American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 116

Peter Levy, ASC

When you were a child, what film made the strongest impression on you?
When I was four or five I remember seeing 16mm prints of Battleship
Potemkin and Ivan the Terrible projected onto my uncle's living-room
wall. I had no idea what I was watching, but I'll never forget the power
of those images and how the wall in that room became a portal to
another reality.
Which cinematographers, past or present, do you most admire?
Above all others is Gordon Willis, ASC, for his elegance, simplicity, bravery, precision and style. To this day, when in doubt, my mantra is: 'What
would Gordy do?' I think Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC continues Gordy's
legacy today. Robert Yeoman, ASC and Bruno
Delbonnel, ASC, AFC consistently do interesting
work. And who hasn't been influenced by the
two great Hungarians, Laszlo [Kovacs, ASC] and
Vilmos [Zsigmond, ASC]?
What sparked your interest in photography?
I was fortunate to grow up in a household where
the arts and literature were both respected and
present, and I was encouraged to pursue creative
outlets. I didn't pick up a stills camera until I was
17, but then I found that putting a frame around the real world was a
way of expressing myself. It very quickly became too expensive for a
hobby, so I had to learn how to make it pay for itself.
Where did you train and/or study?
After I dropped out of high school, I freelanced as an assistant cameraman until I got a job at the Australian Commonwealth Film Unit - now
known as Film Australia - where I was one of two assistants serving
seven cameramen. Don McAlpine, ASC, ACS was chief cameraman,
and Dean Semler, ASC, ACS was a staff cameraman. Five years later I
left there to shoot a documentary series in Africa - and I've been
attending the School of Hard Knocks ever since.
Who were your early teachers or mentors?
Michael Edols, ACS taught me all he could about documentary and
handheld shooting while we were at the Commonwealth Film Unit, but
since then I've had to learn from my own mistakes and glean what I
could from the advice of others.
What are some of your key artistic influences?
J.M.W. Turner, for making light liquid; Caravaggio, for defining light by
its shadow; Matisse, for being fearless with color; and Andy Goldsworthy, for showing us that beauty is ephemeral.
How did you get your first break in the business?
In 1983, a French director, Henri Safran, plucked me from the world of
documentaries and music videos to shoot a very big-budget miniseries
116

January 2016

about the Gallipoli Campaign and a young man's life leading up to it.
Over the next eight months he trained me in the skills required for
shooting long-form drama and patiently tolerated my naïveté.
What has been your most satisfying moment on a project?
When shooting Cutthroat Island in Malta, my Italian camera crew
suddenly all quit after one of them was sacked. On a Tuesday, I put
in two desperate SOS phone calls to the U.S. and, by Thursday, 14 of
Hollywood's finest camera people turned up at the location ready to
help me finish the film. I got a little teary at the airport when I saw
them all arrive.
Have you made any memorable blunders?
More with my mouth than with my photography.
What is the best professional advice
you've ever received?
Don't get attached to anything - be prepared
to turn on a dime at any time.
What recent books, films or artworks have
inspired you?
Watching my bonsais grow, some of the brave new work being done
on television, the way light falls in the natural world. I'm currently
reading about the chemistry of cooking.
Do you have any favorite genres, or genres you would like to
try?
I'd like to shoot something bleak, noir-ish and existential - and a
Western, of course!
If you weren't a cinematographer, what might you be doing
instead?
Maybe a landscape architect - I like the idea of sculpting a piece of
land and creating some beauty that lives and grows. I could have
been a yacht jockey, too.
Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for membership?
John Alonzo, Russell Carpenter, Peter James.
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
Being a member is my proudest professional accomplishment. Walking through the doors of the Clubhouse always fills me with an equal
sense of pride and humility. I'm aware of the great cinematographers
and my heroes who have preceded me through those same doors,
and I am reminded of the dignity of the artistic pursuits of our profession. It recharges my batteries.
●

American Cinematographer

Photo by Thibault Grabherr.

Close-up



American Cinematographer - January 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 2016

Contents
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 1
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 2
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - Contents
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 4
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 5
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 6
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 7
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 8
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 9
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 10
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 11
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 12
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 13
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 14
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 15
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 16
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 17
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 18
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 19
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 20
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 21
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 22
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 23
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 24
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 25
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 26
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 27
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 28
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 29
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 30
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 31
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 32
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 33
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 34
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 35
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 36
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 37
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 38
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 39
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 40
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 41
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 42
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 43
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 44
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 45
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 46
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 47
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 48
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 49
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 50
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 51
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 52
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 53
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 54
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 55
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 56
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 57
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 58
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 59
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 60
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 61
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 62
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 63
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 64a
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 64b
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 64c
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 64d
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 64e
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 64f
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 64g
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 64h
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 64
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 65
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 66
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 67
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 68
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 69
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 70
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 71
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 72
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 73
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 74
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 75
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 76
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 77
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 78
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 79
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 80
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 81
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 82
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 83
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 84
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 85
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 86
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 87
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 88
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 89
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 90
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 91
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 92
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 93
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 94
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 95
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 96
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 97
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 98
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 99
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 100
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 101
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 102
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 103
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 104
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 105
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 106
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 107
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 108
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 109
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 110
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 111
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 112
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 113
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 114
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 115
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 116
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - January 2016 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1218_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1118_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1018_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0918_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0818_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0718_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0618_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0518_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0418_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0318_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0218_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0118_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1217_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1117_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1017_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0917_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0817_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0717_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0617_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0517_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0417_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0317_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0217_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0117_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1216_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1116_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1016_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0916_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0816_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0716_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0616_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0516_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0416_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0316_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0216_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0116_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1215_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1115_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1015_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0915_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0815_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0715_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0615_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0515_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0415_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0315_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0215_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0115_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1214
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1114
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0914
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0814
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0714
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0614
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0514
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0414
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0314
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0214
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0114
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1213
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1113
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0913
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0813
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0713
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0613
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0513
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0413
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0313
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0213
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0113
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0811
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac0110
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com