American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 88

Close-up

Michael Weaver, ASC

When you were a child, what film made the strongest
impression on you?
The Godfather. I recall seeing it when I was about 10. I had
never felt transported to another place and time in that way.

experiment and self-educate. Through that internship I landed
my first job on a feature with an indie producer who worked
there. I was able to go to Puerto Rico and operate a Panaflex for
the first time. By take two, I knew there was no going back.

Which cinematographers,
past or present, do you
most admire?
That would be an extremely
long list. If pressed I'd have to
say the biggest influences on
me have been Conrad Hall
[ASC], Gordon Willis [ASC],
Emmanuel Lubezki [ASC,
AMC], Roger Deakins [ASC,
BSC] and Robert Richardson
[ASC].

What has been your most
satisfying moment on a
project?
I don't allow myself a lot of
victories. I fear that the day I
feel satisfied is the day I'm
not trying hard enough.
Have you made any
memorable blunders?
Only in my personal life.
What is the best professional advice you've ever
received?
Never show fear.

What sparked your interest in photography?
In college I took an entrylevel photography class as an
elective. I fell in love with the chemical process and printing. The
possibilities seemed limitless.

What recent books, films or artworks have inspired you?
The scale and vision of the work on Gravity.

Where did you train and/or study?
San Jose State University, but I really started to learn by shooting
industrials.

Do you have any favorite genres, or genres you would
like to try?
A Western or a period gangster piece.

Who were your early teachers or mentors?
I think my greatest teachers and mentors were the cameramen I
was able to collaborate with during my decade as a gaffer. I was
fortunate to work with some very generous cinematographers:
Vance Burberry; James Glennon, ASC; Feliks Parnell; Kees van
Oostrum, ASC; Jeff Jur, ASC; Edward Pei, ASC; Levie Isaacks,
ASC - the list goes on. They all left an impression on me. It was
a great bonus in my development to carry some of the knowledge and experience of each of these guys with me, moving
forward.

If you weren't a cinematographer, what might you be
doing instead?
I set out to be a psychologist, but there was too much homework.

What are some of your key artistic influences?
The cinema of the Seventies, Edward Hopper paintings, and
anything and everything Conrad Hall and Martin Scorsese.

Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for
membership?
David Klein, Ken Zunder and Adam Kane.
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
It's given me a greater sense of responsibility in regard to the
craft - to uphold tradition and pass it along.
●

How did you get your first break in the business?
I got an internship at Lockheed in the film-and-video department during the thriving industrial-film days of 1980s Silicon
Valley. It was a creative environment where we were free to

March 2015

American Cinematographer

American Cinematographer - March 2015

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