Month: August 2020

            Harrison Ford’s character has a breakdown in the sun porch of his home as he recalls his mistress – who has recently been murdered.  Find it at 0:35:42…             A sharp eye will spot the discrepancy in exposure settings between these two shots – T5.6 for the first, closer one vs. T2.8 1\2 for … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #5 – PRESUMED INNOCENT”

            Anyone working as a freelancer knows that for all its freedom and exhilaration this life also comes with its share of challenges and frustrations.  When you’re suffering an extended period without work (quarantine?) or are stuck on a job or in a position you see as a dead end, do you roll with the … Continue reading “READ THIS BOOK #1”

            An after-hours ‘Irish Wake’ is being held in the office of Harrison Ford’s boss, Brian Dennehey.  Beautiful low-key interior work, found at 0:32:20…             Once again, here’s a fine example of simplicity from Gordon Willis, ASC.  It’s a static scene, but totally appropriate in the way it’s handled.  The drama is effected through the … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #4 – PRESUMED INNOCENT”

                                 Everyone’s list of the ‘Ten Movies I’d Take To The Moon’ evolves over the years, but for me the British Kitchen Sink dramas of the late ’50’s and early ’60’s always rank near the top of the heap.  Don’t think that highlighting a certain school of filmmaking is a cheat.  Any … Continue reading “FAVORITE FILMS #1”

            You’ve seen it ten thousand times over the course of your movie viewing life – a raking shot of two people in the front seat of a car as they drive along the streets.  Though there’s nothing innovative or remarkable going on here, there are a few things worth mentioning.  Find this scene at … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #3 – PRESUMED INNOCENT”

            Has anybody seen Medium Cool (1969) lately, directed by the amazing cinematographer, Haskell Wexler?  Does anybody remember it?  More important, has anybody given it the consideration it deserves?  It’s certainly not the greatest movie ever made but it sure is an interesting one.  Rather than appear as a snapshot of its time, it’s more … Continue reading “MEDIUM COOL, HASKELL WEXLER, ASC AND THIS VERY MOMENT”

            Harrison Ford’s character – Public Advocate Rusty Sabich – arrives at his office.  Find it at the 0:4:40 mark…             This single, unbroken shot was executed on the Panaglide (Panavision’s finicky 1980’s answer to the Steadicam) by future ASC member Craig DiBona (who also served as the movie’s camera operator).  The ‘Glide pans left-to-right … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #2 – PRESUMED INNOCENT”

            Has the way we think about and appreciate cinematography lost its context?             Until the mid-1990s, the highest standard was universally recognized as originating on 35mm negative, projected optically on a big screen in a venue that required the viewer’s attendance.  Now, outstanding work can be viewed anywhere and anytime across a variety of … Continue reading “CONTEXT”