American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 71

Bill Bennett, ASC portrait by Michael Helms. All images courtesy of Bill Bennett, the ASC and the AC archives.

Opposite: Bill
Bennett, ASC on
the set of a Ford
commercial in
2006. This page,
top (from left):
Key grip Tim
Pogoler, Bennett
and 1st AC Kirk
Bachman
working on a
Coppos Films
spot with
director Brent
Thomas (far
right) in 1987.
Bottom: A
portrait of
Bennett by
Michael Helms.

multiple threat: a terrific cinematographer in his specialty, a very giving guy,
and he's heavily involved in the ASC's
educational efforts." Crudo elaborates,
"If cinematography is 'visual storytelling,' Bill Bennett's body of work
can't be denied. You see his reel, and
you have to say, 'God Almighty!'
There's no denying his talent."
"I'm completely amazed that I'm
a member of the ASC at all," Bennett
humbly offers. "When I was a young
cinematographer starting out, I never
dreamed I would become a member.
And when I heard I was getting this
award, I was totally blown away."
Bennett's fellow board member
Robert Primes, ASC attests to his
colleague's sincerity and was, in fact,
witness to Bennett's reaction upon first
hearing of the honor. "When Richard
Crudo announced that he would be the
recipient of this award," Primes
recounts, "Bill's face flushed with
emotion and he had to leave the room.
It came as a complete surprise, and he
was incredibly moved." Primes
certainly shared in Bennett's excitement, as he was among the honoree's

major supporters in the early 2000s.
Bennett's background doesn't
immediately suggest a career as a director of photography, but in retrospect
he's able to trace elements of his early
life that foreshadowed his eventual
work behind the camera. His father
was a career Air Force officer and an
avid photographer with a background
in engineering. His mother, who
focused on raising Bennett and his
three sisters on a succession of Air
Force bases, was an amateur artist. "She
took painting classes," Bennett recalls,
"and she'd often sit there and talk to me
about line and composition and color. I
was fascinated by it.
"Cinematography is a mix of
artistry and engineering," he observes.
"You have to strike a balance between
the technical and the artistic. You could
be technically excellent, but if you don't
have a creative sense you'll make boring
pictures; you can be the most amazing
artist on the face of the Earth, but if
you don't understand the technology,
you'll never get your vision on the
screen."
When he was in high school in
www.theasc.com

San Antonio, Texas, Bennett's sister told
him about a job taking pictures for the
school's newspaper and yearbook. He
took the job and excelled. The school
also had a 16mm camera, with which
Bennett was able to shoot rolls of reverMarch 2016

71



http://www.theasc.com

American Cinematographer - March 2016

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

Table of Contents
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - Intro
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 1
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 2
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - Table of Contents
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 4
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 5
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 6
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 7
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 8
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 9
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 10
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 11
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 12
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 13
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 14
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 15
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 16
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 17
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 18
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 19
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 20
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 21
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 22
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 23
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 24
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 25
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 26
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 27
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 28
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 29
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 30
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 31
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 32
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 33
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 34
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 35
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 36
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 37
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 38
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 39
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 40
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 41
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 42
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 43
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 44
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 45
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 46
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 47
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 48
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 49
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 50
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 51
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 52
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 53
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 54
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 55
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 56
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 57
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 58
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 59
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 60
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 61
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 62
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 63
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 64
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 65
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 66
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 67
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 68
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 69
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 70
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 71
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 72
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 73
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 74
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 75
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 76
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 77
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 78
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 79
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 80
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 81
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 82
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 83
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 84
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 85
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 86
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 87
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 88
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - March 2016 - Cover4
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