Has anybody seen Medium Cool (1969) lately, directed by the amazing cinematographer, Haskell Wexler?  Does anybody remember it?  More important, has anybody given it the consideration it deserves?  It’s certainly not the greatest movie ever made but it sure is an interesting one.  Rather than appear as a snapshot of its time, it’s more … Continue reading “MEDIUM COOL, HASKELL WEXLER, ASC AND THIS VERY MOMENT”

            Harrison Ford’s character – Public Advocate Rusty Sabich – arrives at his office.  Find it at the 0:4:40 mark…             This single, unbroken shot was executed on the Panaglide (Panavision’s finicky 1980’s answer to the Steadicam) by future ASC member Craig DiBona (who also served as the movie’s camera operator).  The ‘Glide pans left-to-right … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #2 – PRESUMED INNOCENT”

            Has the way we think about and appreciate cinematography lost its context?             Until the mid-1990s, the highest standard was universally recognized as originating on 35mm negative, projected optically on a big screen in a venue that required the viewer’s attendance.  Now, outstanding work can be viewed anywhere and anytime across a variety of … Continue reading “CONTEXT”

            In 1989 I had the good fortune to serve as Second Assistant Cameraman on the Warner Bros. feature, Presumed Innocent.  Directed by Alan Pakula and shot by Gordon Willis, ASC, it marked their fifth of six collaborations.  Other efforts included Klute (1971), The Parallax View (1974), All the President’s Men (1976), Comes a Horseman … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #1 – PRESUMED INNOCENT”