mid-1950s, they were paired seven times at

RKO. Of Dwan, Alton said, " H e was a big di-

rector at the beginning of the motion picture
industry, but he didn't change, he didn't care or
bring anything new to it, so that's why he fell
off. But he was a good director." Although their
overall quality ranges from excellent to medi-
ocre, the first six of their 1950s films—Silver
Lode, Passion, Cattle Queen of Montana, Es-
cape to Burma (Fig. 9), Pearl of the South
Pacific, and Tennessee's Partner—are supris-
ingly undistinguished visually coming from Al-
ton. T h e last, however, Slightly Scarlet, in 1956,
is a major noir, and arguably the best ever shot
in color and widescreen (RKO's short-lived Su-
perscope process). Saturated in reds (includ-
ing the hair color of the two female leads) and
blacks, the film features scenes of confrontation
and violence that nearly match the tension and
power of those Alton helped create in the late
1940s. Alton masterfully organized his pools of
light to separate the characters and their com-
Fig. 8 John Alton, seated, during filming of peting interests. For examples of how Alton still
Talk about a Stranger. Print courtesy of David
sometimes seemed to put special effort into
Bradley.
particular scenes, one need only look at the
early sequence featuring mobster Ted de Cor-
does provide some telltale clues as to what his
sia and his hoods, the follow-up scene between
dissatisfied collaborators on Singin' in the Rain
de Corsia and John Payne, and the climactic
might have b e e n complaining about: numerous
shoot-out.
scenes, particularly the interiors, are lit in ut-
terly unrealistic ways, with lighting sources re- Another notable loan-out during this period
maining quite unjustified and odd colors, no- was for the Mickey Spillane thriller /, The Jury,
tably purple, green, and yellow, bouncing off whose single distinction is that it is the only film
ceilings or bathing the characters in back light. noir shot in 3-D (Fig. 10). Alton's signature
T h e effects are sumptuous, glamorize the cast, lighting is clearly evident, but Harry Essex's di-
and wouldn't be noticed by most viewers, but rection is so inept, and takes so little advantage
are a bit odd if you think about them. T h e af- of the action's three-dimensional possibilities,
fection and respect between director and cam- that even a climactic fight on the exposed inte-
rior stairway of Los Angeles' Bradbury Building
eraman was mutual. "I loved to work with
proves more laughable than exciting.
Richard Brooks," Alton r e m e m b e r e d . " H e was
so good." Still, Alton's crowning post-Oscar achieve-
By contrast, Alton retains less fond feel- ment was, ironically enough, a low-budget,
ings for Allan Dwan, a veteran director whose down-and-dirty film noir. Arriving toward the
long film career had started in 1909. They had end of the noir cycle in 1955, Joseph H. Lewis's
worked together once at Republic, on the West- The Big Combo was not seen as anything other
ern Driftwood in 1947, but during some of Al- than a cheap Allied Artists crime program-
ton's periodic vacations from M G M during the m e r at the time, but is now ranked by buffs

xxviii
Fig. 9 Scene from Escape to Burma. Print courtesy of Museum of Modern Art Film Stilk Archive.

and specialists as one of the top half-dozen or ences between Mann and Lewis. In each film
so noirs ever made (Fig. 11). O n e last time, light only enters the scene in odd slants, jagged
Alton pushed his impulse toward severe black- slices and verticle or horizontal stripes." The
and-white contrasts and silhouetting of char- Big Combo has influenced numerous contem-
acters to the limit. Many scenes are clearly lit porary directors and cinematographers, notably
with only one source, and the final shot, with John Bailey and Allen Daviau. Bertrand Tav-
the figures of a man and woman outlined in a ernier recalled that, " F r e n c h critics in Cahiers
warehouse against a foggy nightscape and illu- du Cinema and Positif, who had praised Alton
minated by a single beacon, makes one of the since T-Men, now cited him as among Holly-
quintessentially anti-sentimental noir statements wood's greatest talents."
about the place of humanity in the existential In 1958, Alton photographed Vincent J. Done-
void. Perhaps the first scholarly American critic hue's Lonelyhearts and Brooks's The Brothers
to single out Alton's work, Paul Schrader, in his Karamozov. In June 1959, he j u m p e d back into
1971 essay Notes on Film Noir, argued that the the low-budget field to shoot a two-bit black-
cinematography of The Big Combo "is so nearly and-white science-fiction entry, 12 to the Moon,
identical" to that of T-Men "that one has mo- for his friend David Bradley. "John's entice-
mentary doubts about the directorial differ- ment to work on it was my enthusiasm," Bradley

xxix
Fig. 10 Scene from I, the Jury. Print courtesy of Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Archive.

recalled, "plus the fact that we paid him much of Alcatraz for British director Charles Crich-
more than we would have anyone else. John was ton on November 7, 1960. After one week of
very interested in considering the light that shooting, Lancaster and producer Harold Hecht
would be on the moon, and he had never done replaced Crichton with John Frankenheimer,
a space picture." T h e patently artificial sets but retained Alton. However, Frankenheimer
defeated any attempt Alton might have made could tell from the first m o m e n t that he and
to create uniquely lunar illumination, but the Alton were incompatible. "It lasted a day, or a
memorable opening sequence, which intro- day-and-a-half at the most," the director re-
duces the dozen international astronauts walk- called. "It was just a conflict of personalities
ing out of the fog toward their spacecraft, virtu- from the first day. It was just not my kind of
ally picks up where the final shot of The Big shooting. He was used to working with direc-
Combo left off. tors who perhaps were not so specific as I was
Alton immediately returned to the big time about how to shoot a scene, who let him do
on Elmer Gantry, which shot through the fall of what he wanted. I knew I wanted a gritty, semi-
1959. His splendid widescreen work on that documentary look, and he was lighting a lot
picture, which was released the following sum- of things that weren't even going to be in the
mer, turned out to be his last. Reunited with shots. It was painful because I had great re-
Burt Lancaster, Alton started shooting Birdman spect for him and I'm sorry it didn't work out.

XX.X
Fig. 11 Scene from The Big Combo. Print courtesy of Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Archive.

But I find that, if it doesn't work at the begin- one million, and no children. I had three houses
ning, it's not going to get better." With this, in Hollywood, and we sold one. My wife and I
John Alton had worked as a cinematographer traveled, all through Europe, South America,
for the last time, and none of his and Crichton's the Amazon, Africa, and Asia. We never told
footage remains in the picture. anybody where we were, even the family." He
"He said what he wanted to do was go to Eu- did paint, "but I never had an ambition to be a
rope, to the Alps, and paint," said David Brad- professional painter. I always give them away to
ley, who kept up with Alton during this time. friends. If you have a toothache, as soon as you
"That he'd done what he wanted to do, and start painting, it stops. W h e n you paint, you
he wanted to paint with brushes, not with light. lose all pain through the concentration."
He wanted to retire early. I'd see him when Still, from a professional point of view, his
he came back to Hollywood once a year to keep departure had to be painful. "The only mistake
up his citizenship standing." I made was quitting when I was 59," he con-
Alton isn't entirely specific about why he quit fessed at a different moment. "The producers
his profession for good in 1960—his remarks in those days were so shortsighted. I wanted to
about the years are marked by a mixture of do quality. I thought about coming back later,
pride, defiance, and bitterness, as well as satis- but I found that the industry had changed."
faction about the work he did. "I disappeared. I So John Alton's abrupt exit from filmmaking,
started traveling. I had a lot of money, about even if intended as temporary, turned into a

xxxi
p e r m a n e n t retirement, and thus did the mys- Darwin would make of the world today (he
tery and legend begin. Critically and historically would write a book called The Decadence of the
neglected, save for the odd noir specialist such Species, he speculated), and begged off a fes-
as Schrader, through most of the 1960s and tival appearance by saying that, "At present I
1970s, Alton was still "a bit of a legend with seem to have more important priorities. I have
some of us at USC [University of Southern Cali- my own 'Energy Problem,' that is, to regain my
fornia] in the late 1960s," according to John energy."
Bailey. "It was the artistic stance he seemed In this, Alton was to succeed tremendously.
to take toward his work. He created an aura Although his wife Rozalia died without warning
of the artistic temperament. Like Gordon Willis of heart failure in 1987, Alton met and married
in this generation, who thinks like an artist and another woman, Billie Roberts, the following
isn't afraid to speak of himself that way, it was year. A year younger than Alton, she died in
clear that here was a man who didn't consider 1992.
himself just another worker bee in the stu- Alton finally emerged into the public eye in
dio system. Just as Gordon's work is so dra- February 1993. While making our documen-
matic and different and so polarized genera- tary Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematogra-
tional feelings, so did John's. There were other phy, my colleagues Arnold Glassman and Stuart
wonderful cameramen who were doing excel- Samuels and I had been frustrated in our at-
lent work in noir, such as Nicholas Musuraca, tempts to secure an interview with Alton, but
but I don't think they had quite the presenta- still included some examples of his work with
tion, or personality, that John had. John's work Anthony Mann. Two days before the Los An-
didn't just call attention to itself, it did so ag- geles premiere, I received a call from Darren
gressively. T h e style was more stark, more un- Weinstock, Alton's step-grandson, who informed
compromisingly severe than those of other peo- me that Alton had read about the film in the
ple working around the same artistic area. If Los Angeles Times and wanted to know if he
there's an Alton legacy, it's of the journey, and could come see it. And so it was that John Al-
his own uncompromising aesthetic." ton received an ovation from a packed house in
In 1979, Tom Luddy, codirector of the Tellu- the presence of Conrad Hall, Haskell Wexler,
ride Film Festival, approached Alton to be the Vilmos Zsigmond, Laszlo Kovacs, and about a
subject of a career tribute at that year's festival. dozen other luminaries in his field. (At the
Alton sent back a letter thanking him for the in- screening, Alton h a p p e n e d to sit across the
vitation to the Colorado festival but declined it aisle from an old Hungarian compatriot, direc-
due to "previous, uncancelable commitments" tor Andre de Toth; they had not seen each
and unpredictable travel plans. "After I finished other since dining at the Little Prague restau-
Elmer Gantry, I decided to take a well-earned rant in Hollywood more than fifty years before.)
vacation. This was in 1959, and am still enjoy- Over Labor Day Weekend 1993, John Alton
ing it," Alton wrote. finally made the trip to the Telluride Film Fes-
Luddy and his Pacific Film Archive colleague tival, where audiences can only be said to have
Sally Armstrong tried again the following year, responded rapturously to the dazzling excerpts
and Alton responded to the latter that, while from his work and to his charming, somewhat
in South America in 1979, "I became very ill, mischievous personality. Slight and ever the bo-
and was forced to return home. I am still very hemian in his ever-present beret, Alton held
ill, and my condition was diagnosed as ' F U O , ' forth at two public question-and-answer ses-
(a jungle fever of unknown origin)." Writing to sions before hundreds of people, as well as at
Luddy twice more in 1980, Alton elaborated on a smaller group discussion, and was approach-
his many health problems, mused upon what able for more casual encounters throughout the

xxxii
weekend. He said that the mountain air and al-
titude made him feel more vigorous than usual,
and he clearly thrived on the attention. After
all, it was the first time in his life that he was in
front of the public answering questions about
his life's work. After avoiding it for so long, he
loved it.
A month later, Alton flew to Austria to at-
tend the Vienna Film Festival, which organized
an impressive symposium on the enormous
contributions of Viennese exiles to Hollywood,
then proceeded to Israel, where he spent many
weeks with his surviving sister, Esther. In Jan-
Fig. 12 John Alton, left, during filming of
uary 1994, he received the Lifetime Achieve- Talk about a Stranger. Print courtesy of David
ment Award voted him by the Los Angeles Bradley.
Film Critics Association, and at the ceremonies
met Steven Spielberg, who enthused at length granted it only a qualified endorsement. The
about the veteran cinematographers work. The volume, the magazine stated in 1957, is of "in-
San Francisco Film Festival held an Alton trib- terest to the student cinematographer, but un-
ute in May, and the following month Alton fortunately it falls far short of the mark set by
traveled to New York to launch an extensive its title because the author has kept his text
retrospective of his work at the Museum of the so concise as to be almost an abridgement"
Moving Image in Queens. Alton has observed (Fig. 12).
that, no matter where he goes, "It's a strange In its 14 brief chapters, the book takes the
thing that, when I travel to all these festivals, reader through both the basics and refinements
they show all the small, dark pictures we made of motion picture photography, from elemen-
in 12 days, not the big pictures we took months
tary lessons about light sources to sophisticated
to shoot."
notions about how to create very precise effects
for specific artistic ends. T h e described means
Painting with Light began as a series of ar- to achieve them, of course, are rooted in 1940s
ticles Alton began writing for International Pho- technology, and discussions of the equipment
tographer magazine in 1945. After many revi- available are linked with the period when Alton
sions and excisions, the book was bought by was doing his most memorable work. As such,
Macmillan and published in 1949 to good criti- the book represents a trip back in time, a mas-
cal reception and sales. Still, the book may not ter class as taught by the industry's foremost
have done Alton a lot of good within the in- iconoclast just as he was about to vault from
dustry, as it was offered as evidence that he successful obscurity to great renown within his
held himself above others in his field, that he profession. Recalling the profound impact Paint-
was a self-ordained expert on all matters photo- ing with Light had upon him as a student, Allen
graphic. As a proponent of using little light, Daviau noted, "At the time the book came out,
he set himself up for attack from establishment no one was going to tell you any secrets about
traditionalists who regarded Alton's methods as cinematography, and he had instructions! It was
crude, unsophisticated, even amateurish. Amer- the only case of an insider telling you what he
ican Cinematographer, which had spotlighted did. It was a basic book from a master, and that
Alton so frequently over the years, took eight was so important. This was the one and only
years to review the book, and even then book at the time that had some 'how to' to it.

xxxiii
You just learned a lot of the tricks of the trade.
T h e influence the book had on a whole group
of us was tremendous—we studied cinematog-
raphy through Painting with Light. Later, I en-
joyed watching him break his own rules in
some of his films. But because of the influence
of the book, I've always looked at Alton as this
teacher who also did these great films. So his
impact as a cinematographer was doubled or
tripled by the fact of this book."
For a contemporary student of cinematogra-
phy, Painting with Light may be outdated in
spots as far as the how is concerned; today, film
is faster, cameras are smaller and more mobile,
lenses are sharper, and, in the professional arena,
there are not as many rules. But the what and
the why are universal and not influenced by
changing technology. Such issues as emotion
and dramatic effect represent the essence of
motion pictures, and Alton very clearly lays out
how to master them strictly through the use of
light and lens. T h e book is a lesson in basic, ob-
jective photographic wisdom, couched in a per-
sonal, idiosyncratic expression of principles and
priorities. As such, it is to be treasured by any- Fig. 13 John Alton at 1993 Telluride Film Festival.
one with even a passing interest in motion pic- Print courtesy of Telluride Film Festival.
ture lighting and photography.

Looking back at 92, Alton observed, "As far

as my life is concerned, if I had it to do all over
again, I'd do it exactly the same. T h e r e are very
few people that have the kind of success that
I've had. W h e n you enjoy your work, you live.
I was very happy in what I did. In the morn-
ing, I always felt like a kid, going to the studio.
It's what made my life a very fascinating life"
(Fig. 13).

xxxiv
 FILMOGRAPHY

ARGENTINE P E R I O D 1939 12 Mujeres (12 Women)

by Todd McCarthy Directed by Luis Moglia Barth
El Matrero (The Outlaw)
Alton claims to have shot approximately 25
Directed by Orestes Caviglia
Spanish-language films, all b u t one of which
was produced in Argentina, and some of which Puerta Cerrada (Behind Closed Doors)
Directed by Luis Saslavsky
he also directed or h a d a h a n d in writing or
producing. However, t h e titles that follow are Caminito de Gloria
the only ones that can be verified: (Cophotographed by Jose Maria Beltran)
Directed by Luis C. Amadori

1932 Los Tres Berretines (The Three Buddies)

S.A. Radio-Cinematografica Lumiton Studio
AMERICAN P E R I O D
Directed by Enrique T. Susini
by Dennis Jakob
El Hijo de Papa (Papa's Boy)
Directed by John Alton 1940 The Courageous Dr. Christian
Directed by Bernard Vorhaus
1935 Crimen a Las Tres (Crime at Three O'clock) RKO
Directed by Luis Saslavsky 67 minutes
Escala en la Cuidad Dr. Christian Meets the Women
Directed by Alberto de Zavalia Directed by William McGann
1936 Goal RKO
Directed by Luis Moglia Barth 70 minutes

Amalia Three Faces West

Directed by Luis Moglia Barth Directed by Bernard Vorhaus
Republic
1937 Cadetes de San Martin (The Cadets of San 83 minutes
Martin)
Directed by Mario Soffici Remedy for Riches
Directed by Erie C. Kenton
La Fuga (The Flight) RKO (William Stephens Production)
(Camera credit disputed; either shot by Alton 67 minutes
or Gerardo Huttula)
Directed by Luis Saslavsky 1941 Power Dive
Directed by James Hogan
1938 La Vida Bohemia (La Vie de Boheme) Paramount
(Shot in Hollywood) 69 minutes
Directed by Joseph Berne
Columbia Forced Landing
Directed by Gordon Wiles
Macheselva (Honeysuckle) Paramount
Directed by Luis C. Amadori 65 minutes

xxxv
 The Devil Pays Off Atlantic City
Directed by John H. Auer Directed by Ray McCarey
RKO Republic
70 minutes 87 minutes

Mr. District Attorney Lake Placid Serenade

Directed by William Morgan Directed by Steve Sekely
Republic Republic
69 minutes 85 minutes

Melody for Three 1945 Love, Honor and Goodbye

Directed by Erie C. Kenton Directed by Albert S. Rogell
RKO Republic
67 minutes 87 minutes

1942 Pardon My Stripes Girls of the Big House

Directed by John H. Auer Directed by George Archainbaud
Republic Republic
65 minutes 71 minutes

Moonlight Masquerade Song of Mexico

Directed by John H. Auer (co-photographed by George Stahl)
Republic Directed by Pablo Marin
68 minutes Republic
57 minutes
Ice Capades Revue
Directed by Bernard Vorhaus 1946 The Affairs of Geraldine
Republic Directed by George Blair
79 minutes Republic
68 minutes
Affairs of Jimmy Valentine
Directed by Bernard Vorhaus The Madonna's Secret
Republic Directed by William Thiele
Republic
1943 Johnny Doughboy
79 minutes
Directed by John H. Auer
Republic Murder in the Music Hall
64 minutes Directed by John English
Republic
The Sultan's Daughter
84 minutes
Directed by Arthur Dreifuss
Monogram A Guy Could Change
64 minutes Directed by William K. Howard
Republic
1944 The Lady and the Monster
65 minutes
Directed by George Sherman
Republic One Exciting Week
86 minutes Directed by William Beaudine
RKO
Enemy of Women (Mad Lover)
69 minutes
Directed by Alfred Zeisler
Monogram (W. R. Frank Production) 1947 The Magnificent Rogue
84 minutes Directed by Albert S. Rogell
Republic
Storm Over Lisbon
74 minutes
Directed by George Sherman
Republic Driftwood
86 minutes Directed by Allan Dwan
Republic
90 minutes

xxxvi
 T-Men Hollow Triumph (The Scar)
Directed by Anthony Mann Directed by Steve Sekely
Eagle-Lion (Edward Small Production) Eagle-Lion
96 minutes 83 minutes
Wyoming 1949 Captain China
Directed by Joseph Kane Directed by Lewis R. Foster
Republic Paramount
84 minutes 97 minutes
The Trespasser The Crooked Way
Directed by George Blair Directed by Robert Florey
Republic United Artists (Benedict Bogeaus Production)
71 minutes 80 minutes
The Pretender Border Incident
Directed by W. Lee Wilder Directed by Anthony Mann
Republic MGM (Nicholas Nayfack Production)
68 minutes 92 minutes
Bury Me Dead Red Stallion in the Rockies
Directed by Bernard Vorhaus Directed by Ralph Murphy
Eagle-Lion Eagle-Lion
68 minutes 85 minutes

The Ghost Goes Wild Reign of Terror (The Black Book)

Directed by George Blair Directed by Anthony Mann
Republic Eagle-Lion
89 minutes
Winter Wonderland
Directed by Bernard Vorhaus 1950 Grounds for Marriage
Republic Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
74 minutes MGM
89 minutes
Hit Parade of 1947
Directed by Frank McDonald Father of the Bride
Republic Directed by Vincente Minnelli
90 minutes MGM
93 minutes
1948 Canon City
(co-photographed by Walter Strenge) Mystery Street
Directed by Crane Wilbur Directed by John Sturges
Eagle-Lion MGM
82 minutes 92 minutes

The Spiritualist (The Amazing Mr. X) Devil's Doorway

Directed by Bernard Vorhaus Directed by Anthony Mann
Eagle-Lion MGM
79 minutes 84 minutes

Raw Deal It's a Big Country

Directed by Anthony Mann (co-photographed by Ray June and William
Eagle-Lion (Edward Small Production) Mellor)
78 minutes Directed by Richard Thorpe, Don Weis, John
Sturges, Don Hartman, William Wellmann,
He Walked by Night
and Charles Vidor
Directed by Alfred Werker
MGM (Robert Sisk Production)
Eagle-Lion (Bryan Foy Production)
88 minutes
80 minutes

xxxvii
1951 Father's Little Dividend Witness to Murder
Directed by Vincente Minnelli Directed by Roy Rowland
MGM United Artists (Erskine Productions)
82 minutes 81 minutes

The People Against O'Hara Silver Lode

Directed by John Sturges Directed by Allan Dwan
MGM RKO (Benedict Bogeaus Production)
101 minutes 80 minutes

An American in Paris (ballet sequence only) Passion

Directed by Vincente Minnelli Directed by Allan Dwan
MGM RKO (Benedict Bogeaus Production)
113 minutes 84 minutes

1952 Apache War Smoke Cattle Queen of Montana

Directed by Harold F. Kress Directed by Allan Dwan
MGM RKO (Benedict Bogeaus Production)
67 minutes 88 minutes

Washington Story (Target for Scandal) 1955 Escape to Burma

Directed by Robert Pirosh Directed by Allan Dwan
MGM RKO (Benedict Bogeaus Production)
81 minutes 86 minutes

Talk About a Stranger Pearl of the South Pacific

Directed by David Bradley Directed by Allan Dwan
MGM RKO (Benedict Bogeaus Production)
65 minutes 85 minutes

1953 Battle Circus Tennessee's Partner

Directed by Richard Brooks Directed by Allan Dwan
M G M (Pandro S. Berman Production) RKO (Benedict Bogeaus Production)
89 minutes 87 minutes

Count the Hours (Every Minute Counts) The Big Combo

Directed by Don Siegel Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
RKO (Benedict Bogeaus Production) Allied Artists (Sidney Harmon Production)
74 minutes 86 minutes

1, the Jury 1956 Tea and Sympathy

Directed by Harry Essex Directed by Vincente Minnelli
United Artists (Victor Saville Production) MGM (Pandro S. Berman Production)
87 minutes 122 minutes

Take the High Ground Slightly Scarlet

Directed by Richard Brooks Directed by Allan Dwan
M G M (Dore Schary Production) RKO (Benedict Bogeaus Production)
100 minutes 91 minutes

1954 The Steel Cage The Catered Affair (Wedding Breakfast)

Directed by Walter Doniger Directed by Richard Brooks
United Artists MGM (Sam Zimbalist Production)
80 minutes 92 minutes

Duffy of San Quentin (Men Behind Bars) Teahouse of the August Moon
Directed by Walter Doniger Directed by Daniel Mann
Warner Brothers (Berman Swarttz-Walter MGM (Jack Cummings Production)
Doniger Production) 123 minutes
76 minutes

xxxviii
1957 Designing Woman 1960 12 to the Moon
Directed by Vincente Minnelli Directed by David Bradley
MGM (Dore Schary Production) Columbia (Fred Gebhardt Production)
117 minutes 74 minutes

1958 Lonelyhearts Elmer Gantry

Directed by Vincent J. D o n e h u e Directed by Richard Brooks
United Artists (Dore Schary Production) United Artists (Bernard Smith Production)
103 minutes 146 minutes

The Brothers Karamazov

Directed by Richard Brooks
MGM (Pandro S. Berman Production)
149 minutes

xxxix
 PAINTING WITH LIGHT

PREFACE

This b o o k was w r i t t e n o n t h e a s s u m p t i o n t h a t p h o t o g r a p h i c
lighting as exemplified in H o l l y w o o d m o t i o n p i c t u r e s is p e r h a p s
s o m e w h a t in a d v a n c e of t h e lighting t e c h n i q u e s as generally
a p p l i e d in o t h e r b r a n c h e s of p h o t o g r a p h y . Almost w i t h o u t ex-
c e p t i o n every lighting effect achieved in m o t i o n p i c t u r e s can be
a c c o m p l i s h e d equally well in still p h o t o g r a p h y w h e n t h e o p e r a -
tor has t h e know-how. T o a c q u a i n t t h e r e a d e r with c e r t a i n n e w
m e t h o d s a n d materials, t h e a u t h o r has r e p r o d u c e d 2 9 5 p h o t o -
g r a p h s a n d line cuts illustrating every application a n d t e c h n i q u e
m e n t i o n e d in t h e text m a t t e r of this book; every tool, gadget, a n d
trick of t h e H o l l y w o o d lighting experts m e n t i o n e d in this b o o k is
illustrated a n d discussed in detail.
Special sections of t h e b o o k t r e a t o t h e r significant aspects of
lighting s u c h as t h e b e s t m e a n s of achieving m a x i m u m effects in
p e r s o n a l lighting in t h e h o m e a n d e l s e w h e r e . Display lighting of
all kinds is also c o v e r e d .
If t h e r e is a p h i l o s o p h y in this book, it m i g h t be t h o u g h t of in
t e r m s of t h e author's s i n c e r e d e s i r e to s h a r e t h e fruits of his
e x p e r i e n c e with k i n d r e d souls w h o also delight in c a p t u r i n g bits
of light at rest on things of beauty.
J. A.
Hollywood

xli
My deepest appreciation to:

Mr. Aubrey Schenck, Executive Producer of the Eagle Lion Studios, w h o placed
the facilities of the entire plant at my disposal.

Mr. Leslie V a u g h n and his Still D e p a r t m e n t .

Mr. Robert Jones and his Electrical D e p a r t m e n t .

Mr. H a r r y Strainge and his Grip D e p a r t m e n t , all of w h o m were helpful in getting

the necessary industrial illustrations.

Credits: Kodachromes by T e d Weisbarth.

P r o d u c t i o n stills by George H o m m e l and T e d Weisbarth.

All other pictorial illustrations by the author, unless otherwise indicated.

CHAPTER 1

HOLLYWOOD P H O T O G R A P H Y

The City of Geniuses printing by the laboratory. T h e photograph-

ing of a film is not unlike a concert. Every
There is hardly another place w h e r e there
instrument is important by itself, b u t a con-
are as many directors as in a motion picture
ductor is required to coordinate them all, and
studio in Geniucity, Hollywood.
this is accomplished through the efforts of
Visiting the studio, as we arrive at the gate
the director of photograph//, or first camera
we meet the first director, w h o claims that
man. T h e work of many artists results in a
without him there would be no shooting. H o w
series of pictures impressed on a narrow strip
right he is; as the gateman, he holds the keys
of film; that is motion picture photography.
to the studio. They call him Traffic Director,
who directs all the tourists to the different
T h e Photographic Staff
stages.
He shows us the b e n c h on which people A large staff is necessary to assist in the
wait for the bus. It is called The Board of photography of a picture. It consists of sep-
Directors. "That is nothing," he claims, "wait arate little departments, each with its own
till you see the canteen, it is n a m e d The Direc- peculiar functions. Most of these skilled art-
torate" The word payroll has b e e n replaced ists and technicians have their own depart-
by Directory—so appropriate. As we proceed, ment heads, b u t on the set they work under
we meet the First Assistant Director, Second the supervision of the cameraman.
Assistant Director, Art Director, Musical Di- The different crews are the following:
rector, Director of Orchestra, Dialogue Direc- 1. Camera crew
tor, Process Director, Sound Director, In- 2. Electrical crew
Director, who has it "in" for the m a n w h o 3. Grip and his d e p a r t m e n t
directs the picture, The Director. 4. Process d e p a r t m e n t
But the man whose work interests us most 5. Special effects d e p a r t m e n t
is the Director of Photography. 6. Green d e p a r t m e n t
Production of a motion picture involves the 7. Stand-by painter
work of hundreds, and in many cases thou- 8. Stage make-up artists and hairdressers
sands, of people. Into a motion picture go the 9. Stage w a r d r o b e men and women
dream of the writer, careful planning, sched- 10. Stand-ins
uling, and budgeting by the production de- 11. Laboratory contact man.
partment, design of production and construc-
THE CAMERA CREW
tion of sets by the art department, fashion
design and costumes by the w a r d r o b e depart- T h e camera crew, under the direction of the
ment, rigging and illumination by the elec- first cameraman, consists of the second, or
trical department, and film development and operative cameraman, the technician, the as-
1
sistant cameraman, and the filmloader. T h e y or difficult locations. This problem has been
h a n d l e the cameras, lenses, and the loading solved by process photography. In most Hol-
and unloading of the film. T h e second camera- lywood studios, one particular large stage is
m a n operates the camera during the shooting set aside for background process scenes, but
and does the p a n n i n g a n d tilting, while the there are also portable background machines
technician follows focus. T h e assistant holds which can be b r o u g h t on to any set. In some
the n u m b e r slate a n d keeps the report of studios the director of process is in charge, but
scenes shot. T h u s is h a n d l e d the mechanical in others the director of photography super-
end of the p h o t o g r a p h i n g of the picture. vises the front illumination, and the process
On larger sets, or on scenes such as fights, d e p a r t m e n t takes care of the balance.
accidents, aeroplane take-offs, fires, explo-
THE SPECIAL EFFECTS DEPARTMENT
sions, etc., w h i c h can be p h o t o g r a p h e d only
once, t h e r e m a y be more t h a n one camera If a scene calls for artificial reproduction
with the necessary operative cameramen, and of rain, snow, fog, windstorm, lightning,
the corresponding assistants for each camera. smoke, earthquake, or any other activities of
the elements, the special effects man with his
THE ELECTRICAL CREW
million tricks is called in.
T h e really important function of the direc-
THE GREEN DEPARTMENT
tor of p h o t o g r a p h y is illumination. In this dif-
ficult task his right-hand m a n is the chief elec- N a t u r e is beautiful, b u t sometimes we need
trician, or gaffer, w h o is in charge of the elec- a garden or any other exterior to suit our
trical crew on t h e set. U n d e r the gaffer's action, a n d we call in the landscape artist
orders are t h e rigging gaffer and his crew who heads a special green department. In his
w h o do the preliminary work of placing the work he is assisted by the greenman.
reflectors in their predesignated places. For Some studios have their o w n green depart-
the actual illumination the gaffer has his reg- ments; others have their work done by out-
ular crew, consisting of the best boy, dimmer side landscape artists who own h u g e nurseries
man, generator man, juicers, spot men, oper- a n d glass houses, and have ready any speci-
ators, a n d other helpers m e n of tree, plant, flower, of any country of
the world the script may call for.
THE GRIP AND HIS DEPARTMENT
T h e green d e p a r t m e n t can also reproduce
Another important assistant to the director a jungle or a forest right on the stage. If a
of p h o t o g r a p h y is the key-grip and his spe- required tree or plant is not available, the
cially trained assistants w h o do all the inci- greenman constructs it of cardboard or plas-
dental construction, breaking down of sets, ter. E a c h company, w h e n shooting, has its own
minor emergency carpenter work, and with greenman and his assistants, the n u m b e r de-
the thousand beautifying contraptions help p e n d i n g upon the size of the set to be photo-
to glamorize the stars. T h e y also operate the graphed. They stand by to dress (shine) the
crane or boom, a n d the camera dolly. T h e greens of the set, to move bushes, or to do
key-grip has his best boy, or assistant, the any other "green" duty.
boom operator, and other helpers, assistants,
THE STAND-BY PAINTER
and laborers.
No matter h o w perfect a set, or how beau-
THE PROCESS DEPARTMENT
tiful a countryside, a street, or any other lo-
It is sometimes impossible to take entire cation, changes may be required w h e n actu-
production crews and cast on certain distant ally shooting. There are problems that may
2
be solved by a slight spray of black paint, change of wardrobe, make-up, or hairdress,
a touch of eggshell to bring out a highlight, making of stills, and all the other requirements
or by the change of a color. For this work of production. Therefore each star and fea-
each production unit has a stand-by painter tured player is entitled to have someone sim-
on the set. ilar in type, stature, figure, color of hair, etc.,
to stand in for him or her. Hence the name
STAGE MAKE-UP
stand-in, or second team. T h e stand-ins just
Make-ups do not endure under ad- stand or sit, as the case may be, or mechan-
verse weather conditions. Kisses ruin the lip ically go through the different actions the
make-up and leave rouge marks on cheeks, scene calls for, dress exactly like the first team
the hair gets mussed u p , or a backlight ac- or at least in similar tone. They stand in un-
centuates one single hair standing up against til the lights are ready, and walk through the
a dark background. Hair styles must match, scene a few times to check the light. W h e n all
faces must be kept clean and fresh, and at is ready for the actual photography, the prin-
times tears must be created right on the spot. cipals are paged. Some stand-ins have m a d e
For these purposes the make-up artists and the grade and have become famous stars.
hairdressers are always on the set. On sets
T h e Laboratory Contact M a n
where there are dancers, skaters, or other
artists with parts of their bodies exposed, W i t h lighting alone we still do not have
male and female body make-up artists are photography. An important part is the proc-
also required. essing of the film in the laboratory. The direc-
tor of photography has no time to be present
WARDROBE
while the processing is going on. For this
The wardrobes of the artists are selected purpose a laboratory contact man is appointed,
previous to production. However, minor who sees to it that all of the cameraman's in-
changes often are required on the set. A dress structions are carefully carried out.
is torn, coffee is spilled on a shirt front, a but-
Tools of Motion Picture Photography
ton is missing, or pants need to be pressed.
Any one of a thousand other minor incon- Just as the painter must have brushes of
veniences may arise which would cause a seri- different properties, paints of many colors,
ous delay in production if not attended to canvas, an easel, and other equipment to paint
immediately. Hence, w h e n shooting, the pres- a picture, so must his fellow artist, the direc-
ence of a wardrobe man or woman is required tor of photography, have his implements to
on the set at all times. make a painting of as many as possible of the
hundreds of setups required for a feature
The Outstanding Stand-ins
length motion picture.
The lighting of artists, whether in a long
CAMERA EQUIPMENT
shot or a close-up, necessarily takes time. Win-
ter pictures sometimes are m a d e in the sum- T h e camera is a familiar apparatus, consist-
mertime (why, I don't k n o w ) , and it is not ing of the box itself, a magazine with one
very pleasant to be constantly exposed to the compartment for unexposed film and another
terrific heat of the powerful lights needed for for exposed film, the inside mechanism, and
modern motion picture photography. Espe- the lenses. Figure 1 shows a Mitchell BNC
cially is this true w h e n heavy fur coats must studio camera; in front of the lens is the matte
be worn. Furthermore, the time required for box used to shade the lens and to hold diffu-
lighting can be utilized by rehearsal of lines, sion disks, filters, gauzes, or other gadgets that
 individual cinematographers may have devel-
oped. F i g u r e 2 shows a Bell and Howell
E y e m o camera designed for greater porta-
bility t h a n the studio camera.

LENSES

T h e lenses most widely used are the follow-

ing:
24 mm or 25 mm lens, used as a wide-angle
lens
28 mm lens, narrower in angle, b u t pro-
ducing less distortion
30 mm lens, used for long shots with depth
35 mm lens
40 mm lens, used for long shots
50 mm lens, for an angle of view nearest to
that of the h u m a n eye
75 mm lens ^
„~ , for portraits, close-up, and
80 mm lens y \ 1

,„„ , telephoto shots

100 mm lens J r

Fig. 1 Mitchell "BNC" 35 mm Studio Camera. On some cameras three of these lenses are
(Merriman Photo.)
m o u n t e d on a turret on the front of the cam-

Fig. 2 Bell &r Howell "Eyemo" Camera with Filter Holders

era. On a camera of the latest model, only EXPOSURE METERS
one lens is m o u n t e d at one time, b u t all are
There was a time w h e n the cameraman,
interchangeable by means of a bayonet fit-
w h e n in d o u b t about exposure on exteriors,
ting.
merely stopped d o w n to f :5.6 and blamed the
FILTERS
laboratory for the rest. W i t h modern labora-
tories came chemical engineers, and with them
W h e n photographing exteriors we some- came science; today photography is based on
times would like to accentuate clouds, darken science. If we want a good negative we must
blue skies, make night shots in the daytime, expose the film correctly. T h e h u m a n eye is
or emphasize certain parts of the landscape. not entirely reliable w h e n subject to light
For these purposes we a d d filters, which may changes, and is far from being as accurate as
be either of glass or of gelatin. the photoelectric cell in an exposure meter.
The meters used by Hollywood photographers
THE FILTROSCOPE
are the Weston, the General Electric, and the
To select the filter best fitted for the effect Norwood. Technicolor has developed a spe-
in mind, we use an instrument called the cial meter for use in its process of color
filtroscope (Fig. 3 ) . This invention of the au- photography.
thor's is similar in form to a slide rule, and
has different filters m o u n t e d on it, each over NUMBER SLATE

a round hole. Over the filters slides a special E a c h scene must be n u m b e r e d to enable
the film editor to select the best take of any
scene. T h e old-fashioned number slate is be-
ing replaced gradually by an internal number-
ing mechanism.

ELECTRIC FREEHEAD

W h e n camera motors first w e r e introduced,

Fig. 3 The Filtroscope some cameramen were so short-sighted as to
predict that the end h a d arrived, that with an
type of blue glass; the combination of filter electrically driven camera there would be no
and blue glass gives the photographer an idea need for a m a n to operate it, because the di-
of how the use of any filter will change the rector could do it himself. Time has proved
picture. these prophets wrong. Today the director of
photography has operators, assistants, techni-
DIFFUSERS
cians, and loaders to help him.
Because the camera does not lie, correc- All this is mentioned as preface to another
tions must be m a d e by adding beautifying improvement which I am about to suggest,
gadgets called diffusers. T h e most frequently an improvement as revolutionary as the cam-
used are glass disks which come in different era motor was in its time. Many of us who
grades, the choice d e p e n d i n g upon the degree were so fortunate as to be able to help save
of diffusion desired. Besides these commer- democracy have seen the automatic machine
cially available beautifiers, each director of gun tiltheads installed in planes. During the
photography has developed his own glamor- great blitzes the casualty rate of machine gun-
izers such as gauzes of different densities and ners was very high. Something had to be done
colors. about it, and something was done. This new
5
tilthead was invented, a n d no longer did the means shadows—lots of them. To create these
machine g u n n e r h a v e to stick out his head. shadows, to beautify, to keep light off the lens,
Instead of operating the gun and aiming it, to operate the dolly or crane, and for a thou-
he looked t h r o u g h the finder. W h e n he moved sand other missions, the grip and his tool kit
the finder, tilted, or p a n n e d , the machine guns come in very handy.
t u r n e d a n d converged automatically with it, Wherever the c a m e r a m a n goes he is fol-
aiming at the target w i t h the greatest accu- lowed by the grip and his trunkful of magic
racy. gadgets. Many of these tricks have no names,
If this instrument was so useful, w h y but all have their special purposes, and are
couldn't it be utilized successfully for pro- used at some time or other during the pro-
duction of motion pictures? It would make duction of a picture. Many of t h e m are de-
an ideal automatic tripod freehead. Tripods scribed in what follows.
have improved s o m e w h a t since the original
TRIPOD TRIANGLES
tripod h e a d was loosened and with the aid
of a club was used as the first freehead. T h e For silent shots the old Mitchell type NC
converted m a c h i n e gun h e a d would be quite camera is taken out of the blimp to facilitate
an improvement over the present wheel-driven moving around, a n d is placed on a tripod.
one. Just imagine the operator looking t h r o u g h On stone floors, or w h e r e the tripod points
a finder, a n d as he turns it by the slightest would p u n c t u r e , scratch, or do other harm,
touch simultaneously tilting and p a n n i n g the we use a triangle u n d e r it. There are three
camera, getting exactly a n d accurately the kinds: the star, the folding type, and a solid
same field of composition seen in the finder. triangle; all are m a d e of wood. On h a r d floors,
It would be a definite step forward in meth- a triangle keeps a camera from slipping.
ods of motion picture production.
TURNBUCKLE

W h e n we shoot a plate for process, or any

REFLECTORS
other scene w h e r e a steady camera is abso-
Because some of the old lighting units used lutely essential, we tie it down. This is done
metal reflectors with an arc or an incandes- with a heavy metal chain, turnbuckle, and
cent l a m p , reflector has remained the Holly- stage screw. This method is used also when
wood term for a lighting unit. Just as paint- shooting on a moving train, car, truck, or on
ers use different brushes for different results, the deck of a moving ship at sea.
so does a director of p h o t o g r a p h y utilize vari-
CAMERA DOLLY
ous types of reflectors for the variety of light
effects which he m a y h a v e in mind. We try To be able to move around with the cam-
to imitate light effects t h a t we know exist in era, we have taken it off the traditional tripod
nature. In outdoor scenes they are either sun- and p u t it on a dolly, where it stays most of
light for day scenes or moonlight for night. the time during the shooting of a picture. T h e
Inside they are sunlight for daylight and in- dolly is a four-wheeled vehicle pushed by the
candescent or any other artificial light for grip's assistant. It holds the blimp of the old
night. type camera, a n d the camera within the blimp.
T h e camera can be changed quickly from a
position little above floor level to a position
GRIP EQUIPMENT
six feet above the floor (Figs. 4, 5 ) .
The tendency in motion picture illumina- Dollies h a v e h a r d r u b b e r wheels, and pas-
tion seems to be toward the realistic, which sage over a nail or the slightest obstruction
6
would cause a jump on the screen. To avoid ADJUSTABLE CAMERA PLATFORM
this, the dolly is moved on metal or wooden
If the setup is higher than the dolly arm
tracks that come in sections of four, six, and
can reach, we use a platform. Platforms are
ten feet. A rug is placed u n d e r the entire
m a d e of wood, and are adjustable from two
length of the tracks to absorb floor squeaks
to six feet; for a twelve-foot platform, one of
and to silence the steps of the assistant grip
the six-footers is placed on top of another,
who pushes the dolly.
and they are braced heavily to avoid acci-

Fig. 4 Camera Dolly with Blimp in Fig. 6 Steel Tubular Parallel

High Position
dents. Platforms are used also to place high
Fig. 5 Camera Dolly with Blimp in
lamps or sun reflectors. T h e new type steel
Low Position
tubular parallel rises from five feet to twenty
feet (Fig. 6 ) . There is also a folding adjust-
able parallel which is available in heights of
four and six feet (Figs 7, 8 ) .

CAMERA CRANE OR BOOM

To be able to move from a low setup to a

high one, or vice versa, and from a close-up
to a full long shot of a set, the dolly is inade-
quate. For this purpose we use the crane or
boom. T h e small b a b y boom is used for small
sets (Fig. 9 ) , and the big boom is used for sets
in which greater height is required.
7
 insert of a ball on top of a table (Fig. 10,
position A) and pull back to a long shot of
the entire set (position B) he may run into
difficulties with fixed tracks. As the camera

Fig. 9 Small Camera Crane

Fig. 7 Adjustable Platform. Low Position recedes, the end of the dolly track gets into
the picture (Fig. 1 1 ) .
This problem has b e e n partially solved by
having an extra grip pull up sections of the
track as we truck back. However, this is dan-
gerous, for the view finder on the camera
does not indicate w h a t goes on underneath

Fig. 8 Adjustable Platform. High Position

Even t h o u g h a crane has rubber-tired

wheels, tracks are used in some studios w h e r e
the floor is not entirely level. These tracks are
Fig. 10
m a d e of wooden boards of different lengths.
the camera, and it is only after having seen
THE RECEDING TRACK
the rushes that we know whether the grip's
T h e moving of the camera, or trucking as high h a t did or did not get into the picture.
it is often called, is done either by crane or T h e tracks now in use are m a d e up of sec-
dolly. This is all very simple, b u t if the direc- tions t h a t join straight on; therefore it is dif-
tor wants to make a shot that starts with an ficult to detach one section from another.
Besides, if we w a n t e d to dolly back to our may easily be converted into the new type.
original position A it would not be possible Considering the time that is lost with the old
to join the sections in time. W i t h the n e w tracks and also the possible retakes, the new
type of track shown in the diagram these tracks would soon pay for themselves.

THE DESTYCRANE

Wherever we h a p p e n to look, the postwar

tendency seems to be t o w a r d speed and more
speed. In order to hold the movie-goer's at-
tention, future films will have to move as fast
if not faster than life itself. No matter how
modern the camera dolly or how stream-
lined the boom may be, they are both becom-
ing a bit too slow. In some studios where
stages were not built for this extra weight,
tracks have to be laid. Floors are uneven and
bumpy, and it takes entirely too many re-
hearsals to make a good shot.
T h e solution for constant, smooth, and fast
problems are practically eliminated. Figure 12
camera movement is use of the destycrane.
illustrates a section of the track. E n d A of the
It is called that because its arm, like that
section hooks on to end B of the preceding
section. T h e ends are not cut straight, b u t
diagonally, thus making it possible to pull
sections back, also eliminating the b u m p as
the dolly wheel crosses from one section to
another (Fig. 1 3 ) .

Fig. 14

of destiny, reaches everywhere. Its design

Fig. 13 and operation are very simple (Fig. 14). There
are four parallel rails running in one direc-
To facilitate transportation the track is tion, built on the ceiling of the stage. On these
made up of several sections of standard de- rails a platform runs between points C and D.
sign b u t of different lengths; it can be m a d e U n d e r n e a t h the platform there are two more
up of sections of any size d e p e n d i n g upon rails and on these the carriage holding the
how much has to be pulled back to clear the crane arm runs b e t w e e n the points A and B.
foreground line. T h e n e w track is inexpensive D u r i n g the rehearsal of the scene the camera-
to manufacture; in fact the track now in use m a n gives all necessary instructions to the
9
boom operator in the cabin, w h o carries t h e m crane enables the camera to move in any di-
out in the take. It is all d o n e electrically. T h e rection at any time a n d any speed desired.
assistant c a m e r a m a n is also in the cabin and It can go from an insert of a book on a shelf
follows focus by remote control. to an extreme long shot holding almost the
T h e r e is a p h o n e connection b e t w e e n cam- entire stage.
e r a m a n a n d boom operator. T h e camera has T h e construction a n d installation of the
a horizontal p a n of 360 degrees and vertical destycrane m a y be a bit costly, b u t consid-
tilt of 180 degrees. In other words the desty- ering the saving of time and improvement
of the motion picture technique, it will more
than p a y for itself the first year. Besides it
will open n e w horizons to the imaginative
cinematographer, writer, a n d director. The
wildest of T-Men-ish ideas can be realized
at short notice and with little or no difficulty.
T h e free movement of destycrane allows us
to shoot entire scenes without as m u c h as one
cut. Destycrane is definitely a step forward
in streamlining the studio, and no modern
motion picture stage can well afford to be
without it.

SET JACK

T h e set jack is a device used to move a wild

wall a r o u n d quickly and with as little help
as possible. It is employed also for transport-
ing sections of a set from the carpenter
shop to the stage w h e r e the set is assembled
(Fig. 1 5 ) .

GOBO

Fig. 15 Set Jack Goboes are w o o d e n screens m a d e in vari-

ous sizes and used primarily to cut light from
Fig. 16 Goboes reaching the lens. T h e r e are other purposes
for which this photographic tool is used. In
night shots w h e r e the background is jet black,
we place a platform with a lamp on it right
in the picture, and cover up with a black
gobo; it is a perfect black camouflage. If a
light h a p p e n s to hit the finder from behind
the camera, it obstructs the vision of the cam-
era operative; a gobo may be used to remedy
this too. To absorb light, goboes are painted
black (Fig. 16). A double gobo which can be
raised to a height of ten feet is known as a
folding slider. It also is m a d e of wood and
is painted black.
FLAG

W h e n there is no room for large goboes for

cutting off light, a flag is used. This is really a
miniature gobo, n a m e d because of its shape
when mounted on a stand. It may be of ply-
wood, but is m u c h lighter if m a d e of black
cloth with a metal frame. A wooden flag is
painted black to absorb light. Flags come in
different sizes: 6 by 36 inches, 8 by 20 inches,
9 by 30 inches (Figs. 17, 18).

OVERHEAD SOLID TEASER

These are oversized flags used to cut the

backlight from the lens. They are m a d e of
black cloth or of wood painted black. Their
size permits cutting off the light of a row
of backlight reflectors. They usually are
mounted on overhead stands ( F i g . 19), or
sometimes are suspended in the air from cat-
walks.

Fig. 18 Flag

Fig. 17 Flag
Fig. 19 Overhead Solid Teaser