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FEATURES
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A Storied History
Looking back at the loyalty, progress and artistry of the ASC’s first 100 years
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood — Back in Time
Robert Richardson, ASC and his collaborators share their perspectives on the period production
The Lion King — To Be King
Caleb Deschanel, ASC and visual-effects supervisor Robert Legato, ASC discuss cinematography’s frontier
The Complete Roster
An index of all 924 cinematographers who have been welcomed into the Society’s ranks
A Century of Inspiration
Saluting 100 milestone films in the art and craft of cinematography of the 20th century
The Next 100 Years
ASC members look ahead to the future of their profession
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On Our Cover: Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) cuts a rug on the set of the musical variety show Hullabaloo in the period feature Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, shot by Robert Richardson, ASC. (Photo by Andrew Cooper, SMPSP, courtesy of Sony Pictures.)
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Editor’s Note President’s Desk Shot Craft: Advice for “amateurs,” culled from AC’s first 10 years AC Special Focus: The Founding Members New Products & Services: Leica M10-P “ASC 100 Edition” International Marketplace Classified Ads • Ad Index Clubhouse News Congratulations Centennial cover key
— VISIT WWW.ASCMAG.COM —
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and PUBLISHER Stephen Pizzello ———————————————————————————————————— WEB DIRECTOR and ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER David E. Williams ————————————————————————————————————
EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR Jon D. Witmer ASSOCIATE EDITOR Andrew Fish
TECHNICAL EDITOR Christopher Probst, ASC SHOT CRAFT EDITOR Jay Holben
DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY and WEB PRODUCER Mat Newman DIGITAL CONTENT CREATOR Samantha Dillard
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Benjamin B, Rachael K. Bosley, John Calhoun, Mark Dillon, Michael Goldman, Jim Hemphill, David Heuring, Noah Kadner, Debra Kaufman, Michael Kogge, Iain Marcks, Matt Mulcahey, Jean Oppenheimer, Lauretta Prevost, Phil Rhodes, Patricia Thomson PODCASTS Michael Goldman, Jim Hemphill, Iain Marcks
BLOGS Benjamin B • John Bailey, ASC • David Heuring ————————————————————————————————————
ART & DESIGN
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marion Kramer ————————————————————————————————————
ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Angie Gollmann 323-936-3769 Fax 323-952-2140 e-mail: angiegollmann@gmail.com ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Sanja Pearce 323-952-2114 Fax 323-952-2140 e-mail: sanja@ascmag.com
CLASSIFIEDS/ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Diella Peru 323-952-2124 Fax 323-952-2140 e-mail: diella@ascmag.com ————————————————————————————————————
SUBSCRIPTIONS, BOOKS & PRODUCTS
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Saul Molina SHIPPING MANAGER Miguel Madrigal ———————————————————————————————————— ASC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Eric Rodli ASC SPONSORSHIP & EVENTS DIRECTOR Patricia Armacost OPERATIONS/EVENTS MANAGER Alex Lopez MEMBERSHIP ADMINISTRATOR Salvador Maldonado DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ACCOUNTING Thanh Lai SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Shawnté Howard ————————————————————————————————————
American Cinematographer (ISSN 0002-7928), established 1920 and in its 99th year of publication, is published monthly in Hollywood by ASC Holding Corp., 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood, CA 90028, U.S.A., (800) 448-0145, (323) 969-4333, Fax (323) 876-4973, direct line for subscription inquiries (323) 969-4344. Subscriptions: U.S. $50; Canada/Mexico $70; all other foreign countries $95 a year (remit international Money Order or other exchange payable in U.S. $). Advertising: Rate card upon request from Hollywood office. Copyright 2018 ASC Holding Corp. (All rights reserved.) Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA. POSTMASTER: Send address change to American Cinematographer, P.O. Box 2230, Hollywood, CA 90078.
American Society of Cinematographers
The ASC is not a labor union or a guild, but an educational, cultural and professional organization. Membership is by invitation to those who are actively engaged as directors of photography and have demonstrated outstanding ability. ASC membership has become one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a professional cinematographer — a mark of prestige and excellence.
OFFICERS - 2019/2020 Kees van Oostrum President
Stephen Lighthill Vice President
Bill Bennett Vice President
Paul Cameron Vice President
Levie Isaacks Treasurer
David Darby Secretary
Curtis Clark
Sergeant-at-Arms
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD John Bailey Bill Bennett Stephen H. Burum Paul Cameron Dean Cundey David Darby George Spiro Dibie Frederick Elmes Lowell Peterson Steven Poster Rodney Taylor John Toll Kees van Oostrum Amy Vincent Mandy Walker
ALTERNATES
Charlie Lieberman Christopher Chomyn Steven Fierberg Owen Roizman Levie Isaacks 6
MUSEUM CURATOR
Steve Gainer
CONTRIBUTORS
Benjamin Bergery (aka Benjamin B) is the senior European correspondent for the magazine (“Back in Time,” p. 44). Robert S. Birchard was a film editor, a film historian and a longtime contributor to the magazine (“The Founding Members,” p. 22).
Andrew Fish is the associate editor (“Magic-Carpet Ride,” p. 66; “A Century of Inspiration,” p. 80; “The Next 100 Years,” p. 94). Michael Goldman is a Los Angeles correspondent for the magazine (“To Be King,” p. 58).
Jay Holben is a filmmaker and an associate member of the ASC (Shot Craft, p. 12; New Products & Services, p. 104). Noah Kadner is a workflow specialist whose clients include Panasonic and Apple Inc. (New Products & Services, p. 104).
Lowell Peterson, ASC is the chair of the Society’s Membership Committee (“By Invitation Only,” p. 79).
Patricia Thomson is a New York correspondent for the magazine (“Vintage, With a Twist,” p. 48).
David E. Williams is the web director and associate publisher (“A Storied History,” p. 30).
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Jon D. Witmer is the managing editor (“A Century of Inspiration,” p. 80; “The Next 100 Years,” p. 94).
EDITOR’S NOTE
The American Society of Cinematographers was officially founded 100 years ago, on Jan. 8, 1919. To provide some context to that era, here are a few movie-related factoids to set the scene, primarily pilfered from AMC’s filmsite.org:
• Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford establish United Artists in an attempt to control their own work outside the established studio system run by movie moguls. • Producer/director Oscar Micheaux premieres his first film, The Homesteader, starring pioneering African-American actress Evelyn Preer, thereby becoming the first African-American to produce and direct a feature-length motion picture. • Walt Disney meets future ASC member Ub Iwerks, and the duo soon forms Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists to create cartoon animations. • The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction goes to Booth Tarkington’s The Magnificent Ambersons, later made into a feature shot by ASC member Stanley Cortez for director Orson Welles. • The year’s top-grossing movie is George Loane Tucker’s The Miracle Man, shot by one of the ASC’s founding members, Phil Rosen, and future Society member Ernest Palmer. The picture hauls in $3 million at the box office and launches the career of its star, Lon Chaney.
Amid these pioneering and progressive developments, 15 cinematographers joined forces to inaugurate the ASC. Since that august occasion, the Society has been one of the industry’s leading art-and-technology organizations, paving the way with aesthetic transcendence, cinematic innovation, and a trove of unforgettable imagery that has inspired millions of viewers over the past 10 decades. The ASC’s members have also served as thought leaders, offering sage input and guidance through its various outreach committees, and educators, through programs like the Master Class and via the magazine you hold in your hands. While proud of its past achievements and traditions, the Society has always looked forward, helping to shape motion imaging’s future and extend its horizon. In that same spirit, this special centennial edition of American Cinematographer salutes the organization’s history and the achievements of its members, while also presenting coverage of today’s most advanced technologies and prognostications about cinematography’s continuing evolution. This month’s editorial includes a look back at the ASC’s founders (page 22) and its rich organizational story (page 30); a complete roster of every cinematographer who has achieved ASC status (page 74); a salute to the 100 milestone films of the 20th century, as selected by ASC members, who also provide commentary on their favorites (page 80); coverage of Quentin Tarantino’s new feature, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, a vintage take on Tinseltown shot by Robert Richardson, ASC (page 44); a report on Jon Favreau’s bleeding-edge feature The Lion King, which afforded ASC members Caleb Deschanel and Rob Legato the opportunity to push modern movie technology into previously uncharted territory (page 58); and informed conjecture from Society members about the future of their art form (page 94). As someone who’s had the privilege of working at the ASC for 28 of its 100 years, I’m certainly looking forward to whatever comes next.
Stephen Pizzello Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
Photo by Chris Pizzello.
THIS MONTH’S
PRESIDENT’S DESK When you turn 100 years old, I suppose it’s natural that you’ll talk about the past. Let’s be honest, though: Few of us will reach that age, and for those of us who do, there likely won’t be much time left before we’ll transcend into the next phase of existence, beyond birth (being the first) and death (the second). As the American Society of Cinematographers celebrates its centennial, a lot has been said about the past 100 years, and about the Society’s history and accomplishments over that time — which are indeed formidable. But the ASC won’t be “passing on” anytime soon. And so, perhaps, rather than talking about the past, it’s more appropriate to talk about the future, about the next 100 years. In the ’50s, thoughts of the future inspired illustrations of flying automobiles, wristwatches with huge antennae for making phone calls, and airplanes that could fly around the world on batteries. Not all such predictions have materialized quite like they were imagined. Similarly, it is hard to say what cinematography’s technology will look like in the next 100 years. Who knows? Lenses might break out of their present limitations imposed by physics, sensors might become obsolete technology, and “cinema” cameras — whatever that might come to mean — might be the size and shape of a tennis ball. More importantly than the technology, though, what’s to come of our role as cinematographers? Will it diminish, or be robotized and made subservient to some master? It might be an altogether dark and foreboding future. What rings more true, though, is that we will be busier than ever creating visuals — just as making phone calls from a wristwatch is now a common event (thankfully without the huge antenna). When the founders of the ASC sought to describe our organization’s purpose and mission back in 1919, they agreed upon “Loyalty, Progress, Artistry” — words that remain embedded in our logo to this day. That mission has served us well over the past 100 years, and it will continue to reflect our intentions and goals just as well through the next 100 years and beyond. Seeking context for the future, my thoughts wander down the path of Walt Whitman’s literary legacy. Amongst other philosophies, Whitman wrote of what has come to be known as “radical optimism” — radical referring for once not to politics but to fundamental nature, and optimism suggesting the positive potential of people. In the end, Whitman’s radical optimism speaks to what some describe as an “organic connection between human beings.” So then, looking forward with Whitman in mind and inspired as ever by our 100-year-old mission, let us embrace our own kind of radical optimism. He often wrote from a dark place, but was nevertheless able to imagine the possibility of a much brighter time to come. May we similarly not lose sight of human connection, and always remember the power of “art and expression” to embody that connection. As Whitman wrote in Leaves of Grass, “Resist much, obey little.” And, as Confucius once said, “If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of 10 years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.”
Kees van Oostrum ASC President
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ASC 100th Anniversary
Photo by Jacek Laskus, ASC, PSC.
Radical Optimism
SHOT CRAFT
By Jay Holben
Since 1920, the ASC has been using the pages of American Cinematographer to educate aspiring and professional filmmakers. In the May 1927 issue, for example, details were shared about this “All-Angle Motion Camera Clamp.”
Shot Craft was introduced just two years ago in the pages of American Cinematographer, but the magazine has a wellestablished legacy of providing educational content to its readers, extending back to the publication’s earliest days. As a key vessel for the ASC’s educational message, AC has consistently offered advice to and spotlighted the work of aspiring and student cinematographers. Beginning in the 1920s, AC ran a dedicated series of articles under the banner of “Amateur Cinematography,” and for many years the cover even touted the slogan, “A publication for professionals and amateurs.” Additionally, much of this instructional content has been penned directly by ASC members — including Joseph A. Dubray, who served for a number of years as AC’s technical editor. Now, as the ASC celebrates its 100th anniversary — with AC’s own centennial arriving next year — we’re turning back the clock to offer a sampling of Society members’ technical tidbits and tricks of the trade from the magazine’s first 10 years of publication. In surveying the magazine’s first decade, it’s apparent that many of the same issues that cinematographers face today were of concern 90-some years ago. As it has for the past 99 years, AC will continue to share the ASC’s mission of bringing the latest information on the techniques, trends, art and science of cinematography to filmmakers professional and aspiring alike. Here’s to the next 100 years. [Ed. Note: The following selections have been condensed and lightly edited from their original published appearance.]
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The cinematographer’s tool of trade is, by reason of its accuracy of construction and highly technical attributes, a very expensive tool indeed. In the early days of motion picture production, the various producing companies, in most instances, constructed their own cameras, which were supplied to the cinematographer. This seemed the logical thing to do. As time progressed and motion-picture-making advanced, greater expenditures became necessary in all branches of production. The producer, becoming involved in such unprecedented spending, was wont to overlook the fact that possibly the camera, too, should be improved. The camera, being a purely mechanical device, was considered amply sufficient to all needs, just as long as the wheels would go around. The cinematographer’s request for this or that lens or such and such in attachment was frowned upon by the head office, and so, while thousands of dollars were being lavished on production, the recording mechanism was highly neglected. The cinematographer, on the other hand, being more or less responsible for his work, conceived the idea that he should fortify himself with his own equipment in order to follow out his artistic endeavors in a more perfect manner. Irrespective of their small salary, some cinematographers made personal sacrifices [and] saved up enough to invest in their own cameras, which they promptly improved and added to, according to their personal tastes and idea. Undoubtedly this constituted the first step in the general advancement of camera construction, since the camera manufacturers learned the requirements directly from the cinematographers. If there has been competition among producers, there has most certainly been competition among the cinematographers in the struggle towards the goal of perfection. The artistic effort of the cinematographer must be backed by the best mechanical development of the camera. The best conceived and executed double exposure would be an utter failure unless it were properly registered. There have been instances of cinematographers being chosen by reason of the pretentious outfit they presented, rather than their capabilities. While mechanical perfection is highly necessary, it is really the person behind the mechanism who is to produce the results upon the screen. There are times when the producers are apt to be rather discriminating as to just what sort of an instrument the cinematographer is ➔ expected to supply.
ASC 100th Anniversary
Images courtesy of the AC archives.
The Cinematographer’s Investment By H. Lyman Broening, ASC AC Oct. ’23
A Professional’s Notes for Amateurs, Part VII “Discoveries of della Porta and Others in Primitive Photographic Research Related” by Joseph A. Dubray, ASC AC May ’27
Joseph A. Dubray, ASC served for a number of years as AC’s technical editor.
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The camera has not been a stable article, and the cinematographer, in the course of events, has found it necessary to discard the old outfit for one of advanced design, the old outfit being a total depreciation. And any depreciation at all on the cinematographer’s camera outfit is likely to be out of proportion to their salary, as is evident when it is known that it is reliably estimated that upwards of $300,000 are represented in camera equipment owned by cinematographers. As compared with directors and principal members of the cast, cinematographers’ salary is indeed decidedly out of proportion, if they are expected to invest thousands of dollars as well as contribute unlimited mental and physical effort. There is a question as to whether the cinematographer has done the wisest thing, after all, in supplying that which the producer should legitimately furnish. The cinematographer, working on freelance pictures, is placed at a great disadvantage, since income is spasmodic and of uncertain quantity. The equipment, however, must be up-to-date or at least meet the requirements of the fastidious producer. August 2019
A lens can be defined as “any transparent medium bounded by regularly curved refracting surfaces (one of the surfaces may be a plane).” The curvatures of the refracting surfaces are calculated so as to force all of the incident rays to meet at a certain point, which may be behind the lens (convergent lenses) or in front of it, on the imaginary prolongation of the refracted rays (divergent lenses). It is evident that any transparent and isotropic substance may be used for the making of lenses, and that each surface of a lens may be shaped as a portion of a curved solid, of well defined size and of regular geometrical form. Lenses are named according to their shape, so if their surfaces are portions of spheres, they will be called “spherical,” the same appellation applying when one of their surfaces is plane. If the surfaces are portions of cylinders, the lens is called cylindrical. If one of the surfaces is a portion of a sphere and the other portion of a cylinder, the lens will be called “spherocylindrical” and so on. Lenses may be parabolical, toroidal, etc., according to the shape of their bounding surfaces. In photography, only spherical lenses made of glass are used.* The spherical form has been chosen because of the relative easiness in which such shapes may be obtained with the extreme exactness that is required, and glass is the material used because of its transparency, its resistance to extraneous influences and its chemical stability. Generally speaking, glass is a compound of silica with metallic oxides and two main divisions are derived from such combination. Crown Glass is a compound of silica and lead, with soda or potash, or both. ASC 100th Anniversary
During the latest years, new elements have been incorporated in glass in order to change its molecular composition and adapt it to the exact requirements of modern optical instruments.
[*2019 Ed. Note: In the decades since this was originally written, photographic and cinematographic lenses have incorporated non-spherical lenses — namely aspheres — as well as lenses made of materials other than glass, such as plastic and fluorite.] A Professional’s Notes for Amateurs, Part IX “Convergent and Divergent Lenses; Points and Planes; and Other Data Considered” by Joseph A. Dubray, ASC AC July ’27
It is a well known fact that if a convergent lens is placed facing the sun, a certain position will be found at which a small and extremely brilliant spot will be seen at a certain distance from the lens. Furthermore, if the hand is placed at this distance from the lens so that the brilliant spot rests upon it, an impression of heat is immediately felt, which becomes rapidly unbearable for its intensity. If the spot is made to fall upon some quite inflammable material, such as paper, dry straw, cotton, etc., a relatively short exposure to its heat is sufficient to ignite the material. The point of extreme maximum heat is called the “focus” of the lens. Focus is from the Latin word focus, which means “fire.” Let us consider a bi-convex lens as in Fig. 20 [see page 16]. The rays emanating from the sun and incident to the first surface of the lens may be considered as being parallel to the axis of the lens, due to their extreme distance from it. Following the laws of refraction, these rays will be refracted at their entrance into the lens, and refracted again at their emergence from it. In other words, all the rays paral-
lel to the axis and incident upon the first surface of the lens will, after refraction, converge, or concentrate at a certain point on the axis. It is this concentration of the rays that increases the brilliancy and temperature of any substance placed at this very point. All divergent lenses have no real foci, because the rays refracted by them do not converge towards the axis, but diverge from it, whatever the distance of the source of light. But if we prolong the refracted rays in a direction opposite to their path (Fig. 21) we find that their prolongation meet at a certain point on the axis, and this point is called the virtual focus of the lens. Questions and Answers AC Nov. ’27
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Question — From whence comes the name, “Camera”? Answer — It dates back to the year 1553 when the Italian Gianbattista della Porta discovered the “CAMERA OSCURA,” the Italian for “Dark Chamber.” In the course of time, the term has been shortened to “CAMERA.” Question — Why can I not obtain clear pictures when photographing against the sun? Answer – I infer that your pictures show a general or partial fog. This is due to flares produced by extraneous light striking the lens. A lens hood is essential when photographing against a brilliant source of light and when a maximum of contrast is desired. The following formula will give you the dimensions required for a circular hood. (4⁄5) x (length of hood ÷ focal length of lens) + aperture of lens The aperture of the lens is found by dividing its focal length by the F number of the lens. The measurement obtained will serve as a guide for ascertaining the dimension of the rectangular opening of the hood, which is preferably used. Question — How has the numbering of the diaphragms of a lens been established? Answer — The International Congress of Photography held in Paris August 2019
Two illustrations from Dubray’s July 1927 article about convergent and divergent lenses.
(France) in 1900 has decreed that diaphragm shall be characterized by a fraction of the form F-n, where n is the number obtained by dividing the absolute focal length of the lens by the equivalent diameter of the diaphragm. The diameters of the standard series of diaphragms shall be such that their progression corresponds for each of its terms to an exposure double of the preceding one. F-1; F-1.4; F-2; F-2.8; F-4; F-5.6; F-8; F-11.3; F-16; F-23; F-32; F-45. Each one of these stops has an AREA one-half the AREA of the preceding one. ASC 100th Anniversary
Neutral Gray Filters in Cinematography By Joseph A. Dubray, ASC AC Sept. ’28
The exigencies of modern cinematography have brought about the use of “neutral gray light filters,” which serve to reduce the effect of the incident light upon the film without having recourse to either the reduction of the lens aperture or the reduction of the angular opening of the camera shutter. In other words, by the use of these filters, the exposure can be regulated at will by the cinematographer,
while maintaining the desired depth of focus and color rendition. These filters are the Wratten light filters, No. 96, and bear the catalogue nomenclature of “No. 96, Neutral Gray.” For all practical purposes it will be sufficiently correct to compute the density of this filter as corresponding to a transparency of 1 divided by 12, so that it is seen that this filter transmits 1⁄12 of the incident light, or approximately 8%. Since these filters may be procured of any desired density, the American Society of Cinematographers has chosen the following range of densities as the most appropriate for cinematographic work: • Density .15 which transmits 66% of the incident light • Density .30 which transmits 50% of the incident light • Density .45 which transmits 33% of the incident light • Density .60 which transmits 25% of the incident light • Density .75 which transmits 16% of the incident light • Density .90 which transmits 12.5% of the incident light • Density 1.05 which transmits 9% of the incident light • Density 1.20 which transmits 6% of the incident light It is to be noted that the alternate series, the different densities of which are .30, .60, .90 and 1.2, bear to each other the relation that each filter requires double the exposure of the preceding one, in other words they correspond to the regular progression of diaphragm stops. For example, suppose a scene which would be correctly exposed when photographed without a filter at an aperture of F.11.3. The use of the filter density .30 would require an exposure double the
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one obtained by the aperture F.11.3, that is to say that the scene should be photographed at an aperture of F.8. It is very probable that for normal cinematographic work it will be sufficient to add only three or four of these filters to the equipment of the cinematographer, and experience will dictate the most appropriate densities, but whenever trick or special process cinematography is involved, the whole series selected will present a greater range of possible effects and therefore a greater pliability and latitude in the solution of photographic problems. The color rendition of the subject is not affected by these natural filters because they totally absorb only rays which do not concur to form the image being absorbed by the glass of the lenses (wave length 320 mu) and by the color correcting filters mostly used. These neutral filters are additive so the sum of the densities of two filters gives a very approximate value of the resultant density when the two filters are superimposed, consequently they may also be used in conjunction with the usual filters used for color correction. The American Society of Cinematographers is at present discussing with the Eastman Co., manufacturers of the neutral filter, the matter of the practical nomenclature to be adopted for them. The designation of the filters by their density involve a certain calculation for the finding of their transparency and therefore of the exposure they control; which result impractical when under pressure of time in actual production work. The most logical manner to avoid such complication would perhaps
ASC 100th Anniversary
be to add to the trade name and number the filter factor for each filter, and to all appearance this will be the procedure which will be resorted to. Information for Amateurs AC Sept. ’29
Question from R.S., Mason, Ga.: I want to try some of the backlighting effects I see in professional films, but the instruction books say never make a picture except where the light comes over your shoulder. Is there any special device that studio cinematographers use to get these effects? Ans: You can get the effects you want with any amateur camera if it is equipped with a lens-hood, or sunshade, and care is taken that the direct rays of the sun do not strike the actual lens surface. In backlit shots, the light should come from behind and to the side of the subject, and the best results are gotten when the sun is fairly high in the sky. Of course, you should use some sort of reflector to illuminate the shadowed side, so the detail there won’t be lost. Amateur Movie Making “Some Light on Light” AC Oct. ’29
Light, we know, comes from all incandescent or burning bodies, and is reflected by all others. Now light itself is an electromagnetic wave-motion in the ether. These light-waves are much the same as radio waves, but they are broadcast on a shorter wavelength and at a tremendously higher frequency. Instead of measuring their wavelength in meters, we measure it in ten-thou-
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sandths of a millimeter, and the frequency in hundreds of trillions per second. No wonder we can’t tune it in on our radios! These waves cover a rather considerable range of frequencies and wavelengths, and the differences of these are responsible for the effect we call color. Pure white light, such as comes from the sun, is a complete and perfect mixture of all these frequencies, but that which is reflected from the different objects around us is minus various frequencies, which have been absorbed by the object. Thus, a red rose reflects those frequencies which give us the sensation of red, and absorbs all the others. Similarly, its green leaves reflect the green vibrations and absorb the others. Thus it is with all colors: black, of course, means an almost complete absorption of all frequencies, while its opposite, white, is a complete reflection of all frequencies. Gray is merely an imperfect white, uniformly absorbed in all frequencies, cutting down the chromatic brilliance of the object, though not necessarily loosening its visual brilliance. Furthermore, scientists have found that white light may be reduced to three primary colors, which can be combined to form all the others. These are red, blue and green: they correspond to the three different units of our optic nervous system. If all three units are excited equally, we get the effect of white; if they are affected inequally, we get the effect of color corresponding to that mixture of these primary colors. Thus it will be apparent that if we can make three photographs of an object, each one so filtered as to just record the proportion of the frequencies of the total reflected light in the picture that one of these three nerve-units would get, and then in some way combine the three, each having been colored its appropriate hue, we should get an exact reproduction of the object in its original color. This is the idea behind all color photography. In actual practice it has been found possible to use only two color-images — those of the red and green — and still get a fairly good color-picture. Of course the loss of the blue means also the loss of August 2019
absolute fidelity in the color representation: for instance, white is actually rendered as a pale yellow, which we see as white; but it also means such a degree of mechanical simplification that the sacrifice of perfect accuracy seems justified. This is especially so in kinematography, where the mechanical difficulties are already so numerous. Amateur Movie Making “Rainy-Day Cinematics” By William Stull, ASC AC March ’30
Another important, if less spectacular, opportunity offered at this season is that of securing rainy-weather films. While few of us are probably as pictorially-inclined as one enterprising experimenter who made a complete reel of cinematic impressions of rain, we can all find much of pictorial interest in this gray, moist mood of nature. Thanks to the faster lenses which are becoming so universally popular for cinematic equipment, these dark days are not the terrifying impossibilities they were a short while ago. On the contrary, their possibilities are beginning to be revealed. Artistically they enable one to paint the screen picture with bold strokes, eliminating, if they wish, much that is unessential, and even achieving impressionist simplicity. Furthermore, from a photographic standpoint, the opportunities for unusual effects are unexcelled, for with the interesting reflections obtainable on the wet pavements, and the exceedingly easy contre-jour effects obtainable with the clouds serving as heavy diffusers for light, such weather offers a new and unique mood for pictorial cinematography. Another pictorial aid at this season is the slight mistiness veiling distant landscapes. This mistiness is quite a different thing from the rather objectionable haze of later months, being generally quite desirable, and rarely photographically incongruous, as the foreground action will be usually lit with a softer light which keeps the entire picture in a single mood. Still another advantage of early ASC 100th Anniversary
springtime is the fact that the light comes at all times from a flatter angle, making it possible to secure artistic effects closer to the middle of the day than will be possible in a month or so, when the noon-day light is more nearly a top-light, and renders quality work impossible. Also, this same lower angle of the light makes for much greater effectiveness and ease in back-lighted scenes. In this connection, however, the absolute importance of an adequate lens-hood cannot be too greatly stressed. Especially with the newer super-speed lenses an adequate lensshade is vital, for otherwise ordinary shots suffer from all manner of flare and barrel-reflections, while back-lighting effects are simply impossible. Finally, as the light at this season is so extremely uncertain, the safest way for even an expert to judge his exposures under these unusual conditions is by the constant use of a dependable exposuremeter like the Cinephot, or others which actually measure the light reflected by the subject. For, after all, there is only one unfailing rule for exposure possible: always use an exposure-meter to measure your light until your eye has had the vast amount of experience necessary to do it unfailingly itself. u
AC SPECIAL FOCUS On Jan. 8, 1919, the American Society of Cinematographers was officially chartered by the State of California. The ASC’s founding members comprised a group of 15 cinematographers, all of whom were pioneers during a transformative tech boom, artistic renaissance and popular-culture revolution that helped shape the 20th century. Here are their stories. Officers
Philip E. Rosen – President Born May 8, 1888, in Russia and raised in Machias, Maine, Rosen worked as a projectionist and lab technician before becoming an $18-a-week cinematographer at Edison Studios in 1912. He came to California in 1918 to photograph George Loane Tucker’s The Miracle Man. The success of the film brought Rosen an offer from Universal to direct. Over the next 30 years he helmed some 140 films, including The Young Rajah (1922) and The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln (1924). Rosen was later active in the formation of the Screen Directors Guild (later known as the Directors Guild of America) in 1936. He died on Oct. 22, 1951.
Charles Rosher – Vice President Born on Nov. 17, 1885, in London, England, Rosher apprenticed with a series of still photographers before eventually being invited to show his own stills at the Eastman School of Photography. When he came to the States to accompany the exhibit, he brought a Williamson movie camera and started shooting actualities. After arriving in California in 1911, Rosher briefly worked at Universal City Studios before joining the staff of the Lasky Feature Play Co. — which became the Famous Players-Lasky Corp. —
where he became actor-producer Mary Pickford’s cinematographer and shot all her films from How Could You, Jean? (1918) through My Best Girl (1927). Pickford occasionally loaned Rosher out to other producers, including for Sunrise (1927), which earned Rosher and co-cinematographer Karl Struss, ASC the first Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Rosher earned five additional Oscar nominations throughout the years, receiving the Oscar for Best Color Cinematography on The Yearling (1946). After retiring in 1955, he died in Lisbon, Portugal, on Jan. 15, 1974. Homer A. Scott – 2nd Vice President Born in Cambria Center, N.Y., on Oct. 1, 1880, Scott’s early credits as cinematographer include Tom Sawyer (1917) and Huck and Tom (1918). He worked with Mack Sennett on such features as Molly O’ (1921), The Crossroads of New York (1922) and The Extra Girl (1923). As the 1920s continued, Scott worked as a second cameraperson for comedian Harold Lloyd, but mainly did underwater work and other specialized cinematography. He went on to do the marine work on Tiger Shark (1932) and Below the Sea (1933), among others. He retired from films in 1936 and died on Dec. 23, 1956.
William C. Foster – Treasurer Born in Bushnell, Ill., on Dec. 28, 1880, Foster started his career working for the Chicago-based Selig Polyscope Co. in 1901. After moving to California, he was lead cinematographer on the first five two-reelers that Charlie Chaplin made for Mutual Film Corp. in 1916: The Floorwalker, The Fireman, One A.M., The Count and The Vagabond. He later shot a number of pictures with director Frank Lloyd, including A Tale of Two Cities (1917) and The Silver Horde (1920), and also worked with director Lois Weber. He died on Jan. 18, 1923.
From left: Philip E. Rosen, ASC (right) with cinematographer Rudolph Berquist; Charles Rosher, ASC; Homer A. Scott, ASC. 22
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Photos courtesy of the AC archives.
The Founding Members By Robert S. Birchard
During World War II, August served with John Ford’s OSS film unit and was wounded while shooting the Oscarwinning documentary short The Battle of Midway (1942). August’s final assignment was the romantic fantasy Portrait of Jennie (1948). The film was nearing completion when he died on Sept. 25, 1947.
u William C. Foster, ASC (right) with director Frank Lloyd and actor Jewel Carmen. q Joseph H. August, ASC (right, wearing tie) during the production of The Apostle of Vengeance (1916). qu Victor Milner, ASC (right) with producer-director Cecil B. DeMille on the set of Cleopatra (1934).
Victor Milner – Secretary Born in Russia on Dec. 15, 1891, Milner and his family arrived in New York when he was 13. In 1913, at the age of 22, Milner shot his first film, Hiawatha, but he soon returned to shooting actualities. In 1916, he was hired by the Balboa Amusement Producing Co. in Long Beach, giving up newsreels for dramatic films. He later gained attention as second cameraperson on films for Western star William S. Hart. Milner also worked at Metro and Universal before landing at Paramount Pictures in 1925. He spent the rest of his career there, earning nine Academy Award nominations — he took home the Oscar for Cleopatra (1934). He retired after shooting Jeopardy (1953) and died on Oct. 29, 1972.
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Lawrence D. Clawson Born on Oct. 4, 1885, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Clawson moved to Los Angeles in 1912. His first known feature credits as a cinematographer are for director Lois Weber at Bosworth Inc. and Universal in 1914-15. By the early 1920s, Clawson was chief cinematographer for actress Anita Stewart at Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corp., yet later in the decade he often worked as a second cameraperson. He was the lead cinematographer on the early talkie Syncopation (1929); his last credits were for expedition films such as Hunting Tigers in India (1929) as well as low-budget productions including The Horror (1932). He died on July 18, 1937.
Members of the Board
Joseph H. August Born on April 26, 1890, in Idaho Springs, Colo., August shot his first film, Lure of the Violin, in 1912 and became chief cinematographer for William S. Hart in 1915. He would shoot more than 40 of Hart’s films, including Hart’s swan song, Tumbleweeds (1925). With motion pictures like A Damsel in Distress (1937), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) and The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) — all at RKO — August remained one of Hollywood’s top cinematographers, but he continued to rely on the principles he learned in the Silent Era. “Many things have changed during the rise and development of the picturemaking industry,” he said shortly after completing Gunga Din (1939), “but the basis of lighting seems to be about the same as it was in the beginning.” ASC 100th Anniversary
Arthur Edeson Born in New York City on Oct. 24, 1891, Edeson shot some of the bestremembered films of all time: Frankenstein (1931), The Invisible Man (1933), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Casablanca (1942). His first work in the movies, though, was as an actor at the Eclair studio in Fort Lee, N.J. He would shoot portraits of his fellow actors, and his photos eventually caught the attention of cinematographer John van den Broek. When a cameraperson had taken ill, van den Broek suggested that Edeson fill in. When American Eclair was reorganized as the World Film Corp., Edeson stayed on to become chief cinematographer for star Clara Kimball Young; when she left for California in 1917, Edeson followed. His credits in the 1920s included the Douglas Fairbanks pictures The Three Musketeers (1921), Robin Hood (1922) and The Thief of Bagdad (1924), along with Stella Dallas (1925), The Lost World (1925), and the atmos-
pheric thriller The Bat (1926). At Fox, Edeson shot the all-outdoor, 100-percent talkie In Old Arizona (1929), as well as the first Fox Grandeur 70mm film, The Big Trail (1930). He later worked at Universal and MGM, and eventually settled in at Warner Bros., where he would remain until his 1949 retirement. He died on Feb. 14, 1970. Eugene Gaudio The brother of future ASC member Tony Gaudio was born in Italy on Dec. 31, 1886. Growing up, he learned photography in his father’s portrait studio. After coming to the U.S., he served as lab superintendent, but when he arrived in California in 1915, he came out of the darkroom and went behind the camera for Universal Film Manufacturing Co. — now Universal Pictures. The best known of his efforts there was on the 1916 silent production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He later photographed films for Metro’s stars Alla Nazimova and May Allison. His final work was with actress and producer Bessie Barriscale’s B.B. Features. He died on Aug. 1, 1920.
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Fred LeRoy Granville Born in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia, in 1886, Granville was educated in New Zealand. He became interested in photography as a child. His first experience with cinematography came in 1913 at the Selig Polyscope studio in Edendale, near downtown Los Angeles. Granville photographed the August 2019
t Lawrence D. Clawson (left) at work on The Patent Leather Kid (1927). p Arthur Edeson, ASC. u Eugene Gaudio, ASC.
documentary Rescue of the Stefansson Arctic Expedition (1914), as well as a number of features and serials for Universal, including The Heart of Humanity (1918). He also shot several of cowboy actor Tom Mix’s early Fox features. In 1920, Granville moved to England, where he worked as a cinematographer and director into the mid1920s. He died in London on Nov. 14, 1932.
Walter L. Griffin Born in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 19, 1889, Griffin first cranked a camera for Universal in 1914. In 1915, he joined the Exposition Players Corp., the official cinematographers of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Returning to Hollywood, Griffin signed on with the National Film Corp., where he shot some 25 comedies featuring National’s owner, William “Smiling Bill” Parsons.
Fred LeRoy Granville, ASC operates the camera for The Coming of the Law (1919). ASC 100th Anniversary
Griffin’s best-remembered film is Nomads of the North (1920), starring Lon Chaney. Through the early 1920s, the cinematographer shot low-budget Westerns, and in the mid-’20s, he shot a number of modest melodramas, including Rose of the Bowery (1927), The Heart of Broadway (1928) and The City of Purple Dreams (1928). He retired from films in 1928 and died in Ventura, Calif., on March 25, 1954.
Joseph Devereaux Jennings Born in Utah on Sept. 22, 1884, Jennings began his film career around 1910. His earliest confirmed credits are with Thomas H. Ince’s unit of the New York Motion Picture Co. He went on to photograph Fame and Fortune (1918), The Daredevil (1920) and other Tom Mix features. Later in the ’20s, Jennings shot several of Buster Keaton’s best-known comedies, including The General (1926) and Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928). At the dawn of the Sound Era, Jennings photographed the two-color Technicolor extravaganzas Bride of the Regiment and Golden Dawn (both 1930). He was also behind the camera on the classic gangster film The Public Enemy (1931). As the 1930s continued, he began to concentrate on visual-effects work, finally settling in at Paramount Pictures, where his brother Gordon headed the effects department. He died on March 12, 1952.
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From left: Walter L. Griffin, ASC; Joseph Devereaux Jennings (inset) cranked a Bell & Howell camera for the 1927 production College; Roy H. Klaffki, ASC.
Roy H. Klaffki Born in California on March 6, 1882, Klaffki worked as a cinematographer in England as well as Hollywood. In the early 1920s, he was director of photography at Metro Pictures — shooting films, supervising the work of other Metro cinematographers, and overseeing quality control in the lab. He took a similar position at Goldwyn Pictures in 1923. Klaffki would end his career as a technician with the Technicolor Motion Picture Corp. He died on Sept. 20, 1965.
Robert S. Newhard Born in Allentown, Pa., on April 28, 1884, Newhard began his career in 1910, working with Fred Balshofer’s Bison Life Motion Pictures unit of the New York Motion Picture Co. He was behind the camera on several William S. Hart productions, including The Bargain (1914) and On the Night Stage (1915). Newhard later worked at Paralta Plays, Fox and Goldwyn studios. As early as 1922, Newhard was
noted as being “one of the greatest aerial cinematographers in the world,” and he eventually found his niche in the industry as a specialized cameraperson in this arena. His last major credit was on Universal’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). Newhard would receive first cinematographer credit on a handful of other films, ending with his only talkie, Party Girl (1930). He died in Los Angeles on May 20, 1945.
L. Guy Wilky Born in Phoenix, Ariz., on Oct. 12, 1888, Wilky graduated from the University of Arizona and then took a job with the Philadelphia-based Lubin Manufacturing Co.’s southwest unit, with whom he shot his first picture, The Rattle Snake, in 1913. In 1915, Wilky went to California, where he worked briefly for Universal and then for the American Film Co. After tours at several other studios, Wilky finally got to Paramount, where he “spent the best years of my career working with William C. and Cecil
u Robert S. Newhard, ASC (center) at work on The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). uu L. Guy Wilky, ASC peers through the rangefinder of a Bell & Howell camera during the production of Immediate Lee (1916).
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B. DeMille,” he said. Wilky was active in attempting to organize the International Photographers Union in the late 1920s, and his efforts led the major studios to blacklist him. After seven years at Paramount, his last credits as principal cinematographer were on a pair of low-budget pictures in 1928. He was relegated to working second camera and forced to give up his ASC membership because he could no longer afford the dues. He finally returned to the studios as a 2nd-unit cameraperson and camera assistant, finishing his career at Columbia in the 1950s. When he received a 50-year membership pin at the ASC’s anniversary dinner in 1969, Wilky considered the token “one of my prized treasures.” He died on Dec. 25, 1971. Additional material by David Kiehn, historian for the Niles Essanay u Silent Film Museum.
A Storied History The American Society of Cinematographers celebrates its first 100 years of Loyalty, Progress and Artistry By David E. Williams
One hundred years ago, in 1919, a small group of filmmakers sought to advance the art and science of motionpicture photography by bringing cinematographers together to exchange ideas, discuss techniques and promote the moving image as an art form. It’s a mission that continues today, a century later. 30
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The American Society of Cinematographers was the first organization in the film industry to be devoted exclusively to furthering and honoring professional achievement. As such, it is neither a labor union nor a guild, but an educational, cultural and professional organization. Membership is extended by invitation only to those who are actively engaged as directors of photography and have demonstrated outstanding ability in their work. The need for an entity such as the ASC arose shortly after the birth of motion pictures in the 1890s. Much like other tech booms that have followed the creation of new media, a veritable gold rush erupted at the turn of the 20th century as entrepreneurs and creatives flocked to the movie business, seeking to capitalize on the latest technology — in this case, motion-picture cameras and publicexhibition options. Some sought to create cutting-edge
ASC 100th Anniversary
Lead photo by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC. All photos courtesy of the ASC and AC archives.
tt & pp The ASC Clubhouse has been the Society’s home since 1936. p Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell (left) presents a centennial plaque to ASC President Kees van Oostrum (center) and past President Richard Crudo. t The ASC charter from the state of California.
hardware, while others struggled to author the next killer “software” — which, in the early 1900s, would have constituted a must-see silent short that might go “viral” at the local nickelodeon. There was money to be made in this technological Wild West, though heavyweight patent holders such as inventor Thomas A. Edison worked hard to quash competition by tightly controlling technical information. Meanwhile, upstarts tried to work around them by breathlessly introducing new equipment that required new expertise to operate.
At the center of this chaos were cinematographers — trusted technicians and artists whose keen understanding of this new medium, motion-picture photography, was vital to the success of any producer or studio. However, much like today, keeping up with the ever-changing landscape was virtually impossible www.ascmag.com
for any single individual working on their own. Without trade publications, film schools or even unions — and with opportunities to apprentice for someone with experience being so uncommon — how could cinematographers of the time learn to use the latest tools and techniques to better their work? Initially, most filming was done in and around New York, but the winters there restricted outdoor shooting. Therefore, from about 1907, producers would send units to Los Angeles or Florida where pictures could be made during the winter’s August 2019
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A Storied History Philip E. Rosen, ASC (seated, wearing glasses) served as the Society’s first president and went on to direct such films as The Heart of a Siren (1925). He’s seen here with the cast of that production, which starred Conway Tearle (seated, front left) and Barbara La Marr (in white dress). The ASC Clubhouse was previously Tearle’s home.
sunshine. Los Angeles in particular provided a great variety of backgrounds for diverse stories — mountains, deserts, seascapes — and a great choice of buildings and homes that could serve as settings. Some of the units returned to New York in the spring, but a few companies began to build studios and remain in Southern California throughout the year. During this time, cinematographers on both coasts would often meet for social gatherings in each other’s homes. As was inevitable, someone suggested that they form a club for the interchange of ideas.
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Tight control and policing of patents owned by Edison and his Motion Picture Patents Co. led to strict secrecy by anyone designing, building or using any competing camera technology. Progress was stymied, innovation impeded and discussion silenced, which frustrated cinematographers who were always seeking to August 2019
improve their images. In 1913, three cinematographers employed at the Edison Studios in the Bronx, N.Y. — Philip E. Rosen, Frank Kugler and Lewis W. Physioc — decided to do something about this dilemma. Earning just $18 a week (about $450 today), they, like their peers, were considered mere technicians by studio management, and none received screen credit for their work. This trio, however, believed that if cinematographers formed some sort of cohesive group, they could establish and maintain professional standards and gain recognition as creative artists. Of course, they could also be potentially blacklisted by the studio and find themselves out of work completely. “Our original purpose was to get cinematographers to exchange ideas and thus encourage manufacturers to make better equipment, especially lighting,” Physioc explained years later. The three began their work ASC 100th Anniversary
in secret, mailing unsigned notices explaining their planned purpose to all the cinematographers they knew to be working under the auspices of the Motion Picture Patents Co., as well as independents working outside it. Those interested in participating were asked to reply by mail to a nondescript address. After enough replies were received, a meeting was set. The location was Heinebund Hall, at 34th Street and 8th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Just 13 people attended, and no one seemed to be in charge, but — as the story goes — a waiter soon appeared and handed each attendee a mysterious slip of paper bearing four words: This meeting is yours. After some discussion, a temporary chairman was selected and the meeting got underway. Officers were elected, and Rosen was voted in as president. The Cinema Camera Club was born. Though the group met in secret for its first six months — still fearing
Joseph H. August, ASC — seen below with Katharine Hepburn during the production of Mary of Scotland (1936) — was behind the camera for the 1920 film Sand, which featured the first appearance of the “ASC” credential in a movie’s titles.
reprisals that never materialized — the Cinema Camera Club grew rapidly, with a small office established on Columbus Circle. By 1915, there were 120 members, and a larger headquarters was soon located in The New York Times Building at 229 West 43rd St. About the same time that the Cinema Camera Club was formed in New York, a small group of cinematographers in Los Angeles formed the Static Club of America — so named because of the static electricity that could build up in a motionpicture camera, creating white, lightning-like streaks on the negative. Eliminating such static was a hot topic of discussion among members, as were many other technical issues regarding lenses, lighting, lab work and other matters of both production and post. Despite the West Coast club’s geographical distance from the brusque enforcement agents of the Motion Picture Patents Co., caution was still a priority. As a result, when the Static Club was founded by cinematographers Leonard M. Smith, Fred LeRoy Granville, W.F. Alder and H.M. Maguire, the members agreed in their first meeting — on Feb. 13, 1913 — that “the body [would] constitute a secret society.” After
bylaws were established, Harry B. Harris was elected president of the group. Early on, the two groups established membership reciprocity, and by 1916 each entity was publishing a newsletter. The Eastern edition was called Cinema News, while the West Coast periodical was Static Flashes. Both offered basic information on cinematography, including details on what pictures the members were currently shooting. www.ascmag.com
In 1918, Rosen was elected to a third term as president of the New York branch, but he had to resign in order to shoot a picture in Hollywood — The Miracle Man starring Lon Chaney. Even though the center of the filmproduction world was shifting from New York to Los Angeles, Rosen arrived to find the West Coast organization struggling to stay afloat. Its president, Charles Rosher, asked Rosen to head a reorganization committee. ➔ August 2019
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A Storied History
Issues of American Cinematographer from 1929, 1933, 1969, 1982 and 2017.
Rosen came to the conclusion that there should be a national organization rather than two independent and loosely affiliated chapters, and that such an organization should have exacting membership requirements. He believed that in order for this new organization to have stature, membership ought to be by invitation only to those cinematographers who had clearly demonstrated their professional capability and good character. Today, there are two primary classifications of ASC members: active and associate. The former are directors of photography who have built a body of work and a reputation for excellence; only active members may add the initials “ASC” after their name in professional use, as in a production’s credits. Associate members are non-cinematographers
who are key representatives of equipment manufacturers and other vital production and post support companies who work very closely with directors of photography. Additionally, there is an honorarymember designation reserved for individuals who have made indelible contributions to the industry, the Society, or to motion-picture photography (such as Edison, George Eastman, and the Apollo 11 astronauts who first filmed the Earth from the surface of the moon). There remains a common misperception that ASC membership is only open to U.S. citizens, but this has never been the case. Today, the Society includes members from dozens of countries around the world.
On the evening of Saturday, Dec. 21, 1918, Rosen and the reorganization committee met at the home of William C. Foster. A new constitution was drawn up, and a board of governors was formed from the 10 committee members and five other Cinema Camera Club members who were invited to attend the meeting. The 15 cinematographers who signed the application for a charter under the laws of the state of California were Rosen, Foster, Rosher, Granville, Joseph H. August, Lawrence D. Clawson, Arthur Edeson, Eugene Gaudio, Walter L. Griffin, Joseph Devereaux Jennings, Roy H. Klaffki, Victor Milner, Robert S. Newhard, Homer A. Scott and L. Guy Wilky. (For more on the Society’s founders, see page 22.) The constitution of the new organization, which was named
In November 1920, the ASC began publishing The American Cinematographer — a four-page newsletter with a cover price of just 10 cents, published twice monthly and overseen by editor Captain Jack Poland (formerly editor of Static Flashes) and associate editor Mary B. Howe. The Hollywood trade weekly Camera! noted at the time that The American Cinematographer “promises to be a very interesting little sheet since it intends to run articles on the newest and most artistic developments in motion-picture photography.” AC was much more than an in-house publicity piece. Instead, it was a sincere effort on the part of the Society to render a service to its members as well as outside readers interested in cinematography — which included producers, directors and other film professionals who recognized the vital role of the camera department. It began publishing in-depth technical reports on cameras, lighting, optics and new laboratory techniques, as well as exhibition practices. In October 1921, the newsletter evolved into a 16-page magazine format, and in March 1922, it became a monthly publication. American Cinematographer magazine has been published every month since. The Society expanded its publishing initiatives with the Cinematographic Annual in 1930 and 1931, followed by nine editions of The American Cinematographer Hand Book and Reference Guide from 1935-’56. Then, in 1960, the ASC introduced the American Cinematographer Manual, a vital technical resource that is commonly known as “the filmmaker’s bible.” The book is now in its 10th edition, which was published in 2016; an 11th edition is currently being assembled. 34
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A Storied History
The Clubhouse has long served as a gathering place for a wide range of activities, including hands-on demonstrations of the latest tools of the trade.
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the American Society of Cinematographers, stated its objectives thusly: “To advance the art and science of cinematography, and to encourage, foster and strive for excellence, artistic perfection and scientific knowledge in all matters pertaining to cinematography … bringing into the closest confederation those leaders in the cinematographic science whose achievements in that field entitle them to membership in the Society … maintaining the high standards set for themselves … promoting the interest of all who shall be called to membership … to the end that membership in this Society may become a mark of honor and distinction based on merit.” Their motto: Loyalty, Progress, Artistry. The next evening, on Dec. 22, in the home of Fred LeRoy Granville, the first ASC officers were elected: Philip E. Rosen, president; Charles Rosher, vice president; Homer A. Scott, second vice president; William C. Foster, treasurer; and Victor Milner, secretary. On Jan. 8, 1919, the ASC was August 2019
incorporated under California law and received its charter, making it the first professional organization of any kind in the American motion-picture industry. In this pursuit, the ASC has served as the example for numerous motion-picture guilds and organizations that have formed since. In comparison, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was established in 1927, the Screen Actors Guild in 1933, the Directors Guild of America in 1936, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1946. Most directly, the ASC inspired the creation of cinematography societies around the world that would all follow similar tenets, including the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC; founded in 1949), Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC; 1957), Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS; 1958), French Society of Cinematographers (AFC; 1990), Mexican Society of Cinematographers (AMC; 1992) and Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC; 1995), among many others.
ASC 100th Anniversary
More than 50 cinematographers were invited to join the ASC in that first year, and the first documented appearance of the “ASC” credential in a film’s titles followed soon after, in 1920. The film was Sand, produced by and starring William S. Hart — a superstar of the era — and shot by founding Society member Joseph H. August. It was a tremendous boost to the fledgling Society when Hart’s latest picture and its promotional posters carried the credit line “Photographed by Joe August, ASC.” After incorporating, the ASC soon established offices within the Markham Building on Hollywood Blvd., at Cosmo Street. In 1924 the Society moved into new headquarters on the 12th floor at the Guaranty Building at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Ivar Avenue. At ASC board meetings during the late 1920s and early ’30s, officers were often compelled to pass the hat to collect enough funds to cover staff salaries and mortgage payments. That changed in 1936 when the Society was offered $20,000 (more than $350,000 today) to vacate the Guaranty
A Storied History
t Stanley Cortez, ASC (standing, center) stands behind fellow Society member Joseph Walker during the celebration of “Joe Walker Day” at the Clubhouse in October 1984. u Arthur C. Miller, ASC and longtime ASC office manager Barbara Prevedel prepare to roll film on pieces of the ASC’s museum collection. Prevedel worked at the Clubhouse for 38 years and, upon her retirement in 1992, was made an honorary member of the Society.
Building to allow the property owner to control the entire building. The ASC took the deal and set about looking for a new home, which they soon found at 1782 North Orange Dr. Built in 1903, the residence was in poor repair, but the ASC leadership believed that the unique Spanish hacienda-inspired “fixer upper” on a
large lot was exactly what they needed. The Society bought the mansion and converted it into the iconic ASC Clubhouse. As the decades passed, the ASC grew in membership and stature, and the Clubhouse has remained not only a constant reminder of the Society’s past, but a key part of its future. It
During the depths of the Great Depression, in July 1933, a union strike of all cinematographers — classified as first, second and assistant — and still photographers was called by the International Association of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE). Due to this labor unrest, the ASC moved to protect its members and their compatriots by changing its bylaws to accept affected persons as members of a junior division of the ASC. This is reflected in the expanded roster printed in the October 1933 issue of AC. Meanwhile, the Society was approached by the Association of Motion Picture Producers with a proposed long-term contract for all ASC members, with salaries and working conditions to be negotiated. A five-year agreement was signed in January 1934. Soon, however, ASC meetings largely became labor and grievance forums, and little was accomplished in regard to educational, artistic and cultural issues — the founding focus of the ASC. Further negotiations between the producers and IATSE soon resulted in a new deal in late 1935 that compelled all first cinematographers to become members of the camera guild, and the ASC soon returned to its original mission as a body existing outside labor issues. The Society has maintained this clear delineation ever since, while forging a strong relationship with what is now Local 600, the International Cinematographer’s Guild. 38
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serves as a venue for the ASC Student Heritage Awards, dinner meetings and presentations, ASC Master Class sessions, discussions between student groups and ASC members, and such ambitious events as the biannual International Cinematography Summit, which finds representatives from dozens of cinematography societies worldwide convening in Hollywood to address creative issues, technological advances and other concerns. Over the years, the ASC has collected cameras, lenses and other artifacts of early motion-picture history that have been donated by members and friends of the Society, some of which are on display at the Clubhouse on a rotating basis. An impressive assemblage donated by Charles G. Clarke, ASC in the 1950s formed the initial core of the organized collection, which was then expanded upon by Arthur C. Miller, ASC to include a unique library of books, photos and other historical documentation and memorabilia. Steve Gainer, ASC, ASK now curates the collection. ➔
p Honorary ASC members George Eastman (left) and Thomas A. Edison, circa 1928. q The ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council gathers for a meeting in the Clubhouse.
Today, the ASC Clubhouse is a registered building of historic significance. (For a detailed history of the ASC’s home, see AC March ’19.)
In 1950, an ASC Student Film Award program was started with the aim of encouraging young filmmakers through the recognition of their work. The first winner was Conrad L. Hall of the University of Southern California. This inspired him to enter the field professionally, and he would go on to become a famed member of the ASC. To help bring to light the tremendous creative contributions
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that professional cinematographers make to motion pictures, the Society founded the ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in 1986. The brainchild of ASC members Michael D. Margulies and Woody Omens, the first ASC Awards ceremony was held in 1987; honoring only theatrical releases that first year, the lone winner was Jordan Cronenweth, ASC for Peggy Sue Got Married. Today, the event annually hosts 1,600 attendees and recognizes exceptional work in features and television, bestows career-achievement honors, and
ASC 100th Anniversary
acknowledges other image-making professionals — including directors, producers and actors — for their exemplary contributions to the art and craft of filmmaking. The 33rd annual ASC Awards, which also celebrated the ASC’s centennial, took place on Feb. 9, 2019. (For an in-depth history of the ASC Awards, see AC Feb. ’19.) The ASC’s many committees — which are made up of active members, associate members and other volunteer professionals — cover a wide variety of key interests and have initiated several ongoing programs. In 2002, Society members focused on the rapidly evolving technology of filmmaking founded the ASC Technology Committee, which has since been rechristened as the Motion Imaging Technology Council (or MITC — pronounced “My Tech”). MITC includes committees that study and report on developments in such areas as digital motion-picture cameras, look management, virtualproduction techniques, lens developments, motion-imaging workflows, projection and display technologies, archiving, advanced imaging, and virtual reality. (For a full report on the ASC’s commitment to advancing technology, see AC April ’19.) At its heart, the ASC has always been about education and the sharing of information, and to that end, the Society’s Education & Outreach Committee regularly welcomes groups
Bottom photo by Bill Bennett, ASC.
A Storied History
A Storied History
of college students from around the world to the Clubhouse for in-depth Q&A sessions with leading ASC members, during which they openly discuss all aspects of working as a professional director of photography.
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Additionally, the Society began the ASC Master Class program in 2014. Here, ASC members and other professionals educate students from around the world in subjects including lighting, composition, angles,
creating mood, postproduction techniques, and many other aspects of visual storytelling. This program expanded in 2017 to include the ASC International Master Class, which brings this educational approach to
Photo courtesy of DJI.
The Clubhouse as it appeared earlier this year, with the ASC Arri Educational Center under construction.
major cities around the world. The next step in this evolution will be an online version of the Master Class, allowing students everywhere to attend and learn via the internet. (For more on the ASC’s many educational initiatives, see AC July ’19.) The AC website — now ascmag.com — was launched in 1997 to digitally deliver a wide variety of educational content worldwide, including instructional videos featuring ASC members, informative podcasts, and historical stories from the vast American Cinematographer archive. To reach a wider audience yet, the ASC began publishing a digital Chinese-language edition of AC in 2017, and has plans to launch a Spanish edition. The ASC Vision Committee was formed in early 2016 with the mission to actively support those who face additional hurdles in this industry as they build their careers.
Dedicated to promoting and facilitating change, the “vision” of the committee is to ensure that cinematographers and their fellow filmmakers reflect the diverse population of the world at large, irrespective of gender, race, religion, economic status or orientation, as well as to encourage advancement for the underrepresented. In that effort, the ASC Vision Committee organizes opportunities for education, networking and inspiration, and has established formal mentorship and ASC Master Class scholarship programs. Reaffirming the Society’s commitment to the next generation, the organization is currently completing the new ASC Arri Educational Center, located just behind the Clubhouse. It will not only house the staff of American Cinematographer, but offer opportunities for meetings, instruction and research. While the Clubhouse represents the ASC’s long
tradition, the new building’s sleek, modern lines reflect the Society’s vision of the future. As of this report, the American Society of Cinematographers has 400 active members living and working around the world, and 246 associate members who represent the many technology and service companies that support them. Since 1919, only 924 working cinematographers in total have been counted among the ASC’s active membership — making inclusion on the Society’s roster one of the most rarefied honors in the motion-picture community. Additional text by H. Lyman Broening, Stephen Pizzello, George Turner and Herb Lightman. u
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Back in Time Robert Richardson, ASC and a number of his collaborators discuss their approach — both technical and philosophical — to writer-director Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood By Benjamin B
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, and shot by his longtime collaborator Robert Richardson, ASC, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood centers on two fictional characters. Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a once-successful television actor whose career is faltering; we see him at work on various films, playing a bad guy on a new Western series for television, and debating whether he should go to Italy to do spaghetti Westerns. Dalton’s stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), is a frequent companion both on and off the set, and he also acts as Dalton’s driver and handyman; he appears content with his much humbler life, living in a trailer with his dog. 44
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Though fictitious creations, these characters nevertheless cross paths with real-world personalities, most notably Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), the actor who was killed by crazed followers of Charles Manson in 1969. The story begins in February of that year and slowly but inexorably builds up to that fateful, violent night, with a powerful Tarantino twist. The result is a “meta-movie” about films and filmmaking, one in which Tarantino masterfully shifts between simulated TV footage and soundstage interactions, between color and black-and-white, between 2.39:1 and 1.33:1, and between onscreen clips and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, with probing reflections about the actor’s job, shooting on a set, and working in the motion-picture industry.
Once Upon a Time… in Cannes Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it was the only movie in the Official Competition to be projected in 35mm. During the movie’s Cannes press conference, Tarantino — an undying believer in motion-picture film — was joined by his three leads, and all offered their insights into the feature’s themes.
ASC 100th Anniversary
Unit photography by Andrew Cooper, SMPSP, courtesy of Sony Pictures.
Quentin Tarantino: I’ve done a lot of research on it … how [Charles Manson] was able to get these girls and … boys to submit to him. It just seems unfathomable. And frankly the more you learn about it … the more information you get, and the more concrete it gets, it doesn’t make it any clearer, it actually makes it even more obscure. … The impossibility of being able to truly understand it is, I think, what causes its fascination. Brad Pitt: I see Rick and Cliff, the two characters that Quentin created, as one individual. And it really comes down to acceptance — acceptance of your place, your life, your surroundings, your challenges, your troubles. In the Rick character, we see someone — hilariously so — feeling put upon by life, and in the Cliff character, a guy who’s gone past that, who is in a place of acceptance with his lot in life, and is quite at peace, who will take whatever comes and knows to figure it out as we go. Margot Robbie: Quentin said to me early [that Tate] is the heartbeat of the story. … I just saw her as a ray of light, and I just wanted her to be light. That was my job and my role to serve in this story. … In doing so, I felt like I could honor the memory of real-life Sharon Tate, who so many people said was such a bright light in this world. Pitt: That time, 1969, when the Manson murders occurred, building up to that … there was a lot of hope, there were these new ideas floating out there. Cinema was new, was being recalibrated. That pivotal moment was a real loss of innocence. I think that’s what the film so beautifully addresses. … I see it as a rage against a loss of innocence. Tarantino: One of the first people to read the script was my first AD, Bill Clark. … He came down to the house to read it and said, ‘Okay, so this is number nine, huh?’ So he goes out by the pool, and he reads it, and he goes, ‘Damn, number nine is like all eight of [your movies] put together.’ Leonardo DiCaprio: This movie
t Fading star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio, right) and his stunt double and friend, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), navigate the changing motionpicture business in the 1969-set Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. p Margot Robbie as actor Sharon Tate. u Robert Richardson, ASC (left) with writer-director Quentin Tarantino.
is [Quentin’s] love story to his industry, and he’s put at the helm of it two characters that are outsiders. … The ’60s have come along, and this industry has sort of passed them by. … It’s his love letter to the outsiders of the industry, and that was what was most touching for me. Colorist Yvan Lucas Yvan Lucas is a leading colorist who came to the U.S. from France a dozen years ago. He has worked on 11 features with Richardson, including four directed by Tarantino. AC spoke with Lucas in French. American Cinematographer: What was your role on Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood? Yvan Lucas: Dailies and color supervisor, and DI colorist. I worked with associate colorist Elodie Ichter and color scientist [and ASC associate] Matt Tomlinson at Harbor Picture Company, and with dailies color timer Don Capoferri and dailies producer [and ASC associate] Mark Van Horne at FotoKem. www.ascmag.com
What was the workflow? Lucas: This is very different from other features, because not only did Quentin and Bob shoot on film, but they also looked at their dailies on film — and the dailies were later used for an edited workprint. Quentin edits on the Avid, but he conforms the workprint as he goes along so that he can see it projected on a big screen. The negative was processed at FotoKem, who also printed the dailies and did a 4K scan of the negative using a Scanity. Tomlinson created a show LUT with FotoKem for our digital dailies and for the DI, which was done on a Baselight from FilmLight. We did a film-out using an Arrilaser at FotoKem and did a contact August 2019
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Back in Time
Working on location in Malibu’s Puerco Canyon, Richardson operates an Oculus-supported camera remotely from inside a four-seat Tomcar provided by Cinemoves. Shots of DiCaprio from this sequence were inserted into an actual TV show of the period, “so the location, truck and weather all had to match the scene shot 50 years prior,” gaffer Ian Kincaid explains.
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print from that, which you saw in Cannes. DCPs will also be made from the DI. What Kodak stocks were used? Lucas: Bob shot with [Kodak Vision3] 5219 500T and 5213 200T, along with some Double-X black-andwhite [for simulated television footage shown in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio]. We did our dailies and prints on Vision 2383, and our film-out on [Vision3] 2254. How did you and Bob arrive at the movie’s distinctive look? Lucas: The idea was to be very close to the original negative. The dailies were printed directly from negative to the positive print. The unique, vintage quality came from Bob’s lighting and, of course, the production design. Bob is very demanding for the August 2019
dailies — so demanding that, afterwards, when we got to the DI, it went pretty easily. The film has an amazing saturation. Lucas: That comes partly from the print stock, 2383. Kodak came out with it about 20 years ago. This print film is very colorful, and the primary colors are really separated and very pronounced. It’s almost astounding. You get true red, green and blue — and Quentin told me, ‘When I see those colors, that’s when I know it’s film.’ Color separation means you can get purer colors? Lucas: Yes, exactly. On the print, when you do a neutral color timing with red skin tone, you get back to primary colors. Maybe it’s this separation of color that helps give the feeling of the 1960s. At the same time, we ASC 100th Anniversary
wanted the white in the image to be neutral. The skin tones are striking, almost painterly. Lucas: Yes, but also the faces are modeled like they are in film. They aren’t flat, like you often see today. They are three-dimensional. The problem of digital today is that when there is no information, it gives you black-and-white, which is ugly. The advantage of film is that, when there is no information, it gives you color. It gives you something in the shadows — some blue, some cyan. The film also has an amazing contrast — and very solid, sometimes impenetrable blacks. Lucas: Yes, the bottom of the curve is dense. We had a quality of blacks on the print that was sumptuous. I think that in digital we want to see so much into the blacks that we lose the character of the image. People talk about resolution, but what really counts is contrast — and we lost contrast 20 years ago with digital projection, where the blacks are
gray, although that’s changing now with Dolby laser projection. Everyone seems to be seeking to get details in the blacks, but on this film we once again have a real print with real blacks. When there is no light in the frame, it’s black! Tell me about the show LUT that was created. Lucas: Our reference was the negative printed onto positive. The LUT allowed us to see the same thing as the dailies, but in digital. We did a lot of fastidious work on the LUT. We had the characteristics of the combined negative and positive baths from FotoKem, but I continued to adjust the details of the curve during the first four weeks of our dailies. So the film print dailies were your image reference for the DI? Lucas: Yes. On one side we had a print that Quentin was looking at, and on the other we had a monitor that we were looking at. We used the latest LG OLEDs, which are the best around today. So you decided to be faithful to the negative and print, and you ended up with something that evokes the 1960s. Lucas: Yes, but the image is also saturated and contrasty because of Bob’s lighting. He shot with a single camera, and he did some old-school lighting that he would not have done for a contemporary film. Also a lot of the film takes place in daytime, which is naturally luminous and contrasty. It’s old-school, but the look also feels new and contemporary. Lucas: There are fashions in film images. But it’s better to create fashion than to follow it! [Laughs.] When I was in France working on Delicatessen with Darius Khondji [ASC, AFC], I was very into desaturation with a bleach-bypass process. Now, for me, color is back. And this film with Bob is the apotheosis of color! I never would have made red skin tones 20 years ago, but we managed to do that without being excessive, without pushing it too much. It’s pleasant, it’s pretty.
DiCaprio sits across from Al Pacino (playing Marvin Schwarzs) in Hollywood’s Musso & Frank Grill. “All lighting fixtures were rewired, repaired or replaced to be able to accept larger-wattage bulbs that we dimmed to photographically pleasing levels and color,” Kincaid explains. “A Maxi-Brute bounce provided the key light, and two 2-by-8 LiteGear [LED units] were dimmed up to increase backlight or lessened to reduce fill as the camera tracked.”
Many of the films today are desaturated. I hope that this film will show people that — damn! — we’ve almost forgotten what real colors are!
Gaffer Ian Kincaid Ian Kincaid has been Richardson’s longtime gaffer. The duo has teamed on 18 features to date, including six directed by Tarantino. AC: You’ve known Quentin Tarantino for a long time. Ian Kincaid: I first met Quentin when he was a clerk at Video Archives in Manhattan Beach. Quentin already had the same high-energy enthusiasm and an encyclopedic knowledge of film. He was the ultimate video clerk! And he would recommend movies to you? Kincaid: Stacks of them. And I would say, ‘Quentin, I can’t possibly watch 12 movies in the two weeks that I have to rent these.’ And he would say, ‘Why not? That’s just one or two a day.’ He still can’t comprehend how the rest of us can’t keep up with his voluminous consumption of film and television. How do you construct the lightwww.ascmag.com
ing on the set with Bob Richardson? Kincaid: Most of our lighting evolves. We start with broad strokes: big guns through windows, or big bounces, and then as we get the lens up and start to see the framing, we say, ‘Okay, there’s a place to hide a backlight over here, an edge light there, or a little fill bounce here.’ It’s a process. I imagine that you two speak in shorthand. Kincaid: Bob will say things like, ‘I want something screaming through that window’ or ‘Give me a soft glow’ — or he may just wave his hand and say, ‘Do something like that’ — and I’ll know exactly what he means. How did you light the scene of the Western that’s being shot inside a saloon set? Kincaid: We shot on Universal’s Western Street set. For the shots facing the windows, we covered the street with Charcoal Grid so that the outside didn’t burn out. We had three K 5600 18K Alphas creating matching shafts of sunlight through the windows and door. Inside we made a big soft source by bouncing a Maxi-Brute [with 12 1K August 2019
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Vintage, With a Twist
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In Hollywood, timing is everything. And so it was for Panavision’s T Series anamorphics, which make their 35mmfilm screen debut in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Here they join a bevy of lenses recruited for the multiple formats contained within this homage to old Hollywood: 2.39:1 anamorphic for the main narrative, along with 1.33:1 spherical black-and-white to emulate the old television shows and movies in which fading star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), appear. When Robert Richardson, ASC went to Panavision to gear up, “his original plan was to use the same package he’d used in the past — C Series and E Series on a [Panaflex Millennium XL2] film camera,” recalls ASC associate Dan Sasaki, Panavision’s senior vice president of optical engineering. However, Sasaki adds, the filmmakers “wanted to shoot inside 2 feet,” and the close-focus capabilities of those vintage lenses — the C series having been introduced in the 1960s, the E Series in the 1980s — simply wouldn’t accommodate that approach. So the lens engineer introduced Richardson to Panavision’s T Series anamorphics, which were first introduced in 2017. “Those have the most modern coatings, the best close focus, and the latest technology available,” Sasaki says. “We used cylinder designs we’d not even considered in the past to keep the anamorphic aesthetic but eliminate the limitations of falloff that occurred with our older lenses. It’s more of a modern twist.” The problem was, the T Series had been designed for digital cameras, period. As it happened, though, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was prepping around the same time, and Sasaki had just reconfigured the rear halves of a set of T Series lenses for that 35mm and 65mm tentpole, which premieres in December. “We realized we’d made a mistake by not making August 2019
them film-compatible,” Sasaki admits. “It’s amazing how much film work we’re doing. Not only in 35mm, but largeformat as well.” When Sasaki suggested the T Series to Richardson, “there was a bit of hesitation,” Sasaki recalls, noting that the cinematographer expressed concern that the lenses were “going to be too modern, not fit the mood, not cut in well. But as it turned out, he liked the way they worked on film — and liked the fact that [up through the 135mm prime] they could be used at T2.3 without having any compromise in quality.” According to 1st AC Gregor Tavenner, “The T Series are modern lenses with a very deep contrast and a more perfect resolution, which is very attractive in certain circles. It becomes another arrow in the quiver. It’s a magical collection of choices that Panavision has.” In addition to the full range of T Series primes — 28mm to 180mm — the production also carried the series’ ALZ10 42-425mm (T4.5) zoom, among other Panavision anamorphic zooms. “It’s a beautiful lens, built upon a legacy,” Tavenner states. He estimates their use of the C, E and T Series was about evenly divided. (Panavision’s vintage Ultra Golden Panatar high-speed anamorphics also came into play for night sequences.) “There was no blanket recipe as to which series we would use,” says Tavenner. Decisions were shot by shot. “Different ASC 100th Anniversary
focal lengths react in different ways,” he adds. For instance, “I found specifically that an older 28mm had a more attractive field of view than the modern 28mm. So they all have their advantages. “With skill,” Tavenner continues, “you can intermix the series seamlessly. Even if there is a technical difference, you can counteract that with choices of filtration or light. You can accentuate the differences or smooth the differences.” For his part, Sasaki retooled all of the older lenses to improve their mixability. “We played with swapping out elements to give them flare characteristics that were a bit more consistent,” he says, “because some of the lenses would flare one way and others another way. We tried to match them.” Much of the action for the fictional TV Western Bounty Law was captured on spherical zooms. “We had two older Panavision zooms, which are still very attractive to this day: a 6-to-1 20-120mm [Z6S (T3) Panavised Angenieux zoom] and a classic 20-100mm [Z5S (T3.1) Panavised Cooke zoom],” says Tavenner. Standard Primes, which Panavision introduced in the late ’60s, played a supporting role. The fact that Tarantino insisted on doing both film and digital dailies meant the camera team could minutely inspect the various lenses’ performance. “A firstgeneration film print projected on a movie screen — it’s a gift from the gods,” Tavenner enthuses. “You see these nuances of color and control and lens quality, the very subtle differences in lens design, and the tweaking that we do.” Tavenner appreciates the oldschool approach taken throughout the production. “Not only is the movie an homage to the ’60s, the way it was made is an homage to the grand, classical way of making movies.” —Patricia Thomson
Back in Time
PAR bulbs] into muslin, and then back through another muslin. Some people call that bounce-diffusion combination a ‘book light.’ For Leo’s close-up, we added what we call a ‘low glow’ floor bounce from a K 5600 1,600-watt Joker above. The source is warmed up a little by using unbleached muslin and ¼ Straw gel. You favor muslin for your soft sources. Kincaid: We try to use organic materials like muslins whenever we can. We use plastic Grid Cloth, but we avoid it when we can, and we try to ban Styrofoam beadboards from the set — I live at the beach, and we see a lot of Styrofoam floating around. Why did you choose Maxi-Brutes for bounces? Kincaid: They’re easily adjusted without dimming or changing the color — you can take out 1⁄ 12 of the light with each switch. And you can pan the banks to spread the light wider or focus it tighter. Maxis are not part of what I would call ‘modern filmmaking,’ where people try to light without generators, just plugging into the wall — which is becoming easy to do with LEDs. Maxis are heavier on the crew, but they are a really soft, powerful, adjustable light — and, in my view, they’re creamier. You had some huge night exteriors on this film. Kincaid: Our biggest lighting setup was about three quarters of a mile on the Marina del Rey freeway, which we closed down for one night [for a scene in which Booth drives home]. Most of that was shot car-to-car. We put nine 80-foot condors on the opposite side of the freeway. Each condor had two Arri T12s creating pools of light, and four soft boxes through a neutral Grid Cloth for an ambiance between those pools. The soft boxes were 4-by-8-feet with six 1Ks inside. So each condor shone down 24K of hard light and 24K of soft light. Kincaid: Yes. We also placed some lights on freeway overpasses and onramps.
pp Nine 80' condors help to illuminate a stretch of freeway that the production closed down from dusk to dawn. p Pitt drives a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia that was “stuffed with a pumped-up Subaru engine,” Kincaid notes, adding that the actor was “lit with a 2-by-4 LiteGear [fixture] that was raised to a level where Brad could safely see under it to self-drive.”
The scene driving down Hollywood Boulevard in 1969 is an amazing re-creation of the period. Kincaid: It was a major undertaking. We lit one three-block section, then took it all down and did another three blocks. It represents weeks of work by 20 people on the rigging crew — led by rigging gaffer John Manocchia — and probably another 20 set dressers. Hollywood Boulevard was meticulously and faithfully restored to how it looked 50 years ago. How did you light the street? Kincaid: There were four of our condor tungsten sources at each interwww.ascmag.com
section; each condor had four 6K soft boxes with a Full Grid diffusion and a 1 ⁄ 2 Straw to warm it up. And the rest of the exterior is a mélange of everything! We put strings of bulbs wrapped in Teflon underneath the awnings; each string was on a dimmer channel. We hung [2K] Blondes on every light post, and then hundreds of practicals. We changed out all the marquees to LEDs. How did you light DiCaprio and Pitt in the car? Kincaid: Their car was towed down the Boulevard on a lowboy trailer. Brad and Leo were frontlit by a 2-by-8-foot soft LED box with LiteTile August 2019
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Back in Time Charcoal Grid Cloth hangs over the Universal backlot’s Western Street set “to eliminate frontlight on background action and buildings,” Kincaid explains. “[K 5600] 18K Alphas were cantilevered on truss mounted to condors to illuminate the interior of the saloon. Flags rigged to the truss isolated each of the HMIs to a specific window so the separate sources weren’t revealed in the atmospheric smoke.”
from LiteGear. We went to 2,600 or 2,800 Kelvin, and we could easily fluctuate the light a little as we drove. When Brad drives his convertible, we used a 2-by-4-foot LiteTile on the hood. The scene where the Manson Family attackers talk inside the car is very, very dark. Kincaid: We set up a muslin soft source on one side, and put a 2-by-8-
TECH SPECS
Aspect ratios: 2.39:1, 1.33:1
Acquisition format: Anamorphic and Spherical 35mm
Cameras: Panavision Millennium XL2, Panavised Arriflex 435 (for high-speed shots)
Anamorphic lenses: Panavision C Series, E Series, T Series, Ultra Golden Panatar
Spherical lenses: Panavision Standard Primes, Primo, Ultra Speed, Z6S, Z5S
Kodak negative stocks: Vision3 500T 5219, 200T 5213; Double-X 5222
Digital Intermediate
Printed on Kodak Vision 2383 50
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foot and a 2-by-4-foot LiteTile LED soft source in front of the car. The great thing about LEDs is that they’re micro-adjustable. I can take them down 1 ⁄ 10 of a stop or less. So we position them and then use them as much as we need them, or take them down very low like we did there. Anything you’d like to add? Kincaid: I’d like to thank my crew. Also key grip Chris Centrella and his team deserve at least 50 percent of the credit for the lighting on this film, because there was so much negative in exteriors. And thanks to Bob Richardson for pushing everyone to be their best. Cinematographer Robert Richardson, ASC Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood marks the sixth feature collaboration between Tarantino and Richardson, the latter of whom was feted earlier this year with the ASC’s Lifetime Achievement Award (AC Feb. ’19). AC: You’ve been shooting with the same core team for decades: key grip Chris Centrella, gaffer Ian Kincaid and camera assistant Gregor Tavenner. ASC 100th Anniversary
Robert Richardson, ASC: They are all the very best that I’ve ever worked with. And they push me creatively. They teach me new ways of solving problems, or different ways of using the same tools. Once Upon a Time has a striking look. It feels contemporary, but it also evokes the period of the late 1960s. It’s something old and something new. Richardson: Exactly. The aim was to evoke the past and the present. Quentin and I wanted to have a look that was here and now, but that also pushed a little bit back in time. We didn’t speak about it, but in my mind I thought, ‘Let’s make something past, present and future.’ Ian Kincaid detailed the considerable lighting involved, notably in some of the night exteriors. Many films today don’t use that much light. Richardson: I believe that we need to shape images towards a story. Quentin wants to tell a story. He shapes his words, his paragraphs, his pages, and he wants a look that is shaped in a similar way — a look that will not just say, ‘This was made in 2019, and we decided that we wouldn’t light.’ ➔
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DiCaprio and Tarantino at work in the Western set. Kincaid notes that a “period-correct Mole ‘chicken-coop’ light” can be seen hanging in the background.
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So deciding to light a lot was part of shaping the image? Richardson: Yes. Compared to what I would do nowadays, I overlit. Sometimes I held back on lighting to some extent, but I was still trying to be expressive. For example, when Brad is in the car with [Margaret Qualley], I lit them with an HMI and light diffusion, and I wanted to make that light more obvious than I normally would. I can see that Brad’s lit — normally I would try not to do that. However, I didn’t want to overlight it to the point where the background out the window was at the same level as the faces. I tried to balance different aesthetics from different time periods. Does Quentin Tarantino comment on your lighting? Richardson: There is nothing that Quentin does not comment on. If he is looking for a specific feeling, he talks to me about it prior to shooting. For example, when the Manson Family attackers talk in the car, Quentin wanted very deep blacks. That was one of the hardest scenes to achieve. I was close to a stop and a half down in exposure, using LEDs to give it a notlit darkness feel. I struggled but eventually found what you saw in the film. August 2019
This film is about light and darkness. Richardson: It certainly is. And Margot as Sharon Tate is the ray of light that lifts the entire film. Yvan Lucas explained that the reference for the DI look was the dailies print. Richardson: Yes, because Quentin wants film, so the print dailies are his visual reference. That’s why Yvan was involved from the very start, because we needed to create a dailies look that Quentin liked. This meant that I had to create the look on set — it wasn’t about creating it in post — so what I’m looking at through the lens is what I will see in the DI. This is not how I like to work. I prefer the control in DI. But here I had to live by my dailies. We re-created in DI what Quentin saw in dailies. Those film tones are hard to emulate digitally with a LUT, but it was made possible by FotoKem’s desire to continue to create at a high level, and by Yvan’s knowledge of film — he’s the best in the world that I’ve encountered. The movie has a very striking texture — this strong contrast and strong saturation. Richardson: Many of the films ASC 100th Anniversary
coming out these days are looking very similar. We wanted to try to find a look that’s different for this movie. To provide deeper saturation, the costumes and makeup had to shift, so we had a number of talks in preproduction with production designer Barbara Ling, and about costumes and makeup as well. The skin tone is very saturated. Richardson: Yes. Where possible we had all the tungsten and LED lights on dimmers, and they were generally warm to give that quality to the skin. Do you and Quentin collaborate on setting up shots? Richardson: Quentin is a master who comes to set with a number of shots he wants to accomplish that day. Whether we shoot with a crane or dolly or whatever is less of a concern than achieving what he has on his list. The crane has become secondnature to the two of us, and to the entire crew. We can directly create many of the shots he wants with it; we don’t have to map it out. I collaborate with Quentin on compositions because I am the operator. He favors medium shots or wider. If he wants to center punch, we center punch — or if he is fine with moving to a composition with negative space, then we do that. Quentin and I are very much in alignment now. Over the years I have learned how to anticipate what he is looking for, and hence there are few times we are out of step with each other. At this point in our relationship, there’s complete trust. I’m extraordinarily fortunate to have this relationship. I only make what Quentin wants. How do you approach lighting people? Richardson: My approach is to place the light in the best position for the person I am photographing, that position which is most attractive in my opinion. That is usually a soft bounce from a distance away, or a backlight mixed with a soft bounce, as in the case of Steve McQueen [Damian
Back in Time
Lewis] at the Playboy Mansion party. I tend toward a soft bounce with Maxis, Nine Lights or Dinos, but there are always reasons for Fresnels. For example, when the Manson Family walk up Cielo Drive before their attack, they walk in darkness partly lit by a 20K backlight, as I wanted a single shadow moving towards camera, and the fill to be a passive bounce back. Your signature toplight bounce is less present in the film. Richardson: It’s been less present for a long time. For example, I could have lit the scene in the Musso & Frank restaurant by hitting the table with a toplight. But the desire to be more classical took me to another path. There were times I played with the hard light in the film, but rarely.
There are shafts of hard light coming into the saloon set, and a similar source in the scene afterwards in the trailer, when DiCaprio’s character rages at his own bad acting. Richardson: That similarity was intentional. In the saloon we ended up with a mixture. We had our HMIs coming through the windows, but the sun happened to move into the same exact angle, so we ended up with a fortuitous combination of HMI and sunlight. If you look closely, you can tell the difference because the HMI is slightly cooler. Tell me about the day exterior where Pitt’s character visits the Manson Family at the Spahn Ranch. Richardson: It took us approximately four days to cover all of the scene, which ostensibly takes place in
an hour or less. It’s the difficult problem where you’re not going to have continuity of light and hence can’t be consistent shot to shot. The scene cuts between different times of day, but the intention is that the audience will not notice. Richardson: That took courage on my part. That’s where you learn you’re wrong, but you must embrace it and make it work. That’s growing. I love the scene’s yellowish color. Richardson: It reminds me of Wim Wenders and Robby Müller [NSC, BVK]. You’ve told me that you can get into a different headspace when you’re behind the eyepiece, operating the camera. You’ve called it ‘the cave.’ Richardson: I don’t really know
Operating from a Grip Factory Munich GF-16 crane, Richardson frames a traveling shot of Robbie approaching the Bruin Theatre in Westwood, where her character’s movie The Wrecking Crew is listed on the marquee.
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ASC 100th Anniversary
Back in Time
Riding the GF-16, Richardson frames a shot of Pitt atop his character’s trailer. “Brad is lit from a T12 on a condor as another T12 scrapes the corrugated tin building behind him,” Kincaid shares.
how to talk about it. The cave is a zone — it is a complete blackout. The world around me disappears other than what I see through the viewfinder. It is the place I love most in this world, a
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place of complete focus. My eye sees everything at once, so I’m able to move rapidly to corrections, or I’m simply watching the performance by an actor. I’ve hit this zone in medita-
tion, and I hit it virtually every single time I shoot. That seems like a real gift, to be able to access this zone every time you go to the eyepiece. Richardson: Yes, I go there, but my talent doesn’t always move that way. I can see, but only as far as my capabilities allow. You can only achieve as much as your capacity to draw upon your vision. And vision’s a complicated journey. It requires a great deal of sacrifice. And it also takes scholarship to progress. Otherwise you fall into the patterns that many critics like to refer to as: ‘This is what they do.’ You mean like, ‘Bob Richardson? Oh, yeah, toplight bouncing off the table.’ I’m sorry, I was just guilty of that. Richardson: ‘We miss Bob. He did that, now he doesn’t do that. What happened? Oh, wait, he did it again.’ [Laughs.]
What do you think the film is about? Richardson: It’s about mortality, about the recognition of when we slowly begin to fade from a place in the spotlight to somewhere else. [It’s also] a celebration of a time period in Hollywood that was shifting — as Quentin has said, it is his love letter to Hollywood. DiCaprio’s character says, ‘I’m a has-been.’ Richardson: A star is either moving towards the top or falling towards the bottom. How do we deal with that? If you look at Brad and Leo in the film, they’re more or less the same character. Brad’s side has this flow — he just flows with it — but Leo’s side is the one responsible for how they both make a living. Let me ask you: How do you feel about your career at this time in your life? I question my marks all the time.
I want to be Brad, but I’m Leo. [Laughs.] Richardson: Me too. I’ve always been that way in my work. I’ve never known how to go into the next film. This film frightened the hell out of me to shoot. It’s an epic. I didn’t know how to achieve what I wanted. I’m not that talented a DP. What? I beg to differ. Richardson: I’m saying I’m not that good. I could be so much better. I don’t know how to shoot a movie. I don’t know what I’m doing. Every time, I start from the beginning. This mixture of fear and selfdoubt may be part of the artistic process. Does it go away once you start shooting the film? Richardson: It’s always there in the background, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t subside. Does your collaboration with other creative people help? Richardson: Yes. When you’re
linked to a great director, they shift you, they move you. They’re part of the reason that we all move forward, that we become better at our craft — if there’s a capability within us to allow that to take place. My relationship with Quentin is immensely personal. If I don’t love my director, then I’ve made the wrong choice. It’s the same thing with Quentin as with Marty [Scorsese] or Oliver [Stone]. They want to guide you to their vision, just like they guide the actors. I go with them. That’s my job. These films are possible because they’re made with love, with people who believe in inner creativity. In the power of creativity to change us? Richardson: Wouldn’t that be great? u
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King To Be
Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, ASC and visual-effects supervisor Robert Legato, ASC team up in virtual space to shoot the photo-real reimagining of The Lion King By Michael Goldman
Society members Caleb Deschanel and Robert Legato sat down at the ASC Clubhouse on a Saturday morning in May to discuss their shared adventure that was the making of Jon Favreau’s The Lion King, a photo-realistic reimagining of the classic Disney animated feature. As cinematographer, Deschanel employed revolutionary virtual-cinematography techniques; as visual-effects supervisor, Legato offered Deschanel the benefits of the many years he spent pioneering and then refining those techniques, starting with his work on James Cameron’s Avatar and then Favreau’s previous feature The Jungle Book (AC May ’16). While The Lion King will undoubtedly have a profound industry-wide impact as it advances new methods of filmmaking, it will also further the paradigm first put forward by the production of The Jungle Book, wherein the equipment, processes and philosophies that so-called “traditional” filmmakers have employed for decades are applied to animated imagery through a virtual-production workflow. AC sat in on the filmmakers’ conversation, and offers this edited transcript of their discussion. 58
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Caleb Deschanel, ASC: For me, going to Africa [on a preproduction research trip organized by Favreau in 2017] was the thing that solidified my interest in this project. When we were there, I fully realized how the film pays tribute to the vast landscapes in Kenya and the wildlife that is now, sadly, under duress. We also got to film at [Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park] in Florida. There, the lions were beautiful references for [the lead lion characters]. Robert Legato, ASC: They were such perfect animals — beautifully taken care of. We got some really beautiful footage. But when we went to Africa, that’s the real stuff. Those lions were mangy and rough. It wasn’t a huge leap to come up with [the sequence for The Lion King’s famed theme] ‘The Circle of Life’ there. We were able to see that concept firsthand every day in Africa. It was spiritual to some degree, and it inspired us even beyond [the specific research and reference materials that were acquired]. Deschanel: All of those references really do affect your subconscious. I wasn’t hired by Jon because I’m some kind of tech wizard — I was hired because I’ve spent about 45
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Unit photography by Michael Legato and Glen Wilson. All images courtesy of Disney Enterprises Inc.
years of my life filming reality. Going to Africa and really spending time there was very important for emulating locations, skies, textures and so on. Legato: Producer Jeff Silver really wanted to go to Kenya when I first joined. Every single shot and pixel [in the movie] is manufactured, so having a reference for what it really looks like helps answer a lot of questions when you go to re-create it. You need something to root it in reality if you want to replicate that reality. And we found places that inspired us. I think the whole trip got stuck in our mental computers and then spilled out when we were making decisions [throughout production]. You can have all the tools, but
you still need the ‘taste’ in order to apply and use them to create something that is beautifully photographed and rendered in a dramatically told movie. Someone of your caliber and experience was therefore the perfect ingredient. My journey has been to take these technical elements and ‘remove’ the technical portion, and bring it back to an analog way of thinking. How do you set up a dolly shot? What lens do you use? What lighting do you select? How do you stage it? We needed a real cinematographer to impart artistry and wisdom. Deschanel: Unlike a traditional live-action production, however, Jon would work out the animation with [animation supervisor] Andy [Jones]
before we would become involved, and then he would bring Rob and me in [with production designer James Chinlund] to review for blocking, to figure out how we were going to shoot it. We would make suggestions based on what we thought it was going to look like when we filmed it — for example, to change the course of the way the animals were walking, or lower a hill, and so on. It became a really valuable part of the process that inspired the design of the filming. Andy and his team would finish the animation based on the discussions, to be ready for filming. Early on, the animation and the sets were quite crude, with animals walking through rocks at times, but as we
t After the death of his father, Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones), young Simba (JD McCrary) flees the kingdom to discover his own nobility in the photo-realistic feature The Lion King. qt With virtual camera in hand, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, ASC considers a scene. qu Visual-effects supervisor Robert Legato, ASC (right) studies the Kenyan landscape as Deschanel captures reference footage on an Arri Alexa 65.qq Director Jon Favreau (far left), Deschanel (green VR rig), production designer James Chinlund (blue), Legato (red) and animation supervisor Andy Jones (white) study the previsualized world in preparation for a virtual shoot.
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Shooting in the Ether
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The philosophy behind The Lion King’s virtual methodology was that it would allow a live-action director of photography to employ traditional filmmaking techniques with a virtual camera, virtual lenses and virtual lights — thus meticulously emulating realworld cinematography inside a computer. The design of the virtual-production workflow and toolset was led by visual-effects supervisor Robert Legato, ASC. As virtual-production supervisor Ben Grossmann, at virtual-reality production company Magnopus, notes, “The Magnopus team and I worked under [Legato], and we provided the software, the hardware, the design and construction of the stage, and the operations.” Inside their production-volume space at a warehouse in Playa Vista, Calif., the filmmakers plotted specific shots, relying on detailed animated 360-degree “master shots” — created by MPC under the guidance of Adam Valdez, visualeffects supervisor at the company — and processed into the virtual world via a custom-developed suite of software that employed the Unity graphics rendering system. There, the filmmakers were able to join forces, videogame-style, using an off-the-shelf HTC Vive virtual-reality system, tracked using Valve’s Lighthouse VR tracking software. For high-precision tracking, the filmmakers used US Digital encoders, which, Grossmann attests, gave them “insanely accurate data [derived from on-set] hardware systems like a crane, dolly, fluid head, alpha wheels and focus wheel. “Once all the equipment was set up, we had the entire camera and grip package attached to a modified drone controller with a joystick and a lot of knobs,” Grossmann describes. “This allowed Caleb to pick the entire camera package up together, and move it around on the set if he needed to make an adjustment. It also allowed him to control the zoom and other standard camera controls. An attached touchscreen let him change the gears on the wheels, the speed of performances, and let him drop August 2019
camera marks so that he could go back to them whenever he pressed a button. It also allowed people in VR to see where he wanted the camera to go when they were operating — instead of having a taped red ‘x’ on the floor as a mark, a grip could be in VR moving the virtual camera towards a ghosted copy of the camera that Caleb had placed, so they could hit their marks.” The production also employed NaturalPoint’s OptiTrack sensor system, which allowed the filmmakers to record even the slightest nuance of the professional operators’ movements with their non-encoded equipment. “Essentially, the next generation of motion capture is an advancement from reflective balls to an LED emissive camera system,” Grossmann explains. “By incorporating over 60 integrated cameras — a combination of OptiTrack Slim 13 and Prime 17W units — in the ceiling truss, we vastly increased the size of the volume in which we could operate. Combined with the ability to dynamically scale the volume to fit the [virtual world] in which we were operating, drones, Steadicam, and largescale handheld shots became possible.” According to Grossman, the virtual camera was modeled after the largeformat Arri Alexa 65 camera system that Deschanel and his colleagues took to Kenya to record reference elements. Pixel ratio and sensor size for their virtual camera “was cropped-in slightly from the full [Alexa 65] sensor to standardize the video-delivery spec between reference, capture, editorial, delivery from VFX, and eventually projection,” Grossmann adds. ASC 100th Anniversary
He further notes that the filmmakers modeled all their lens calculations after Panavision 70 Series cinema lenses, which had been supplied to the production for the Africa reference trip — including 70 Series 28-80mm (T3), 70-185mm (T3.5) and 200400mm (T4.5) zooms, and 14mm and 24mm primes. “We calculated both vertical and horizontal field of view based on the exact sensor size of the [real] camera, using data captured from lensprofiling sessions with actual lenses,” Grossmann explains. “Using that data plotted on a line graph, we were able to create a formula that could calculate the exact field of view for focal lengths that don’t exist. “We even modeled the camera and lenses in 3D so that when you were in VR, you could see the exact camera as it would be in real life, with the correct lens on it. We did this so that an operator in VR could look over at a camera and see what lens was being used.” Virtual-production producer A.J. Sciutto of Magnopus adds, “The virtual representation of the light was modeled after true Arri cinema lights, complete with barn doors and a lighting stand. The values of those lights [could] be adjusted in real time; by changing the color temperature, we could mimic the light coming from different sources, and we were able to adjust intensity on those lights with a range of 150 watts to 20,000 watts. [The light’s spread could also be widened with the virtual barn doors] to flood the scene, or narrowed when focusing the beam to a spotlight.” The filmmakers emphasize that the ultimate significance of this methodology was that it made it possible for Deschanel and his collaborators to design and execute the camerawork in a familiar way. “This meant they were drawing on decades of experience and instinct,” Grossman attests, “rather than standing over someone’s shoulder at a computer and looking at the movie from the outside.” — Michael Goldman
To Be King
p (From left) Favreau, Deschanel, Billy Eichner (voicing Timon) and Seth Rogen (Pumbaa) during a capture session for the actors’ performances. This material was used as the movie’s dialogue and as visual reference for the animators — as well as for inspiration for the camera team. No motion-capture of the actors was employed.
went on, it got to the point where there were real, sophisticated performances, and the sets were much more realistic. It was a pretty complete rendering of the scene — lacking the finished fur, perfect movements, real trees and rocks — and was good enough to read the emotions and feel the surroundings. [This yielded] a gigantic digital file [featuring] the performance of the characters and the setting — [with] dialogue and songs all prerecorded and synced with the characters in the virtual world. ➔
Deschanel admits that The Lion King’s virtual-production method initially gave him pause. “But it didn’t take long to feel comfortable,” he notes. “The tools were so familiar in terms of the way this process was designed. Originally, I was a little hesitant in agreeing to do this project, mainly because I had a feeling I would be getting myself into something that was going to be incredibly technical and very nerdy. But then Jon Favreau explained that he very much wanted the movie to look like a liveaction movie or a documentary. And in the end, the ‘reality’ of the movie comes from a combination of the incredibly realistic animation — which is extraordinary, thanks to the work of Andy Jones and his team, and MPC — and the style of filmmaking. We had to painstakingly imitate real-life filmmaking. “It was impossible to tell this story exclusively with long lenses in the virtual world, for instance,” Deschanel continues. “We had to become intimate and close with the animals — and how do you justify that when the animals are dangerous and wild? This was definitely influenced by our experience in Africa, where some of the lions came within minimum focus at times. And of course by films like Fly Away Home [AC June ’97], where we were warned that the helicopters could not get closer to the geese than 500 yards. In the end, the birds got used to the helicopter, and the animals in Africa didn’t seem to care about us — at least at those moments. “What you don’t get in the process [of filmmaking in the digital world],” he adds, “is the serendipity of a rainstorm, or the sun peeking under the clouds, or an animal suddenly charging — the things you get when you film for real — so you have to go into your memories of all the places you have been in the world, and all the films you have done, and the experiences you have had. You draw from that to put yourself into this world and create that reality. Eventually, we learned to create some of the surprise with the way we set up the shots or maneuvered the camera in the virtual world.” 62
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To Be King
Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Mufasa’s nefarious brother, forms an alliance with the hyenas.
Legato: It’s a big master file that has the animation and the setting in 360 degrees, and it’s ‘waiting’ for the virtual camera and virtual lighting — and then we walk into it in VR and start to become specific. ‘Put the sun over here, put a rock in the foreground, and this is where I’m going to photograph with a 50mm lens.’ It becomes viewable [on a traditional screen] when you enter the program
and photograph it. You have to think of it as a live-action set — you’re staging the master scene, which is contained in the file, and then picking apart the scene throughout the day by relighting and reshooting various moments for close-ups and multiple angles. We shoot with a single camera — you don’t need multiple cameras, because the action is going to be repeated exactly the same way each
“At the end of the day, we wanted this to be a Caleb Deschanel movie,” director Jon Favreau says. “That’s why I chose him — because of all the inherent challenges that come with creating a so-called ‘live-action’ version of this story. There are some things in the original cartoon version that would be too intense, too graphic, too violent in live-action. But we had Caleb. He’s a person who really understands framing, light and imagery. So he could bring a lot of emotion, and allude to the subject matter while still preserving the tone of a family film. The lyricism he brings to his work really serves the story well.” time, so it’s easier just to move the camera. Deschanel: [When starting work on a scene, Sam Maniscalco, lead lighting artist from visual-effects studio Moving Picture Company (MPC),] would look at it, and based on where we were in the story, begin to light it — considering the time of day, the location and so forth. We would also pick the sky to go with the scene; we needed to consider the mood, and we had 350 skies we could choose from. We would find the right clouds and sky color, and then adjust the sun
The Lion King’s system of virtual capture allows for the overlay of movement elements, which Legato compares to “music that you’re overdubbing. For example, if we loved what [operator] Henry Tirl did with his delicate Steadicam choreography, but the composition wasn’t exactly right, then we could ‘steal’ his move and let Caleb operate over the top of that — we could remove the original panning and tilting and add Caleb’s. You can just separate it out, so one element is prerecorded and the other one is operating remotely.” Alternately, he adds, after a given shot, “we might say, ‘let’s erase the focus pull, replay the recorded shot, and then have 1st AC Tommy Tieche do another take of it’ — without having to reshoot everything just to do another focus take. It’s literally like visual overdubbing.”
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To Be King
Magic-Carpet Ride
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“We oftentimes had scenes that ran farther than the 25 [square] feet of the OptiTrack space,” Deschanel says. “For some of the musical numbers, we needed to move more than 150 to 200 feet in virtual reality. You could multiply the Steadicam movement to some extent, but not too much. In other words, if 1 foot of a Steadicam move had to become 4 feet, it didn’t feel right.” To address this, Legato says, the production used “what we call the ‘magiccarpet ride.’” With this technique, the 25'x25' OptiTrack volume was virtually linked to a moving rig, such as a dolly or crane, which — conceptually — transformed the volume’s floor into a platform that sat atop this mobile rigging. Though no such moving platform existed in the real world, in the virtual world the Steadicam operator could perform his work while the “platform” on which he operated moved through the virtual environment. “The dolly was so smooth you did not feel the multiplication the way you would with the Steadicam,” Deschanel says. “We could get these wonderful mobile moves where it feels like the camera is floating alongside the characters, [with the] Steadicam [moving] around the animals in subtle ways, giving us a feeling of real intimacy with them. Of course, that created the complex problem of, ‘Who does what?’ It became a wonderful dance between the dolly grip [Guy Micheletti (pictured above), for the majority of the production] and our August 2019
Steadicam operator, Henry Tirl. Henry could say to the dolly grip, ‘You go slower and I’ll take the move up here.’” “You want the analog interaction,” Legato says. “You want Henry making these artistic choices that feel like a great Steadicam shot.” Legato further notes that a lateral dolly-move on their real-world stage could also translate to a vertical move in the virtual world, “so it’s as if the dolly is hoisting Henry 25 feet in the air, like a crane — or the volume could be going up a 45-degree diagonal — even though the dolly grip is pushing it on a straight track. You’re moving a 25-foot square anywhere you want to in the world.” He adds that “it might take four dolly grips to get a dolly up to the speed required to actually track an animal, and then it takes a certain amount of inertia to stop” — a dynamic the filmmakers found challenging to imitate with their 20' of onstage track. The production thus built approximately 150' of real-world dolly track in the Playa Vista facility’s parking lot, and ran a dolly along it, to create the movement “curve” — which was then “imported into the Unity program,” Legato says. When it then came time to shoot the scene, instead of using a live dolly to produce the virtual movement of the volume platform, they simply “played back” the recorded curve, he explains, with the platform “on top of it.” — Andrew Fish and Michael Goldman ASC 100th Anniversary
to wherever we wanted it to be. You might think we would just put the sun where we wanted it and leave it there every day — but, in fact, that never happened. We moved the sun on virtually every shot. Legato: That’s also something that makes the movie look like it was conventionally photographed. That so-called perfection of having the sun stay in one spot — besides the fact that it doesn’t look great shot-to-shot — is something you would only see in a computer-generated movie. That’s the ‘taste’ factor that makes this method transcend beyond a technical exercise. It might be mathematically correct to place the sun where it would actually be, but it’s not artistically correct — so you do something else to make the shot work. That’s why we brought you in, as well as other people who do these things in the real world. Deschanel: One of the biggest challenges we had in terms of lighting was that for scenes in the deep, dense Cloud Forest, the sun wouldn’t get through the trees. So we’d just start taking out trees, one at a time — sometimes hundreds of them — until we got the light the way we wanted it. Since the location was going to be built again in a more sophisticated and detailed way at a later point [by MPC in London], we had to communicate our intentions to MPC so the look and feel of the lighting in the final version would be consistent with the lighting we created. Legato: The lighting process is similar to that of live action, except the final nuances [are realized] afterward. The lighting was determined with the Unity [rendering engine], and you knew the light direction was correct, and how it would affect the drama when it was finalized, but you only saw it properly lit some time after you shot it. [Filmmakers who shoot in this kind of environment] have to understand that in advance. Deschanel: I think one of the really great things about Rob is that he
To Be King
Legato, Deschanel and Magnopus virtual-production producer A.J. Sciutto observe the action.
knows how to use all the visual tools — [such as] Cinema 4D for lighting, Resolve for color adjustment, Avid for editing, etc. Instead of just describing an idea, he will put together a mockup to show how a sequence will evolve. He can show the director what we are intending to do. Not just talk it through, but actually show it to him.
Deschanel: The movie feels very realistic because the animals look so real — and because it was filmed in a way that ‘senses’ the hand of the filmmakers. The way the camera moves, the dolly work, everything. There’s the sense of a human observing and following what is happening. I think there is something about
feeling the human touch behind the camera, not just for the sake of classic filmmaking, but because we as human beings want to feel that some person is guiding us. I think that is the key to the whole thing. Legato: Making it feel like shooting a typical movie was [assisted] by the [NaturalPoint] OptiTrack system. [Ed. note: See sidebar, page 60.] Deschanel: It was quite amazing. What was supposedly the camera was, in actuality, a [physical] representation of a camera that captured action taking place in virtual reality. We had a 25-foot-square area covered by OptiTrack, where we could maneuver the camera either handheld or on a Steadicam. The dolly and the crane, however, were encoded to read where the camera was on the track or at the end of the crane arm, so there was no need for OptiTrack. We had a [physical] dolly on a stage, but we didn’t have a [true] dolly grip for a while. Don’t ask why! There’s a real artistry to moving a dolly — a ballet, a dance — and the person doing it needs to understand how to move effortlessly with the
Legato notes that VR goggles and controllers enabled the filmmakers to explore the virtual set — in order, for example, to find proper camera angles, or to determine and virtually mark such elements as the appropriate positioning for dolly track — but when it came time to execute the shot, most of the camera crew removed the goggles and used the real-world monitors. Some notable exceptions included instances when Legato would operate a zoom, or Tieche would pull focus, and it was helpful to see both the camera and subject to determine the timing and measurement of the lens adjustment. Or, Legato recalls, “for the stampede [where the animals] are going [toward] the cliff — I was essentially the drone operator, and Caleb was doing the fine-tuned camerawork. In that case I was in VR, because it was the only way I could fly it and know where I was going, and where to bank. “Or you could be holding onto a branch in VR,” he continues, “and you could watch the camera, and then when the camera settles, you put the branch back, so when he pans back you know it’s in the shot — exactly like you would on a [set].” As a further benefit of entering the virtual world, Legato says, “you could see that if you took a step to the right, you might be on a rock, so you wouldn’t necessarily put a camera there — you might go above it or around it. And when you’re [later] operating the shot, you know that if you pan over too far, that’s where the rock is. You have an awareness of your surroundings, and that helps, psychologically, to make you operate the shot a little better and more intuitively, because you’re not a magic camera that’s floating out in space. You are taking into account the physical limitations, if you want them. And if you don’t want them, you can just move the rock out of the way.” “Sometimes [director] Jon Favreau would sit in VR [at] a little ‘virtual video village,’ and watch the camera department shooting the shots,” adds Magnopus virtual-production supervisor Ben Grossmann. “[This] gave him a more natural interface to suggest changes to the shots, because he could see both the camera feed and the scene at the same time.” 68
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Finishing Touches
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At the time of this writing, The Lion King filmmakers were diving into their work with Company 3 executive vice president and senior finishing artist Steven J. Scott. Over the years, Scott, an ASC associate, has worked to provide the finishing for some of the industry’s biggest features — but never one quite like The Lion King, which also marks his first collaboration with Caleb Deschanel, ASC. “As much as everybody would like everything to come in ‘finished’ [exactly the way] they want, we are doing adjustments [of some type] for every scene,” explains Scott, who’s working with Autodesk’s Lustre and Flame platforms. “We’re doing some work on continuity, lining things up, [and] we’re doing things to match highlights and isolate certain areas of the characters — all kinds of things. Some of the lions, for instance, might run a tiny bit cyan, so we add some red into them. We’ve been breaking out all the tools, and using all the complexities of what we can do. What we are being given is amazing stuff, but given the time frame and enormous complexity, they don’t have the luxury of lining it up and fine-tuning it so everything is perfect. So that’s what we are doing, and we’re also exploring some new looks that were not conceived of before they came to us. “You can do a shot in isolation that can be an absolute masterpiece, and these shots they are creating are just that,” he adds, “but when you string them up one after the other, you realize, ‘Wow, the highlights are really bright in this shot, and then less so in the next shot.’ So we might key the highlights in the second shot and push them to match the previous image better. Or a range of mountains in the background of a shot might be a tiny bit bluer than in the next one, so we will isolate the August 2019
mountains and line those up a little better. “For instance, we have a shot on a cliff, and we tilt down to see the character Simba,” Scott continues. “In that shot, we felt the color of the highlights were just a slight bit jaundiced yellow, so we isolated those highlights and took some of that out. But we didn’t want to affect the background, so we were able to pull Simba forward in the shot. “There’s also a camera move on Simba, and the filmmakers wanted it to feel a bit more organic,” the finishing artist notes. “So we worked with the existing move and put another move on top of it, to give it more of a flowing, smooth, organic quality. “There is another shot where you’re looking at the sun setting behind the mountains,” Scott says. “We wanted to keep the sun looking beautiful, but bring a little coolness into the mountains in front of it. There are a bunch of hyenas running across the savanna in the shot, kicking up dust, and we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could have the sun shine through the dust in a stronger manner, and get an even more vibrant feeling out of it?’ So I used a combination of mattes and keys to isolate just the brightest points of that dust, and when they are going by, it looks even more interactive with the sunset going on behind them. We’re making a lot of those sorts of decisions.” “It was a real pleasure to finally get to work with Steve,” Deschanel attests. “[He has] a wonderful talent for finding the magic in each scene.” — Michael Goldman
ASC 100th Anniversary
To Be King
characters. I was faced with the realization of just how special that skill is. So we brought in a true, experienced dolly grip. It was the same thing with focus. At first, focus was done by the computer, but it never felt right to me, so I brought in my regular assistant, Tommy Tieche, and he made it look like what you are used to seeing in a live-action film. You might think it’s not important — but you can feel the decision to change the focus from one character to another just at the right moment, with just the right feel to give it the human touch we are used to seeing. Guy Michelletti lasted the longest in a long string of dolly grips. Most of them would last a week or so and then want to get out of there. We had one piece of 20-foot-long dolly track — what fun was that for a dolly grip who wants to pull out wedges and apple boxes to level 100 feet of track over rough terrain? Legato: [The distance the camera traveled in the real world could be multiplied in virtual space.] Humans are adaptable, and everyone soon got the hang of it. If the operator took one step that was a virtual stepand-a-half, he could mentally compute it based on what he saw in his viewfinder. It’s remarkable that we could do all this, and then start learning the mechanics of it, and make that part of the art form. Deschanel: The tools we had — the dolly, the crane, the fluid head and the gear head — could be repurposed to do something other than what they were supposed to do. Once they were encoded, that coded information could either be a pan or a tilt on a dolly or a head, or you could repurpose it to move an animal a little bit one way or another, or we could tilt up and that would lift the camera in the air like the arm of a Fisher dolly. If we were using the gear head to pan and tilt the camera, that freed up the fluid head to be repurposed to raise and lower the camera as it dollied. It was a wonderfully complex dance of
To Be King
Deschanel captures reference photography of a real Kenyan prairie.
fitting all these pieces together so that we could film in the best way. It’s hard to explain how similar this process is to [traditional cinematography], but it is. When you are
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operating, it’s as if you are looking through a camera at the same kind of image you’ve always looked at — not an optical image as in the old days of film, but a video monitor, the way you
shoot with a digital camera. Legato: The question we would ask ourselves was, ‘How would you capture this if you were shooting the movie for real?’ For a big, wide aerial shot [of Zazu, a bird character, midflight near the start of the movie], you would use a drone. And what’s the best way of imitating something? It’s to actually do it. So we got a [consumer drone system] and a real operator, who was also a helicopter pilot, and we set up a virtual path for him [inside the Playa Vista virtualproduction stage]. We asked him to go past a tree, and he knows [that in real life] you would have to give it a pretty wide berth of several hundred feet before you need to turn, because you can’t turn on a dime [like you can] with a computer. It created a very cool shot for us, and it felt conventionally filmed. That is part of the psychology of it, that it continually looks like
something you have either seen before or can imagine would look that way. You ‘believe’ they used a real camera to photograph it. Deschanel: Overall, it was a very organic transition for me. Yes, this process is expensive right now, but that’s like any developing technology. As it gets more accepted over time, and other tools emerge, it will become cheaper and easier. Everything that is developed in terms of filmmaking technology ultimately depends on having artists who know how to take advantage of it — and it is those artists who advance the technology and make it into something we will regularly use. Legato: Take electronic editing — people were firmly opposed to it, right up until they started doing it and realized it was actually pretty easy. Deschanel: I really felt that was the case here. I was still doing story-
The filmmakers’ detailed study of real environments informed the creation of their computer-generated world.
telling. Storytelling involves getting emotion across, and now we have the ability to do it with a different set of tools and in different situations. I think that is what we mean when we
say we are doing ‘traditional’ filmmaking here. Fish.
Additional reporting by Andrew u
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The
Complete Roster
Presenting a full list of the ASC’s active members, from January 1919 through June 2019
In its first year, the American Society of Cinematographers grew from 15 to more than 65 active members — and in the century since, that total has grown to 924, with 400 living active members at the time of this writing. From the beginning, membership has been by invitation only, making it one of the highest professional honors that a cinematographer can receive.
A
L. B. Abbott David Abel Thomas Ackerman Lance Acord Marshall Adams Javier Aguirresarobe Lloyd Ahern Lloyd Ahern II Paul H. Allen Norman Alley Nestor Almendros John A. Alonzo Herbert S. Alpert Russ Alsobrook John Alton * Murray Alvey Gert J. Andersen Howard A. Anderson, Jr. Howard A. Anderson III James Anderson Milford A. Anderson Peter Anderson Wesley H. Anderson Lucien Andriot Fernando Argüelles Arthur Arling John Arnold Jerome H. Ash Monroe Askins Tony Askins 74
August 2019
Paul Atkins Joseph H. August Charles Austin Gordon Avil
B
Christopher Baffa James Bagdonas King Baggot John Bailey Friend F. Baker Lucien Ballard Florian Ballhaus Michael Ballhaus Andre J.R. Barlatier George S. Barnes Michael Barrett Andrzej Bartkowiak John Bartley Gary Baum Bojan Bazelli Frank Beascoechea Affonso Beato Mat Beck William J. Beckway Dion Beebe Charles E. Bell Bill Bennett Georges Benoit Andres Berenguer Manuel J. Berenguer
As the members’ numbers have grown, so too has their impact on the worldwide motion-picture industry. Through it all, they’ve held true to the motto, “Loyalty, Progress, Artistry” — words that will continue to guide the ASC through its second century and beyond.
Carl Berger Gabriel Beristain Steven Bernstein Ross Berryman R.O. Binger Donald Birnkrant Joe Biroc Josh Bleibtreu Ralf D. Bode Haskell Boggs Oliver Bokelberg Michael Bonvillain Lamar Boren Osmond H. Borradaile Richard Bowen David Boyd Russell Boyd Charles P. Boyle John W. Boyle William W. Bradford Natasha Braier Elwood Bredell Uta Briesewitz Norbert F. Brodine H. Lyman Broening Robert J. Bronner Joseph Brotherton Edward R. Brown James S. Brown, Jr. Jonathan Brown Karl Brown
ASC 100th Anniversary
Fayte M. Browne Robert C. Bruce Joseph Brun Don Burgess Charles E. Burke Robert Burks Stephen H. Burum Wilmer C. Butler Frank B. Byers Taylor Byars Bobby Byrne
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Patrick Cady Sharon Calahan Antonio Calvache Paul Cameron Ernesto Caparros Gary Capo Robert Caramico Jose Carlos Carbajal Jack Cardiff * Russell P. Carpenter Ellis W. Carter James L. Carter Lula Carvalho Alan Caso Walter H. Castle Vanja Cernjul Philip M. Chancellor Gu Changwei *
Photo courtesy of the AC archives.
On Sept. 6, 1927, the ASC welcomed 130 new members during a special initiation meeting held at the auditorium of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Michael Chapman Rodney Charters Enrique Chediak Christopher Chomyn James A. Chressanthis T.C. Christensen S.C. Chuck Joan Churchill Curtis Clark Daniel B. Clark Charles G. Clarke L. Dal Clawson George T. Clemens Robert E. Cline Wilfred M. Cline William T. Cline Ghislain Cloquet William H. Clothier Russell D. Collings Peter L. Collister Ben Colman Edward Colman Olle Comstedt J. Burgi Contner Jack Cooperman Francis Corby Charles Correll Jr. Stanley Cortez Ray Cory Frank M. Cotner Jack Couffer Herford T. Cowling Vincent G. Cox James Crabe
Nelson Cragg Ernest Crockett Jeff Cronenweth Jordan Cronenweth Edward Cronjager William H. Cronjager Floyd D. Crosby John Crouse Richard Crudo Art Cruickshank Russell A. Cully Dean R. Cundey Stefan Czapsky
D
William H. Daniels David Darby Allen M. Davey Allen Daviau Charles J. Davis Mark H. Davis Norman O. Dawn Roger Deakins Faxon M. Dean Jan De Bont Robert De Grasse Thomas Del Ruth Bruno Delbonnel Frankie DeMarco Peter Deming Jim Denault Ernest S. Depew Caleb Deschanel Dale Deverman
Clyde DeVinna Norman DeVol Ron Dexter Craig DiBona George Spiro Dibie Ernest Dickerson Billy Dickson William H. Dietz Bill Dill George E. Diskant Anthony Dod Mantle Mark Doering-Powell Robert V. Doran John Dored Todd A. Dos Reis Lauron A. Draper Drummond Drury Stuart Dryburgh Joseph A. Dubray Victor Duncan Bert Dunk Linwood Dunn Dodge Dunning Edwin B. DuPar Lex DuPont Max B. DuPont Edwin L. Dyer Elmer G. Dyer John Dykstra
E
Paul E. Eagler Alric Edens Arthur Edeson www.ascmag.com
Richard Edlund A. Farciot Edouart Eagle Egilsson Frederick Elmes John Elsenbach Robert Elswit Geoffrey Erb Russell Ervin Perry Evans
F
Maximillian Fabian Higino J. Fallorina Daniel L. Fapp Scott Farrar Vincent J. Farrar Jon Fauer Don E. FauntLeRoy Gerald Feil Jock (Arthur) Feindel Ray Fernstrom Cort Fey Steven Fierberg William Fildew Frank Finger Gerald Perry Finnerman Mauro Fiore Harry A. Fischbeck Ross G. Fisher Edward Fitzgerald John C. Flinn, III Rolla Flora Anna Foerster Frank R. Follette August 2019
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The Complete Roster
George J. Folsey Jr. Larry Fong Harry W. Forbes Markus Förderer Ron Fortunato Ray Foster William C. Foster William A. Fraker A.C. Francis Greig Fraser Ellsworth Fredricks Jonathan Freeman Henry Freulich Karl Freund James Friend Richard Fryer Tak Fujimoto John P. Fulton Alex Funke
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Hugh Gagnier Steve Gainer Glen Gano Robert Gantz Ron Garcia Lee Garmes Frederick Gately Eugene Gaudio Gaetano Gaudio David Geddes Darren Genet Dejan Georgevich Henry W. Gerrad Merritt B. Gerstad Maury Gertsman H. Edmund Gibson Alfred L. Gilks Irving Glassberg Bert Glennon James M. Glennon Donald C. Glouner Richard C. Glouner Michael Goi Stephen Goldblatt Adriano Goldman Paul Goldsmith Dana Gonzales Frank B. Good Frederic Goodich Nathaniel Goodman James Gordon Victor Goss Robert J. Gough Fred LeRoy Granville August 2019
King D. Gray Jack Green Adam Greenberg Robbie Greenberg David Greene W. Howard Greene Jack Greenhalgh Walter L. Griffin Loyal Griggs Xavier Perez Grobet Alexander Gruszynski Burnett Guffey Rene Guissart Rick F. Gunter Carl Guthrie
Michel Hugo Roy Hunt Shane Hurlbut Tom Hurwitz William C. Hyer Edward Hyland
Robert C. Hager Rob Hahn Conrad L. Hall Jess Hall Harry Hallenberger Ernest Haller Sol Halprin Edwin Hammeras Ralph Hammeras Russell Harlan Charles Harten Morris Hartzband Byron Haskin Robert Hauser Reed N. Haythorne Alois G. Heimerl Charles W. Herbert John L. Herrmann Gregg Heschong Sid Hickox John T. Hickson Percy Hilburn Gerald Hirschfeld Robert Hoag Winton C. Hoch Seymour Hoffberg Henner Hofmann Adam Holender Ernie Holzman John C. Hora Pliny Horne David S. Horsley Eric Horvitch Tom Houghton James Wong Howe Gil Hubbs William E. Hudson Paul Hughen
Dr. G. Floyd Jackman Fred W. Jackman Fred H. Jackman Jr. Andrew Jackson Harry A. Jackson Alfred Jacquemin Peter James William H. Jansen H. Gordon Jennings J. Devereaux Jennings Johnny E. Jensen Matthew Jensen Robert C. Jessup Jon Joffin Torben Johnke Frank E. Johnson Shelly Johnson Ray June Jeffrey Jur William K. Jurgensen
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I
Judy Irola Allan E. Irving Mark Irwin Levie Isaacks Paul Ivano Tim Ives Ub Iwerks
J
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Janusz Z. Kaminski * Adam Kane Stephen M. Katz Boris Kaufman Al Keller Richard A. Kelley W. Wallace Kelley Ken Kelsch Victor J. Kemper Wayne Kennan Francis Kenny Glenn Kershaw Glenn Kershner Darius Khondji Gary Kibbe Neville Kidd
ASC 100th Anniversary
Jan Kiesser Jeffrey L. Kimball Adam Kimmel Alar Kivilo Jess Kizis Roy H. Klaffki David Klein Benjamin H. Kline Richard Kline Lloyd Knechtel George Koblasa Fred J. Koenekamp Hans F. Koenekamp Henry N. Kohler Lajos Koltai Anthony Kornman Laszlo Kovacs Pete Kozachik Milton Krasner Neil Krepela Edward Kull Sherman Kunkel Willy Kurant Ellen M. Kuras Robert B. Kurrle
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Christian La Fountaine George La Fountaine Joe Labisi Edward Lachman Ken Lamkin George J. Lancaster Samuel F. Landers Charles B. Lang Jr. Vilas Lapenieks Stevan Larner Joe LaShelle Jacek Laskus Andrew Laszlo Ernest Laszlo Philip H. Lathrop Dan Laustsen Charles C. Lawton Jr. James Laxton Sam Leavitt Patti Lee Rob Legato Denis Lenoir John R. Leonetti Matthew Leonetti Paul K. Lerpae Marcel A. LePicard Andrew Lesnie Philippe LeSourd
Peter Levy Matthew Libatique Charlie Lieberman Stephen Lighthill James F. Liles Edwin G. Linden Karl Walter Lindenlaub John Lindley Jimmy Lindsey Lionel Lindon Leo Lipp Harold Lipstein Robert F. Liu Arthur B. Lloyd Walt Lloyd J.R. Lockwood Bruce Logan Gordon Lonsdale Emmanuel Lubezki Walter Lundin Warren E. Lynch Chester A. Lyons Reginald Lyons
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Julio G. Macat Joe MacDonald Jack MacKenzie Kenneth G. MacLean Glen MacPherson Glen MacWilliams Paul Maibaum Constantine Makris Don Malkames Karl Malkames Denis Maloney Fred Mandl Isidore Mankofsky Christopher Manley Ricardo Marcelino Michael D. Margulies William Margulies Barry Markowitz J. Peverell Marley Brick Marquard Jacques Marquette Oliver T. Marsh Charles A. Marshall William Marshall Jack A. Marta John J. Martin Arthur Martinelli Enzo A. Martinelli Vincent Martinelli Harold J. Marzorati
Joseph V. Mascelli Steve Mason Rudolph Mate Clark Mathis Fred W. Mayer Don McAlpine Ted McCord Don McCuaig Michael McDonough Seamus McGarvey Barney McGill Kevin McKnight Robert McLachlan Geary McLeod Greg McMurry Steve McNutt John McPherson Terry K. Meade Suki Medencevic George B. Meehan Jr. William C. Mellor Chris Menges Ray Mercer John J. Mescall Russell L. Metty Rexford Metz Anastas Michos Gregory Middleton Arthur C. Miller David Miller Ernest W. Miller Virgil E. Miller David Millin Victor Milner Douglas Milsome Dan Mindel Charles Minsky Claudio Miranda Hal Mohr George Mooradian Milton M. Moore Richard Moore Reed Morano Robert Moreno Donald A. Morgan Donald M. Morgan Ira H. Morgan Polly Morgan Kramer Morgenthau Rachel Morrison Peter Moss David Moxness M. David Mullen Dennis Muren Brianne Murphy
Fred Murphy Nicholas Musuraca
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Hiro Narita Guillermo Navarro Michael B. Negrin Sol Negrin James Neihouse Bill Neil Alex Nepomniaschy Harry C. Neumann John Newby Robert S. Newhard Yuri Neyman Meredith M. Nicholson Sam Nicholson John M. Nickolaus Jr. Kemp R. Niver William Nobles Vern Nobles Jr. Stephen S. Norton Crescenzo Notarile Joe Novak David B. Nowell Sven Nykvist
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L. William O’Connell Rene Ohashi Daryn Okada Thomas Olgeirsson Jules O’Loughlin Sherwood (Woody) Omens Miroslav Ondrícek Michael D. O’Shea Emil Oster Roy Field Overbaugh
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Vince Pace Louis Page Ted Pahle J.F. Painter Ernest S. Palmer Anthony Palmieri Phedon Papamichael Andrij Parekh Edward F. Paul Kenneth Peach Kenneth D. Peach Jr. Daniel Pearl Brian Pearson Edward J. Pei
www.ascmag.com
James Pergola Dave Perkal Harry Perry Paul P. Perry Don Peterman Gus C. Peterson Lowell Peterson Wally Pfister Alex Phillips Frank Phillips Sean MacLeod Phillips Lewis W. Physioc R.W. Pittack Robert H. Planck Franz Planer Clifford H. Poland Jr. Gene Polito Sol Polito Gordon B. Pollock Roy Pomeroy Bill Pope Pietro Portalupi Steven B. Poster Len Powers Jaron Presant Michael A. Price Jack Priestly Tom Priestley Jr. Rodrigo Prieto Robert Primes Frank Prinzi Christopher Probst Carl Pryer Cynthia Pusheck
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David Quaid Richard Quinlan Declan Quinn
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David Ragin Clark Ramsey Earl Rath Richard L. Rawlings Richard M. Rawlings Jr. Frank Raymond Frank Redman Arthur Reed William A. Rees Tami Reiker Ray Rennahan Gayne Rescher Marc E. Reshovsky Ben F. Reynolds August 2019
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The Complete Roster
Jack L. Richards Robert Richardson Anthony B. Richmond Tom Richmond Irving G. Ries Park J. Ries Antonio Riestra Bob Roberts Irmin Roberts George H. Robinson Bill Roe Guy Roe Owen Roizman Pete Romano Len H. Roos Jackson J. Rose Philip E. Rosen Charles Rosher Charles Rosher Jr. Harold Rosson Edward Rio Rotunno Giuseppe Rotunno Philippe Rousselot Martin Ruhe Mauricio Rubinstein Juan Ruiz-Anchia Marvin Rush John L. Russell Jr. Richard Rutkowski Joseph Ruttenberg Paul Ryan
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Eric Saarinen Robert Sable Ted Saizis Vincent Saizis Alik Sakharov Charles Salerno Jr. Peter Salim Mikael Salomon Linus Sandgren Paul Sarossy Harris Savides David Savitt Giorgio Scali Roberto Schaefer Tobias Schliessler Aaron Schneider George Schneiderman Charles Schonenbaum Nancy Schreiber Fred Schuler Howard Schwartz John Schwartzman August 2019
Homer A. Scott John Seale Christian Sebaldt Joaquin Sedillo James Seeley John F. Seitz Dean Semler Ben Seresin Eduardo Serra James B. Shackelford Leon Shamroy Henry T. Sharp Steven Shaw Douglas Shearer Lawrence Sher Brad Shield Richard Shore Lester Shorr Don Short William A. Sickner Sidney Sidell Allen Siegler Newton Thomas Sigel John Silver Steven V. Silver John Simmons Harold S. Sintzenich Sandi Sissel Bradley Six Santosh Sivan William V. Skall Clarence Slifer Douglas Slocombe * Michael Slovis Arthur Smith Dennis L. Smith Harkness Smith John (Jack) Smith Steve Smith Jr. Leonard M. Smith Roland (Ozzie) Smith Reed Smoot Edward J. Snyder William E. Snyder Bing Sokolsky Leonard J. South Peter Sova Theodor Sparkuhl Glynn Speeckaert William Spencer Dante Spinotti Harry Squire Buddy Squires Terry Stacey Frank W. Stanley
Ralph B. Staub Robert Steadman Eric Steelberg E. Burton Steene Ueli Steiger Peter Stein William Steiner Jr. Mack Stengler Alan Stensvold Tom Stern Robert M. Stevens David K. Stewart Clifford Stine Harold Stine David Stockton George Stoetzel Rogier Stoffers Vittorio Storaro William J. Storz Archie J. Stout Harry Stradling Harry Stradling Jr. Ralph Straub E. Charles Straumer Walter Strenge Karl Struss Gavin Struthers William Stull Charles Stumar John Stumar David Stump Tim Suhrstedt Prasart Sukham Robert L. Surtees Peter Suschitzky Jack Swain Attila Szalay
Arthur L. Todd Gregg Toland Louis H. Tolhurst John Toll Nikolai Toporkoff Mario Tosi Rollie Totheroth Salvatore Totino Leo Tover Luciano Tovoli Richard Towers Charles T. Trego J. Robert Turner Thomas E. Tutwiler
Masanobu Takayanagi Philip Tannura Hatto Tappenbeck Alfred Taylor J.O. Taylor Jonathan Taylor Rodney Taylor William Taylor Ted Tetzlaff Ellis Thackery Allen Q. Thompson Stuart Thompson William C. Thompson Donald E. Thorin Sr. Romeo Tirone Robert Tobey
William Wages Fabian Wagner Roy H. Wagner Sidney C. Wagner Ric Waite Joseph Walker Mandy Walker Vernon L. Walker Harry Walsh Dwight Warren John F. Warren Gilbert Warrenton Michael Watkins Colin Watkinson Michael Weaver William (Billy) Webb
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ASC 100th Anniversary
V
Jost Vacano Joseph A. Valentine Ned Van Buren Theo van de Sande Frank Van der Veer Stijn van der Veken Charles Van Enger Willard J. Van Enger Eric van Haren Noman Hoyte van Hoytema Kees van Oostrum James C. Van Trees Checco Varese Ron Vargas Ariel L. Varges Mark Vargo Zoli Vidor Amelia Vincent Paul C. Vogel Ted Voightlander Josef von Sternberg
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Mark Weingartner Harold E. Wellman Harold Wenstrom Frederick E. West Jonathan West Fred Westerberg Joseph Westheimer Albert E. Wetzel Haskell Wexler Charles F. Wheeler William Wheeler Lester White William F. Whitley Jack Whitman Phillip H. Whitman Lisa Wiegand Harry J. Wild L. Guy Wilky William N. Williams Jo Willems Gordon Willis Rex Wimpy Stephen F. Windon Alexander Witt Harry L. Wolf Dariusz Wolski Jack Woolf Ralph Woolsey Lothrop Worth Dewey Wrigley Peter Wunstorf Alvin Wyckoff
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Steve Yaconelli Tom Yatsko Steve Yedlin Robert Yeoman Bradford Young Frank Young Fredrick A. Young * Richard Yuricich
Z
Harry A. Zech Peter Zeitlinger Jerzy Zielinski Zhao Xiaoding Vilmos Zsigmond Frank C. Zucker Kenneth Zunder * Withdrew from membership.
By Invitation Only Twenty years ago, I walked through the door of the ASC Clubhouse for the first time. I was carrying a then state-of-the-art 3⁄4" cassette of my work and, I must admit, feeling some trepidation. It was the morning of my interview before the ASC Membership Committee, and I had no real idea what to expect. Today, as chair of that committee, I try to demystify its work as much as I can. This statement appears in every issue of the ASC’s flagship publication, American Cinematographer: “The ASC is not a labor union or guild, but an educational, cultural and professional organization. Membership is by invitation to those who are actively engaged as directors of photography and have demonstrated outstanding ability. ASC membership has become one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a professional cinematographer — a mark of prestige and excellence.” It’s important to understand that “by invitation” means ASC membership may not be solicited — not by the cinematographer, his or her agent, or anyone else outside the Society. These attempts are occasionally made, and when they are discovered, it weighs heavily against a candidate’s acceptance. It’s up to active members of the ASC to identify prospective members based on their work and character; luckily, we have many members who take on that responsibility and are always looking for exceptional new talent. An ASC member proposes a candidate by writing a letter of recommendation, in effect becoming the candidate’s lead sponsor, and then often helps to round up two other ASC members to endorse the candidate in writing as well. Once a candidate has three recommendations on file, the Membership Committee schedules an inperson interview. We typically set aside one Saturday morning per month for these meetings, and it can be challenging to align a candidate’s availability with this schedule. In some cases, it’s taken months and even years to set an interview simply because the candidate was consistently working out of town. Candidates must bring a reel of their work to the Membership Committee interview, and this is not the usual montage reel made for an agent or a professional website. Instead, we want to see sustained sequences that exemplify a range of work that includes exceptional lighting, composition, problem solving, and an advanced knowledge of cinematography. During the interwww.ascmag.com
view, the Membership Committee watches the reel with the candidate, and we turn the volume down and ask him or her to describe the artistic process for each sequence. One of the candidate’s sponsors must also participate in this meeting, either in person or by phone to vouch for the candidate’s character and work. Because the welfare of the ASC depends on the active participation of its membership, we expect commitment, and I always question candidates about how they would approach that responsibility. Have they volunteered their time to mentor people on set, for instance? Have they taught workshops or participated in panel discussions? If the Membership Committee approves a prospect, we forward his or her name to the ASC Board of Governors, which screens the reel and takes its own vote. At that meeting, I describe the prospect’s interview and answer any questions I can, especially if some Board members are unfamiliar with the candidate. Once the Board of Governors approves a candidate, there is a 30-day “posting period” during which all active and retired ASC members have the opportunity to screen the candidate’s work and voice any objections they might have. Any objection to a prospect’s work or character is investigated by the Membership Committee. Once a candidate passes that period, he or she is invited to become an ASC member. ASC associate members are extremely important to the Society’s mission, and these candidates undergo a somewhat similar process. They require two letters of recommendation from active ASC members that detail their character as well as how they contribute to cinematography through either technical expertise or the rendering of services or products directly related to cinematography. Candidates for associate membership are judged solely by the letters of recommendation; interviews are not required. The top criterion for membership in the ASC has always been the best cinematography in the world. I’m happy to say that our Society has never been more inclusive. Today you will find ASC members working in feature films, television, documentaries, music videos, advertising, animation and second-unit and visual-effects cinematography. We hope to inspire every new member to live up to the motto that has stood for 100 years: “Loyalty, Progress, Artistry.” — Lowell Peterson, ASC August 2019
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A Century of Inspiration
ASC members discuss the Society’s list of 100 milestone films from the 20th century By Jon D. Witmer and Andrew Fish
As the American Society of Cinematographers embarks on its second century, an important part of its mission remains the preservation of cinematography’s history. Toward that end, the Society earlier this year released its list of 100 milestone films of the 20th century. Organized by Steven Fierberg, ASC, and voted on by the Society’s 80
August 2019
active members, the list honors the significant achievements of cinematographers whose artistry changed or furthered the art and craft of the profession, and whose impact continues to be felt in the cinema of the 21st century. “I believe that as individuals and also members of the ASC, we need to share with the public what influenced and inspired us in our work and our artistry — films we all consider landmarks in our profession,” Fierberg says. “It is our hope that the list will help cinematography to be better understood by the public — the audience — [and to showcase] each of us as an artist who is an essential contributor to the magic of cinema.” The process of cultivating the 100 films began with
ASC 100th Anniversary
All images courtesy of the AC archives.
p Lawrence of Arabia. upp Blade Runner. up Apocalypse Now. u Citizen Kane.
ASC members each submitting 10 to 25 titles that were personally inspirational or changed the way they approached their craft. “I asked them — as cinematographers, members of the ASC, artists, filmmakers, and people who love film and whose lives were shaped by films — to list the films that were most influential,” Fierberg explains. A master list was then compiled, and members voted on what they considered to be the most essential 100 titles. The final list includes a Top 10 that was determined by number of votes; the other 90 titles are unranked.
“We are trying to call attention to the most significant achievements of the cinematographer’s art,” Fierberg assures. “We do not presume to call one masterful achievement ‘better’ than another.” “The milestone films are the ones that change everything,” says Steven Poster, ASC. “When they come www.ascmag.com
out, they are extraordinary influencers.” Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC, adds, “Every one of the movies on this list taught me something, and I have tried to steal from virtually each and every one.” Here, ASC members share their thoughts on many of the films’ lasting legacies. ➔ August 2019
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A Century of Inspiration
dozen times since then, and the power of its cinematic storytelling has not paled. My kids watch it with the same fascination today! 2. Blade Runner (1982), shot by Jordan Cronenweth, ASC (Dir. Ridley Scott) Daniel Pearl, ASC: Jordan Cronenweth’s [work] totally blew my mind, and it still blows my mind today. I think of it as the turning point, the start of modern cinematography. Steven Poster, ASC: For years after [its release], everybody referenced Blade Runner. Even if it wasn’t a science-fiction or fantasy movie, that was the reigning style that people wanted, no matter what. I think it influenced an entire generation — not only of filmmakers, but of filmgoers. In every respect, it defined modern film noir. It gave us something to define both the future and the past, all at once. It’s extraordinary to be able to do that.
The Top 10
pp The Godfather. p Raging Bull.
1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962), shot by Freddie Young, BSC (Dir. David Lean) Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC: The first time I saw Lawrence was in the theater in Munich. I was
probably 14. I was mesmerized by the epic scope — and although not conscious of any of the technical aspects at that time, I remember how effective it was to have the scenes play out in these stunning wide shots, the characters scaled by the mighty desert. I must have seen this film a
3. Apocalypse Now (1979), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola) Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC: The movie continues to amaze me as much as it did the first time I watched it. It is as current as any film could be. Apocalypse works on every level — aesthetically, dramatically and psychologically. The torture Coppola went through making the movie is seen in every frame. Mat Beck, ASC: If I had to choose one shot that made me almost want to cry because of how extraordi-
Steven Shaw, ASC: There is one moment in Casablanca when Ingrid Bergman walks into the bar late at night, and it’s closed, and Bogart is there, [wallowing in] the blues, drinking whiskey — and she asks her former lover to give her and her husband a pass to get out of Casablanca and away from the Germans. That close-up, that moment, is, to me, the most beautiful close-up ever shot — it’s beyond beautiful. I love Casablanca. The trickeries of the lighting — the airport that doesn’t exist. It’s on stage. You feel the airport’s presence, because they’re panning a spotlight through the background. That airport had such a dynamic emotional element to it, and you feel the panic of not being able to escape, and it’s just a spotlight! It’s like magic. It’s one of the great lessons in lighting. 82
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ASC 100th Anniversary
A Century of Inspiration
pp The Conformist. p Days of Heaven.
Alexander Gruszynski, ASC: I love The Third Man. The camera angles and the lighting are the crucial components of how the story is told. If you take away the visual elements, the story wouldn’t be as powerful — and I think this is a requirement for a milestone of cinematography. This is where all the kudos go to the film’s cinematographer, Robert Krasker, BSC. The famous scene when we first see Orson Welles’ character, Harry Lime, drowned in shadow — you don’t see his face at all, just a pair of shoes and the cat. Then all of a sudden, a neighbor in the building turns on the light and we see Harry Lime for the first time. It’s told with the lighting and the camera. The Third Man is the gold standard for film-noir cinema. It’s the most important film, I would say, in the whole noir genre. 84
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nary it was, it would be from Apocalypse Now, the scene when the upriver camp is under attack. The explosions are going off, and [you can see] the lights on the bridge reflected in the water as the boat accelerates. A beautiful version of hell. It’s one of the most extraordinary visual experiences I can imagine. 4. Citizen Kane (1941), shot by Gregg Toland, ASC (Dir. Orson Welles) James Neihouse, ASC: Gregg Toland’s work on Citizen Kane has always amazed me. The things he did to achieve those deep-focus images are incredible, and to do it with the film stock, lens technology, ASC 100th Anniversary
and compositing techniques of the early 1940s makes it even more amazing. But there is more to the film than deep focus. The combination of Toland’s composition and camera placement with Welles’ blocking allows the story to play out without the need of cutting. Add to that the innovative way they moved the camera, again allowing the scene to play with a minimum of edits. While not new to filmmaking, all these techniques were masterfully combined and used to move the story along, not just for show. I would have loved to see what Toland and Welles would have done on an Imax screen. 5. The Godfather (1972), shot by Gordon Willis, ASC (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola) Rachel Morrison, ASC: Believe it or not, The Godfather was a huge influence on Black Panther. The themes overlap — the issue of family and legacy, and the responsibility of power. But of course it’s Gordon Willis’ evocative cinematography that taught me that shadow has as much power as light, and that what is not seen engages the audience in a truly profound way. Tobias Schliessler, ASC: The Godfather was one of the first movies that showed me the possibility of breaking cinematography’s ‘rules.’ In film school, we were taught to always light an actor’s eyes in order to see their emotions, but Gordon Willis made the artistic choice that perhaps not seeing a character’s emotions was more beneficial to the story. By primarily utilizing toplight, he keeps Marlon Brando’s Don Corleone character mysterious and intimidating. You can’t see what he is thinking or feeling, which enhances the tension and anxiety one might feel in the presence of that character. The Godfather taught how important it is to light for the story, even if that means making an unconventional choice. ➔
A Century of Inspiration
2001: A Space Odyssey.
Richard Crudo, ASC: Gordon Willis’ work was dark where it needed to be dark. The truth is that parts of his work appear dark because they’re played against other parts which are not. Take, for example, the opening scenes in Don Corleone’s office — dark, foreboding, mysterious. Then,
compare it to the bright, overexposed, cheery wedding scene against which the office material is cross-cut. By providing such dramatic and recognizable contrast, each exaggerates the effect of the other. Most important of all, they’re both appropriate within the context of what he was trying to
Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF: There are shots in I Am Cuba that made cinematic history, and the most famous of these is the funeral procession [for a student who had joined the revolution]. I think it [epitomizes] everything that is amazing about this film — how they can do acrobatics with the camera and [accomplish] great technical achievements for that time, but in service to the film’s language, and to a message, and in a way that actually serves the story. They didn’t have cranes or drones, yet the camera elevates and does all of these acrobatics. They had to create this whole system, where the operator wore a vest with a lot of hooks, and [crewmembers] were hooking him and unhooking him, and lifting him, and making him fly — with very simple means. The sequence starts with the camera on ground level, at a wide angle only a few inches from a young woman, so you really feel like you’re at this ‘human’ level. But then the camera starts to lift up vertically, and then horizontally to enter the third floor of a tobacco factory. It goes through the interior of that floor, and as if the shot wasn’t spectacular enough — especially for the time — the camera travels through [another] window and flies over the street, where you see a top shot of the procession. You’re now three stories high, and you see hundreds of people around the body, walking through the street, and the camera keeps flying above them. To do all of that in one single take — on film, in the 1960s in Cuba, with such limited technology — is amazing, but it’s not just a technical stunt. The film’s language, acrobatics and camera stunts come together in this shot to tell that story. It touches all the elements that it needs to touch during the shot, going from the individual, to the collective, to the group of workers, to the big collective, which is almost like a wide shot of Cuba itself. It doesn’t make any sense to have a spectacular shot if it doesn’t have a meaning and a purpose behind it. 86
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do visually at the time, to help the story along. Christopher Chomyn, ASC: The Godfather, for me, represents perfect storytelling. No unnecessary dialogue or exposition; all that was necessary to know was revealed in the course of the unfolding drama. The camera movement and lighting perfectly set the tone and kept me engrossed. The bold lighting taught me never to be afraid of the dark, and to use contrast. 6. Raging Bull (1980), shot by Michael Chapman, ASC (Dir. Martin Scorsese) Crudo: There’s a tabloid immediacy and a simplicity to Raging Bull that’s fascinating. As cinematographers, everything we try to create comes down to what’s on the page. We’re trying to interpret what the director is thinking, what their approach is to the story. And when you look at the characters in this movie, there’s hardly anyone to identify with. It’s themes are hard ones, so the photography is brutal and uncompromising — like a punch in the face, appropriately enough. And Chapman was doing the best job of cinematography just by serving the story. He put the viewer into the narrative in such a way that he made them forget they were watching a movie. He raked up emotion, which is the ultimate success for a filmmaker. 7. The Conformist (1970), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC (Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci) Jacek Laskus, ASC, PSC: The Conformist was an eye-opener for me. It threw out everything I knew about cinematography — or everything I thought I knew! It changed the way that I think about cinematography. The use of color, the use of the camera, the movement — it was a tour-de-force for Vittorio. I cannot think of The Conformist being shot any other way. Papamichael: The Conformist
A Century of Inspiration
The French Connection.
was a key film for me in terms of consciously noticing stylistic lighting, mixing warm practicals with dusky blue day ambience. Vittorio’s use of expressionistic light patterns and painterly, warm sunbeams, and Bertolucci’s wide, composed tracking shots and graphic tableaux, all encouraged me to take risks and attempt bold choices as I was discovering and experimenting, finding a style on my early feature work. Schliessler: The Conformist has been one of the most influential movies for me and my craft. Every frame is a piece of art that stands
alone like a beautiful painting I would want to hang on my wall. I love revisiting this film and drawing inspiration from Storaro’s brilliant use of composition and lighting to enhance the story. His cinematography sets the bar high and encourages me to challenge my own creativity.
8. Days of Heaven (1978), shot by Néstor Almendros, ASC (Dir. Terrence Malick) Robert Primes, ASC: I was unprepared for the profoundly immersive images that elevated my consciousness into the euphoria
Chris Menges, ASC, BSC: The Battle of Algiers is a startling and brilliant film about the Algerian war for independence from France. Shot in black-and-white, there are the most amazing re-created scenes of the struggle in the Casbah, the citadel of Algiers, with thousands of extras. There are scenes in which the tension is so powerful, scenes so moving, that you want to cry out. It is filmmaking at its greatest. Cinematographer Marcello Gatti wheels the handheld camera to catch the moment. [Director] Gillo Pontecorvo lets the shots develop, never using the classicalediting reverse-shot technique. It’s inspired newsreel style: in black-and-white, with documentary-type editing to add to its sense of historical authenticity. The technique is enthralling. Pontecorvo said, ‘My idea was to give the audience the impression that it was watching a documentary as events happened. We wanted our film to look like newsreel that looked grainy. Using a handheld camera let us spontaneously catch interesting faces and action.’ A superb film — it lives! 88
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Stephen Lighthill, ASC: Just at the point when I was discovering my interest in becoming a filmmaker, I saw Dr. Strangelove. And the idea that a black-and-white film could be comedy, could be serious, could be a social commentary, could be action — could be all of those things — it was an extraordinary experience. I think that everyone takes away from a film a certain thing. For me, from Dr. Strangelove, it was the idea of being so innovative and approaching a subject in such a fresh way. It was extraordinary. generally reserved for Bach or Beethoven. I had always suspected that cinema had the potential to become independent of story and become more like visual music. Days of Heaven, with its minimalist story, felt like being in a gallery of the greatest impressionist masterpieces. It transcended what I had presumed were the apparent bounds of conventional cinema. It moved the art of cinematography from being a supporting player to being the star attraction. 9. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), shot by Geoffrey Unsworth, BSC, with additional photography by John Alcott, BSC (Dir. Stanley Kubrick) Sigel: I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey as a youngster and had no idea what it was about. But I did know I had been transported to a place only cinema could take me. It was the first time I realized there was an outlet for my compulsion to create. Steven Fierberg, ASC: I’m so in awe of it, I don’t even know how to discuss it. It’s transcendent. It’s visual poetry on an infinite scale. You have to see it in a theater, either in 70mm or with a really big screen, to see how truly great it is.
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10. The French Connection (1971), shot by Owen Roizman, ASC (Dir. William Friedkin) Crudo: The French Connection is the leanest form of moviemaking you can imagine. In terms of its visuals, it doesn’t have an ounce of spare fat on it. It gets the information to you absent any sort of artifice. And it’s a cool-toned New York movie. It is such a snapshot of the time. People who didn’t live through it will never know how absolutely faithful to that moment that movie is. Can you imagine being responsible for photographing a major studio motion picture at the time, and the nerve it took to say, ‘You know what? We’re gonna go out and make this thing like real life. Really like real life — not Hollywood backlot real life.’ What an achievement. Fierberg: The French Connection is supposed to feel ripped from the streets — like, ‘Wow, that really happened. There’s nothing fake here.’ William Friedkin and Owen Roizman, together, were not afraid to do any [kind of] shot. All the things that people are never supposed to do — zoom in, whip-pan, cut across the line — they showed that you could break every rule. And in a story that is really relentless and fast-moving and clearly thought out, it all worked. When you do that kind of cinematography, it makes the movie better because it strengthens it at its core. When you do the kinds of things that Owen Roizman does, it gives an inner strength to the movie in a way that the viewer is unaware of. That’s one of the many reasons I admire him so much.
Michael Goi, ASC, ISC: I saw The Graduate when I was 8 years old, and I couldn’t believe how it made me feel. I realized ultimately that it was the cinematography that did that. Robert Surtees, ASC immediately became my hero. He had been the premier cameraman at MGM, had shot big movies like Ben-Hur, and when technology was changing, when new lightweight cameras were coming, he embraced it — and he worked with all the new, young directors when he was in his 70s. Titles 11–100 (in order of release)
Metropolis (1927), shot by Karl Freund, ASC and Günther Rittau Napoleon (1927), shot by Leonce-Henri Burel, Jules Kruger and Joseph-Louis Mundwiller Sunrise (1927), shot by Charles Rosher, ASC and Karl Struss, ASC Gone With the Wind (1939), shot by Ernest Haller, ASC The Wizard of Oz (1939), shot by Harold Rosson, ASC The Grapes of Wrath (1940), shot by Gregg Toland, ASC How Green Was My Valley (1941), shot by Arthur C. Miller, ASC Casablanca (1942), shot by Arthur Edeson, ASC The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), shot by Stanley Cortez, ASC Black Narcissus (1947), shot by Jack Cardiff, BSC Bicycle Thieves (1948), shot by Carlo Montuori The Red Shoes (1948), shot by Jack Cardiff, BSC The Third Man (1949), shot by Robert Krasker, BSC Rashomon (1950) shot by Kazuo Miyagawa Sunset Boulevard (1950), shot by John Seitz, ASC
Mat Beck, ASC: In terms of my all-time favorite movies, in which the look and sound of the movie carry me into another world, McCabe & Mrs. Miller is such an extraordinary piece of work. When I first saw it, I just loved it — but I didn’t appreciate, as much as I later came to, how beautiful the photography was, and how important it was. It was such an otherworldly experience, and yet so real. It was like an extremely real dream, so I wasn’t thinking too much about how they’d gone about doing it. That movie is a masterpiece, and the photography is of a piece with it, creating a world.
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On the Waterfront (1954), shot by Boris Kaufman, ASC Seven Samurai (1954), shot by Asakazu Nakai The Night of the Hunter (1955), shot by Stanley Cortez, ASC The Searchers (1956), shot by Winton C. Hoch, ASC The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), shot by Jack Hildyard, BSC Touch of Evil (1958), shot by Russell Metty, ASC Vertigo (1958), shot by Robert Burks, ASC North by Northwest (1959), shot by Robert Burks, ASC Breathless (1960), shot by Raoul Coutard Last Year at Marienbad (1961), shot by Sacha Vierny 8 1⁄2 (1963), shot by Gianni Di Venanzo Hud (1963), shot by James Wong Howe, ASC Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), shot by Gilbert Taylor, BSC I Am Cuba (Soy Cuba; 1964), shot by Sergei Urusevsky Doctor Zhivago (1965), shot by Freddie Young, BSC The Battle of Algiers (1966), shot by Marcello Gatti Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), shot by Haskell Wexler, ASC Cool Hand Luke (1967), shot by Conrad L. Hall, ASC The Graduate (1967), shot by Robert Surtees, ASC In Cold Blood (1967), shot by Conrad L. Hall, ASC Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), shot by Tonino Delli Colli, AIC Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), shot by Conrad L. Hall, ASC
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Steven Poster, ASC: Close Encounters of the Third Kind [featured] the largest set ever built indoors for a movie, and Vilmos [Zsigmond, ASC, HSC] — who was a romantic realist, in my opinion — photographed it with such a sure hand, and in a way that no matter what was happening on the set, no matter how difficult the situation was, he pushed forward and did a remarkable job of telling that story. It had a personal quality that, for a movie of that size and complexity, was unprecedented. It was an extraordinary feat.
The Wild Bunch (1969), shot by Lucien Ballard, ASC A Clockwork Orange (1971), shot by John Alcott, BSC Klute (1971), shot by Gordon Willis, ASC The Last Picture Show (1971), shot by Robert Surtees, ASC McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), shot by Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, HSC
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Cabaret (1972), shot by Geoffery Unsworth, BSC Last Tango in Paris (1972), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC The Exorcist (1973), shot by Owen Roizman, ASC Chinatown (1974), shot by John A. Alonzo, ASC The Godfather: Part II (1974), shot by Gordon Willis, ASC Barry Lyndon (1975), shot by John Alcott, BSC One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), shot by Haskell Wexler, ASC All the President’s Men (1976), shot by Gordon Willis, ASC Taxi Driver (1976), shot by Michael Chapman, ASC Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), shot by Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, HSC The Duellists (1977), shot by Frank Tidy, BSC The Deer Hunter (1978), shot by Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, HSC
Alien (1979), shot by Derek Vanlint, CSC All That Jazz (1979), shot by Giuseppe Rotunno, ASC, AIC Being There (1979), shot by Caleb Deschanel, ASC The Black Stallion (1979), shot by Caleb Deschanel, ASC Manhattan (1979), shot by Gordon Willis, ASC The Shining (1980), shot by John Alcott, BSC Chariots of Fire (1981), shot by David Watkin, BSC Das Boot (1981), shot by Jost Vacano, ASC, BVK Reds (1981), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC Fanny and Alexander (1982), shot by Sven Nykvist, ASC The Right Stuff (1983), shot by Caleb Deschanel, ASC Amadeus (1984), shot by Miroslav Ondricek, ASC, ACK
The Natural (1984), shot by Caleb Deschanel, ASC Paris, Texas (1984), shot by Robby Müller, NSC, BVK Brazil (1985), shot by Roger Pratt, BSC The Mission (1986), shot by Chris Menges, ASC, BSC Empire of the Sun (1987), shot by Allen Daviau, ASC The Last Emperor (1987), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC Wings of Desire (1987), shot by Henri Alekan Mississippi Burning (1988), shot by Peter Biziou, BSC JFK (1991), shot by Robert Richardson, ASC Raise the Red Lantern (1991), shot by Fei Zhao Unforgiven (1992), shot by Jack Green, ASC Baraka (1992), shot by Ron Fricke Schindler’s List (1993), shot by Janusz Kaminski
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), shot by Conrad L. Hall, ASC Trois Coulieurs: Bleu (Three Colours: Blue; 1993), shot by Slawomir Idziak, PSC The Shawshank Redemption (1994), shot by Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC Seven (1995), shot by Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC The English Patient (1996), shot by John Seale, ASC, ACS L.A. Confidential (1997), shot by Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC Saving Private Ryan (1998), shot by Janusz Kaminski The Thin Red Line (1998), shot by John Toll, ASC American Beauty (1999), shot by Conrad L. Hall, ASC The Matrix (1999), shot by Bill Pope, ASC In the Mood for Love (2000), shot by Christopher Doyle, HKSC
Charles Minsky, ASC: From the film’s beginning, Conrad Hall, ASC’s cinematography in Searching for Bobby Fischer is warm and intimate. His use of long lenses enhances this interior, personal story and invites the viewer into the complicated relationships between the characters. The camera is always seeking the heart of the story through the heart of the 7-year old boy at its center. Continually moving in and out of the shadows, the close-ups of the boy, his parents and his teachers reveal the boy’s search for a hero to believe in. The camera doesn’t turn away. Through the boy’s eyes, it makes us confront ourselves. From the beginning close-up of the chessboard, reflected in a pair of sunglasses, to the ending close-up of two 7-year-old boys walking arm in arm away from camera, it maintains a personal and intimate involvement in the boy’s life. It makes us understand that the boy is only a boy.
For more about the ASC’s list of 100 milestone films, visit bit.ly/asc100films.
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The Next100 Years
Society members offer their perspectives on what the future holds in store for the art and craft of cinematography By Jon D. Witmer and Andrew Fish
By definition, cinematographers are forward thinkers, foreseeing a production’s visuals in intricate detail long before looking through the camera’s eyepiece — or at a monitor — on set. And in staying atop their craft, they also must keep pace with, anticipate and even drive technical advancements that impact how motion pictures are both made and experienced. Throughout its 100-year history, the ASC has been home to perhaps the most forward-thinking cinematographers of all. Take, for example, Society member Leon Shamroy. In AC’s October 1947 issue, Shamroy offered a profoundly prescient prediction of cinematography’s modern tools of the trade. He wrote: Not too far off is the ‘electronic camera.’ A compact, lightweight box no larger than a Kodak Brownie, it will contain a highly sensitive pickup tube, 100 times faster than present-day 94
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film stocks. A single lens system will adjust to any focal length by the operator merely turning a knob. … Cranes and dollies weighing tons will be replaced by lightweight perambulators. The camera will be linked to the film recorder by coaxial cable or radio. The actual recording of the scene on film will take place at a remote station, under ideal conditions. … Electronic monitor screens connected into the system will make it possible to view the scene as it is being recorded. Control of contrast and color will be possible before development. Never content to rest on yesterday’s forecasts being proven true today, the ASC membership continues to keep its collective eyes on tomorrow’s horizons, even as the Society celebrates its centennial. “You can mark 100 years by looking back, but it’s also a time to look forward,” says ASC President Kees van Oostrum. “What is the future?” In the following pages, 23 of today’s active ASC members — and one distinguished associate member — share their visions of what’s to come in the Society’s second century. Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC: Although cinematography is in constant technical development, I still believe that what we do as cinematographers has not and will not change. I continue to light based on my instinctive interpretation of what is put in front of me on any given
ASC 100th Anniversary
All photos courtesy of the AC archives. Navarro photo by Kerry Hayes.
t Jacek Laskus, ASC, PSC peers into a possible future. ppp From left: ASC members Bill Bennett, Natasha Braier and Christopher Chomyn. pp From left: Society members Steven Fierberg, Michael Goi and Alexander Gruszynski. p From left: ASC cinematographers Polly Morgan, Rachel Morrison and Guillermo Navarro.
day. Although I might be looking at a monitor rather than an actual set, I still use my eye to make judgment calls regarding lighting. The artistic approach has remained the same. Steven Fierberg, ASC: I think that the role of the cinematographer is going to change less than some people might think it will. What we do now is not that different from what people did 50 years ago, and I think that 50 years from now, there will still be people doing exactly the same thing we’re doing. Polly Morgan, ASC, BSC: Despite the evolution of how we tell the story and how it is shared, I don’t feel the true heart of cinematography will shift. And that is to use light, movement and framing to incite emotion and empathy.
Christopher Chomyn, ASC: While some may be distracted and preoccupied with gimmicks and gadgets, those at the top of their game will always point their camera at the story. The best cinematographers will collaborate to find creative solutions to involve their audiences in the stories they tell. As technologies change, masters of the craft will adapt, and use their tools — both the new and the more traditional. James Neihouse, ASC: The democratization of filmmaking that the digital age has brought allows greater access to cinematic storytelling than ever before. Today almost anyone can shoot a movie; these burgeoning filmmakers are able to tell their stories with greater ease and at a lower cost than ever before. I believe www.ascmag.com
the future of filmmaking has to be more about educating, mentoring and supporting these filmmakers than about any technology that could possibly come along. Passing on the craft, encouraging the art, while embracing new technology — all in the service of the story — will ensure that cinematography as an art form will continue well into the future. Steven Poster, ASC: I think there is a mindset wherein everybody now feels that they’re a cinematographer. You can take your iPhone and make credible images with it. But the one thing that’s going to separate the pros from everyone else is the fact that the ability to tell stories with moving images will not get any easier. That quality of the cinematographer to accomplish a cohesive and unique August 2019
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view of the world will still be left to the ‘mighty few,’ as it were. Tobias Schliessler, ASC: Today there are more people helping to create an image than when I first started out, especially when it comes to visual effects. But that isn’t a drawback to me. I see filmmaking as a collaborative art form, and having more options and tools at my disposal can reap great benefits. I love being
able to get a shot that I perhaps couldn’t have done last year, or help to create a world with CGI that at one point we could only have dreamed of. Recent breakthroughs in technology have also opened up space for more creative voices. I can be equally inspired by a video shot on a small
Richard Crudo, ASC: The cinematographer’s role remains exactly the same as it has been since the first turn of the crank on Edison’s prototype camera. And that’s because what we do is not about technology. It’s about the mindset, the vision and the hand that wields the tool. As long as we maintain that position, everything’s going to be great, regardless of how we actually create visual entertainment. Ours has always been a history of change. Cinematography has always contained within it an attitude of pushing forward and improving the technology. What’s the next big thing? How can we do what we do now better, more creatively, more efficiently? That’s never going to change, and that’s good. We should always embrace that. It’s exciting. It would be boring if it stayed the same. I hope I’m around for a really long time, because I want to see where it all ends up! Review the cinematography of every decade, and you’ll notice that every era had its look. Movies of the ’20s don’t look like movies of the ’50s; movies from the ’50s don’t look like movies from the ’60s — and nothing from the ’60s looks like anything today. It’s all constantly evolving, and cinematographers have always managed to be there to encourage that. We’ve also somehow managed to transition and find a way to make ourselves indispensible to the overall process of filmmaking. So, whatever direction the future takes us, as long as producers and directors realize that our expertise is absolutely necessary, then everything’s going to be fantastic. Our mentality and our temperament and our vision — that’s not going to change. That’s forever, and that’s what affects people. That’s what matters. And the effect of that is what lasts. Beyond that, nobody cares about the technology. Do you think the average viewer cares? They don’t. And they shouldn’t. Their only concern should be, ‘Does this touch me in some way?’ 96
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camera by an up-and-coming cinematographer as I can by a big studio movie. I don’t see this slowing down in the future, and I am grateful for that. Morgan: Over the next century, I think the craft will continue to blossom as a wider scope of voices get the opportunity to exercise their art and vision in service to the story. I imagine that technology will continue to evolve, diversifying our art onto new platforms with exciting new tools. David Stump, ASC: When I hear somebody say, ‘This technology isn’t viable,’ what I really hear is that they’re saying, ‘I don’t see how this technology is viable in my own hands.’ And that doesn’t mean there isn’t a kid in college somewhere who grew up on this and will adapt it into something that you couldn’t have imagined. When there comes a generation for whom there has always been VR, it’s going to be something that’s already in their vocabulary, something that they already have language for, and it will be much easier for them to start using it fluently and surprising us with the content that they generate. Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF: Everyone is getting access to play with more tools and paint with more brushes — and with more time, because things are getting faster and more efficient. And I think that’s great! If a lot of great technicians and artists are able to express their art with more resources, then of course it’s going to translate into better and better cinematography.
Neihouse photo by Claire Mondragon. Poster photo by Dale Robinette. Crudo photo by Douglas Kirkland.
From left: James Neihouse, ASC, Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC and Steven Poster, ASC.
Brown photo courtesy of The Tiffen Co. Primes photo by Scott Shephard. Schliessler photo by Gregory E. Peters.
It’s already happening. Twenty or 30 years ago, [there may have been] 10 cinematographers you would admire as your role models, who were doing films that you thought were masterpieces. Today [there might be] 50 or 100 people doing amazing stuff. I don’t think it’s because we didn’t have as many talented people in the world back then — it’s that now more people have access to the resources to do great work. That’s awesome. More people are going to be doing great things. Kees van Oostrum, ASC: Technology in the digital world has finally turned a corner where it’s not so much about, ‘Look at this, look at what we can do.’ It’s much more, ‘This is the intention, and look how we can keep that intention alive until the very end.’ Already this year, that’s more of the discussion than ever before. Before it was like a weight-lifting contest — ‘Which is 2K? Which is 4K?’ — and it didn’t necessarily relate to what we want to see as cinematographers. We care about what the image conveys emotionally, where we’re going artistically with it. Poster: For years it’s been the ‘K wars’ — where everything was about resolution — and I think the next step is going to be about color depth. We’re already seeing the beginning of that. [Increased] color depth is going to give us more ability to control the image on a fine level. From 8-bit or 10bit, you make the leap to 12- or 14-bit, or even 16-bit, and you start to see subtleties in colors and roll-off of
Garrett Brown (ASC associate member and inventor of the Steadicam): Cinematography in 100 years: Ben Franklin could hardly have explained his world to a neolithic hunter-gatherer, and explaining ours to Ben would be even tougher! So of course, 2119 lives, tools and practices are presently inconceivable. Nevertheless, here goes: 100 years hence, cinematographic artistry will still be prized, but our gear will be unrecognizable. Long beyond infinitely large ISOs and vanishingly small cameras (with computational bokeh), and long past ever-tinier drones silently blowing away our precious dollies, cranes and (shudder) Steadicams... all our gear will be biological: fingertip camera implants streaming to editing implants and CGI implants and onward to consumer implants. And gifted cinematographers will at last be giving the finger! color that enhances skin tone, for instance. And it’s going to give us more and more of that as we go. I think we’re also going to see, maybe in the next couple of years, an increase in using AI for processes of image capture. For instance, we will see the greenscreen become a thing of the past, because AI will be able to isolate a foreground character. There are already systems out there that are attempting to do that. Bill Bennett, ASC: As computer processing power increases, more of that capability will be integrated into cinema cameras, doing what might be called computational imaging, where multiple lenses and sensors will be used to gather the image data. A view of the scene will be created from that data, where focus, depth of field, angle of view, are all changeable in postproduction. Light-field camera research is the
beginning of that technology. Even the current smartphones can create a synthetic shallow depth of field with the use of two sensors and lenses, utilizing computational photography. Lawrence Sher, ASC: The idea of light-field technology, of capturing imagery in such a wide range and then, later, in the postproduction process, actually repainting the light, exposure, focus, all those things — I think that will change the face of cinematography. What exactly that will mean, though, is really hard to say. It could be destructive; it’s certainly daunting and even scary. But it’s also exciting and freeing, creatively. Capturing imagery and combining it with virtual sets, with both practical and virtual lighting, and a combination of animation, visual effects and live-action photography to create unbelievably photo-real and authentic filmmaking is truly amazing. ➔
From left: Robert Primes, ASC, Tobias Schliessler, ASC and Lawrence Sher, ASC.
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Mat Beck, ASC: The traditional definition of cinematography is expanding. Imagery is data, and we will see more and more data processing in the final image. Some high-end movies are using visual-effects techniques in virtually every frame, so the palette, the quiver of arrows, the toolbox — whatever metaphor you want to use — is continually growing at the high end. The question, ‘Can we get that shot?’ is more and more answered with a VFX response: ‘We can get it or make it. How much money, time and processing power do we have?’ The data gathering is growing in kind as well as amount. Higher res, higher frame rate, more camera and lens metadata, camera-tracking data, performance capture. Multiple cameras for panoramic VR background. Multiple lens data for computational photography. At the high end of film production, all this data and processing power will further the separation between the final image and the original critical moment on set — if there even is a set. With all these capabilities come more challenges — and more opportunities for noodling, procrastination, dissolution of creative control. In a world where most of the frame, or the scene, or the movie, has a virtual camera shooting a virtual avatar on a virtual set, the cinematographer is going to put his or her creative stamp on the picture outside the traditional arena — in the virtual one. And while these new technologies create challenges at the high end, as they trickle down it makes things easier for productions on the ‘low end.’ The future is already here if we have A-list directors shooting movies on the iPhone. To mangle Marx, the means of production — and postproduction and preproduction — are being more widely distributed among the proletariat. Looking forward, beyond more methods of distribution in the marketplace, there are going to be more ways to get the imagery inside people’s heads. In 100 years? We’re going to be dealing with direct neural inputs, for sure. I’m imagining interactive sessions tracking our neural response to the imagery. So besides being visually creative and technically good, a great DP is also going to have to continue to be nimble and curious as to what the latest thing is that’s coming down the pike. We can virtualize the set, the camera, even the actor, but we can’t yet virtualize the audience. All that digital stuff goes through an analog processor — the 31⁄2pound lump of meat and fat between our ears — that continues to be the ultimate creator and arbiter of great imagery. People care about people. And the more technology facilitates, intrudes into, and messes up our lives, the more people are going to continually react to something that is human and organic — and in some ways atavistic. The technology will only ever be a tool, and never a solution, in my opinion. There are some people who think that in 100 years, eventually there is going to be a hybrid between computing power and us — some kind of cyborg, or whatever the term is. That’s entirely possible. And maybe that’s the evolutionary path that was always laid out for us and we just didn’t know it, that we were destined to get smart enough to invent machines smarter than us, and then crossbreed with them. I’m not smart enough to see how that’s going to turn out, but I think human emotion and human aesthetic is still going to be the determinant factor. It’s going to be the source and the arena of judgment for how good a movie is — even if it’s not a movie, and it’s not exactly us watching it. 98
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Robert Primes, ASC: Just as there’s been a long overlap between the deep love we have for the beauty of film and the technical superiority of digital, I cannot help but feel we can anticipate an even longer overlap between our beloved tradition of photographing live scenes and the inevitable economies and efficiencies of computer-created or computerenhanced subjects and images. Today our digital lighting and image-manipulation tools are so powerful that it is essential for cinematographers to master them if they are to stay relevant. That’s a harbinger of how the art and science of cinematography will need to adapt to even more disruptive technologies. Stump: A big piece of the future will be cinematographers owning the hybridization of image generation. In the last few years I’ve started to use LED display panels in various sizes and configurations, both for lighting and to present images to be photographed. But the thing that I think nobody sees coming is mapping game-engine footage to panels of all sizes and shapes to create environments that you just couldn’t create any other way except CG, as a post exercise. In order for a technology like this to mature, we’re going to have to bring compositing, and adjusting the nuance of compositing, onto set. And that means putting it in the hands of the cinematographer, and the camera and lighting crew as well. Cinematographers need to be ready to manage that onstage. The ones who are ready to own it are the ones who are going to do great work with it. It’s just newer tech, and it gives you greater possibilities for the places that you can take us with your images. Neihouse: As motion-picture technology gets more sophisticated, it creates all sorts of artistic possibilities, and as cinematographers we have to learn how to incorporate these advances into our craft without letting the technology drive the image or the
story. We must strive to protect the art and craft of cinematography from being overrun by the ‘flavor of the day’ widget. Rachel Morrison, ASC: I am very optimistic that the future of cinematography will be more inclusive, and that a more diverse collective of people behind the lens will help inform a broader and more inclusive worldview in the stories we tell. I am less optimistic that the cinematographer will retain the control they once had. While beneficial in certain ways, I fear that the evolution of technology — from higher-resolution cameras, to the ability to choose focus in post, to the growing ease and affordability of VFX compositing — is also hugely detrimental to the cinematographer’s singular vision, and to the perception once held that DPs were wizard-artists and guardians of the image. I sincerely hope that I am wrong. Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC: The future of cinematography, like the future of cinema, is being rewritten by the moment. Technology is changing viewing methodologies. Our biggest challenge will be maintaining authorship. The digital age invites a cinematographer’s work to be altered as others see the project to completion. Alexander Gruszynski, ASC: I think we are entering — or have entered — a very treacherous time. On the one hand, new technologies [offer so many] possibilities for visual storytelling, and that’s obviously incredible. But then there’s the issue of control. With digital, instead of creating images, you produce files that can be interpreted and manipulated any way you want, and any way you don’t want. All these possibilities of manipulating images in postproduction are where we cinematographers have to be very forceful in retaining control of the image. This is not an easy task, because — partly due to politics and design — there’s an idea that we belong [exclusively] on the set. The
postproduction process is also lengthy and discombobulated, and we’re not necessarily available, and it’s also not really in our contract to be a part of postproduction, other than [participating in] color correction — which is another gray area, contractually speaking. It’s a minefield that we need to learn to navigate so we can retain our integrity and the control of the image, which is now much more
complicated than in the past. Sher: Cinematographers will need to start on the picture a lot earlier than they are currently. That’s how you’re going to create a movie that still has a cinematographer’s imprint, and the truth is, the movie needs the cinematographer’s imprint — not because we’re special beings in some magical way, but because our skill sets are unique, just like a
pp Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC (left) and Sandi Sissel, ASC, ACS. p David Stump, ASC (left) and Society President Kees van Oostrum.
production designer, just like any artist on a film. And without that key ingredient, we’ll see more and more movies that feel like they’re being first and foremost driven by previs. That’s something we should remedy sooner rather than later.
Guillermo Navarro, ASC: The challenge facing cinematography is the fight for ownership of the work. We’re the ones who know how to tell the story with images; we’re the ones in control of the film language. That is the most important tool for
the cinematographer. My cry for the future generations of cinematographers is that you have to work and fight to protect the ownership of the film language. It’s not the camera that does the work for you, or the new chip, or the new light. It’s your ideas that have to be transformed into images that tell the story. No version of technology will take that away from us. Michael Goi, ASC, ISC: The history of this industry is a history of visual storytelling, and it’s adapted itself to the introduction of sound, the introduction of color, the introduction of video. If you hitch your wagon to technology as the thing that’s going to save you, you will ultimately fail. Because it’s about telling stories. We as filmmakers need to have the biggest toolbox available to us of any medium in any form to be able to visually express ourselves. That could be film, that could be video, that could be digital, that could be a computer — whatever it is. The fact of the matter is that cinematographers and the associated crafts bring a certain point of
Shane Hurlbut, ASC: I always think back to that song ‘The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.’ That’s how I feel about where cinematography is headed. It’s the synergy of innovators and trained artists inspiring everyone to truly believe that we can change. We will see new technology that can eliminate the old tools the film industry was built on. We need to learn from these large tools and reinvent new ways to shoot movies. When you watch an animated film, the camera has no limitations. There is no physical mass that the grip team has to move, there are no restrictions on the lensing or stabilization, and lighting is executed with ultimate control, so the characters look amazing. Size does matter to improve the filmmaking process. I would love to hold a large-format camera in my hands that weighs only 2.5 pounds. Remember in 2009? We had that camera [with DSLRs], but it was only 1080p and very quirky. It’s about speed, ease, and how you can fit into spaces. You don’t need to remove walls, which means more practical locations, spending less money, and giving the artist complete freedom. The tools that we use to compose, move and light will change the most. Lighting is already on the way to becoming more efficient and cost-effective; lights are smaller, lighter and more versatile, providing increased creative potential. In the motion department, we will see huge developments to strengthen our gimbal systems, to make them smaller and increase their accuracy. In the camera department, we still have large cameras with large accessories; these will shrink, so that the camera itself will not be much bigger than the sensor it holds, with a media card that is small and lightweight and can process 12K raw if necessary. As artists, we will continue to immerse our audiences in new ways and inspire creativity in the next generation of filmmakers. We always have to find new and exciting ways to push ourselves out of our comfort zone. 100
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Hurlbut photo by Melinda Sue Gordon, SMPSP.
The Next100 Years
view and a certain artistic aesthetic that is individual to us as creative people, regardless of whether we shoot on film or we shoot on toilet paper. It does not matter. You choose the medium that works for the subject that you’re trying to create. Papamichael: Our job is to help the director express their vision of a story that is given to us in the form of a script. We still need to communicate
with the director and find a common language. If we are not in sync there, it creates a problem regardless of the equipment we are dealing with. We have to constantly explore the scope and limits of our tools, but not neglect our artistic goals. As long as we can afford the freedom to collaborate with our artistic companions and choose projects that we love, we as cinematographers will have a long future.
Jacek Laskus, ASC, PSC: The strength of the cinematographer is in understanding and guiding the story through the visual language, and understanding how both work together. This is beyond the job of a gaffer, camera operator, colorist or postproduction supervisor. I feel that the cinematographer should be the guiding visual force throughout the project — starting in the beginning, in preproduction — to understand what the story is, and why we’re shooting with certain cameras in a certain way, and why we’re covering certain scenes certain ways. As cinematographers, we influence and supervise this all the way to post, making sure that the visual tonality and the language is respected, and that it follows the conversations and decisions that were decided early on in preproduction. I find that a lot of young cinematographers are preoccupied with technology, and that the directors they’re working for are mostly afraid of technology. A lot of times the cinematographer will give the director all this technological information about shooting 4K, 6K, 8K, this camera vs. that camera — and then suddenly the director’s brain explodes, and they put their hands to their head and don’t want to hear any more. The conversation shouldn’t be about what lights you’ll use, what filters, what kind of processing. Who cares? Don’t bother them. They have to deal with storytelling, the actors, the writing, the schedule — all that stuff. They don’t need your tech information! I don’t think technology can save us. What can save us and our profession is building the relationship between the director and the cinematographer — the ability for the cinematographer and the director to form a creative bond so that the director can rely on the cinematographer as a friend and as a true visual collaborator who has the ability to see the images that support the story he or she wants to put on the screen. That is what will save cinematography. The cinematographer needs to be able to listen to the director and read the script the way the director would read it. What is the most important scene? Why did you decide to make this film? What is unique in this film for you? And how can I help you put that in visual terms so that my work is invisible but it’s helping the story? If you develop those strong relationships, then a director will say, ‘I need that cinematographer, I need that eye, I need that conversation.’ Because once you truly hear the director, then he or she is your friend. And that’s how you stay relevant. 102
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Sandi Sissel, ASC, ACS: We will always be storytellers and painters of light. New technology is revolutionary, but the camera doesn’t tell the story. We do. The art form of cinematography will remain if we just nurture those coming in to take our places. I’ve spent a lot of time in film schools, and we are in good hands. Primes: Because the political issues are likely more challenging than the technical ones, it is essential the ASC keep ahead of this to support new technologies rather than resist them. We should, of course, continue to preserve, celebrate and cherish the work and the masters of the past, but our very existence will be jeopardized if we don’t stay on the cutting edge of future image-making. Gruszynski: I think that’s where the ASC needs to play a big role, in trying to steer this ship through the storm in such a way that we still can put our signature on [the work] as authors of the photography. Van Oostrum: The ASC’s role for the future is the same as it was in 1919. When this organization was formed, [its founders] were concerned about technology from the point of view of, ‘How do we apply it to our artistry, and how do we further our technical ability?’ You cannot be an artist if you don’t command the technology. You don’t have to do it all yourself, but you have to have a comprehension of what is possible. And they also knew in 1919 that education is an integral part of getting there. So it’s all the same discussion, just with different means and different technologies. There is a lot to discover and a lot to do. Our industry is only going to grow. So I see the future as being very bright, with lots of opportunities to do what we always wanted to do — and to continue doing what we have been for the last 100 years. u
Laskus photo by Jessica Miglio.
The Next100 Years
NEW PRODUCTS & SERVICES • SUBMISSION INFORMATION - Please email New Products/Services releases to newproducts@ascmag.com and include full contact information and product images. Photos must be TIFF or JPEG files of at least 300dpi.
Society, Leica Collaborate on M10-P “ASC 100 Edition” By Jay Holben and Noah Kadner
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In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the American Society of Cinematographers, Leica has partnered with the ASC in the development of the Leica M10-P “ASC 100 Edition” camera. With an eye toward both the past and the future, the limited-edition camera brings modern features to a design inspired by the original Ur-Leica still camera that helped to establish the 135format 24mm x 36mm “full frame” standard for still photography. In early 1913, Oskar Barnack, an enthusiastic cinematographer with a love of photography, was under the employ of Ernst Leitz Optische Werke in Wetzlar, Germany. Taking his cue from motion-picture film, Barnack decided to use standard 35mm celluloid film stock for still photography, turning the film on its side so that it would advance horizontally through the camera body and produce individual frames 24mm tall by 36mm wide. Barnack dubbed the resulting camera the “Lilliput Camera,” which later became the “Ur-Leica,” and its adoption of flexible-base 35mm film for still-camera use would become standard for Leica’s commercially available cameras that followed — and for the stillphotography industry at large. Now, the Leica M10-P “ASC 100 Edition” camera adds a new chapter to Barnack’s legacy, updating and enhancing the Leica M10-P still camera’s capabilities and making it an essential tool for cinematographers working in the modern digital ecosystem. To realize this special-edition digital still camera designed for cinematographers, ASC President Kees van Oostrum collaborated with fellow ASC active and associate members as well as a team at Leica’s headquarters in Germany. “In November 2017, I started talking to Leica about creating a model that would be useful for cinematographers,” van Oostrum recalls. “I wanted something you could put PL-mount cinema lenses onto and do test shots with, while at the same time making it a commemorative camera for the first 100 years of the ASC. So we formed an advisory group that included myself; Bill Bennett, ASC; Steve Yedlin, ASC; and associate member Joachim Zell, vice president of technology at EFilm.” Stefan Janssen, product manager at Leica, headed the August 2019
project, with significant involvement from ASC associate member Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, the owner of Ernst Leitz Wetzlar and chairman of the Leica Camera AG advisory board. The modern interpretation of Oskar Barnack’s vision is expressed not only in the unique range of functions offered by the Leica M10-P “ASC 100 Edition,” but also in the camera’s design. The ASC logo appears in polished finish on the black-chrome top plate of the camera, whose overall appearance has been stripped down to the essentials, with all engravings done in a dark solid gray tone. The technical-functional look, inspired by the Ur-Leica, is also carried forward in the leathering, which is similar to that found on the Leica SL. The new camera also comes equipped with a brass anodized Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2 aspherical lens — another reflection of the Ur-Leica’s character and appearance. “Our new camera is modeled after the Oskar Barnack UrLeica, recalling its brass lens and black finish,” van Oostrum says. Janssen adds, “The original Ur-Leica had a brass lens that became quite tarnished and weathered over time. We started with a black lacquered lens and gave it a [brass] anodized finish to approximate the same look. For the focal length, we chose 35mm as a good standard field of view.” Once the concept for the camera had been agreed upon, the ASC advisory group got to work with their counterparts at Leica. Although the special-edition camera was based on the existing M10-P digital-camera hardware design, it required the addition of custom looks and other menu items in order to meet the demands of the ASC cinematographers. The camera enables cinematographers to get a first impression of a planned scene by reproducing two unique looks custom-developed for this “ASC 100 Edition” release. The “ASC Cine Classic” look is inspired by the long cinematic tradition of rendering the scene more for beauty than for reality, with higher contrast in the midtones but lower contrast in the long toe and shoulder. The “ASC Cine Contemporary” look is inspired by the more recent trend in cinema characterized by more open shadows and more faithfully realistic tone rendering. These two custom looks — which were developed by Leica’s image-science team, who worked closely with van Oostrum, Yedlin, Zell and Bennett — are included in addition to the normal M10-P’s default look and special monochrome look. Zell notes that the process of developing the ASC Cine Looks “involved shooting many tests using a Leica camera alongside digital cinema cameras.” “We shot gray cards and color charts in full exposure sweeps, from underexposed full black to overexposed full white,” Yedlin adds. “We also used a number of representative images — exteriors, interiors, etc. — shot by Kees, to review the results on a variety of imagery. “The Leica camera processing does 1D tables — also called
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tone maps or transfer functions — and 3by-3 matrices,” Yedlin continues. “We usually design color transformations using much more complex operations. So we had to figure out how to get something we liked with only successive transfer functions and matrices.” “This was an interesting part in our joint venture,” Zell offers, “because we had to explain to the engineers at Leica [which elements of the image are] really of interest to us. The whole image is very interesting, of course, but the skin tones are the key part of every movie we work on. There are always people talking to each other and interacting, so we wanted the skin tones to [be reproduced] to perfection.” Additionally, Bennett notes that while “Steve’s emphasis was on the color science, I was primarily involved with the frame lines, which enable you to match your framing in the Leica [camera] to just about any cinema camera.” Indeed, further making the M10-P “ASC 100 Edition” an important new tool for professional cinematographers, the camera will enable users to select from different frame lines commonly used in motion pictures. Once activated, the corresponding aspect ratio is displayed as a bright-line frame. “We added the frame lines into the capture-assistance menu because they are an overlay onto the image,” Janssen notes. “We show it for both live view and playback mode. We added some of the main cinematographic presets: 2.39, 1.85 and 1.78. We also thought it was a good idea to have presets for both full frame and Super 35, because PL-mount lenses are designed for Super 35 but the camera’s sensor is full-frame size.” “You can also create two custom frame-line presets,” Bennett adds. “There are many default frame lines that are part of a cinema camera’s menu. Usually on the camera’s website, for those different default frame lines, it will also give you their dimensions in millimeters — so you can then enter those numbers into the M10-P’s menu, and you’ll have a match. It won’t work one-to-one for a large-format camera such as the Alexa 65, because that has a much larger sensor than the M10-P, but any full-frame camera — such as the
Alexa LF [or] Red Monstro — has a similar sensor, so you can create matching frame lines.” The “ASC 100 Edition” package includes an M-to-PL-mount adapter as well as a hot-shoe attachable Visoflex electronic viewfinder (EVF) that enables the looks and frame lines to be directly overlaid onto the live image, enabling the system to be used as a digital director’s viewfinder. “We decided to include the Visoflex to give cinematographers the ability to fully assess their frame,” Janssen says. “Without it, you don’t see the actual looks or frame lines through the viewfinder. You do see them on the [camera’s] live-view touchscreen, but the regular viewfinder is a rangefinder, not through-the-lens, so it doesn’t permit electronic overlays. The EVF is much more versatile than the [touchscreen] alone, and it works great outdoors on a sunny day as well.” The Leica M-PL Mount enables the use of almost all PL-mount cine lenses available on the market, providing cinematographers and filmmakers with the ability to view and test scenes with a wide range of cinema lenses before shooting begins. Location scouting can also be streamlined with the aid of the Leica Fotos app; the combination of the camera and the app offers the ability to share and discuss results immediately with all parties involved in the project. Reflecting upon the extensive development process, the team members are pleased with the results. “Besides being a special commemorative edition, this camera is a true cinematographer’s workhorse,” van Oostrum attests. “If you don’t want to schlep a big cinema camera around with you, you can just carry [this] and the PL lenses, and get your test shots.” The Leica M10-P “ASC 100 Edition” camera is made in Wetzlar, Germany, with assistance from Leica’s components facility in Portugal. The camera is limited to 300 units and is slated for release this autumn. For additional information, visit bit.ly/LeicaASC100. For more New Products & Services coverage, visit bit.ly/ACNewProd. u
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CLUBHOUSE NEWS
Society Elects Officers, Board for ’19-20 The ASC has re-elected Kees van Oostrum to serve as president for a fourth consecutive year. The other elected officers for 2019-20 are vice presidents Stephen Lighthill, Bill Bennett and Paul Cameron; treasurer Levie Isaacks; secretary David Darby; and sergeant-atarms Curtis Clark.
Also elected as members of the Board of Governors were John Bailey, Stephen H. Burum, Dean Cundey, George Spiro Dibie, Fred Elmes, Lowell Peterson, Steven Poster, Rodney Taylor, John Toll, Amy Vincent and Mandy Walker. Alternate Board members are Charlie Lieberman, Christopher Chomyn, Steven Fierberg, Owen Roizman and Isaacks.
“I am grateful to have been chosen to serve the ASC and its membership,” van Oostrum says. “It’s an important time for our craft, with imaging technologies continuing to evolve at a rapid pace. The ASC and its members are integral to influencing these developments so that the integrity of our images can be presented and preserved for audiences as they were intended to be seen.”
Cine Gear Salutes Dibie, Miranda During the recent Cine Gear Expo in Los Angeles, George Spiro Dibie, ASC was presented with the event’s Legacy Lifetime Achievement Award, and Claudio Miranda, ASC was honored with the Visionary Achievement Award in Cinematography. Additionally, Peter Anderson, ASC chaired the Cine Gear 2019 Tech Awards’ panel of judges, which also included Mark Weingartner, ASC. The Cine Gear Awards recognize individuals and manufacturers who have performed outstanding service and made significant contributions to advancing the art and craft of filmmaking.
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In Memoriam Franz Wieser The Society and the staff of AC mourn the passing of longtime ASC associate member Franz Wieser, Arri Inc.’s vice president of marketing. Wieser grew up in Rosenheim, Bavaria, Germany. He started at Arri with an internship with Volker Bahnemann — now an ASC associate and a member of the supervisory board of the Arri Group — at what was then called Arriflex Corp. in Blauvelt, N.Y., and he went on to do market research for the company in both New York and California. In July 1994, Wieser accepted a position as marketing manager at Arriflex in New York. He went on to a distinguished career of 25 years in marketing for Arriflex and Arri Inc., culminating in his role as vice president of marketing, for which he was based out of Arri’s Burbank office. His contributions spanned the marketing of Arri’s film and digital camera systems as well as analog and digital lighting fixtures. He also built sustaining relationships with the ASC ASC 100th Anniversary
and other organizations throughout the motion-picture industry. In Arri’s announcement of Wieser’s passing, it was noted, “His ability to connect with people, his friendliness and reliability, along with his deep understanding of the film industry was outstanding. He was a highly valued member of the global marketing network and a wonderful person and colleague.” ASC associate Glenn Kennel, president and CEO of Arri Inc., says, “Franz will be remembered by his colleagues and many associates in the industry as a friend and mentor, willing to listen and help. He always had a smile on his face and a gracious approach.” For further coverage and additional news, visit theasc.com/asc/news. u
Photo of Clubhouse by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC; lighting by Donald M. Morgan, ASC.
t George Spiro Dibie, ASC. tq Claudio Miranda, ASC. u Franz Wieser.
“ARRI is proud to congratulate the ASC on achieving 100 years in helping to advance cinematic storytelling. We celebrate the camaraderie and collaboration of this organization that is so dedicated to the artistry and technology of making images. Your efforts have encouraged countless filmmakers to inspire, move and entertain us all. ” Glenn Kennel, ARRI Inc. President
“Over the past 100 years, the ASC and its members have been a guiding source of education and inspiration to help push filmmaking to new visual and technical heights. “For the past six years, I have been proud to be an ASC Associate Member, and have been honored and humbled by the welcome reception that we have received since our entry into the industry. On behalf of Canon, I would like to congratulate the ASC on this milestone anniversary, and offer my sincerest hopes that the next 100 years are even better!” Eliott Peck, Executive Vice President, Canon U.S.A., Inc.
“It is our honor to congratulate the American Society of Cinematographers on its 100th anniversary. The ASC has been a pioneer and a guiding light in the entertainment industry, providing visionary inspiration to established and new cinematographers alike while leaving the rest of us in awe of its members’ accomplishments and the integrity of the Society’s mission.” Claire Best of Claire Best & Associates
“On behalf of the team at Atomos, I’d like to congratulate the ASC on your 100th Anniversary. One hundred years is a testament to the enduring nature of cinematography and its importance as a creative force in changing the world through the moving image. We are proud to be part of the industry in developing tools that will help creators tell their stories for the next 100 years.” Jeromy Young, CEO, Atomos
“ZEISS is proud to congratulate the ASC on celebrating its 100th anniversary. We thank you for your unwavering dedication to the art and craft of cinematography, and to the next generation of visual storytellers.” Carl Zeiss SBE, LLC
“For 100 years, the ASC has led the industry in a vital role: educating cinematographers with the latest tools and techniques to help them more fully develop their craft. “Everyone at Cooke Optics would like to congratulate the ASC on its 100th anniversary – long may it continue to challenge us to create better tools that enable cinematographers to tell their stories.” Les Zellan, Chairman, Cooke Optics
“We are proud to celebrate a century of historical accomplishments in the field of cinematography by the wonderful people of the ASC. It is a true privilege to be counted as a sponsor of a society so dedicated to the advancement of its art form through creative enlightenment and technological innovation.” Michel Suissa, Managing Director, The Studio-B&H
“It has been both rewarding and exciting to work with ASC members to create products to achieve the vision they have for their project. I always look forward to seeing the final result of our combined efforts onscreen. Congratulations, ASC, on 100 years of support to the art and industry of motion imaging. We look forward to working with ASC members for many generations to come.” Leonard T. Chapman, CEO, Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment
“To all of our heroes:
Happy 100th Year!”
Joe Ball and Chris Rogers
“Netflix congratulates the American Society of Cinematographers on an extraordinary 100 years. We are proud to support the artistry of ASC members.”
“Congratulations from all of us at Company 3! The ASC has celebrated the artistry and technology of cinematography for 100 years. You were the first professional organization in our industry, and you’re still as vital as ever. We’ve been fortunate to have collaborated with a great many ASC members as they realize their visions. I am very proud to be an Associate Member. Here’s to another 100 years!” Stefan Sonnenfeld, CEO, Company 3
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“All of the teams across Deluxe, EFILM, Encore, and Level 3 congratulate the ASC on 100 incredible years of advancing the craft and science of cinematography. It’s been our honor to help deliver ASC cinematographers’ visions exactly as they intended to audiences across the globe. Cheers to the staff, cinematographers, and supporters of this wonderful organization.” Al Cleland, Managing Director, EFILM “It’s not often that you find an organization that has thrived for a century. The ASC is unique in this regard, but shares another unique quality with Duclos Lenses: an unwavering commitment to the industry and the professionals who live and work within it. The future of cinematography is in good hands with the ASC, and we consider ourselves lucky to be able to contribute to common goals right alongside them: Loyalty - Progress - Artistry.” Matthew Duclos, Duclos Lenses
“We congratulate the ASC on this landmark Centennial Anniversary. Rosco (est. 1910) is honored to have spent the past 100 years in partnership with you, inspiring the art and technology of cinematography and making strong, lasting friendships along the way. As Rosco continues to evolve and innovate, we look forward to continuing to work with the ASC for the next 100 years and beyond. As we say here at Rosco, ‘Let’s create something brilliant together!’” Stan Miller, Rosco Chairman and ASC Associate “Congratulations on your first hundred successful years. It is an honor for Leitz to support the American Society of Cinematographers.” Rainer Hercher, Director of Sales and Marketing, Leitz
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“Although much has changed since 1919, the creative contributions of the men and women behind the camera remain the keystone in the arch of filmmaking, without which the arch would not stand. “Everyone at K5600 congratulates the ASC on 100 years of hard-earned success. We feel honored to have been given the opportunity to share in this celebration. “Best wishes for another century of success!” Ryan Smith
“The first time I heard about the ASC, I was 23 and on the rigging crew at Universal Studios. I was fortunate to learn about this amazing industry from ASC legends like Harry Wolf, Gordon Willis, Billy Fraker, Linwood Dunn, Dean Cundey and so many others. “For 50 years, I’ve counted myself fortunate to have supported the many members who grew the ASC into what it is today. On behalf of my company, its employees, and my family, we congratulate you on your first 100 years. MSE looks forward to being there for current and future members of the ASC.” Ed Phillips, President/CEO, Matthews Studio Equipment Inc.
“On behalf of the entire Quasar Science team, I would like to thank the American Society of Cinematographers and all its members for their outstanding work over the last century. Congratulations on 100 years of hardearned dedication and perseverance in the art of filmmaking. We look forward to another 100 years of magic.” Steven Strong, IATSE Local 728 Member, Co-Founder and CEO, Quasar Science
“Fujifilm congratulates the American Society of Cinematographers for 100 years of vision, leadership and success. The ASC is a special group that honors the art and craft of filmmaking, blessed with talented people who contribute time and resources to make a difference. Fujifilm has been in the film and imaging business for 85 years. With great admiration for what the ASC has accomplished, Fujifilm says: ‘Cheers to the first 100 years of the ASC!’” Chuck Lee, Director, Cinema Products Optical Devices Division, FUJIFILM North America Corporation
“As a newly appointed ASC Associate Member, and on behalf of my entire staff at our Hollywood-based lighting company, LiteGear, I would like to congratulate the ASC on 100 years of excellence in cinematography. We are incredibly thankful and humbled that we have been allowed to contribute to the vision of cinematography and the business we call home.” Albert DeMayo, Co-Founder and CEO, LiteGear, ASC Associate and IATSE Local 728 Member
“Congratulations to the ASC on your amazing first 100 years in filmmaking — an iconic institution with remarkable members, past, present, and future. It is wonderful to see so many talented cinematographers and filmmakers worldwide, especially members of the ASC, choosing the aesthetic distinctiveness of film for all types of storytelling. Your continued support of Kodak is highly valued by us. Here’s to the next 100 years on film.” Steve Bellamy, President of Motion Picture & Entertainment, Eastman Kodak Company
“Mole-Richardson Company congratulates the ASC for 100 years of Loyalty, Progress and Artistry. Ninety-two years ago, Peter Mole had a vision to advance cinematography through new lighting technology for the motion picture industry. We value our collaboration and commend the ASC’s unwavering dedication and commitment to the advancement of technology, artistry and education. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with you and to creating a bright future for generations of cinematographers to come!” Mike Parker, ASC Associate, CEO/Owner, Mole-Richardson Co.
“All of us at Panavision congratulate you and celebrate the impact the ASC has had on our global industry. As the stewards of the moving image, ASC members continue to set the bar high, in the beautiful artistry you create, in the technology you advance and in the passionate, collaborative and generous way you support your craft and crew. Panavision is honored to serve you, and we congratulate you on this centennial milestone.” Kim Snyder, CEO, Panavision
“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the ASC and its members on this momentous occasion. It has been an honor to collaborate with you over the years. You’ve inspired and challenged us to develop innovative new products to meet the evolving demands of the industry. TRP Worldwide would not be where it is today without the feedback and partnership of the ASC’s dedicated members. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to help bring your vision to life. ” Pat Caputo, President, The Rag Place/ TRP Worldwide
“The work of the ASC and its members – in creative and technical endeavors — is highly inspirational. Your influence on advancing the role of the cinematographer motivates us at RED to continue to push the boundaries of image capture. Congratulations to the ASC for reaching this important milestone. We look forward to collaborating with you for the next 100 years.” Jarred Land, President, Red Digital Cinema
“We cordially congratulate the ASC on their first 100 years of inspiring the world’s most creative cinematography. We are grateful for each time that an ASC member chooses our devices to shape his or her images, and we look forward to continuing our open exchange of ideas for new ways of storytelling.” Dr. Thomas Kessler, CEO, Schneider-Kreuznach
“The ASC has served the industry and its membership over several generations, and no organization has been better at transmitting the knowledge, skills, inspiration, and leadership necessary to better the art of cinematography. “We cherish our relationship with the ASC, and we have gained immeasurably from its members in ways that will help us better serve the industry. We hope to broaden and increase our involvement with the ASC as we also pass our leadership from one generation to another.” Norman Didia, CEO/Founder, Xeen by Rokinon
“Rotolight is delighted to congratulate the American Society of Cinematographers on its centenary! With rapid advancements in technology, creatives have more tools at their fingertips than ever before, and the ASC’s core focus upon education, collaboration and artistry is vital in supporting cinematographers, both in the present and future.”
Rod Aaron Gammons, CEO, Rotolight
“For 100 years the ASC has embodied its core tenets of Loyalty, Progress and Artistry. Over the last 80 years, The Tiffen Company has worked closely with many ASC cinematographers to develop and create the tools they need to help achieve their artistic visions. “The ASC’s drive to innovate and push boundaries for the good of all cinematographers is vital — now more than ever. The Tiffen Company is proud to support the ASC and its members.”
Steven Tiffen, President & CEO, The Tiffen Company
“A century of supporting excellence in the liveliest of arts – cinema – is an astonishing accomplishment. After 100 years of constant change, the ASC’s high ideals are more important than ever: Loyalty, Progress, Artistry. In all of our endeavors, we at Vantage and Hawk Anamorphic L.A. are inspired by the ASC’s steadfast dedication. We extend our warm congratulations and gratitude to ASC members past and present. Thanks for 100 years of visual poetry. We can’t wait to see what comes next.” Peter Martin and Wolfgang Baumler, “The Hawk Guys”
“On behalf of everyone at Teradek, SmallHD and Wooden Camera, we congratulate the ASC on 100 years of advancing the art and science of cinematography. We hope that the tools we develop will similarly enable cinematographers to focus on creating exquisite art and mesmerizing storytelling.” Nicol Verheem, Divisional Chief Executive, Vitec Creative Solutions (Teradek, SmallHD, Wooden Camera)
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1. John F. Seitz, ASC — Sunset Boulevard (1950)
8. Rachel Morrison, ASC — Mudbound (2017) 112
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9. Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC — Biutiful (2010)
12. Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, HSC — McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
7. Bradford Young, ASC — Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
August 2019
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4. Chris Menges, ASC, BSC — The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) 6. William A. Fraker, ASC, BSC — Heaven Can Wait (1978)
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10. Howard Schwartz, ASC — Batman (1966)
5. Matthew Libatique, ASC — Mother! (2017)
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2. Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC — Children of Men (2006) 3. Frederick Elmes, ASC — Blue Velvet (1986)
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11. Allen Daviau, ASC — The Color Purple (1985)
13. Owen Roizman, ASC — Network (1976) 14. Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC — Unbroken (2014)
15. Dean Cundey, ASC — Escape From New York (1981)
16. Reed Morano, ASC — I Think We’re Alone Now (2018)
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17. William E. Snyder, ASC — Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
26. Gregg Toland, ASC — Citizen Kane (1941)
20. Paul Cameron, ASC — Total Recall (2012)
29. Roy H. Wagner, ASC — A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
27. Woody Omens, ASC 18. Caleb Deschanel, ASC — Coming to America — More American (1988) Graffiti (1979) 28. Robert Richardson, 19. Gordon Willis, ASC ASC — Shine a Light — The Godfather (1972) (2008) 21. Bill Butler, ASC — Jaws (1975)
22. Russell Carpenter, ASC — Parched (2015) 23. Sol Negrin, ASC — Kojak (1974)
24. Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC — Apocalypse Now (1979)
25. Linwood G. Dunn, ASC — Star Trek (1966)
ASC 100th Anniversary
30. Conrad L. Hall, ASC — Cool Hand Luke (1967)
31. Ellen Kuras, ASC — A Little Chaos (2014)