Manipulating shadows and tonality is like writing music or a poem.
There are a lot of directors who are knowledgeable about images, and others who aren’t.
The closer the source of light is to a subject, the broader the beams are.
My peers say I have made a difference. That means more to me than winning an Oscar.
It is also difficult to articulate the subtleties in cinema, because there aren’t words or metaphors which describe many of the emotions you are attempting to evoke.
It’s important to know that if you are dealing with shadows.
It took a while for me to grasp that my colleagues believe I have made an impact on the history of cinema.
I hope I’m still shooting when I’m 80.
Painting and writing are solitary arts.
But you know you haven’t done it all because you know everything keeps evolving and changing; and you know you can evolve with it if you grow and develop as a human being.
Billions of people have seen and been influenced by movies in the short history of this industry.
Every cinematographer I worked with had his own way of solving problems.
I can still recall the thrill of shooting my first film.
That’s why I like fast film. It gives you more freedom to light more naturally.
In aptitude tests, I scored highest in music.
I was very happy sitting alone at a dining room table, writing a script.
I suppose I would still be a communicator, maybe a musician.
But at heart, I am more than a cinematographer.
I think one of the reasons people quit is because they’re afraid they won’t be able to get better and better; that they have to come to a zenith of some kind.
To me, the camera is like a musical instrument. You use it to control the flow, shape, size and colors of images.
You have to understand the nature of light.