American Cinematographer - June 1999 - 88

Award-Worthy Images
Additionally, Hall was the 1993
recipient of the ASC Lifetime
Achievement Award. A Civil Action
marks the

cinematographer's eighth

Oscar nomination.

He

award in 1969 for Butch

won

the

Cassidy and

the Sundance Kid, and also earned
for

nominations

Morituri,

The

Professionals, In Cold Blood, The Day
of the Locust, Tequila Sunrise and
Searchingfor Bobby Fischer. His other
credits include Cool Hand Luke,
Marathon Man, Class Action, Jennifer

a

Eight and the upcoming American
Beauty, starring Annette Bening.
"The idea in any craft," says
Hall, "is to stay contemporary with
society. Your audience is not a bunch
of old fogies. There are young people
coming along all the time, and these
are the people you are
telling stories
to. You have to adapt your style to
find ways that will best fit whatever
film you're telling. You can't let your
feet get stuck in the cement with
certain techniques or ideas; you have
to keep moving ahead."
Still going strong at 74 years of
age, Hall remains passionate about

fresh look, without

as

if it

was

making it look
happening right now in

modern times. Elizabeth still is set in
the past, so it's not like Romeo + Juliet
which had modern cars, swim¬

-

ming pools and guns. We had all of
right [design elements] from the
period, yet the film techniques we
the

used

modern.

were

[Director

Shekhar

Kapur] had very specific
regarding the idea that a snake
is like a conspirator. In line with that
idea, we had the camera moving in
very serpentine ways at the begin¬
ning of the movie. We had lots of
high vantage points, looking down
on the Queen, as well as quite a lot of
ideas

too

his work. He attributes this fierce

tenacity to his devotion to the script,
and to his goal of telling good stories.

shots that snuck around columns

crystal-clear. I think when you see an
image that is too clear and welldefined, your brain stops you from
really looking at it, whereas you

and

spied

become

the

film,

often, the cinematographer is not
privy to all of the changes that are
made in a film for various reasons,"

at

her. Toward the end of

however, the camera
reverential, more static
the Queen's level."

became
and

on

more

This modern aesthetic contin¬
ued with the

design of the lighting
for the film's intricate plot. "We
wanted to get lot of variety into the
look of the lighting," he explains. "We
didn't

want to

look. Different
to

have

one

to

allowed

keep the look within

an over¬

bit

that it wasn't

interested if it's held

you're more interested
figuring it out. Shekhar is a very
competent director. He was brave
with his imagery, and he knew that
the audience would go with it."
a

-

in

Conrad L. Hall, ASC
A Civil Action

A

Civil Action is Conrad Hall's

However, he
tion

he

warns.

"When he

the first time, it

that this ambi¬

sees

be

"Quite

the film for

gut-wrench¬
devastating
one. As a director of
photography,
you get very attached to the memory
of what you did during the produc¬
tion. When elements are dropped or
rearranged in the editing process, it
can

a

ing experience - even

second film with director Steven

can

Zaillian. The duo had

the work

previously

warns

have its difficulties.

can

take

a

a

while before you

as a

look at

member of the audi¬

all

collaborated

and

Fischer, which earned Hall his

ally been pleased with a film the first

second ASC Award. He had earned

time out

style, which we wanted to be dark
dingy, but not so dark that it got
annoying. I tried to find any reason
shoot

through glass, sheer nets,
fabrics, flames or anything bizarre to

to

a slightly different impression
that would diffract the image or

give

84 June 1999

back

more

so

continuous

scenes were

have different vibrancies. We still

had

break it down

on

Searching for Bobby
a

ence.

In

fact, the only time I've actu¬
was on

Searching for Bobby

prior ASC nod in 1988 for his stylish

Fischer. However, I will say that upon

photography on Robert Towne's
Tequila Sunrise, as well as a 1994

the second

ASC nomination

for Love

Affair.

viewing of a given film, I

try to stay more objective. The third
time, it's easier still. By the time we

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American Cinematographer - June 1999

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