I’ve been on a bit of a Conrad Hall, ASC track of late, so I’m posting another observation he made in Dennis Schaefer and Larry Salvato’s valuable interview compilation, Masters of Light (1984). As important as choosing the right equipment is to delivering your best cinematography, Hall tells us of another factor that has more to do with good work than any technical concern.
“…there are a lot of different ways of validating to yourself how you feel about things. To me, when I worked as an operator, my validation about rightness or wrongness was always an emotional one. It affected me emotionally when it was wrong. When it was right, I didn’t pay much attention to it. That’s how I tell about composition.”
I 100% agree. My gut is always the final determinant of whether I’m on the right track before the camera rolls. When all is well I don’t feel anything, I just know it. But I continue to experience instances during which I’m about to sign off on something, yet that little voice inside – which has been gently tugging at me during the set-up – does not approve. This is no BS story. It’s an uncomfortable sensation but impossible to ignore once you become aware of it. My solution is to detach from whatever I’m doing. It’s best to step away from the set, but even if I’m only able to close my eyes and retreat into my own world for a moment, the salutary factor is usually enough to bring a new perspective.
With Hall’s affirmation and the similar stories I’ve heard from so many colleagues, it’s good to know I’m not alone in this. I suppose it’s the price you pay for caring so passionately about what you do.
Thanks for revisiting this Hall interview. I got that book soon after I graduated UCLA and wore it out, so I had to buy a second copy!
This insight in to Hall’s process and your own is wonderful. There is so much focus on the technical aspects of cinematography, people need to be reminded that it is also an intimate artistic process.