Another day, another restaurant scene with Dustin Hoffman and Charles Grodin sitting across a table from each other.  This one was shot on stage at Kaufman Astoria Studios and was set at night.  Find it at the 00:40:42 mark…             The diagram begins with the shot that gets Hoffman into the restaurant and quickly … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #34 – ISHTAR”

            It’s simple.  Work very hard and be among the best at what you do.             But there’s also a little more…             The ASC is an invitation only organization.  Membership is open to directors of photography who have been engaged as such for no less than five years within the last eight years preceding … Continue reading “HOW TO BECOME AN ASC MEMBER”

            Warren Beatty’s Lyle Rogers tussles with Isabelle Adjani’s character of the revolutionary Shirra Assel after she breaks into his hotel room.  It’s nighttime and this’s a beautifully realized example of low-key photography.  Find it at the 00:36:36 mark…             This scene is made up of many cuts and took a long time to shoot.  … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #33 – ISHTAR”

            The great star Dustin Hoffman – late of the Ishtar lighting diagrams – was quoted in The Independent as saying that today’s feature films are the worst they’ve been in 50 years.  Mindless tentpole movies and a scarcity in the mainstream of thoughtful, character-driven films of the type he built his career on make … Continue reading “THE FLAW’S THE THING”

            Another scene with two people engaged in dialogue across the dinner table.  This time Hoffman and Charles Grodin have at it in an Arab restaurant.  Find it at the 00:30:23 mark…             Beautiful Storaro light…  Soft and natural but still packing some directional punch, thanks to the ever-popular 650W 9-light fays (double-diffused through multiple … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #32 – ISHTAR”

            Gordon Willis, ASC claimed that it took him thirty years to learn how to be simple.  That didn’t make sense when I first heard it as a young assistant cameraman, but now that I’ve been shooting for longer than that I understand exactly what he meant.  Granted, he was referring to the inner process … Continue reading “YES, LESS IS ALWAYS MORE”

            A simple scene across a desk – with many cuts.  Warren Beatty’s Lyle Rogers and Dustin Hoffman’s Chuck Clarke visit the U.S. Embassy in the fictional Middle Eastern nation of Ishtar.  Find it at the 00:28:41 mark…             What’s notable in this diagram is a technique that has appeared in several earlier instances: Storaro’s … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #31 – ISHTAR”

            This post originally appeared in my Presidents Desk column in the May 2014 issue of American Cinematographer magazine.  It marks the seventh anniversary of the passing of camera assistant Sarah Jones on February 20, 2014 and is as relevant now as it was then.             While details surrounding the death of second camera assistant … Continue reading “REMEMBERING SARAH JONES”

            Picking up where I left off last September with the thread on Elaine May’s Ishtar (1987)…             This scene between Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty takes place on a high ledge of a Manhattan apartment building.  The first photograph illustrates how it played out with the stuntmen.  For the primary action however, a scaffold … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #30 – ISHTAR”

            Last Tuesday’s post gave hell to the industry’s endorsement of abusive working hours.  Now I’ll try to answer why the situation exists as it does.             In the United States the majority of film crews put in draconian amounts of time on the job.  This’s not only approved of by the producing entities, it’s … Continue reading “ABUSIVE WORKING HOURS #2”