Year: 2023

I’ve always been a fan of day-for-night cinematography.  There has never been a better way to convincingly render expansive exterior scenes that cannot possibly be lit after sundown.  Watch any of the old John Ford westerns – in black and white or color – and you’ll see the effect in its fullest flower.  Back then, … Continue reading “DAY FOR NIGHT”

Still the greatest country that will ever be…!

            I dug this out of the American Cinematographer archive after writing Tuesday’s post.  From the August 1961 issue, it provides a look into a little-known yet very important corner of cinematographic history… 

When I recently saw this photo of Gemini 10, which flew in space July 18-21, 1966, I was brought back to my childhood and the time when such events were common and really set the imagination free.  The graphic form, contrast and color of the spacecraft and the earth behind it called up emotions I … Continue reading “TOUCHSTONES”

It’s hard for me to realize that during my extensive time working in and out of New York City I never met, nor was I aware of, a woman named Jessie Maple.  I was only informed of her May 30 passing by a friend, a few days after the fact.  Following careers in bacteriology, journalism … Continue reading “JESSIE MAPLE (1937-2023)”

             Adapted from Nathaniel West’s apocalyptic novel of Old Hollywood, John Schlesinger’s The Day of the Locust holds many lessons for the obsessives among us.  Unlike most of our recently produced period pieces (where even the dirt looks clean), it genuinely comes across as part of the time in which it’s set.  Nothing we see … Continue reading “THE DAY OF THE LOCUST (1975)”

I miss a lot about the way things were done prior to the digital age, but what I miss most is the experience of print dailies.  Young people have never had the chance to partake in this exercise, and that’s truly their loss.  To this day, just a whiff of stop bath can summon a … Continue reading “RITUALS”

By no means a great film, Rolling Thunder (John Flynn\Jordan Cronenweth, ASC) is nonetheless a great revenge film.  Representative of its harsh theme, the visuals are moody and foreboding.  The violence – and there’s plenty of it – is brutal and intense and goes a long way toward hitting that primal movie-watching spot, if indeed … Continue reading “ROLLING THUNDER (1978)”

When I started this blog during the Covid mess in July 2020, I had no idea I’d still be publishing it this far into the future.  It’s been a pleasant surprise that despite the many distractions of work and life, my fascination with the subject has somehow continued to claim the day (two times a … Continue reading “POST #300…!”

            Last Friday I attended CineGear Expo, the annual trade show that gives camera-grip-electric-types a chance to get out and see what’s new.  It was a lovely day and after a multi-year absence from the Paramount lot, the event and its huge attendance did not disappoint.  But instead of bringing you an in-depth report on … Continue reading “CINEGEAR 2023”