In Conversations with Cinematographers, David A. Ellis has assembled interviews with some of the most influential and highly regarded cameramen of the last half century and more. While their names may not be known by the general public, these men and their work have left indel...

Through conversations held with fifteen of the most accomplished contemporary cinematographers, the authors explore the working world of the person who controls the visual look and style of a film. This reissue includes a new foreword by cinematographer John Bailey and a new preface by the authors, which bring this classic guide to cinematography, in print for more than twenty-five years, into the twenty-first century.

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 filmmakers, this is essential reading for anyone interested in the art and craft of cinematography.

Although cinematographers are vital to the filmmaking process, they don’t always get the recognition they deserve. Directors of cinematography often are responsible for the look of a film and its lasting impression on the viewer, but their skills are not as readily appreciated as those of directors or screenwriters. David A. Ellis had the privilege of meeting with a number of accomplished cinematographers to discuss their art and craft. In Conversation with Cinematographers features interviews with 21 directors of photography--as well as two notable camera operators--most of whom still work in film and television today. In this volume, readers are taken behind the scenes of some of the most successful films and shows of the last several decades. Interviewed in this book are: • Sue Gibson (Hear My Song, The Forsyte Saga) • Gavin Finney (Colditz, Mr Selfridge, Wolf Hall) • Oliver Stapleton (The Cider House Rules, State and Main, The Proposal) • Phil Meheux (The Fourth Protocol, Casino Royale) • Brian Tufano (Trainspotting, Billy Elliot, The Evacuees) • Clive Tickner (Traffik, The Puppet Masters, Inspector Morse) • Stephen Goldblatt (The Prince of Tides, Angels in America, The Help) • Seamus McGarvey (High Fidelity, Atonement, The Hours) • Peter MacDonald (Excalibur, Hamburger Hill, Rambo 3) • Mike Southon (Gothic, Doctor Who: The Hider in the House) • Rob Hardy (Every Secret Thing, Testament of Youth, Ex Machina) • Harvey Harrison (101 Dalmatians, The Expendables, Sahara) • Mike Valentine (Shakespeare in Love, Skyfall, The Bourne Ultimatum) • Robin Browne (Gandhi, A Passage to India, Air America) • Adam Suschitzky (Life on Mars, The Whisperers) • Ken Westbury (Dr. Fischer of Geneva, The Singing Detective) • Simon Kossoff (Young Charlie Chaplin, Client 9,The Daisy Chain) • Chris Seager (Call the Midwife, Game of Thrones) • David Worley (Quantum of Solace, Thor: The Dark World, The Full Monty) • Trevor Coop (Amadeus, Ballykissangel, Chocolat) • Haris Zambarloukos (Mama Mia, Cinderella, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) • Peter Hannan (The Gathering Storm, My House in Umbria, The Razor’s Edge) • Roger Pratt (Shadowlands, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Batman) These cinematographers recount their experiences on sets and reveal what it was like to work with some of the most acclaimed directors of recent times, including Danny Boyle, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Lasse Hallstrom, David Lynch and Steven Spielberg. With valuable insight into the craft of moviemaking and featuring more than forty photos, this collection of interviews will appeal to film professors, scholars, and students, as well as anyone with an interest in the art of cinematography.

ONE OF THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER'S 100 GREATEST FILM BOOKS OF ALL TIME • The first book to bring together interviews of master moviemakers from the American Film Institute’s renowned seminars, Conversations with the Great Moviemakers, offers an unmatched history of American cinema in the words of its greatest practitioners. Here are the incomparable directors Frank Capra, Elia Kazan, King Vidor, David Lean, Fritz Lang (“I learned only from bad films”), William Wyler, and George Stevens; renowned producers and cinematographers; celebrated screenwriters Ray Bradbury and Ernest Lehman; as well as the immortal Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini (“Making a movie is a mathematical operation. It’s absolutely impossible to improvise”). Taken together, these conversations offer uniquely intimate access to the thinking, the wisdom, and the genius of cinema’s most talented pioneers.

The twelve interviews in this book cover all aspects of cinematography from pre-production planning to post-production, special effects, aerial photography, and second unit. Each interview gives a behind-the-scenes look at how some of the most popular shots in movies and television shows were lit and captured. Technically and philosophically oriented, Contemporary Cinematographers on Their Art explores the tools, trends, personalities, and professional achievements of contemporary cinematographers, highlighting the behind-the-scenes struggles of the business of making motion pictures. Each chapter delves into the personal challenges, political properties, inter-departmental interactions, and artistic achievements of the artists who bring scripts to life through their choice of cameras, lights, lenses, filters, gels, and other supporting equipment. Covering a variety of film and television genres--from soaps to half-hour sitcoms, to cable and network productions and low- and big-budget features--each interview explores the tools cinematographers use to capture their shots, from traditional equipment to innovative camera and lighting "toys," as well as the integration of mechanical and computer graphic effects.

Case studies of film lighting by some of the world's leading cinematographers addressing key topics such as: basic techniques, light sources, portraits, day and night interiors, postproduction techniques and the design of sequences.

Provides interviews with fifteen documentary filmmakers in which they discuss their projects from inception to completion.

La 4e de couv. porte : "In '3-D filmmakers : conversations with creators of stereoscopic motion pictures', stereographer and film historian Ray Zone presents the insights of twenty-one professionals who have worked in this specialized field. In this collection of interviews, Zone explores the art and craft of 3-D filmmaking with producers, screenwriters, directors, and cinematographers. Interviewees range from Arch Oboler - producer of Bwana Devil, the 1952 feature that triggered the boom of 3-D films - to producers and cinematographers who have worked with single-strip 3-D film production in the 1970s and '80s, 3-D films in theme parks, current IMAX films, and the new and still-evolving format of digital 3-D cinema. These interviews provide a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at more than five decades of this unique medium. This one-of-a-kind book will interest aspiring filmmakers, stereo photography enthusiasts, cinema buffs, devotees of popular culture, and film historians."

As chief collaborators with the directors on a film, cinematographers are artistic masters in their own right. In Cinematography sixteen of the world's greatest "painters of light" share their insights, anecdotes, and technical achievements through a series of exclusive interviews. Fascinating for both film fans and practitioners, this book is the perfect companion for anyone who wants to stand on the other side of the camera, with some of the greatest film artists of our time.