American Cinematographer - March 2014 - 80

Rexford Metz, ASC

When you were a child, what film made the strongest impression on you?
Joan of Arc (1948). I was 11, and I watched Ingrid Bergman in a Long
Beach theater twice a weekend for a month. I also loved the Buck
Rogers serials.

What has been your most satisfying moment on a project?
Seeing an entire audience jump out of its chairs during Jaws when
the dead man's head appeared in the hole in the side of the fisherman's boat. I was the underwater cinematographer, and we shot
that in [editor] Verna Fields' swimming pool after the answer print
was finished!

Which cinematographers, past or present, do you most
admire?
The work of Robert Surtees [ASC] was the
real deal, realism on the screen, much like
the work of Haskell Wexler [ASC]. Also,
who could forget Billy Fraker [ASC], Ph.D.?

Have you made any memorable blunders?
I made arrangements to do a short film
with Marlon Brando on his Tahitian island
during his son's 12th birthday party. The
location was a rundown dental clinic
given to Marlon and his wife. The idea
was to film Marlon as he walked around
and explained the history of the flowers
growing there, the clinic and his family
village. The Kodachrome I loaded in the
camera was the wrong speed. Enough
said.

What sparked your interest in photography?
I always seemed to have a camera in my
hand. I had nine aunts and uncles and 25
cousins in Los Angeles, and I was designated the family photographer.
Where did you train and/or study?
I studied fine-art photography at Los Angeles City College, and then I studied cinema
at USC and did a final year in UCLA's
theater-arts program.

What is the best professional advice
you've ever received?
'Never say no!'

Who were your early teachers or mentors?
Ralph Woolsey [ASC] was my main cinematography teacher at USC,
and Robert Surtees kept me on the straight path as my mentor. He
mentored me while he was training his son, Bruce.
What are some of your key artistic influences?
Raphael's natural-light paintings, Edward Weston's black-and-white
prints, and the work of Charis Wilson, Weston's wife, muse and
printer.
How did you get your first break in the business?
In my first year after college, I shot a documentary short about Craig
Breedlove's land-speed record, The Spirit of America, which was
nominated for an Academy Award. I met Nelson Tyler and other
great pilots like Dave Jones, James Gavin and John Sarviss. I was
typed as 'a jock cinematographer' and was picked to shoot second
unit for Micky Moore, the greatest second-unit director; we made 30
action films together over 35 years. John Sarviss and I are still shooting aerials after 28 years as a team, most recently for Jack Green
[ASC] on Left Behind.

March 2014

What recent books, films or artworks have inspired you?
Storaro's Scrivere con la Luce (Writing with Light) trilogy and Zoom
magazine, the finest in fine-arts photography.
Do you have any favorite genres, or genres you would like to
try?
Anything black-and-white. I love to experiment with digital cameras
like the Red Epic-M Monochrome.
If you weren't a cinematographer, what might you be doing
instead?
I would be a practicing artist and teaching fine-art black-and-white
photography.
Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for
membership?
Vilmos Zsigmond and Owen Roizman.
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
It has allowed me to associate with the world's best cinematographers. I'm proud to be a member of the good ol' boys, as Conrad
Hall [ASC] used to say. Cinematographers are a brotherhood. ●

American Cinematographer

Photo by Jennifer Braddock.

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American Cinematographer - March 2014

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