited me down, and I
showed him a commercial that I’d

74 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

directed and photographed. They Steven Shaw, ASC
hired me, and that was my first job — “When color scientist Joachim
all because I read the magazine!” Zell — ‘JZ,’ an ASC associate member
— heard Linus Sandgren [ASC, FSF]
Matthew Libatique, ASC saying that he wanted to duplicate a
“While I was in undergraduate lens effect he saw in E.T. for the new
school, I was running the register at Bond film, JZ said, ‘You should talk to
a local Tower Records when a Steven Shaw because he was there
customer placed a copy of American every day, pulling focus.’ So I got an
Cinematographer on the counter.  I email from Linus, asking, ‘How did you
stared at the cover — it was the guys get those red rings around those
January 1988 issue, featuring Empire flashlights at night?’
of the Sun — like I was 14 and check- “My producer Katelyn Cox and I
ing out a skateboarding magazine were prepping Parents Inc. for the Steven Shaw, ASC (right) and Panavision’s Jim Roudebush
examine AC’s coverage of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
for the first time. The customer Easterseals Disability Film Challenge
noticed my reaction and asked, when I mentioned Linus’ question to
‘Have you not seen this magazine Panavision’s Jim Roudebush, also an ASC Cinematographer magazine, featuring the
before?’ In a word… ‘NO!’ The associate member. And Jim went, ‘Hold on a interview with Allen Daviau [ASC] on how
customer responded, ‘It’s the last minute.’ He went upstairs and into the we did E.T., and there’s a photo in the maga-
one.’ I rushed to the local Bookstar Panavision archives, and he came out with zine of those flashlights. I was able to do
and found a copy on their news- the January 1983 issue of American research instantly, which was great.”
stand, and I bought a copy every
month after that until I was admitted
into the AFI. In fact, I used some of American Cinematographer every reading and re-reading old issues of
the loan money to buy a subscription month. I’ve been reading it since I American Cinematographer, going all
for the first time. was 17, and I find the combination of the way back to the 1920s. The maga-
“The magazine has endured as information and ideas totally exhila- zine was really my first film school,
a source of inspiration for me to this rating; without it, one could feel but more than a technical education,
day. The contents of every article can really isolated and miss out on learn- what I discovered in those pages
make one see things in a different ing new ideas and new tricks.” were the people who would become
way, and the choices made by other my mentors, artistic heroes and role
cinematographers and directors Donald A. Morgan, ASC models.
continue to teach — no matter how “I think it was in the mid ’90s “The human element of cine-
long you’ve been practicing our when I started to look at the maga- matography should never be
craft.” zine, because there were a lot of very ignored. Ultimately, it’s the people
cool movies and people talking behind the cameras that have a far
Seamus McGarvey, ASC, BSC about behind-the-scenes [tech- greater impact on the images created
“American Cinematographer is niques]. I was getting more and than the tools they employ.”
hugely important, not only as a tech- more involved with different looks
nical resource but, more importantly, [in my own work], so it was always Guillermo Navarro, ASC
as an international unifier of cine- great to read about how people were “Photography became my
matographers. The magazine is a doing certain things. companion early on, and it led me
cherished platform for sharing ideas “There are articles that I cut to my first job on a film set, shoot-
and innovations and for inspiring us out and keep if they’re about some- ing stills. After that, I was
all every month. Its archive of past thing I might want to think about completely hooked on making
issues charts the wonderful evolu- doing in the future. Recently, there moving pictures.
tion of our art form, and will was an article about the visual “Living in Mexico, when
continue to do so toward another effects in The Mandalorian — how someone would arrive with a copy
centennial!” they deal with backgrounds and of American Cinematographer, it was
video screens. I cut that one out!” like a beacon. It let me know there
Chris Menges, ASC, BSC actually were people able to dedi-
“It’s a long way away from the M. David Mullen, ASC cate their lives to cinematography;
Radnorshire hillside where we live, “As an undergraduate, I spent it was my inspiration to keep chas-
surrounded by sheep! But I get many hours in the UCLA library ing after my dream. AC is an impor-

www.ascmag.com August 2020 75

 Odes to AC
Armando Salas, ASC
Bradford Young, ASC “Deep in the back stack of my
“I’ve been really fortunate and give college library, I discovered American
thanks because American Cinematographer Cinematographer, and I proceeded to
has been allowing me to talk about my read all 10 years of magazines that
process since Pariah, and that’s the film the library had. I started with the
that I felt like started it all in so many ways. issues from that year, 1997, and
I know now that I can’t take that for worked my way back 10 years. The
granted. There are some really special magazine cemented the kinds of
image makers working now who need the ideas that I didn’t know how to
same documentation. It’s a blessing, really, verbalize — it gave a definition and
to be able to go from having a small little a shape to what I wanted to do with
thing, a few lines about Pariah, to then the rest of my life.”
having a couple write-ups about Ain’t Them
Bodies Saints, Mother of George, Arrival, Nancy Schreiber, ASC
and then having the cover on Solo. I don’t “After earning degrees in
take it lightly.” psychology and art history, I moved
to New York in search of a dream. As
a PA running an errand, I spotted
tant reference for keeping track of standard to see what people were American Cinematographer. I was
this medium’s evolution and our role doing, especially in the States.” hooked. I couldn’t get enough of the
as cinematographers. It is important rich, educational articles. I landed on
not only for those of us who are Robert Richardson, ASC a feature in the electrical depart-
working, but also for those who are “American Cinematographer is ment, and later worked my way up
coming up.” without question the finest and most the ranks from gaffer to director of
detailed periodical covering filmmak- photography. Every step of the way,
Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC ing, and teaching so many aspiring the magazine has been there to
“American Cinematographer is a cinematographers and directors a inspire and encourage me.”
great resource for all cinematogra- language. I was one of those cine-
phers, and I definitely keep using it matographers, and I can say without Martin Scorsese
and learning from it. Since [I was first question that the magazine was vital “American Cinematographer is a
featured in the magazine], I’ve found to my development and remains so. beacon that has illuminated the field
that it’s a very good resource as well Congratulations on providing such of cinematography and the motion
to keep track of what I’ve been doing brilliant coverage for 100 years.” picture industry for years, and I’ve
— how my ideas and techniques have been reading it since I was a film
been evolving through the different Owen Roizman, ASC student. AC is the definitive publica-
movies. I try to really go into detail “When I was a young cine- tion for cinematographers, and is
about the things I’m doing to share matographer trying to learn my craft, therefore very important within the
with others, but also for myself. It’s a I was always curious about how other industry. It’s where you go for unbi-
resource I go back to see, ‘Oh, that’s cinematographers achieved their art. I ased, honest, objective information
what I did back then. This is how I did wanted to know what kind of equip- about filmmaking — where you go
it or why I did it.’” ment they used, which film stocks for the real story.”
they chose, how they exposed their
Marcell Rév, HSC negatives, and any other bits of infor- Ridley Scott
“I’m from Budapest, Hungary. mation I could glean from them. I “AC is the only one. It’s great.
When I was in film school, there was turned to American Cinematographer It’s the best.”
this one place where you could buy for the answers. There have been lots
American Cinematographer, and every of changes in technology and equip- Dean Semler, ASC, ACS
month we would always go there to ment over the years, but fortunately, “As a young Aussie in love
buy the new issue. It allowed us to see my curiosity and insatiable quest of with the camera, finding a copy of
what was going on in the world, even knowledge have remained the same. I American Cinematographer in
though [the film industry] may have still look to AC each month to fulfill Adelaide was as hard as getting an
seemed very distant to us at the time, those desires.” American to spread Vegemite on his
but the magazine was the industry breakfast toast. But once I got my

76 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 “AC is a place where
hands on it, each edition was worth Larry Smith, BSC
its weight in gold, hugely inspira- “Stanley [Kubrick] consumed a

cinematographers share
tional and educational. All the direc- lot of books and journals, including
tors of photography I read about American Cinematographer, which he
were my teachers, albeit from a great
distance. In my wildest dreams, I
read religiously. He was always
waving the magazine under my nose
our knowledge in the spirit
couldn’t imagine actually being in
the pages of American
to see if I’d read this or that article.”
of creative camaraderie.”
Cinematographer. To me, it was like Steven Soderbergh
the Holy Grail of cinematography! “When you’ve seen a film that
Well, the wildest dreams can come you think is really extraordinarily cal articles about visual effects, and I
true!” shot, and you want somebody to tell very fondly remember scouring
you how the rabbit got in the hat, every ad in the magazine to discover
John Simmons, ASC American Cinematographer is invalu- the latest hardware.
“When I was in college at Fisk able.” “My bookcase still holds every
University, writer/director Carlton issue I ever bought, going back to at
Moss would come from Hollywood Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC least 1977. What quickly becomes
and teach a film course on a monthly “When I was sent to Kenya by apparent as I pull out old issues of
basis. His enthusiasm for the contri- my parents to learn a profession — as AC for reference is that dichotomy
bution of cinematography to the I did not like studying Greek and between how much things have
storytelling process was contagious, Latin in high school — my uncle, a changed and how much has
and the first time I saw the flicker of cinematographer who was hosting remained the same. The cameras and
the shutter through the eyepiece, I me in his home,  was a subscriber to hardware are now completely differ-
knew cinematography was what I American Cinematographer. Because of ent, but the can-do, problem-solving
wanted to do. the magazine, I realized where to mentality and spirit of adventure that
“Carlton gave me my first focus my professional dreams.” cinematographers embody has
subscription to American endured generations.”
Cinematographer. Through the pages David Stump, ASC
of the magazine, I got my technical “I have subscribed to American John Toll, ASC
introduction to the art and craft of Cinematographer since the 1970s, and “While I was in college, I
cinematography. It was an inspira- the arrival of each new issue always became aware of American
tion at the time, and I still look has been a moment of discovery for Cinematographer. The articles I read
forward to reading it each month. AC me. I can remember poring over made me aware of the whole world
continues to educate me.” historical articles about the glory of professional filmmaking and the
days of black-and-white and techni- work of accomplished cinematogra-

Dan Mindel, ASC, BSC, SASC “Lucasfilm has massive archives of

“The mandate that I was working everything, but what they don’t have is what
with from J.J. Abrams on The Force kind of lights they used on a particular set, or
Awakens was that he wanted to try and — who the gaffer was — that kind of stuff.
not replicate — but at least pay homage to [With the magazine] it’s possible to find out
the early Star Wars movies, and capture the intimate details.
some of the look and feel of them. He “When I lecture and talk to aspiring
suggested that I track down the lenses filmmakers, we often talk about the mono-
they used and try and emulate some of lithic movies — Star Wars and those kinds of
them. This is how the development of the things — and all you have to do is look in the
[Panavision Retro C anamorphic lenses] magazine to find out who did what and how
began, because I had done much research they did it. [You can] look back through the
via the American Cinematographer history of what we’ve done over the last 100
archive. [Having access to] every AC article years, and all the data, all the info, all the
that had anything to do with Star Wars details that are in the magazine are just
[that I could] sift through at my leisure priceless for us as filmmakers.”
was just a huge gift.

www.ascmag.com August 2020 77

 Odes to AC
phers. Throughout my early career, vision ensures that the learning very important purpose. It dispelled
AC was my primary source of infor- process never stops.” the idea that filmmaking was a myth
mation, and my connection to profes- —  that it was something magical,
sional filmmaking.” Michael Watson done with pixie dust, that was never
“American Cinematographer has attainable for me. Suddenly the
Amelia Vincent, ASC always been at the forefront of cine- magazine showed me that films were
“During my years as an assis- matography. I bought my first issue made by humans, by people holding
tant and operator, I had the privilege in October of 1995. Darius Khondji the camera. And from then on, I
of working alongside many great [ASC, AFC] had just finished Seven, plagiarized ideas from its pages!”
cinematographers. I was constantly and a young Brad Pitt was on the
observing and studying their varied cover. In those early days as a camera Dagmar Weaver-Madsen
technical approaches and artistic assistant and aspiring director of “In grad school I was lucky
styles. It was the best education a photography, the magazine was the enough to have a short mentioned in
young cinematographer could hope resource I turned to every month to the magazine. I had won the ASC
for. These days, reading American stay informed about the latest tech in William A. Fraker Student Heritage
Cinematographer magazine is as close filmmaking. It was and still is my Award, and to see a picture of myself
as I get to being on set with another bible.” in the magazine, with a camera on
cinematographer. The constant influx my shoulder, was mind-blowing.
of new tools and technologies Cathal Watters, ISC When ‘imposter syndrome’ would
requires that we all remain diligent “American Cinematographer has creep up on me over the years, it
students of our craft. The generosity meant so much to me. When I was helped to recall flipping through the
with which my colleagues share their wondering what I would be doing magazine’s pages and seeing that
experiences, technique and artistic [as a career], the magazine served a first image of myself there.” u

Sri Lankan “Steadicam” Crane with an oversized weight

(Adapted from The basket, parked outside a large
Steadicam Letter, showroom along the main road.
Vol. 2, No. 1, June 1989) In the window was a profusion of
By ASC Associate film gear and we figured this had
Garrett Brown, to be “the guy.”
Inventor of In the gathering dark, I
the Steadicam knocked at the house in back,
I grew up in the movie busi- and a small man opened the
ness poring over American door and appeared to recognize
Cinematographer articles about me (from photos in this maga-
the gear I lusted for and such zine!), because he started laugh-
camera heroes as Haskell [Wexler] ing hysterically.
and Conrad [Hall] and Vittorio After I comically stran-
[Storaro], with whom I eventually ASC associate Garrett Brown with Sri Lankan film-equipment
engineer Paditha Mediwake. gled him for a while, he shyly
worked! Flash-forward to my showed me his gear, including an
operating heyday in the ’80s. By then, alas, the word astounding Steadicam knock-off made out of steel, canvas
‘infringement’ was well-known to me, but fortunately and an old Chrysler torsion-bar. He apologized incessantly
most Steadicam copies were idiosyncratic and could be because it was rusting, but explained that aluminum,
taken as tribute rather than threat! Velcro, titanium, et cetera were then unobtainable in Sri
The most remarkable of those many imitations was Lanka. Even lead couldn’t be found, hence the long crane
built in Sri Lanka by a gifted and locally famous engineer, weights made from railroad track! After all these years,
who made genius copies (by eye from American I’ve finally discovered his name and just spoke to him by
Cinematographer articles and ads!) of film equipment, phone. He is Paditha Mediwake and his company was
including Elemacks, cranes and lights, that he could rent Sampan Film Services.
Photo by Ellen Shire.

out locally. While on location for Indiana Jones and the Can you imagine somehow getting all that together
Temple of Doom, I kept hearing about this guy and his 12,000 miles from Hollywood?
copy of the Steadicam! One evening, on the way back to Let’s hear it for our world-famous cinematography
our hotel in Kandy, I spotted what looked like a Tulip magazine!

78 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

WRITING WITH LIGHT: 4
THE MUSES

Storaro Art, in collaboration with Rizzoli, continues the publishing project

STORARO: WRITING WITH LIGHT with a fourth volume, titled THE MUSES.
The new book allows Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC, one of the great authors of cinematography, to continue exploring his very per­
sonal, philosophical and visual interpretations of the imaging universe. The idea of a book dedicated to the muses comes from
the desire to recognize these fascinating creative inspirations, which both Plato and Hesiod identified as sweet winged maid­
ens. In Greek tradition, these mythological beings represented the arts of their times: Epic Poetry, History, Lyric Poetry, Music,
Tragedy, Sacred Poetry, Dance and Chorus, and Comedy and Idyllic Poetry. In this book, Storaro gives the traditional muses his
own interpretation and presents his suggestion for a new muse of the imagination — Aurea —dedicated to Cinema, which feeds
off the inspirations provided by the other nine sisters.

WRITING WITH LIGHT, Storaro states, is not just a series of books, but a project reflecting the artistic life — a visionary ency­
clopedia with scholarly research detailing how philosophers, scientists, painters and artists all over the world have accessed the
mysteries of vision. Each book is a collection of philosophical thoughts, writings, paintings and photographic images — some
rendered as “double impressions.” The contents represent the fruit of Storaro’s 50 years as a self­taught professional, illustrat­
ing how he, an eternal student, has put these inspirations into practice.

The project allows Storaro to consciously express his personal perceptions of the
film imagery he has in collaboration with directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci,
Francis Ford Coppola, Warren Beatty, Carlos Saura and Woody Allen. Those films
have earned Storaro a long list of international awards, including three Academy
Awards for Best Cinematography, recognizing his work on the features APOCA­
LYPSE NOW, REDS and THE LAST EMPEROR.

The journey Storaro began with his trilogy of previous books in the series — THE
LIGHT, COLORS and THE ELEMENTS — continues with THE MUSES. Storaro plans
to complete a second trilogy with two more volumes: THE VISIONARIES and THE
PROPHETS.

THE MUSES has also given Storaro and DeSisti Lighting the inspiration to build
“The Muses of Lights” — a new series of LED lights used on Woody Allen’s latest
film, RIFKIN’S FESTIVAL. The new lights were demonstrated at the 2019 Camer­ to order visit
image Film Festival and shown to ASC and ICG members in New York. theasc.com
 Staying
Power
AC joins the exclusive ranks of
journals that have hit 100

By Terry McCarthy

The American Cinematographer was first published in said the settlers needed a publication that would be “as
November 1920 — a tumultuous year in the U.S., which non-partisan and unpolitical as the established newspa-
saw the beginning of Prohibition, the first presidential pers were fiercely and personally political.” One of their
election when women could vote, and the transfer of Babe early subscribers was an Illinois native named Abraham
Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees. Lincoln, who as president would go on to establish the
Prohibition didn’t last, but women now vote in larger Dept. of Agriculture and sign the Homestead Act. “We
numbers than men, some of Babe Ruth’s batting records are the bible of the farming industry,” says Holly
still hold — and American Cinematographer magazine is Spangler, the current editor of Prairie Farmer, from her
still publishing. home in Bushnell, Ill. “Many of the stories that were told
AC is nowhere near the oldest surviving magazine then are the same as now: how to manage water, how to
in the U.S., a title belonging to Prairie Farmer, established drain fields ...” But much has changed — “the technology
in 1841 — but it does belong to a relatively small club of of herbicides and weed control has changed everything
journals that have lasted a century or more. We looked at for farmers,” says Spangler. And that has affected the
the long-lasting magazines, and found some common stories in the magazine and the advertisers they appeal
threads to their survival: most avoided getting involved to.
in partisan politics, had a clear sense of mission, a clear Scientific American was set up in 1845, initially
sense of their audience — and they were run as busi- focusing on inventions and patents registered in a rapidly
nesses. industrializing America. Two general-interest magazines
As farmers flowed west across the prairies, John S. were established in the 1850s — Harper’s was founded in
Wright set up Prairie Farmer in 1841 in Chicago. Wright New York in 1850, and within a year was publishing

80 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 p Prairie Farmer, the oldest surviving magazine in the U.S., was established in 1841 — Abraham Lincoln was an early subscriber.
Time was launched in 1923. Scientific American was set up in 1845. q The Hollywood Reporter turned 90 years old in 2020, while Variety turned 115.
Harper’s Magazine was first published in June 1850.

portions of Herman Melville’s novel magazines have a very clear and periodicals in 1879. National
Moby-Dick. In 1857, The Atlantic relatively unchanging sense of Geographic, with its trademark
Monthly was set up in Boston, and mission — and that is instilled into yellow border, was set up in
although its writers commented on all the people who work for them.” Washington, D.C., in 1888, catering
the abolition of slavery, as well as on Murphy said it is no coinci- to a growing interest in the U.S. in
education and political affairs, the dence that most of the long-lasting foreign cultures and exploration.
magazine itself was staunchly non- magazines are monthly (American Even during the Cold War, Nat Geo
partisan, declaring in its mission Cinematographer went monthly in approached the whole world with its
statement, “The Atlantic Monthly will 1922): “At a monthly your material trademark wide-eyed curiosity, even
be the organ of no party or clique, has to have a long shelf life. To have sending its photographers behind
but will honestly endeavor to be the a publication that occupies this realm the Iron Curtain to document life
exponent of what its conductors that is a little distant is very valuable there without straying into the world
believe to be the American idea.” when you want to catch your breath of politics.
Cullen Murphy, who was the and think.” Meanwhile, back in Gotham,
managing editor of The Atlantic from Magazine publishing flour- Vogue magazine was launched in
1985 to 2006 and is still an editor at ished in the U.S. after the Civil War, 1892 to appeal to the city’s upper
large, said, “all these long-lasting helped by a reduction in postage for classes. Originally it was targeted at

www.ascmag.com August 2020 81

 Staying Power
Vogue launched in
1892. National
Geographic was
established in 1888.
The New Yorker will
celebrate its
centennial in 2025.

cover the new art form of cinema. It Hollywood-celebrity portrait series

was joined in 1930 by The Hollywood that ran on covers through 1931.
Reporter, and they became colloqui- Though color printing had been used
ally known as “the trades.” for the magazine’s cover illustrations
The 1920s were a good time to as early as 1921, it wasn’t until 1950
open magazines. AC was launched that color print would begin to
in L.A. in 1920, as the movie indus- appear within its pages, first in
try was increasingly abandoning advertisements. In 1969, covers
restrictive practices in New York started to incorporate color photogra-
for the relative freedom — and phy. The April 1986 issue showcased
better weather — of Southern the work of Brianne Murphy, ASC,
California. That year saw the the first woman cinematographer to
opening of The Mark of Zorro star- make the cover of the magazine —
ring Douglas Fairbanks, with and the first woman invited into ASC
cinematography by William C. membership. By 2020, AC is not only
McGann and Harris Thorpe. In fully integrated with the website —
1923, Henry Luce launched Time ascmag.com — but has now made its
magazine, a digest of the week’s entire 100-year archive available to
news that could be read in an subscribers online.
hour. The New Yorker followed in Magazines that have survived
both men 1925, and in September 1929 so long can be proud of their
and women, even having a sports Businessweek was founded, just weeks longevity, and trade on their name
section. It was not until Vogue was before the great stock-market crash. recognition — but there is a catch,
bought in 1905 by business magnate By the 1930s, AC had already estab- says Jim Kelly, former managing
Condé Montrose Nast that it was lished itself as the principal magazine editor of Time magazine. Folks expect
turned into a predominantly in the U.S. devoted to cinematogra- you to act in a certain way, which can
women’s magazine, and profits phy. be limiting, says Kelly. “You will
subsequently soared. AC ran its first photo — of cine- never stay young if you are 100 years
1905 also marked the first issue matographer Walter L. Griffin, ASC old, but you have to say vibrant and
of Variety, which began as a journal — in 1921, while 1929 marked the in-touch with what is going on in the
covering theater, before expanding to beginning of the magazine’s world.” u

82 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 "With the new
built-in looks
created by the ASC
and the stunning
black-and-gold
design, this camera
is as good-looking
as the images
it takes."

— Mandy Walker, ASC, ACS

LEICA M 10-P “ASC 100 EDITION”

The M for cinematographers.
The Leica M 10-P “ASC 100 Edition” continues
Oskar Barnack’s ingenious idea and translates it into
a fitting tribute to the world of cinema on the occasion
of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the
American Society of Cinematographers.

The M 10-P “ASC 100 Edition” is an exclusive professional tool for aiding
cinematographers and filmmakers in their search for the truly exceptional visual experience.

Please contact the ASC to order this unique Leica M10-P "ASC 100 Edition"
at www.theasc.com/leica
 INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE

CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIED AD RATES EQUIPMENT FOR SALE EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
All classifications are $4.50 per word. Words Technicolor 35mm 3 Strip Camera 4X5 85 Glass Filters, Diffusion,
set in bold face or all capitals are $5.00 per
word. First word of ad and advertiser’s name package (s/n: DF11) Polas etc. A Good Box Rental
can be set in capitals without extra charge. No Including Magazines, Lenses, Motor. 818-763-8547
agency commission or discounts on classified
advertising.PAYMENT MUST ACCOMPANY ORDER. Used to film Gone With The Wind.
World’s SUPERMARKET of USED
VISA, Mastercard, AmEx and Discover card are Museum display condition.
accepted. Send ad to Classified Advertising, MOTION PICTURE EQUIPMENT!
Minimum bid $250,000
American Cinematographer, P.O. Box 2230, Buy, Sell, Trade. CAMERAS, LENSES,
Hollywood, CA 90078. Or FAX (323) 876-4973. [email protected]
Deadline for payment and copy must be in the SUPPORT, AKS & MORE!
office by 15th of second month preceding publi- Visual Products, Inc.
cation. Subject matter is limited to items and
services pertaining to filmmaking and video pro- www.visualproducts.com
duction. Words used are subject to magazine Call 440.647.4999
style abbreviation. Minimum amount per ad:
$45

84 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

ADVERTISERS’
INDEX
Arri 7, 21 Filmotechnic 29 Pille Filmgeraeteverleih Gmbh 84
ASC/Leica Camera 83 Fujifilm/Fujinon 11 Pro8mm 84
ASC Photo Gallery 8 Grip Factory Munich/GFM 69 Quasar Science, LLC 51
Astera C3
J.L. Fisher 35 Red Digital Cinema 3
B&H Photo-Video-Pro Audio 33
Blackmagic Design, Inc. 5 K5600 50 Selected Tables 85
Kini Flo 34 Teradek, LLC C2-1
Carl Zeiss 17 Koerner Camera 69
Cavision Enterprises 84 Tiffen 19
Cooke Optics 9 Mole Richardson Co. 84 www.ascmag.com 84, 85
Eastman Kodak C4 NBC Universal 15 www.theasc.com 8, 79, 83
Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Gmbh 13

www.ascmag.com August 2020 85

 CLUBHOUSE
NEWS

From left: New ASC members Armando Salas, Matthew J. Lloyd and Craig Kief.

Society Welcomes Salas, After earning a degree in film earned Emmy and Camerimage nomina-
Lloyd, Kief production with a special concentration tions; and for his work on Daredevil, he
Born in Havana, Cuba, Armando in cinematography, Canadian native earned another Camerimage nomina-
Salas, ASC immigrated to Miami, Fl., Matthew J. Lloyd, ASC, CSC relocated to tion. His upcoming credits include the
during the Mariel boatlift in 1980. He Los Angeles to attend the American Film pilot for HBO’s DMZ, directed by Ava
earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree Institute. He shot short-form projects DuVernay.

Photo of Clubhouse by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC; lighting by Donald M. Morgan, ASC.

from the Maryland Institute College of during this time, and his work received New member Craig Kief, ASC says
Art, where he was among the first recognition — winning at Camerimage he fell in love with light at a young age,
students to spearhead a concentration in and the CSC Awards. volunteering for years on his hometown
narrative cinema production. Lloyd’s work caught the attention theater’s lighting crew, “hanging Lekos
He completed a Master of Fine of director Oliver Stone, who personally and operating follow-spots for their
Arts from the College of Motion Picture asked the cinematographer to serve as shows.” Determined to become a Broad-
Arts at Florida State University. During 2nd-unit director of photography on the way lighting designer, his plans changed
this time, he photographed a number of stylish crime drama Savages, when a movie photographed by Lajos
short-form productions, including Elijah, photographed by Dan Mindel, ASC, BSC, Koltai, ASC, HSC came to his town. After
which earned him the 2001 ASC Robert SASC. trying to get on set to watch the lighting
Surtees Heritage Award. Since then, Lloyd has shot pilots crew — and being denied — the high
His feature work includes the for Doubt and Insecure, as well as the schooler persisted and managed to get a
documentary Cocaine Cowboys, as well miniseries The Defenders and Season 1 job as a PA for the prop department. On
as My Lucky Star, Bitch and The Most of Most Dangerous Game. His feature his first day on set, he says, “I decided I
Hated Woman in America. His television work includes The Better Angels, Cop had discovered a far more interesting
work includes episodes and seasons of Car, The Seagull, Power Rangers, The Kid, future.”
the series From Dusk Till Dawn, Mr. The Water Man and Spider-Man: Far Kief attended Florida State
Mercedes, Six, Raising Dion, Strange From Home. University Film School, and, just before
Angel and The Old Man. Recently, he has For his work on Alpha House, the graduation, was invited to shoot a
photographed Seasons 2 and 3 of the cinematographer earned an ASC Award feature for director Roger Corman. In
popular Netflix series Ozark. nomination; for the pilot of Fargo, he 1999, he was awarded an Honorable

86 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

 Society members Nancy Schreiber and John Simmons.

Mention for the ASC Gregg Toland sign the #ParityInAction Pledge, which collections of the Harvard Art Museums;
Student Heritage Award. “To this day, it ensures that the signer will “stand up for the High Museum of Art; the Museum of
is still one of my proudest achieve- decency and civility in our industry for Fine Arts, Houston; the Center for
ments,” he says. workers of all genders.” Creative Photography; and the David C.
In 2011, which Kief calls a “monu- In her new role, Schreiber will Driskell Center, University of Maryland.
mental year,” he was featured twice in “help us build bridges and expand our
AC, earned a best music video nomina- mission,” says Staig. Advisory board ASC Supported by
tion at Camerimage, and photographed members contribute in myriad ways, Sony Covid-19 Fund
an ad campaign and music video featur- such as teaching courses, mentoring, and In the effort to ease the strain of
ing the Muppets. He was subsequently connecting WIM with vendor partners. the current pandemic and help mitigate
asked to photograph the ABC series The disruption of the creative community,
Muppets and followed that by shooting John Simmons, ASC Sony Corporation is generously making
the series The Mick; Me, Myself and I; on Photo L.A. Panel donations to leading organizations in the
The Kids Are Alright and The Unicorn. John Simmons, ASC participated production industry, including the Amer-
as a panelist in the Photo L.A. Virtual ican Society of Cinematographers.
Nancy Schreiber, ASC Joins Collect + Connect discussion, entitled The Sony Global Relief Fund for
Women in Media Advisory Board “Activism through photography: how Covid-19 is donating $100 million to
After being honored by Women in photographers have captured social support various medical, education and
Media in 2017, Nancy Schreiber, ASC movements and contributed to national creative community organizations.
has now joined the organization’s Advi- dialogues.” The panel discussion “The ASC is immensely grateful
sory Board. “We couldn’t be more revolved around how photographs have for Sony’s donation, coming at a time
pleased to have Nancy involved with our been circulated throughout history to when cinematographers and the entire
organization in a more formal capacity,” document and effect social change. filmmaking community are under such
Schreiber photo by Bruce Birmelin.

says WIM executive director Tema L. Panelists addressed “ongoing civil-rights pressure from the pandemic,” says ASC
Staig. “Our advisory board members struggles, transgender advocacy, the CEO Terry McCarthy. “The funds will
attend events (as schedule permits), as impact of environmental pollution, and help us to produce an online video
well as connect us to other industry the ways that non-photographers wield series about cinematographic topics,
leaders who help us forward our mission the medium to break down barriers.” provide employment to those directly
of parity and inclusion above and below Simmons has been making involved, and help a broader audience
the line.” socially engaged images for more than learn about the principles of cinematog-
All WIM advisory board members 50 years. His photographs are held in the raphy.” u

www.ascmag.com August 2020 87

 WRAP SHOT

88 August 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years