American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 67
Left: A child chess
prodigy (Max
Pomeranc)
ponders his next
move in Searching
for Bobby Fischer
(1993). Although
most people
wouldn't consider
the game itself to
be visually
dynamic, Hall's
cinematography
lends the
competition
scenes
drama and
Below:
Attorneys wrangle
suspense.
over a
case
contentious
in A Civil
Action (1998).
"Composition is
terribly important,
and such
a
crucial
tool in
storytelling," Hall
told AC in 1999.
"You
because he's
not
privy to all of the
are made for various
So when he sees it for the
changes that
reasons.
it and illuminate this and hide that
-
to
and the
only time I've been pleased
film the first time
a
out was on
Bobby Fischer. You get very attached
to the memory of what you did.
When elements are dropped or
rearranged, it takes you a while
before you can be an audience. The
second time I
best
ence.
see
the film, I do my
try to be an objective audiThe third time it will be easier
to
a
gasp
here and
a
surprise
there."
first time, it's a gut-wrenching expe¬
rience. It can be almost devastating,
with
add
"I don't have
a
real mental
checklist [of elements to
look for]
when
lighting a scene, but I do have a
frame. And in that frame is a subject
to
deal with involving a story.
Being a
visualist, I absorb a lot and make
mental notes, but not consciously;
it's a kind of impression that gets
stored away in my mental computer:
'This is a good image to think about
using sometime.' You bring all of the
observations you've stored away to
bear on each story."
"When you get a
glut of just
extraordinary exactness or beauty in
light, it doesn't serve the photogra¬
phy as well. The visual language is an
undulating language. Like music, it
has to have its peaks and valleys.
Those rhythms are really important.
use
the frame
to communicate
the
feeling
you
want to convey
By
centering a
character,
or
short¬
siding them, you
use
the
composition to
support the
moment that
counts
dramatically."
I know which shot to concentrate
on,
and it's often the close-up - you
you're going to be there
know
still.
By the time we get to an answer
print, I may not even remember
what wasn't in the
picture."
1998
"Once for
about 50
a
class at USC,
people watched while
worked with
some
actors
director and I lit the
scene.
we
and
a
Then
somebody said, 'Okay, turn off all
these lights and tell me what that one
does.' We went through each and
every lamp. It was pretty easy to
explain, but that was after the fact. I
don't think about any of these things
while I'm lighting a scene; I have no
idea what I'm doing! I just try to feel
American
in
the shot.
Cinematographer 61
American Cinematographer - May 2003
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - May 2003
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 1
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 2
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 3
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 4
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 5
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 6
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 7
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 8
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 9
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 10
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 11
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 12
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 13
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 14
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 15
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 16
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 17
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 18
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 19
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 20
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 21
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 22
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 23
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 24
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 25
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 26
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 27
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 28
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 29
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 30
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 31
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 32
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 33
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 34
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 35
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 36
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 37
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 38
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 39
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 40
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 41
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 42
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 43
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 44
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 45
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 46
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 47
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 48
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 49
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 50
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 51
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 52
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 53
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 54
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 55
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 56
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 57
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 58
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 59
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 60
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 61
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 62
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 63
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 64
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 65
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 66
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 67
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 68
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 69
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 70
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 71
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 72
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 73
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 74
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 75
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 76
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 77
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 78
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 79
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 80
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 81
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 82
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 83
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 84
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 85
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 86
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 87
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 88
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 89
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 90
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 91
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 92
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 93
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 94
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 95
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 96
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 97
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 98
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 99
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 100
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 101
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 102
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 103
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 104
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 105
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 106
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 107
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 108
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 109
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 110
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 111
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 112
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 113
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 114
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 115
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 116
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 117
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 118
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 119
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 120
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 121
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 122
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 123
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 124
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 125
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 126
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 127
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 128
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 129
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 130
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 131
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 132
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 133
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 134
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 135
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 136
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 137
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 138
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 139
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 140
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 141
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 142
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 143
American Cinematographer - May 2003 - 144
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/acbest2006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac200001
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com