American Cinematographer - August 2020 - 28

From left: ASC members Leon Shamroy, John Bailey and Gregg Toland.

Cinematography's
Future: Past as
Prologue

How days gone by and great
artists of their time embraced and
anticipated change, and how our
technical and creative landscape
challenges us today.
By John Bailey, ASC
The October 1947 issue of

American Cinematographer featured
an article by "the cameraman's
cameraman," Leon Shamroy, ASC.
Only in his mid 40s, he had already
received six of his eventual 18 Oscar
nominations (a record he shares with
Charles Lang Jr., ASC). That article,
also
titled
"The
Future
of
Cinematography," includes observations about the creative role of the
cinematographer that are as relevant
today as they were then.
A director of photography makes
something more than a mere technical

Future Factors

Cinematographers share their visions of
tomorrow, each focusing on a unique aspect of
the vast, ever-evolving tapestry of imagemaking: "We seem to be living in a world of
endless innovation."

Polly Morgan, ASC, BSC, on expanding
opportunity for new voices
Over the years, I've been frustrated by
the barriers of entry into cinematography as a profession, and
not just the unconscious bias that has affected opportunities for
women and people of color to rise up through the ranks. Also,
film programs and cinematography courses were very expensive and difficult to get into. But what has excited me over the
past few years are the new training and education workshops
that are much more affordable, which is in part a reflection of
the technology we have today. People are also more aware of
cinematography, and they understand that this is something
that's accessible to them and can be a career. It's exciting that
the closed-door aspect of our profession is opening up. The
#MeToo movement helped increase opportunity for women in

August 2020

Shamroy image courtesy of the
Roy H. Wagner, ASC Collection

The Future of Cinematography

contribution to a motion picture. What
the writer has created in the written
word must be translated to the screen
[through] the eyes and minds of the
director and the cinematographer ....
The creative cinematographer continues
to experiment. He looks for new ways of
intensifying mood and projecting the
emotions of the actor beyond the screen.
As we look back at this magazine's century-old history, which
features many revealing contributions by ASC members (especially in
the early years), we cinematogra-

all the technical departments, and young
women are seeing this and being inspired.
I hope that the Black Lives Matter movement will increase opportunity for people
of color in a similar way. I wouldn't have
my career without all the wonderful
people who mentored me and gave me a
chance, and I hope the ASC's Vision
Committee, which I co-chair with
Fernando Argüelles, ASC and John
Simmons, ASC, will continue to be part of that process. I have
some envy for young people today in that they have the means
to gain so much experience behind a camera at a very early age
- even with just an iPhone - and self-distribute or broadcast
their work. It used to be that a cinematographer was considered very young if they were shooting their first feature by the
age of 40 or 50, but that was because it was so difficult and
expensive to gain experience. Those days are over. Today you
can prove that you can tell a story at a much younger age.

American Cinematographer - 100 Years

- David E. Williams

American Cinematographer - August 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - August 2020