Isaac Mace-Tessler

Dear Cinematographers, I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in Film Studies at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, where I am researching the look or visual design in contemporary Hollywood cinema. I am examining what is involved in creating a film?s look (particularly the contributions of directors, cinematographers, and production designers), how this creative process develops, and the multitude of visual references and influences that shape the final images on the screen. To support these efforts, I am hoping to conduct interviews with professional cinematographers, enquiring about their working methods in regard to the creation of a film?s look, their visual influences, and the reasons for their final choices. I am writing therefore to enquire whether you would be interested in establishing a brief correspondence by e-mail or letter for interview purposes with me. It would be ideal if such questioning could also involve my observing and/or assisting on a current or upcoming project on which you are working. In my view, it is only through direct contact with the filmmaking process that the academic study of film ? especially that of the look of a film ? can become truly relevant and enlightening. I should state here that my own approach to the study of film is rather different from the majority of academic writing in the field, which largely concerns itself with imposing theoretical or ideological constructs on films. Instead, I am concentrating on the films themselves, and on the views of those involved in the filmmaking process. This approach is no doubt due in part to my experience in film production and my own work as a painter. My goal is to help create a bridge between the world of academic film studies and that of practical filmmaking ? a union which I believe would enrich both communities. If you are interested in learning more about my current research and/or you would like to receive a copy of my CV, I would be glad to provide you with further details. Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. Yours sincerely, Isaac Mace-Tessler e-mail: isaac.mace-tessler@uea.ac.uk

Dear Cinematographers, I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in Film Studies at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, where I am researching the look or visual design in contemporary Hollywood cinema. I am examining what is involved in creating a film?s look (particularly the contributions of directors, cinematographers, and production designers), how this creative process develops, and the multitude of visual references and influences that shape the final images on the screen. To support these efforts, I am hoping to conduct interviews with professional cinematographers, enquiring about their working methods in regard to the creation of a film?s look, their visual influences, and the reasons for their final choices. I am writing therefore to enquire whether you would be interested in establishing a brief correspondence by e-mail or letter for interview purposes with me. It would be ideal if such questioning could also involve my observing and/or assisting on a current or upcoming project on which you are working. In my view, it is only through direct contact with the filmmaking process that the academic study of film ? especially that of the look of a film ? can become truly relevant and enlightening. I should state here that my own approach to the study of film is rather different from the majority of academic writing in the field, which largely concerns itself with imposing theoretical or ideological constructs on films. Instead, I am concentrating on the films themselves, and on the views of those involved in the filmmaking process. This approach is no doubt due in part to my experience in film production and my own work as a painter. My goal is to help create a bridge between the world of academic film studies and that of practical filmmaking ? a union which I believe would enrich both communities. If you are interested in learning more about my current research and/or you would like to receive a copy of my CV, I would be glad to provide you with further details. Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. Yours sincerely, Isaac Mace-Tessler e-mail: isaac.mace-tessler@uea.ac.uk