Process shots, rear projection, blue screen, green screen, virtual\augmented reality, LED walls… The history of cinematography is a chronicle of change; the ways with which to introduce a specific background or item within a shot are hardly exempt from that. With the current technology advancing at an insane pace, it’s easy to consider … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #66 – POOR MAN’S PROCESS\GREENSCREEN”
Month: October 2021
THE PARALLAX VIEW (1974)
The Parallax View is an amazing, somewhat forgotten relic from the last sustained period of interest and originality in American film. Shot by Gordon Willis, ASC and directed by his long time collaborator Alan Pakula, it was one of the first movies to memorialize the Watergate-era paranoia that at the time was still very new. … Continue reading “THE PARALLAX VIEW (1974)”
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #65 – JANE THE VIRGIN
A common challenge for cinematographers is how to make a daytime scene that’s shot on a set look like a real location. There are any number of ways to approach this knotty little problem; most of them involve giving appreciably more exposure to the windows and whatever might lie beyond them – a backing, a … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #65 – JANE THE VIRGIN”
STUDENT QUICK TIP #3
Watch the light! If you’re interested in becoming a filmmaker – especially a cinematographer – you’d be wise to ingrain the following statement as part of your daily habits: Wherever you might find yourself, under every condition…sensitize yourself to what you see. Forget about the tools and technology of the trade and concentrate on the … Continue reading “STUDENT QUICK TIP #3”
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #64 – SWAT
Night… An ominous, deserted alley in Downtown Los Angeles. Bad guys with guns. Good guys chasing them with bigger guns. All the elements are in place. We just have to film it. Simple, right? Not so fast, pal. In its entirety (the clip below is abbreviated), this scene is made up of eighty two cuts … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #64 – SWAT”
NOTFILM (2015)
Notfilm is an oddly interesting documentary that concerns the making of an even odder movie, the appropriately titled Film. Written by the novelist Samuel Beckett and directed by Alan Schneider, Film was released in 1965 and starred dissipated silent movie legend Buster Keaton. If Beckett’s fiction isn’t far out enough, his close collaboration with … Continue reading “NOTFILM (2015)”
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #63 – GOOD GIRLS REVOLT
Today I’ll examine another clip from the additional photography I contributed to the spectacular work done on this show by principal cinematographer Cynthia Pusheck, ASC. I only refer to it because it provides an excellent example on how good luck and some spontaneous ingenuity can supersede all the planning in the world! The … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #63 – GOOD GIRLS REVOLT”
SUDDEN FEAR (1952)
As time passes and the list of all the films ever made continues to grow, it’s unavoidable that a few gems will fall out of the public’s eye. For anyone interested in outstanding cinematography, Sudden Fear is one of them. During a time in which posting videos on Youtube can land any moron ‘legendary’ status, … Continue reading “SUDDEN FEAR (1952)”
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #62 – FEDERAL HILL
$85,000.00 doesn’t buy as much as it used to, but in 1993 it paid for the filming of Federal Hill, my first feature collaboration with the amazingly talented writer\director Michael Corrente. Many favors were called in on the effort and the crew was indeed paid for the twenty day shoot; for Michael and I … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #62 – FEDERAL HILL”