Luc Besson shooting Scarlet Johansson in Lucy — “When I was young, I was far from the actors, because I was afraid of them. Now I’m only a meter away…” Part 1 of my interview with Besson on thefilmbook blog on theASC.com +++
Sep 052014
Sep 022014
— Director Alejandro Iñarritu speaks with Anne Thompson at Telluride about his latest film, Birdman. By all accounts the film is brilliant, innovative, powerful. I’m dying to see it. Like Hitchcock’s Rope, the film is presented as one continuous take, with editing masking the splices between a series of long takes. The cinematography is by [...]
Aug 212014
The strangers meet – I published the first of several posts on Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, Strangers on a Train, on my blog on theasc.com. In my post I discuss the innovative 2-minute introduction of the characters, using only shots of their shoes. I also compare the shooting script to the film, to see if Hitch [...]
Aug 122014
+++ Hey Robin Williams I salute the intelligence, emotion, generosity of your humor and acting Oh Captain, my captain I thank you for the speed, intuition and poetry of your insights to everything human in Dead Poets Society, Good Morning Vietnam, Deconstructing Harry, The Fisher King, Good Will Hunting, Mork and Mindy, and all the [...]
Jul 282014
– I posted an interview I did 7 years ago with the late, great cinematographer Harris Savides about the filmmaking process with director Gus van Sant for their masterful Death Trilogy: Gerry, Elephant, Last Days. The post is on my blog on theasc.com. Here’s an excerpt: BB: And for you as a cinematographer, does freedom [...]
Jul 222014
— VICE Media’s Director of Photography Jake Burghart and Segment DP Jerry Ricciotti show us how they configure their Canon C300s for their rugged and sometimes dangerous documentary shoots. The video is on vimeo +++
Jun 072014
– The Russian director and cinematographer of the powerful drama Leviathan in Cannes, the day after the widely acclaimed film got the prize for best screenplay from Jane Campion’s jury. Many of us felt that this richly composed, tragic tale — inspired by Thomas Hobbes and the Book of Job — deserved a higher honor. [...]
Jun 052014
— The Swiss cinematographer has left us suddenly. We will miss Carlo’s talent, kindness and finesse. Our condolences to his family. Le directeur photo suisse nous a quitté soudainement. Son talent, sa gentillesse et sa finesse nous manqueront. Nos condoléances à sa famille et ses proches. Parmi ses films / among his films: “Dernier Combat”, [...]
May 192014
— Gordon is gone, but he leaves behind his wonderful trail-blazing work including visual masterpieces like: – Klute – Godfather part 1 – Godfather part 2 – Manhattan – All the President’s Men Gordon Willis changed the art of cinematography for ever. May God bless his soul. +++ The photo is from Caleb Deshchanel’s toast [...]
May 062014
– Martin Scorsese interviews Wong Kar Wai about The Grandmaster. It’s a real joy to listen to these 2 great directors talk about their art. Wong starts by saying “it’s an honor to be with my hero”, and also states that Raging Bull has one of “the greatest fight scenes of all time”. +++ link [...]