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.
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’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.