American Cinematographer - January 2017 - 108

Lawrence Sher, ASC

When you were a child, which films made the strongest impression on you?
Jaws, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Being There and Breaking
Away.
Which cinematographers, past or present, do you most admire?
So many. Of the veterans - Conrad Hall [ASC], Owen Roizman [ASC],
Caleb Deschanel [ASC] and Nestor Alemendros [ASC]. And more
recently - Robert Elswit [ASC], Chivo Lubezki [ASC, AMC] and Bradford
Young [ASC].

- and I went on to make another movie with Bob the following year
in South Africa. I'll forever be grateful to him for taking such a chance.
What has been your most satisfying moment on a project?
It may seem like a real cliché, but my satisfaction on a project comes
in small ways every shooting day. Sometimes it's simply capturing a
really true moment of a performance that will only happen that one
time, and sometimes it's just getting that one beautiful frame or lighting setup after a long and frustrating day.
Have you made any memorable blunders?
I've made many, including the first thing I ever shot
in college. On a thesis short film for my friend
Jordan, I left the high slide of the old Luna-Pro light
meter in through all our interiors and everything
was 3 stops underexposed. You only make that
mistake once. Fortunately, it was college, and a
couple six packs of beer and a reshoot smoothed
that over.

What sparked your interest in photography?
It was in high school and I borrowed my father's
1963 Nikon F on a trip to Paris. I took pictures the
whole trip and suddenly I was hooked on photography. In college at Wesleyan University my interest
was re-sparked when I took a survey course called
'The Language of Film.' I started seeing the art of
moviemaking, and at its center was cinematography.
Where did you train and/or study?
After graduating from college as an economics
major, I got in my car and drove to Los Angeles with
the goal of becoming a cinematographer. I pulled
the light meter out of that same Nikon F, put in some
RGB film and took thousands of stills to teach myself lighting and exposure. Additionally, while assisting on commercials, music videos and
features, I would take copious notes in between my 2nd AC duties of all
the lighting setups. Every moment in between assisting, I tried to shoot
anything that I could drum up and learned by shooting and making
every mistake you could imagine.
Who were your early teachers or mentors?
In college I learned film theory from professor Jeanine Basinger, and in
the 'working classroom' of Los Angeles I learned from every cameraperson I worked for, including commercial cinematographers like Marco
Mazzei, Max Malkin, Sal Totino [ASC, AIC] and Jeff Cutter.
What are some of your key artistic influences?
I find constant inspiration from watching movies, as well as from photographers like Joel Sternfeld, Jeff Wall, Philip-Lorca diCorcia and many
others.
How did you get your first break in the business?
I was hired by a veteran film executive named Bob Misiorowski to shoot
a low-budget bank-heist movie called On the Border for Nu Image in El
Paso, Texas. He had no reason to hire me as I had very little on my reel
at that point. I was completely in over my head but learned a massive
amount about preparation and organization and how to be a professional working cameraman. I survived - we even finished two days early
108

January 2017

What is the best professional advice you've
ever received?
'Never let them see you sweat,' from Bill Paxton.
What recent books, films or artworks have
inspired you?
I just saw Arrival and thought Bradford Young, ASC's work was beautiful. And Fargo season two is perhaps the best 10 hours of entertainment I've seen in a long time - Dana Gonzales, ASC's work is fantastic.
Do you have any favorite genres, or genres you would like to
try? I'd love to shoot a documentary or a big action movie.
If you weren't a cinematographer, what might you be doing
instead?
A doctor like my dad and brother, or a behavioral economist.
Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for membership?
Owen Roizman, Mark Irwin and Tom Priestley Jr.
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
As a person who fell in love with movies mostly in my 20s when I was
learning cinematography, the ASC represented the best of the best
and I was in awe of the members' talents. So when I became a
member I was incredibly humbled. When I see the 'ASC' after my
name on slates, it still seems weird and unreal and reminds me of all
the history of the ASC and all I still have to learn.
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American Cinematographer

Photo by Merie Weismiller Wallace, SMPSP.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 2017