Pre-disaster, obviously…

            Every year, the cinematography of certain features are anointed as awards-worthy from the moment they hit the screen.  In some cases, it’s warranted; in others, not so much.  And every year, a few examples of genuinely outstanding work never get their due and end up lost in the shuffle.             Probably because I’m partial … Continue reading “BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY…?”

            …to the assistant directors who greet your first step on set in the morning with a hearty, “We’re never gonna make this day!”             …to the fifth hammer, whose work ethic begins with “Where’s craft service?”  “What time is lunch?” and the ever-popular, “What time do you think we’ll wrap?”             …to every person … Continue reading “NEW DAY, NEW ATTITUDE”

            The laboratory business has always been a highly competitive one, with each franchise operating under the tightest of margins.  Just like today’s similarly-challenged post houses, they were constantly on the hunt for some proprietary ‘special sauce’ that would raise them above the herd and make them more attractive to their cinematographer customers.             I … Continue reading “HUCKSTERS…OR, THE GENUINE ITEM?”

            Just so you’ll know that the many choices we currently have in lens mounts aren’t a recent development, check out these ads from the December 1978 issue of American Cinematographer.             At some point, I might delve into the ridiculous number of lenses now floating around the industry.  Don’t get me wrong.  Every new … Continue reading “A PLETHORA OF EXCESS”

            Shot from in front of my home, shortly before things really hit the fan.             You get up in the morning and go about your business, just like every other day.  Then, suddenly…it’s not.             As the singer\songwriter Warren Zevon once said: Enjoy every sandwich.             I urge you to take that sentiment to … Continue reading “PACIFIC PALISADES, CA, JANUARY 7, 2025, 12:38PM”

            It’s no secret that the recent past has marked a particularly rough period for people who work in the motion picture industry.  To offer some perspective, here’s an article from the December 1957 issue of American Cinematographer.  I’m always banging on about how there’s nothing new under the cinematographic sun.  Apparently, the theory still … Continue reading “SAME OLD STORY”

            This photograph by John Olson, first published in the September 24, 1971 issue of Life magazine, shows rock star David Crosby and his dad Floyd at the elder man’s home in Ojai, California.  It was part of an article entitled, The Rock Family Affair and gave an unironic glimpse into the off-stage origins of … Continue reading “COOL GUYS”

         An interesting name for sure, but he was an even more interesting artist.  A native of Chicago, Iannelli began as an industrial photographer before switching to photojournalism in 1940.  By the end of the decade, he was known as the highest paid shooter in New York, with photos extensively featured in such publications as … Continue reading “FONS IANNELLI (1917-1988)”

         In what has to be one of the most incongruent applications of Christmas music in the history of cinema, director Carl Foreman created a moment that remains profoundly unsettling more than sixty years later.  The Victors (1963), which was photographed by Christopher Challis, BSC, follows the exploits of a U.S. Army platoon in Europe … Continue reading “AN INTERESTING CHOICE”