Conversations with Contemporary Cinematographers
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Conversations with Contemporary Cinematographers Packed with gems of wisdom from the current ‘masters of light’, this collection of conversations with twenty leading contemporary cinematographers provides invaluable insight into the art and craft of cinematography. Jacqueline Frost’s interviews provide unprecedented insight into the role as cinematographers discuss selecting projects, the conceptual and creative thinking that goes into devising a visual strategy, working with the script, collaborating with leading directors such as Martin Scorcese, Spike Lee, and Ava DuVernay, the impact of changing technology, and offer advice for aspiring cinematographers. Interviews include Maryse Alberti, John Bailey, Robert Elswit, Kirsten Johnson, Kira Kelly, Ellen Kuras, Edward Lachman, Matthew Libatique, John Lindley, Seamus McGarvey, Reed Morano, Polly Morgan, Rachel Morrison, Rodrigo Prieto, Cynthia Pusheck, Harris Savides, Nancy Schrieber, John Seale, Sandi Sissel, Dante Spinotti, Salvatore Totino, Amy Vincent and Mandy Walker. Filled with valuable information and advice for aspiring cinematographers, directors, and flmmakers, this is essential reading for anyone interested in the art and craft of cinematography. Jacqueline B. Frost has been an educator in flm production, cinematography and flm history for thirty years. She has continued to produce and photograph flms that have screened in flm festivals worldwide throughout her academic career. She is currently a Professor at California State University, Fullerton where she teaches Cinematography, Documentary production and the Language of Film. Frost is currently cinematographer and co-producer on a feature length documentary and she is the author of Cinematography for Directors. Conversations with Contemporary Cinematographers The Eye Behind the Lens Jacqueline B. Frost First published 2021 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2021 Jacqueline B. Frost The right of Jacqueline B. Frost to be identifed as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-0-367-36262-1 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-36263-8 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-429-34498-5 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India Contents Acknowledgements vii Introduction viii 1 Maryse Alberti, ASC: Collateral Beauty, Creed, The Wrestler 1 2 John Bailey, ASC: Ordinary People, In the Line of Fire, The Greatest 15 3 Robert Elswit, ASC: There Will Be Blood, The Bourne Legacy, Salt 35 4 Kirsten Johnson, ASC: Fahrenheit 9/11, Cameraperson, Trapped 53 5 Kira Kelly, ASC: Queen Sugar, 13th, Self Made 71 6 Ellen Kuras, ASC: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Blow, Bamboozled 85 7 Edward Lachman, ASC: Dark Waters, Carol, Erin Brockovich 105 8 Matthew Libatique, ASC: A Star Is Born, Black Swan, Venom 125 9 John Lindley, ASC: Reservation Road, You’ve Got Mail, Pleasantville 145 10 Seamus McGarvey, ASC, BSC: The Greatest Showman, Atonement, The Hours 163 11 Reed Morano, ASC: The Handmaid’s Tale, I Think We’re Alone Now, The Godmother 179 vi Contents 12 Polly Morgan, ASC, BSC: A Quiet Place II, Lucy in the Sky, Legion 197 13 Rachel Morrison, ASC: Mudbound, Black Panther, Seberg 215 14 Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC: The Irishman, Brokeback Mountain, The Wolf of Wall Street 231 15 Cynthia Pusheck, ASC: CSI Miami, Good Girls Revolt, Brother and Sisters 251 16 Harris Savides, ASC: Zodiac, American Gangster, Milk 271 17 Nancy Schreiber, ASC: Mapplethorpe, Motherhood, The Nines 289 18 John Seale, ASC, ACS: The Tourist, City of Angels, The English Patient 305 19 Sandi Sissel, ASC, ACS: Master and Commander, Salaam Bombay, Mother Teresa 323 20 Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC: Public Enemies, Red Dragon, Wonder Boys 337 21 Salvatore Totino, ASC, AIC: Everest, The Da Vinci Code, Frost/Nixon 353 22 Amy Vincent, ASC: Footloose, Eves Bayou, Hustle and Flow 375 23 Mandy Walker, ASC, ACS: Mulan, Hidden Figures, Australia 391 Index 405 Acknowledgements There is no way I could have created this book without the support of the cin- ematographers who agreed to speak with me! It was an absolute pleasure speak- ing with everyone. Thank you so much, Maryse Alberti, John Bailey, Robert Elswit, Kirsten Johnson, Kira Kelly, Ellen Kuras, Edward Lachman, Matthew Libatique, John Lindley, Seamus McGarvey, Polly Morgan, Reed Morano, Rachel Morrison, Rodrigo Prieto, Cynthia Pusheck, John Seale, Sandi Sissel, Dante Spinotti, Salvatore Totino, Amy Vincent and Mandy Walker. Thank you to Mick Hubris-Cherrier and Gustavo Mercado for encourag- ing me to go to Routledge to propose this book. Thank you to Sarah Pickles at Routledge for your understanding, patience and support while I slipped past my deadline. Last, I have to thank my family for enduring my absences while zooming and writing this book nonstop since January!! Introduction I love the light, color and magic of cinematography. So, of course I love speak- ing with cinematographers, which is why I wanted to create this book. My own background in fne arts, art history, photography and cinema is a common bond I found with each cinematographer I spoke with. The power of images to convey emotion and transport us to another time and place is a connection we shared. I began interviewing cinematographers in 2007 for my frst book, Cinematography for Directors; A Guide to Creative Collaboration. While listening and transcribing the interviews, it was like I was getting master sessions in cinematography. But for that particular book, I was only using quotes. The frst edition of Cinematography for Directors came out in 2009. But I continued to collect interviews with cinematographers whose work I admired and who would speak with me over the next few years, with an interview book in mind. All of those early interviews were conducted in person, either at the cinema- tographers’ homes or in coffee shops. I proposed the interview book to another publisher, and it was accepted, but my mother’s diagnosis of dementia and caretaking set me off track for a while. By the time I had pulled all the interviews together, many aspects of the industry had changed, especially with digital image capture replacing flm. I felt like I had a responsibility to share the voices of these cinematographers who had kindly taken the time to speak with me be heard. I began updating some of the existing interviews while continuing to gather new ones. I revis- ited all of the interviews in 2019 while I was working on the second edition of Cinematography for Directors. With a shift in the industry, more women cinematographers were becoming visible and working on bigger flms, so I was able to add more women’s voices into the mix. My intention was to create an equal balance of both female and male cinematographer voices, which I have not seen done before. I updated all of the existing interviews and set my sights on new cinematographers to speak with, primarily women. During the early months of 2020, I visited both Kirsten Johnson and Ed Lachman in person in New York City. But once the COVID quarantine came, I could no longer visit anyone. I began interviewing Directors of Photography Introduction ix (DPs) online, starting with Cynthia Pusheck. I continued doing updates with Sandi Sissel, Dante Spinotti, Matty Libatique, Ellen Kuras, Nancy Schrieber, Sal Totino and Amy Vincent. I expanded my reach to include zoom interviews with Rachel Morrison, Mandy Walker, Polly Morgan, Maryse Alberti, Kira Kelly and Reed Morano. Zoom and the COVID quarantine enabled me to gather a collection of interviews that would have been extremely diffcult, if not impossible, to acquire at any other time, because in normal circumstances all of the DPs would have been busy working! With the earlier interviews more focused on the Director/DP relationship, I wanted to expand the conversation to include how each cinematographer got started on their paths toward the careers they are currently in. I also wanted to include how each DP manages career and family and provide advice for aspir- ing cinematographers. There are some technical issues discussed and numerous aesthetic ones. I have included DPs who primarily work in television or docu- mentary as well as narrative feature flms. The common bond I found with this incredible group of artists I have spo- ken with is their love of telling stories, through images or still photography. They all have a driving passion that has brought them to a level of achievement that has opened numerous doors for their careers to fourish. Being a cinema- tographer is a lifestyle choice, it is not an easy job and involves long hours and lots of time away from home family. To be a cinematographer, you must have a passion to create the images that tell stories. I am very happy with the collection of interviews I have had the privilege to gather in this book that I hope you will fnd as insightful and educational as I have. Jacqui .