"Take stills on slide film so you can project them, much like the envi-
ronment that a movie is shown in. I have filing cabinets full of slides and
ring binders of scrawled notes. It goes back to my scientific background;
it was almost like an experiment for me, trying to dissect what was going
on . . . Only after mastering the craft aspect, getting to where exposure,
lens selection, and lighting ratios are second nature, can you turn your
attention towards the more emotional and artistic side. A simple analogy
is learning where the keys on the typewriter are. You spend a couple of
weeks learning and then one day you realize you're not thinking about
where you're putting your fingers, you're thinking about what you're
writing. That's what it has to be."
Although Mathis did not move up through the camera department to
become a cinematographer, he points out the advantage of that route as
"being able to watch other cinematographers work." The down side is
that it not only takes longer to become a cinematographer, but that many
find it difficult, if not impossible, to make the leap. "I have seen so many
career assistants try to make the next leap and they have not gotten any
practice. An assistant does not prepare you because you're attending to
completely different duties."
"If you want to be a cinematographer," says Schwartzman, "find a
way to shoot as much film as you possibly can, whether it's film or
video . . . Obviously, if you want to get into the film business you
have got to be in either Los Angeles, New York, Austin, Texas, or
Wilmington, North Carolina--places where they make movies . . . If
you're enthusiastic, people will respond to that. Perseverance pays
off in this business."
Professional Profile: Richard Crudo, ASC, Cinematographer
"The cinematographer is the director's closest collaborator. You help
him turn what's on the page into reality."--Richard Crudo
"I always loved movies as a kid growing up, but it never dawned on
me that people actually do this for a living," recalls Richard Crudo. A
gifted baseball player, he caught the eye of a Red Sox scout while still in
high school, but elected to attend St. John's University instead of pursu-
ing a sports career.
Unable to decide on a major, an instructor who was also a
director/producer/writer, helped Crudo discover his passion for film-
making. "He needed some bodies to help out on a commercial job he was
doing one day. I went and helped and got attached to the camera depart-
ment. That was my first exposure to it. I was enamored. It immediately
sparked my passion."
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