Authors — Nadia Ismail
-
Cinematographer Gordon Willis Explains the Elegance of Simplicity
The simpler the better, or so says Gordon Willis, celebrated cinematographer of The Godfather, Manhattan and Annie Hall. Willis echoes Steve Jobs in his belief that simple outshines complex and stresses sticking only with the necessary in making choices. As he sees it, one natural window light can do much more than six artificial ones, and the bare bones of an idea often do the heavy lifting in communicating the story to an audience. The full Craft Truck interview with Willis can be viewed here.
by Nadia Ismail on Jan 7, 2014 -
D.P. Sam Levy on How Blocking Determines Lighting
Blocking is everything to Sam Levy, most recently the cinematographer of Noah Baumbach’s black-and-white feature Frances Ha. Levy talks about his approach to lighting – one that foregrounds blocking above all else. First comes the blocking of the actors in a scene, including their movements and pacing. Next comes the camera blocking which, according to Levy, works best if it’s responding to the setup of the actors. And finally, the lighting emerges as a natural consequence of these two things. As Levy says, “you block, you light, you shoot.” All of Levy’s interview with Craft Truck can be found here.
by Nadia Ismail on Dec 19, 2013 -
D.P. Sal Totino on Finding the Edge, and Falling Off
In the latest video in our Craft Truck series, Sal Totino, who was the cinematographer on features like Frost/Nixon, Cinderella Man and The Da Vinci Code, advocates knowing the rules but only in order to break them. Using an apt metaphor of cooking, he says that one could follow a recipe step-by-step or break away and “put a little bit of your soul into it.” Nothing is guaranteed, as Totino cautions, especially not when straying from convention, but you have to know where the edge is — and sometimes fall off — to learn your limits. Watch the full interview here.
by Nadia Ismail on Dec 12, 2013 -
Women Film Pioneers Project: Ready for More Than a Close-Up
Before there was Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, an upcoming documentary about the first female filmmaker and her suspicious erasure from early film history, there was the Women Film Pioneers Project (WFPP). The Columbia University Libraries recently launched this online anthology of essays about women in the early days of the film industry. The site houses overview essays to give context to the jobs women performed in early cinema — from editors to “cranks” to colorists — and several essays on the different roles they played in national cinemas, from the absence of women in the Canadian […]
by Nadia Ismail on Oct 29, 2013 -
Cinematographer Reed Morano on Climbing the Ladder
Waitressing, temping and working as a grip and electric intern were some of the odd jobs Reed Morano had on the way to becoming a d.p. In this latest Craft Truck video, Morano makes the case that grip and electric is “not putting the light up, it’s what you do with it once you get the light up.” You can watch the full Craft Truck interview here.
by Nadia Ismail on Oct 25, 2013 -
Gordon Willis on the Faux Pas of “Dump Truck Directing”
We’re back to legendary cinematographer Gordon Willis in a Craft Truck interview as he cautions against “dump truck directing” — a term he coined to describe the bad habit of directors who aren’t discerning when shooting and overwhelm editors with footage. Willis’ sage advise comes in handy for the digital filmmaker whose temptation to fix everything in post can overshadow the simplicity of doing it right the first time. You can watch the rest of the interview here.
by Nadia Ismail on Sep 12, 2013 -
Cinematographer Reed Morano on Learning by Doing
In the newest installment of our Craft Truck video series, cinematographer Reed Morano offers the career advice of figuring it out as you go, even if that means bluffing a bit on set. In the rest of the interview, Morano, the d.p. of the crime drama Frozen River, discusses how creativity is the answer to limitation, particularly when she learned that she only had one day to shoot on ice in Frozen River. You can watch all of Morano’s charming interview here.
by Nadia Ismail on Sep 6, 2013 -
Five Questions with I Am Breathing Directors Morag McKinnon and Emma Davie
A documentary that navigates the profound nature of a fatal diagnosis, I Am Breathing is full of spirit when it could just as easily rest on real life pathos. Neil Platt, a 34 year old diagnosed with motor neuron disease and now living out his final few months, is forced into new perspectives to combat his physical paralysis, speeding up his own understanding of the world to offer to his young son. The film does the opposite of dragging along morbidly — it elevates the viewer with Neil’s lightheartedness even as he moves towards an all-too-certain end. Filmmaker spoke with […]
by Nadia Ismail on Sep 6, 2013
