AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER at SFF!

Interview with Stephen Pizzello, Executive Editor of AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER Magazine

by Brian Lepire

Between a film director’s vision and glowing big screens stands a line of technicians and professionals who craft the film and mold all the elements we expect from great cinema.

Some might argue there is no other person with quite as heavy an influence then the film’s cinematographer. They not only have control over how to capture the desired images, but they’re approach and choices affect the aesthetic of the entire production.

This year, the Salem Film Fest has united with the prestigious AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER Magazine to honor great documentary cinematographers feature at the 2012 SFF. Documentary cinematographers go even further than most to get the film onto movie screens – from risking life and limb to capture dangerous shots to walking a fine line with the film’s subject, balancing quality and care to expose truth.

Stephen Pizzello, Executive Editor of AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER Magazine, will present the “Best Cinematographer “ Award Sunday, March 04 at 12 pm during the panel discussion “Reframing Reality”. Alongside Pizzello will be two celebrated cinematographers, Buddy Squires and Ellen Kuras.

Squires has shot more than 80 documentaries and has been the principal cinematographer for Ken Burns since 1981′s BROOKLYN BRIDGE. His films have won 13 Emmy Awards and garnered eight Academy Award nominations, including one Oscar winner. His credits include THE CIVIL WAR, BASEBALL, NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM, UNFORGIVABLE BLACKNESS: THE RISE AND FALL OF JACK JOHNSON and JAZZ. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association.

Kuras’ documentary credits include the Academy Award-nominated THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON), Spike Lee’s Emmy-nominated 4 LITTLE GIRLS, the music documentaries NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD and NO DIRECTION HOME: BOB DYLAN, and UNZIPPED, a behind-the-scenes look at fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi.

Pizzello recently e-mailed SFF Blog Editor Brian Lepire about the cinematographer’s role in documentary, what he’ll be judging on, and returning home for the 5^th Annual Salem Film Fest.

Brian Lepire: What, in general, are the differences between the cinematographer’s role on a documentary versus a studio production?

Stephen Pizzello: A documentarian’s fundamental purpose is to reflect the reality of a given situation, whereas a feature filmmaker is trying to create stylized illusions that serve a fictional script. A documentary cinematographer is less likely to dramatize the images they’re capturing with elaborate lighting or visual effects, unless they’re using those effects to serve the larger truth of their thesis; Hollywood cinematographers, on the other hand, will generally use every available tool or technique to conjure up images that will encourage viewers to accept a make-believe world or premise.

In general, documentary cinematographers work with smaller crews, smaller budgets, less equipment, and a more stripped-down approach to production. This probably started in the mid-1950s with the development of more affordable, lighter-weight cameras and gear that made the production process more accessible to filmmakers outside the studio system. Those traditions are still in place today, because documentaries are not often funded by major corporations and usually reflect a “nonprofit” mindset. There’s usually far less equipment involved in documentary work, and cinematographers shooting docs are still more likely to rely upon “DIY” methods than someone shooting a big-budget studio movie.

Interestingly, the recent arrival of even smaller and less-expensive digital cameras has led many Hollywood filmmakers to adopt a “doc aesthetic” for fictional purposes. This strategy really took off after the success of indie pictures like The Blair Witch Project, but it’s also been used to great effect on documentary parodies like This Is Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman; horror movies and thrillers like Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity and Chronicle; and even high-pedigree dramas like 127 Hours. I find it intriguing that documentary strategies are being co-opted more and more often by fiction filmmakers. This trend is partially due to new technologies, but maybe other factors are contributing as well. Maybe we’ve finally reached our saturation point with stylistic excess and elaborate visual effects, which often just overwhelm and numb the audience; pulling stories back toward some semblance of reality often makes them more effective, even if they’re set in fantastic worlds or circumstances.

BL: What, in your opinion, makes a great documentary cinematographer?

SP: I would say the best documentary cinematographers have a discerning eye for images, a keen sense of aesthetics, a mastery of composition and the ability to capture “defining moments” on the fly. Beyond their photographic abilities, accomplished documentarians seem to know how to record intimate or sensitive situations without distracting their subjects or intruding too much upon the “scene.” If they’re shooting in extreme situations — say, on the side of Mt. Everest or in the middle of a war zone — they usually display great courage and the guts to go after great shots at any cost.

 BL: Documentaries can be fast-paced endeavors where there is little time for crews to consider the best photographic approach. Some films are built around amateur footage or in-the-moment shots. Would you say audiences grant documentary cinematographers more license than their studio counterparts?

SP:Documentary audiences understand that the filmmaker is trying to capture reality, so they’re far more likely to accept a less-polished aesthetic. That said, I think any viewer is more likely to feel that an image is effective if it supports the onscreen narrative in a believable or emotionally truthful way. If you’re watching a big-studio sci-fi movie and a scene seems ridiculous or shoddily made, you’re probably not going to give that filmmaker much leeway!

BL: Why did American Cinematographer magazine decide to present an award for best cinematography at this year’s festival?

SP: I guess it was a bit like The Godfather: I got a call from one of the festival’s organizers, Joe Cultrera, who grew up in the same Italian neighborhood in Salem that I did, and he made me “an offer I couldn’t refuse.” All kidding aside, as the editor of American Cinematographer, I do feel that it’s part of my basic function to recognize, promote and reward great cinematography whenever and wherever possible. I also love documentaries, and I feel that documentary filmmaking is an underappreciated art form that deserves more time in the spotlight.

BL: What will the judges be considering when voting on the best cinematography?

SP: Well, as the festival’s only judge in that particular category, I’m looking for exceptional camerawork; a solid grasp of composition; nice lighting, whether that’s achieved via natural or artificial sources; and, above all, great onscreen moments that support the real-life stories the filmmakers are trying to tell. The best cinematography usually combines both aesthetic and technical excellence, so those factors will be my primary criteria.

BL: Any cinematographers or films you would recommend to aspiring documentarians as examples of great cinematography?

SP: There are so many, but if you want to see examples of truly fantastic documentary cinematography, I can recommend the nature documentaries The Silent World, Koyaanisquatsi, Microcosmos and Touching the Void. Nazi megalomania is captured to epic effect in Triumph of the Will, but the devastating consequences of Hitler’s inhumanity were later revealed to the world in a number of monumentally important documentaries, including Night and Fog and The Sorrow and the Pity. I’ve always loved sports documentaries, and many of them have unforgettable images, including Olympia, Endless Summer, Hoop Dreams and When We Were Kings. I’ve heard great things about Senna, a more recent biographical doc about the famous Formula One race driver, so I’m hoping to see that one soon. I’m also a big fan of rock-music documentaries, and some of my favorites include The Last Waltz, directed by Martin Scorsese and shot by a group of legendary cinematographers that included future ASC members Michael Chapman, Vilmos Zsigmond and Laszlo Kovacs; the Rolling Stones docs Gimme Shelter, by the Maysles brothers, and C***sucker Blues, by Robert Frank; Stop Making Sense and Neil Young: Heart of Gold, by Jonathan Demme; and of course D.A. Pennebaker’s seminal doc about Bob Dylan, Dont Look Back. A more recent music documentary that had really nice cinematography was The White Stripes Under Great Northern Lights.

…During the festival I’m scheduled to moderate a discussion with two great cinematographers, Buddy Squires and Ellen Kuras, who shot a couple of the docs I’ve listed above. Buddy has worked on many documentaries for Ken Burns, including Baseball, and Ellen’s credits include Neil Young: Heart of Gold.

BL: You grew up in Salem but currently reside in Los Angeles. How does it feel coming home to participate in the 5th Annual Salem Film Fest?

SP: I’m really looking forward to it. I’m usually so busy that I don’t moderate many panels, but it feels good to support my hometown fest. As an added bonus, I’ll get to visit my family and see some of my oldest friends. Hopefully my high-school buddies won’t heckle me during my panel. Afterwards we’ll probably all head over to the Salem Willows for some chop suey and ice cream. Over the years I’ve spent a small fortune in quarters in the arcade, and I always bring my sons there when we fly out to see my parents.