There’s a moment in Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors (photographed by Sven Nyqvist, ASC) in which his character, Cliff Stern, visits his aging parents at their apartment in Brooklyn. In the midst of an existential crisis, Cliff asks his off-camera father a simple but perplexing question: “Why were there Nazis?” The elder Stern’s reply … Continue reading “GOOD CHARACTER AND PEACE OF MIND”
Month: December 2020
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #22 – THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO
Merry Christmas…! I day-played as an assistant cameraman on this 1985 film so I don’t have too much to offer in terms of lighting information or anecdotes. The chart I’ve provided says a lot though, and I suggest you give it a close look. As with last Friday’s post, it describes a … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #22 – THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO”
GRATITUDE
With Christmas so close, I thought this was an appropriate subject for today… Sincere displays of gratitude have become as difficult to find as a mainstream journalist without an agenda. Sure, you can point to the teary theatrics of awards season, but those are generally so transparent as to not withstand a second … Continue reading “GRATITUDE”
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #21 – SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
No, not that one…this one. In early 1985 Gordon Willis, ASC was tasked with filming a short scene that was to appear in a Broadway stage production of the classic film, Singin’ In the Rain; I once again had the good luck to serve as an assistant cameraman on his crew. If you’ll … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #21 – SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN”
READ THIS BOOK #3
Well, read these books, actually… Cinematography isn’t just about lighting, composition, color, camera movement and the post-production supervision of the work. It also encompasses a variety of management skills, the mastery of which will determine your effectiveness as an artist and collaborator. Everything any one of us sets out to achieve revolves around … Continue reading “READ THIS BOOK #3”
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #20 – TOMMY (CBS-TV)
Here’s a simple set up I photographed in the fall of 2019 on a south-facing hillside overlooking the 101 Freeway and Vine Street in Hollywood. It was a night\exterior that was to open with a wide shot showing the aftermath of an automobile accident. A variety of issues conspired against the use of a … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #20 – TOMMY (CBS-TV)”
A LOVE LETTER FROM CECIL B. DeMILLE
One of the greatest producer\directors in history – indeed, a founder of the motion picture industry – Cecil B. DeMille had a soft spot in his heart for the cinematographers who delivered his vision. His following testimonial is inscribed on a plaque at the ASC Clubhouse and dates to sometime in the early 1930’s. … Continue reading “A LOVE LETTER FROM CECIL B. DeMILLE”
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #19 – JANE THE VIRGIN (The CW)
Photographed by yours truly… On the surface, the simplest of scenes: two people sitting across a table inside a police interrogation room. But complicating matters is the fact that our actress – Yael Grobglas – is playing both roles (Petra Solano and her evil twin sister Anezka). This necessitated a generous allowance of … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #19 – JANE THE VIRGIN (The CW)”
THE ABOMINATION
Barbara Stanwyck on Double Indemnity (1944; Billy Wilder\John Seitz, ASC): “When I mention ‘atmosphere’ in Double Indemnity – that gloomy, horrible house the Dietrichsons lived in, the slit of sunlight slicing through those heavy drapes – you could smell that death was in the air, you understood why she had to get out … Continue reading “THE ABOMINATION”