American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 116

Peter Levy, ASC

When you were a child, what film made the strongest impression on you?
When I was four or five I remember seeing 16mm prints of Battleship
Potemkin and Ivan the Terrible projected onto my uncle's living-room
wall. I had no idea what I was watching, but I'll never forget the power
of those images and how the wall in that room became a portal to
another reality.
Which cinematographers, past or present, do you most admire?
Above all others is Gordon Willis, ASC, for his elegance, simplicity, bravery, precision and style. To this day, when in doubt, my mantra is: 'What
would Gordy do?' I think Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC continues Gordy's
legacy today. Robert Yeoman, ASC and Bruno
Delbonnel, ASC, AFC consistently do interesting
work. And who hasn't been influenced by the
two great Hungarians, Laszlo [Kovacs, ASC] and
Vilmos [Zsigmond, ASC]?
What sparked your interest in photography?
I was fortunate to grow up in a household where
the arts and literature were both respected and
present, and I was encouraged to pursue creative
outlets. I didn't pick up a stills camera until I was
17, but then I found that putting a frame around the real world was a
way of expressing myself. It very quickly became too expensive for a
hobby, so I had to learn how to make it pay for itself.
Where did you train and/or study?
After I dropped out of high school, I freelanced as an assistant cameraman until I got a job at the Australian Commonwealth Film Unit - now
known as Film Australia - where I was one of two assistants serving
seven cameramen. Don McAlpine, ASC, ACS was chief cameraman,
and Dean Semler, ASC, ACS was a staff cameraman. Five years later I
left there to shoot a documentary series in Africa - and I've been
attending the School of Hard Knocks ever since.
Who were your early teachers or mentors?
Michael Edols, ACS taught me all he could about documentary and
handheld shooting while we were at the Commonwealth Film Unit, but
since then I've had to learn from my own mistakes and glean what I
could from the advice of others.
What are some of your key artistic influences?
J.M.W. Turner, for making light liquid; Caravaggio, for defining light by
its shadow; Matisse, for being fearless with color; and Andy Goldsworthy, for showing us that beauty is ephemeral.
How did you get your first break in the business?
In 1983, a French director, Henri Safran, plucked me from the world of
documentaries and music videos to shoot a very big-budget miniseries
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about the Gallipoli Campaign and a young man's life leading up to it.
Over the next eight months he trained me in the skills required for
shooting long-form drama and patiently tolerated my naïveté.
What has been your most satisfying moment on a project?
When shooting Cutthroat Island in Malta, my Italian camera crew
suddenly all quit after one of them was sacked. On a Tuesday, I put
in two desperate SOS phone calls to the U.S. and, by Thursday, 14 of
Hollywood's finest camera people turned up at the location ready to
help me finish the film. I got a little teary at the airport when I saw
them all arrive.
Have you made any memorable blunders?
More with my mouth than with my photography.
What is the best professional advice
you've ever received?
Don't get attached to anything - be prepared
to turn on a dime at any time.
What recent books, films or artworks have
inspired you?
Watching my bonsais grow, some of the brave new work being done
on television, the way light falls in the natural world. I'm currently
reading about the chemistry of cooking.
Do you have any favorite genres, or genres you would like to
try?
I'd like to shoot something bleak, noir-ish and existential - and a
Western, of course!
If you weren't a cinematographer, what might you be doing
instead?
Maybe a landscape architect - I like the idea of sculpting a piece of
land and creating some beauty that lives and grows. I could have
been a yacht jockey, too.
Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for membership?
John Alonzo, Russell Carpenter, Peter James.
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
Being a member is my proudest professional accomplishment. Walking through the doors of the Clubhouse always fills me with an equal
sense of pride and humility. I'm aware of the great cinematographers
and my heroes who have preceded me through those same doors,
and I am reminded of the dignity of the artistic pursuits of our profession. It recharges my batteries.
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American Cinematographer

Photo by Thibault Grabherr.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 2016