the wonders of ephemeral stuff, circulating anecdotes,
apocrypha and the like finding a fixity of sorts on the net, and the added
pleasure of being able to share it.
:-)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
An eminent cinematographer was engaged by an eminent filmmaker to make a feature-length non-fiction film on an eminent political leader.
One day they went to a museum to look for a particular document which, so the filmmaker felt, should be copied for the film. The document was located -- just a leaf from the leader's personal diary. The leaf was placed on the table with love and love. The cinematographer placed the camera, did the lensing, and started lighting. According to the filmmaker, the cinematographer took a long time to do his job. But the filmmaker, being a civilised person, allowed him to go his own way until he finished his lighting.
Having finished the lighting to his satisfaction, the cinematographer made space for the filmmaker to look through. The filmmaker looked through, and yelled:
'Where is the text gone?'
'I am fascinated by the texture of the paper.'
Text: The filmmaker's choice.
Texture: The cinematographer's passion.
Why not a dialogue to start from here? Why not a debate on this?
To assure, the anecdote just presented is not a fiction, it is a reality.
For information,
The filmmaker: Shyam Benegal
The cinematographer: Subrata Mitra
The film: Nehru
From
http://www.chaosmag.net/cinematographer.html