Visions of Light

Visions of Light

92 mins | Documentary | Sept. 17, 1992

Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.

Visions of Light

92 mins | Documentary | Sept. 17, 1992

Visions of Light
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
IMDb rating 7.7
Producers American Film Institute (AFI), NHK
Original title Visions of Light
Directors Stuart Samuels, Todd McCarthy, Arnold Glassman
Writers Todd McCarthy

Cast

Michael Chapman

as Self

Allen Daviau

as Self

Caleb Deschanel

as Self

Lisa Rinzler

as Self

Conrad L. Hall

as Self

John Bailey

as Self

Vilmos Zsigmond

as Self

Harry L. Wolf

as Self

Charles Lang

as Self

Sven Nykvist

as Self

Robert Wise

as Self

James Wong Howe

as Self (archive footage)

Haskell Wexler

as Self

John A. Alonzo

as Self

Owen Roizman

as Self

Gordon Willis

as Self

Bill Butler

as Self

Frederick Elmes

as Self

Sandi Sissel

as Self

Todd McCarthy

as Self (uncredited)