American Cinematographer - February 1997 - 43

home movies."

some

operator, and the connection be¬

Later, while attending

tween father and

Pennsylvania's Gettysburg Col¬
lege, Roizman studied physics and
math, "strictly because I was good
analytically. I thought I could be a
math teacher, a physicist or even
an
engineer. I interviewed with

hard to define the

various firms that

new

came

to look at

son
grew. "It's
relationship my

father and I had," Roizman offers.
"He was very supportive and proud
of me throughout my athletic pe¬

riod, and equally supportive but
nervous

for

on

this

certain time in

life,

me as

I took

challenge.
"At

graduating class. I was dis¬
mayed by the salary offers and the
thought of being a nine-to-five guy.

father-son relationships can be dif¬
ficult
then all of a sudden they

I knew then that I wasn't that

become

my

type.

I needed

something more exciting,
more
stimulating and more versa¬
tile. I didn't consciously realize it at
the time, but my creative juices
were
already beginning to flow."
Roizman did have hands-

experience, having
during the summers for an
equipment rental company in New
York. "The owner did my dad a
favor by giving me a job. I learned
how to set cameras up, take them
apart and thread them. I learned
on

-

what

great," Roizman reflects.

son Eric recently graduated
from the UCLA film school and
was one of
my assistants on Wyatt

"My

Earp. We have an absolutely won¬
relationship - which grows
on a
daily basis."
derful

Roizman's

camera

worked

a

career

vanced another step in
he assisted Hirschfeld

ad¬

1962 when
on

the fea¬

"But my father was against
the idea. He was worried for me,
and didn't want me go into this dif¬
ficult business."

had

Fortunately, the elder
was able to help his son
get into the union. "He had gotten
me in while I was still in
college,
just as a failsafe," the cinematogra¬
pher recalls with a smile. "He was
instrumental in getting me free¬
turning point for Roizman

came soon

ticed with
man

after, when he appren¬
a

Hungarian

camera¬
named Akos Farkos. "Akos

was a

good friend of

father's
He took me

my

and a wonderful guy.
under his wing as his assistant."
A

year

later, Gerald

Hirschfeld, ASC needed a new as¬
sistant. "Gerry was part owner of
MPO Videotronics, which was the

largest commercial house in the
business, and he

was a

renowned

cinematographer," Roizman says.
At the suggestion of Sol Roizman,
Hirschfeld brought Owen in on a
trial basis. He soon earned a posi¬
tion as the cinematographer's staff
assistant. The elder Roizman fre¬

quently worked

as

Hirschfeld's

got the job. His friend

idea

Safe, directed by Sidney
Lumet. "This was a major Hollywood-type feature, and I was ner¬
hell," he recalls. "Here was
major star, Henry Fonda, and a

vous as
a

great director, Sidney Lumet. That

experience really taught me the dif¬
ference between feature and
mercial work. "

com¬

Meanwhile, Roizman's

family was struck by tragedy when
his 21-year-old brother Jay died in
a car accident. "It destroyed my fa¬
ther," he recalls. "He died of
heart attack just
and it

a

three months later,

very tough for all of us."
Roizman continued to fo¬
his career, and soon began

was

cus on

to work with future ASC peer Gor¬
don Willis, who became Hirschfeld's
new

camera

February 1997

operator. "Gordon

Owen in 1958

on

the younger
man's first day
of work

as a

camera

assistant.
The two

frequently
worked

together on
commercials.
The

experience

drew the father
and

son

closer

together
"partially
because

we

go

where I actually did. At first I
thought about becoming a
'great cinematographer.' The ambi¬

the business

never

and I could pick

none

-

an

This

Fail

Roizman with

could talk about

-

operator. I realized that I could
shoot, that I liked what I was do¬
ing, and that I could be good at it."

ture

Above: Sol

that I would

no

tion increased when I became

Roizman

A

team for

of Roizman's feature films.
Asked at what point he
began to consider cinematography
to be more than a job, Roizman re¬
plies, "My ambition grew slowly. I

-

commercials."

as a

year, but then Gordy
wanted to go out on his own and
shoot," Roizman says. Hirschfeld
needed a new operator, and
a

many

Becoming

on

about

as¬
sistant, and would later operate on

got to know the equip¬

lance work

MPO. We worked

Enrique Bravo became the new

an assistant
sounded like a better opportunity
and at least a little looser.
ment.

be¬

to¬
gether as camera assistants at

Roizman

assistant cameraperson

an

did and I

and I had previously met and
come friends while
working

growing passion was
a familiar
feeling for Roizman.
"Any time I have gone into any¬
thing, I have had a competitive
urge to be the best that I could be,"
he explains. "When I became an
operator, and cinematography be¬
came
my primary interest in life, I
started to appreciate how difficult

his brain."

Left: Roizman
lines up a shot
for the

comedy

The Heartbreak

<1972),
by
Elaine May (in

Kid

directed

background).
He took the film
because "Neil

Simon's

script
extremely
funny."
was

the craft was. I also learned what to
look for: movement, light, com¬

position. Strangely enough, I be¬
came fascinated with perfor¬
well."
Asked to

mances as

appraise his ap¬
prenticeship as an assistant and
operator, Roizman compares his
experience to the film school back¬
ground that many cinematogra¬
phers now have. "You can come
out of film school having done a
little assistant work, some

ing

or

gaffing, and

American

operat¬

go out an get

Cinematographer

41
American Cinematographer - February 1997

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