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May Commentary from George Spiro Dibie Why There are No "Great" Filmmakers Around 50 years ago, our colleagues at the American Society of Cinematographers tried to entice Samuel Goldwyn to attend their annual "gala" dinner by creating a special tribute honoring him as "a great filmmaker." Goldwyn responded with an extraordinary letter explaining why there are no great filmmakers. He said that there are talented writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, actors, etc., and that all great or even good films were invariably the result of their collaborations. Nothing has changed since Goldwyn wrote that letter. Filmmaking is still the most collaborative of all the arts. Every film begins with a central idea expressed in words and an overarching vision provided by the director who is also responsible for assembling a team with the right combinations of talent and skill to translate concepts into moving images. Every successful film requires some element of simpatico between the participants engaged in the collaborative process. They all must strive for a common goal. Of all the people who contribute to making good and great films, the role of the cinematographer is the least appreciated. This is inevitable because the most artful work done by cinematographers is invariably transparent to critics and the public. In truth, part of the genius of the cinematographer is their ability to establish a sense of time and place, and to evoke emotional responses without drawing attention to their work. We can see actors perform, listen to the writer's words and the composer's music. The marketers and critics noisily inform us about the genius of the directors, but they rarely notice how nuances in the rendering of colors, in the use of darkness to conceal and light to reveal affect the story. They don't see how such decisions about contrast, textures, composition, choice of lenses, filtration, diffusion, film stocks, lab and postproduction processes, and countless other variables provide seamless threads that are woven into the fabric of every film. The truth is that the role of the cinematographer has been essentially anonymous since the dawn of the motion picture industry. Everyone knows about D.W. Griffith. How many people know about Billy Bitzer, the cinematographer who invented and executed the visual story-telling techniques that are still attributed to Griffith? It is equally true that there are no great or even good cinematographers who aren't supported by talented and skillful crews. Look behind every great or good cinematographer and you'll find a crew consisting of extraordinary camera operators and assistants, loaders and video technicians, gaffers and grips. Samuel Goldwyn had it right. Shame on the Discovery Channel When John Hendricks founded the first Discovery Channel in 1985, he said it was the fulfillment of a dream. Hendricks was frustrated by the lack of interest traditional television networks had in programming serious non-fiction films. He believed many people had tuned out commercial TV and PBS because there was nothing there for them. Hendricks said he believed in the intellectual capacity of the public and in the talented documentary filmmakers who deserved platforms for their stories. Unfortunately, the management of this now thriving company has lost sight of their avowed purpose. They plan to eliminate all on-air credits for filmmakers. And, they have the audacity to blame the public that they claim is "channel surfing away" from Discovery during the 30 seconds it takes to run credits. That may be true, but the reality is that people also channel surf while commercials and program promos are aired. The plan to eliminate on-air credits for our members and others whose work is featured on Discovery Networks is an outrageous disgrace and a breaking of the faith with both the public and the filmmakers who have supported John Hendricks' dream. I urge you to address your concerns and complaints to The Discovery Channel. Contact Information: The Discovery Channel o John Hendricks o Fax: (310) 986-5999 o Phone: (301) 771-5200 o E-mail: john_hendricks@discovery.com. As always, I look forward to your comments and suggestions. Please e-mail them to me. George Spiro Dibie, ASC |