9 years ago

“I like to say that lighting is about taking the light away. I often like to use the shadows more than the light.” 

Phil Whitehead put together a beautiful video essay tribute to one of the World’s greatest cinematographers, namely Hungarian-born Vilmos Zsigmond, known for his work on Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, Deliverance, The Deer Hunter, and dozens more films, died at 85 earlier this month. Watch the beautiful 15min tribute here: 

more from Paul Whitehead. 

I remember watching Michael Cimino’s 1978′s The Deer Hunter with those wide shots of DiNiro at Mount Baker, Washington, USA background, I still remember the first time I went looking for his name on the end credits. 

TIME Magazine Film critic brilliant, Stephanie Zacharek’s article: Cinematographer Extraordinaire Vilmos Zsigmond Could Light Up the Night, and the Daytime Too. 

“Hollywood studios have good reason to be grateful to repressive European governments for having provided them with refugee film-makers who made hugely significant contributions to the American film industry.” Ronald Bergan’s ‘TheGuardian’ article Vilmos Zsigmond obituary here. 

Phil Whitehead has but together the audio (just like Stevan Riley’s brilliant 2015 Showtime doc. “Listen to Me Marlon” – TRAILER) “If you don’t know Zsigmond, this is an excellent intro to him and his stylistic choices, and is must-see for cinematographer, filmmakers, and anyone who enjoys that one perfect shot every movie can offer. It’s also a damn fine tribute.” (OnePefectShot) 

My personal favourites cinematographers are: Roger Deakins (The Shawshank Redemption), Gordon Willis (The Godfather), Haskell Wexler (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now), Peter Deming (Lost Highway), Remi Adefarasin (Match Point) and Ernest Dickerson (Do the Right Thing). 

To get familiarised with for example Deakins work. I highly recommend watching: ‘Shadows In The Valley’ — a brilliant tribute.

More from Plot Point Productions.

And the ‘Cinematographers Roundtable’ of THR. The cinematographers behind some of 2014′s and 2013′s most visually striking movies

“Light. Light I think is knowledge. Knowledge is love. Love is freedom. Freedom is energy. Energy is all. Without light, we can’t have images.”

Said one of my other favourite DOP and three-time oscar-winner, Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. Mr. Storaro said this in the 2006 Jon Fauer documentary: “Cinematographer Style” (TRAILER) (DVD) (Writing with Light : Vittorio Storaro – FULL DOC) (Book+DVD)

“Don’t just be interested in movies. Be interested in life. Be a person. Be in touch.” – Haskell Wexler, ASC.

The Society of Camera Operators began in 1979 as the Society of Operating Cameramen (SOC)—an organization dedicated to the advancement of the art and creative contributions of the Camera Operator in the Motion Picture and Television Industries. Continue reading here.

Here some essentials for the devoted out there:

  1. Cinematographer Style – DVD,
  2. Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography – DVD,
  3. 4 February 2001, Interview by Stephen Burum, ASC and Stephen Pizzello – A Clash of Two Cultures – PDF,
  4. Top 10 Most Influential Cinematographers Voted on by Camera Guild
  5. Light and Shadow Greatest Cinematographers of the World, Interviewed – VIDEO,
  6. James Wong Howe: Cinematographer – VIDEO,
  7. In The Mood for Doyle – VIDEO,
  8. Cinéma Cinémas – Stanley Cortez ASC – 1984 – VIDEO,
  9. Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff – VIDEO (DVD),
  10. Greg Carson’s documentary about the work of cinematographer Sven Nykvist – VIDEO.

Photo credit: Vilmos Zsigmond, far right, during the filming of The Deer Hunter, 1978. Photograph: The Ronald Grant Archive.