American Cinematographer - March 1998 - 47

creating the film's distinctive look on

David and I had,

such

shot five

a

schedule would have been

impossible if he and Mamet hadn't
been in such close agreement about
the visual approach to the material.

we

could not have

six pages a day."
Mamet chose Beristain
to

"Usually when you have such a short

Hackford's

schedule, you either shoot the film

think that's

like television

sacrifice cover¬
age," he says, "but we did not want
The Spanish Prisoner to look like a
poor independent picture. Thanks to

fully photographed movies of recent
times," says Mamet. "And when I met
Gaby, I was extraordinarily charmed

the intense level of communication

importance of the lighting in making

intelligence, coupled with almost
courtly manners. I thought, 'I'll
probably have a good time working
with him.' In fact, I had a great time

their characters

and I learned

or

you

David and I had, as well as to a good
and actors who understood the

crew

able

were

to

effective,

more

we

Dolores Claiborne.
of the

most

and won-over. He has such

make the film look

a

lot

as

Beristain, the
Beristain

"I

wonder¬

a

brilliant

well."

son

of actor Luis

(best known for his role in

Famed director

was a

to

Sergio Leone
to

move

an

English-speaking country so he
could learn the language and further
his career. Beristain chose England,
and enrolled

at

the National Film

School. While his

English improved,
not good enough
for him to pursue a career as a direc¬
tor or screenwriter, so he opted for
his current career path.
During his scholastic years,
Beristain shot the Oscar-winning
1984 student film Mothers Wedding,
directed by Jenny Wilkes. He later
served as an assistant to major
cinematographers such as Billy
Williams, BSC before moving up to
the top slot himself. Beristain subse¬
quently won the Silver Bear at the
he felt that it

camera

and

lighting," he

says.

"He feels, I believe, that the camera
and the lighting are non-speaking
characters in his films. So

director who
tance

we

had

a

appreciates the impor¬

of lighting

and the camera, and

Derek

one-light

which

worked in

seems

to

be

a

very

good

Jonathan Lynn's recent films Trial
and Error and The

source

look,

employed

Prisoner. "It is the
worked

an

using

a

approach

The Spanish
way I lit when I
on

Europe, and also the way I

on

Distinguished

Gentleman]. In comedy, you have to
be very careful not to do a very flat¬

looking film, yet
lose the nice
the

don't want to

you

with the eyes

moments

jokes. You set
to

Dolores Clairborne," he

light and

one

another and another,

and

suddenly you have a tree of lights
flags. When you are doing a film
with a personal artistic look, like The
Spanish Prisoner, it is easier to use
one light source. It's riskier, but if
you
have the director's cooperation, such
an approach can be
very rewarding."
The danger of a one-light
source technique stems from the fact
that the style requires actors to hit
very narrow and precise lighting
marks. "As a cinematographer, you
have to be very confident and
persuasive to convince your director
and

and actors that the results will be
worth

all

of

the

extra

Beristain comments. "When

effort,"
an

actor

has done five takes and still has
delivered

not

perfect performance, he
or she is probably going to blame the
problems on your restrictive lighting
a

marks."

Opposite:

Fortunately,

on

The Spanish

Prisoner, "We didn't have selfish
actors,

find

the type who will say, 'You
with the

light.' I was very
lucky, because we had tremendously
gifted actors such as Campbell Scott,
me

Ben Gazzara and Steve

Jarman's Caravaggio.

Beristain is known for
he also

match. Without the communion

was

1987 Berlin Film Festival for his work
on

cinematographer who believes
strongly in the drama and the story,
a

my

been in comedies [which include

that leads

advised Beristain

of the

experience at the other end
lighting spectrum. "Ironically,
most complicated lighting has

of the

Exterminating Angel), was part of a
prominent Mexican guerrilla film
in the late Sixties. "I

Beristain has also

course,

on

long-haired kid with a Bolex," he
quips. He learned every aspect of
filmmaking from that experience,
but was frustrated by the tightly
controlled Mexican film industry.

dream. "David understands the role

Of
had some

the 1962 Luis Bunuel classic The

movement

moody and menacing without sacri¬
ficing the coverage we needed."
According to Beristain, Mamet
the director is a cinematographer's

the greatest
of lights and flags. I like to
use
one light source
through a
window or door, supplemented with
a
tiny bit of fill indoors, and then try
to choreograph the scene with the
director so that we play the light."
economy

primar¬
ily because of the cinematographer's
exceptional work on director Taylor
one

"I try to use

notes.

whom understood the
did

he did

a

clandestine

meeting with
the FBI. Director
of photography
Gabriel

Beristain, BSC

lighting and

The

Spanish
Prisoner, but he used the opportunity
on

(Campbell

(left) utilized
lights shining

great job of playing the light. I
would guess that Steve Martin had
never worked with as many lighting
as

Ross

Scott) arrives for

Martin, all of

a

marks

Inventor Joe

American

through the

whirling
carousel to add
a sense

of

confusion to the
scene.

Cinematographer 41
American Cinematographer - March 1998

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