I don’t know what it is lately. Over the past few weeks, books I haven’t seen in decades seem to be finding me again, though I haven’t been looking for them. The latest antiquity to sneak onto my desk evokes fond memories, as it had a huge effect on my early formation as a cinematographer. It’s a British publication of the Tantivy Press and although it first appeared in 1970, it relayed an amazing amount of useful information when I first encountered it nearly ten years later.
Film stocks, processing, sensitometry, grain structure and definition, processing and printing…I inhaled every bit of it. The inside cover shows that I purchased it at Alan Gordon Enterprises on Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood, though I have no recollection of the moment. Compiler and editor Russell Campbell had a pretty good thing going with his Practical Motion Picture Photography series, which in addition to Photographic Theory also included the titles Directing Motion Pictures, Lighting for Motion Pictures, Motion Picture Cameras and Motion Picture Camera Operation. As I’ve stated before, actionable intel was hard to come by when I was a rookie. These books provided a knowledgeable oasis in a very dry – and often hostile – environment.
Most of what they contained has been rendered an anachronism, but that doesn’t matter. They served their purpose in their time. Now, I’m curious as to what ancient volume will reveal itself to me next. The way things are going, it might just be written on papyrus.
I read the 5 Cs of Cinematography as an apprentice editor, very thankful for that knowledge.
Although dated in some ways, the 5C’s is still a good reference – especially for beginners.
I love those two Campbell books, Practical and Theory… they are full of quotes on working practices by British cinematographers of the period, people like Freddie Francis, Ossie Morris, etc. but the quotes only have an endnote number next to them, you have to flip to the endnote page to see who is saying what.