Conrad Hall
Conrad Hall
Conrad Lafcadio Hall, ASCwas an American cinematographer from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia. Named after writers Joseph Conrad and Lafcadio Hearn, he was best known for photographing films such as In Cold Blood, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, American Beauty, and Road to Perdition. For his work he garnered a number of awards, including three Academy Awards and BAFTA Awards...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionCinematographer
Date of Birth21 June 1926
CountryUnited States of America
There are a lot of directors who are knowledgeable about images, and others who aren't.
I want to tell a story and shape it all the way through to the end.
I knew exactly how I wanted it to play, but you are never sure until you watch the projected images reflect off the screen. That's when you know it worked.
It is also difficult to articulate the subtleties in cinema, because there aren't words or metaphors which describe many of the emotions you are attempting to evoke.
But you know you haven't done it all because you know everything keeps evolving and changing; and you know you can evolve with it if you grow and develop as a human being.
Painting and writing are solitary arts.
My peers say I have made a difference. That means more to me than winning an Oscar.
The closer the source of light is to a subject, the broader the beams are.
The sun is the most parallel light source because it is so far away.
I hope I'm still shooting when I'm 80.
It was 100 feet of 16 mm black-and-white film of a car coming to a stop sign, and driving off. I had to decide how to frame and light it. It was magic. There was a sense of mystery.
The audience has to understand that if the film is going to have any meaning for them. If they are going to empathize with the characters, they have to visualize the process of concentration involved in making every move.
With today's fast films, you can light the way your eye sees the scene. You can abuse the film and create subtleties in contrast with light and exposure, diffusion and filters. That's what makes it an art.
But at heart, I am more than a cinematographer.