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Richard Kern on Shooting for “Filmmaker”
Agnès Varda (Photo: Richard Kern) In the ’80s, I’d rent Richard Kern films like Right Side of My Brain and Fingered from Kim’s Video, vibing on the mixture of artistry and exploitation contained in the work of this pioneer of the so-called Cinema of Transgression. In the ’90s, shortly after the release of his first photo book, New York Girls, we got to work with him at Filmmaker as he became one of our regular photographers of directors and talent at festivals and around New York City. Kern Filmmaker covers included Robert Duvall for The Apostle; Kimberly Peirce, Chloë Sevigny and Hilary Swank for Boys Don’t Cry; Takeshi Kitano for Sonatine; and Darren Aronofsky, Eric Watson and Sean Gullette for their 1998 debut Pi. Says Aronofsky in an email, “I will never forget when Pi got the cover of Filmmaker. It’s hard to explain the excitement. After years of reading every issue from cover to cover, it was hard to believe it was finally our chance, with the hardcore, legendary Lower East Side photographer lighting us with a single incandescent light bulb.”
I recently asked Richard if he still had these shots, and he promptly WeTransfered a file of dozens of images, including many I don’t remember even seeing. We’re running a few here along with Richard’s reflections on his stint as our in-house photographer. — Scott Macaulay
Between 1997 and 2000, Filmmaker sent publisher and writer Steve Gallagher and me to cover the Toronto and Sundance film festivals. Because the magazine carried real weight in the indie world, it was possible for me to get 15 to 30 minutes with most actors and directors. Steve would chat with the talent while I would set up lights; we’d manage 10 to 30 portraits a day in hotel rooms, restaurants, screenings, on the street—wherever the talent was available.
This was my first experience working with celebrities, and while a few were rude and full of themselves, most were generous with their time. Some memorable sessions were with a very young Michelle Rodriguez, fresh off her first film, Girlfight; icon Charlotte Rampling, who politely smiled when I overshared how much I loved her work; Nick Nolte, who showed up in his PJs and bathrobe, protesting that he “didn’t have time for this” but ended up sticking around to have coffee while telling Hollywood war stories; and Asia Argento, who apparently knew my old underground films and had no problem rolling around on a concrete pool deck in her expensive clothes so we could get a unique shot.
Because I was new to speed-shooting portraits, I lugged around a full kit—bags of film, multiple strobes with stands, two cameras with lenses, etc.—enough equipment to fill two large rolling suitcases. Veterans like Henny Garfunkel, meanwhile, worked with a single Leica and got superb results.
One moment that really stuck with me had nothing to do with movie stars. In a crowded festival elevator, another photographer pulled out one of the very first pro digital cameras, flipped it around and showed me the image on the little LCD screen on the back. “You don’t need all that gear anymore,” he said, nodding at my luggage.
(For several more Richard Kern Filmmaker images, please read our print edition. — Editor)
