American Cinematographer - November 1992 - 67

"very involved" with the cin¬
ematographic aspects of the shoot,
was

but also that he understands and

appreciates the practical bound¬
aries of his authority. "I took an
active interest in the cinematogra¬
phy, because I was after a very spe¬
cific look," he says. "When we
started shooting, I knew very little
about lighting and lenses, but I
learned a lot from Andrzej. I
wanted somebody I could work
with, because I knew that whoever
I hired was going to know a whole
lot more about cinematography
than I did. But on the other hand, I
knew more about this movie than

anybody. I didn't want

someone
who was going to cop an attitude
with me. I was prepared to fight if
that was the case, but I ended up
hiring one of the sweetest and most
talented guys around.
"I'm a stickler about fram¬
so basically I controlled the
framing and Andrzej controlled the
lighting," Tarantino adds. 'Til have
a few ideas about the
lighting, but
his ideas are going to be far richer

ing,

than mine; he knows a lot more
about it. Likewise, he's going to
have some ideas about the framing
that will always be taken into ac¬
count. While I was at Sundance,

Terry Gilliam said to me, 'You
know, Quentin, it's funny, you
have very arch framing. I'm really
going to be curious to see what hap¬
pens when you work with a cin¬
ematographer and filter your ideas
through another person. I think it
will soften your ideas a bit and
make them just right.' And that's
what Andrzej did. The rough edges
were
showing just a bit, and that
one
baby-step back gave me what
I wanted and kept the shots from
looking like wild filmmaking for its
sake. We never used those
viewfinder things, either; I hate
own

them, and Andrzej despises them."
"Conversations with the
director are just vital," Sekula main¬
tains. "You can create a skeletal

plan for a shoot, but the real art of
cinematography is in the improvi¬
sation. If you keep the lines of com¬
munication open, it usually leads to
those sudden

make

a

film
A

inspirations that

special."
good example of the

It does

everything a little better
than its predecessor.
Which is saying a lot.

The new Cooke 18-100mm zoom is fast on its way to becoming the
industry standard. Not surprising, considering that it was patterned after
the Cooke 20-100mm zoom-perhaps cinematography's most widely

used lens.
If you've

been dying to own that lens, you'll kill for this one. Espe¬
cially for the 18mm focal length, certain to replace many a cinematog¬
rapher's favorite wide angle prime.
Some elements of the 18-100mm follow Cooke's tradition of optical
preeminence. Among them, strict attention to quality control. Assuring
you that each and every lens possesses identical image characteristics.
Tradition aside, Cooke takes a back seat to no one when it comes to
innovation. For the first time, a rear housing allows you to instantly snap
filters in and out... without shifting focus. While a built-in acoustic isola¬
tor reduces transmission of camera noise without resorting to unwieldy
add-ons.
Of course, Emmys,

better than its

are all available options.
It's much more than two millimeters

Clios and Oscars

The Cooke 18-100mm

zoom.

predecessor. Now, it's the best there is.
Lenses from here to infinity.
Plymouth Street, Montclair, NJ 07042

57

(201) 746-4428
Cooke is

a

Fax (201) 746-2105

trademark of Rank

Taylor Hobson Limited.

65
American Cinematographer - November 1992

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - November 1992
