American Cinematographer - February 2008 - (Page 55) Girl [1960] and Every Day Except Christmas, were radical, and by watching them I learned the importance of using a location for its atmosphere,” he continues. “Walter never overwhelmed a location with lights just because he had them. As a result, you get the beautiful light and textures of places like India and Greece. The lesson is the simplicity and the lack of indulgence.” Robert Primes, ASC worked with Lassally on the telefilm Gauguin the Savage (1980). “I learned a lot about cinematography from Walter,” he says, “but more than anything, he became a role model for how kind and calm someone could be. He would never boast or brag. He was often self-deprecating, and I realized the effect that had on others. It was disarming and put people at ease. At the same time, it spoke of a great, easy confidence. I decided I wanted to deport myself on set in that same calm, relaxed way. Ever since then, I have tried to emulate Walter in that regard.” Lassally continued to shoot film and television projects through the 1990s, including The Ballad of the Sad Café (1991), The Man Upstairs (1992) and Nature Perfected: The Story of the Garden (1995). He also devoted a lot of time to teaching at the American Film Institute, the Maine Photographic Workshops, England’s National Film and Television School, and elsewhere. His memoir, Itinerant Cameraman, was published in 1987. He lives in Crete and still gives occasional seminars. Lassally recalls his first visit to the ASC Clubhouse, which occurred in 1974: “It was an extraordinary experience, as it enabled me to put faces to many of the legendary names whose work enthralled me during the ’40s and ’50s. Their Hollywood films were an important part of my education and what I sought to emulate. I knew their names, but I never dreamed I’d meet them. To my surprise, there they all were, wandering around with nametags on their jackets. They gave me a very warm welcome.” Of the ASC honor he received last month, he says, “I was very grateful to receive the award from the ASC because it’s an honor given to you by people of your own kind. However, I always feel somewhat embarrassed when I’m singled out for what I regard as over-lavish praise. In my opinion, the photography of a film has failed if it draws too much attention to itself, and in my work, the real author of the effects [viewers] so admired was often God.” I http://www.kinoflo.com http://www.kinoflo.com
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