American Cinematographer - August 2020 - 73

and the shared knowledge that
supports those creative choices are the
craft.
"American Cinematographer has
always been the embodiment of that
to me, a powerful resource as well as a
great source of inspiration. AC allows
us to see the visions of our comrades,
present and past, with insight into
developing technologies of the new
and explanations of the old. But most
important to me is the mutual sharing
of experiences with our peers as they
strategize solutions to technical and
narrative obstacles. My father, Jordan
Cronenweth, ASC, and I always
agreed that the heart of what we do is
seek collaborative truth. It's that
shared truth that makes both our
magazine and our craft unique."

Magazine covers courtesy of the AC Archive.

Caleb Deschanel, ASC
"I
discovered
American
Cinematographer while at USC Film
School. Before that I hadn't realized
there was a magazine totally devoted
to what I loved. It was part-inspiring
and part-intimidating, but always
fascinating. The most uplifting aspect
of reading it was discovering that
cinematographers on a big Hollywood
movie set had the same damn challenges to get it right as we did -
maybe on bigger and more expensive
projects, but not with any greater care
or dedication."
Bill Dill, ASC
"You can't photograph what
you can't see. That's the guiding principle of both my teaching and my
work. In order to photograph
anything in a powerful way, you have
to have a deep understanding of the
story. That places the ultimate priority
on communication between the director and the cinematographer.
Technical expertise alone isn't enough.
"American Cinematographer is
about the role of the cinematographer
and its significance in this storytelling
process. It is not just a 'how-to' publication."

Richard Edlund, ASC
"I remember seeing the beautiful black-and-white movie Hud after
I'd spent a couple of years at the USC
Cinema department. I was already an
avid
reader
of
American
Cinematographer, and in an interview,
James Wong Howe, ASC let out one of
his secrets: he shot its many exterior
scenes on Eastman Double X film with
a 23A56 filter - that is, deep orange
coupled with process green. That very
striking combination canceled out all
blue light and made Patricia Neal and
Paul Newman's flesh tones seem
warm and vibrant, the backlit trees
lush, and the Texas land hot.
"This discovery set me off on an
endless quest to experiment with all
kinds of filters to see how they could
be used to modify the mood and
balance of scenes. I still read AC
eagerly because it gives me a chance
to meet the finest cinematographers of
our day, and I find in its pages that
they are still happy to share their
discoveries."
Michael Goi, ASC, ISC
"I first came across American
Cinematographer at the local camera
store where I would go with my father
to buy 8mm digest versions of movies.
It was the first magazine I read that
was about the people who make
movies and create the images. I
collected every back issue I could find,
reading and re-reading every one. The
cinematographers who shot the
movies in those pages became my
heroes, and I would go see movies
specifically because of who shot them."
Henner Hofmann, ASC, AMC
"I
discovered
American
Cinematographer during my first year
in film school. My fellow students and
I shared the cost of buying two or
three copies per year, which we then
treasured like rare, first-edition books.
"Today, I still enjoy reading
about how cinematographers around
the world are constantly reinventing
our craft. I find the articles to be wellwww.ascmag.com

Steven Spielberg
"American Cinematographer has
been a mainstay in my life. One of the
biggest honors I've ever received was
when the magazine put one of my early
films on the cover back in the 1970s.
Everybody has their own measurement
of success. For me, it was getting the cover
of AC."

Steven Spielberg and Jorge Valdés-Iga look at the April
2008 issue of AC, featuring the latter's short movie.

written, extremely informative and
creatively stimulating.
"AC also provides me with the
latest information on new technology
in its articles and advertisements,
which keep me completely up to date
on state-of-the-art equipment."
Albert Hughes
"I was able to afford a subscription to American Cinemtographer after
my first job in the early '90s, and AC
was like my version of comic books in
my young years. I looked forward to
every issue, reading it front to back,
just to learn how the pros did it. Little
did I know back then that I would
also find my future collaborator,
director of photography Peter
Deming [ASC], by reading the 1997
issue featuring David Lynch's Lost
Highway. I was so taken with that
film, the visual style and the boldness
with its use of darkness, that I reached
out and set a meeting with Peter.
"At the time, my brother and I
were prepping From Hell, and I
thought Peter would be the perfect fit.
In our first meeting, I brought the
issue and asked him if he could please
sign it for me. I was totally a fan boy
August 2020

73
http://www.ascmag.com
American Cinematographer - August 2020

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