Gordon Willis short interview

[Byron Karl]

http://www.timeout.com/film/newyork/featur...don-willis.html

[Chris Keth]

"

What do today?s Hollywood cinematographers get right?and get wrong?

I think it?s amazing they get anything right. The ones that do, I give a world of credit to. Most DP?s are faced with ?motion confused with accomplishment??that is, directors who do not know how to tell a story.

 

Your work predates digital special effects. Jealous?

Everyone?s lost in a sea of special effects. I?m not against anything as a tool?it just shouldn?t be a way of life. I think a digital enema would do the most good for everyone right now."

 

I love Gordon Willis :)

[Josh Brokenbourgh]

You inspired a Gordon Willis research bomb. I looked him up and the usuals imdb and wiki come up. I read this on wiki and had a good laugh:

 

"As part of the legends surrounding The Godfather, Willis is said to have thrown an entire 35mm movie camera body and film magazine off a bridge after a quarrel with director Francis Ford Coppola."

 

Good times. I bet it was a Pistons, Knicks argument ;) And I wonder if someone rescued the pieces that flew off the bridge- probably not.

[Paul Maibaum ASC]

There is another great Gordon Willis legend.....working on a film starring Paul Newman ("The Drowning Pool") there were complaints that due to Willis penchant for top-lighting, Newman's famous blue eyes were not able to be seen to the extent the producers' wished.

Willis offered the following solution: re-cast.

The producers did not.

Edited July 13, 2007 by Paul Maibaum

[Paul Maibaum ASC]

In the above post I simply am reporting a rumour for it's entertainment value.

I personally think Gordon Willis is one of the few geniuses in our profession.

[Tom Lowe]

You've got to love a DP who has the power to put studio bosses in their place. :lol:

[Michael Ryan]

In the above post I simply am reporting a rumour for it's entertainment value.

I personally think Gordon Willis is one of the few geniuses in our profession.

 

 

Hello Paul,

 

Just to clear something up, a reporter reports on the facts, FOX NEWS passes along rumour for it's entertainment value.

 

 

Sorry, I couldn't pass that one up...ha ha.

 

 

 

Mike

[Alex Ellerman]

Francis Ford Coppola is interviewed in this month's Moviemaker magazine and he has some comments on working with Willis and Storaro, comparing and contrasting their styles. good stuff.

[Doug Hart]

"As part of the legends surrounding The Godfather, Willis is said to have thrown an entire 35mm movie camera body and film magazine off a bridge after a quarrel with director Francis Ford Coppola."

 

 

Sorry, all - this is pure fiction.

There were many quarrels, to be sure, but no cameras thrown off bridges.

 

Doug Hart

First Camera Assistant to Gordon Willis ASC

(ten years and ten features, plus many commercials)

NYC

[Ram Shani]

Doug

 

it's a great honor to have you in this forum

 

i read your book it is my ac "Bible" learned a lot from it.

 

and still dose:)

Edited July 16, 2007 by Ram Shani