INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS

            The founders of the ASC really started a trend when they established the organization in 1919.             AAC, ACK, ACS, ABC, ACF, ADF, AEC, AFC, AIC, AMC, AIP, ASK, BAC, BSC, BVK, CSC, DFF, FNF, FSC, FSF, HFS, HSC, ISC, JSC, KSC, LAC, MSC, NSC, PSC, RGC, SBC, SCS, ZFS …             These are … Continue reading “INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS”

6.29.2021

LIGHTING DIAGRAM #48 – SWAT

            A nighttime chase after a suspect on a rooftop…             This’s a long scene that contains many more cuts than what’s provided in the clip;  what’s included illustrates the contributions of camera and lighting to bolstering the sense of action and suspense.             At the beginning, note the use of the Nightsun unit by … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #48 – SWAT”

6.25.2021

JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)

            Despite the somber subject (the trial of Nazi war criminals), this film is a something of a forgotten gem.  No major studio would dare mount such an effort today, and that’s sad.  Beside being a loss to our culture, it reflects badly on the taste and intellect of modern audiences.  But Stanley Kramer was … Continue reading “JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)”

6.22.2021

LIGHTING DIAGRAM #47 – JUSTIFIED

            Beauty lighting – the special treatment that makes an already gorgeous woman appear even more so in close up – has been an obsession of cinematographers since the dawn of the medium.  Just consider the idealized sheen lavished upon so many female stars of the studio era.  Silent film sweetheart Mary Pickford so appreciated … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #47 – JUSTIFIED”

6.18.2021

POST PALPITATIONS

            To this day, American Pie marks one of my most enjoyable shooting experiences.  First, there was the hilarious script.  Then I was blessed with a talented director in Paul Weitz (and his equally gifted producing brother, Chris).  The studio executives, young actors and crew were not only great at their jobs, they were fun … Continue reading “POST PALPITATIONS”

6.15.2021

SOMEONE WANTS TO KNOW…

What exactly is the American Society of Cinematographers?             The ASC is a professional, educational and fraternal group – the oldest organization in the motion picture industry.  It was formed in 1919 when the Static Club of America (headquartered in Los Angeles) and the Cinema Camera Club (located in New York City) merged as the … Continue reading “SOMEONE WANTS TO KNOW…”

6.8.2021

WILLIAM A. FRAKER, ASC

            I first met William A. Fraker, ASC – Billy, to those of us who knew him – during the sticky New York summer of 1989 while working as the Steadicam focus puller on the film he was shooting at the time, The Freshman.  Billy had always represented the epitome of what I imagined as … Continue reading “WILLIAM A. FRAKER, ASC”

6.1.2021