American Cinematographer - October 2016 - 88

Peter Anderson, ASC

When you were a child, what film made the strongest impression on you?
When I was about 8, my cousins gave me a used
16mm projector along with some animated and
live-action Castle Films movies. I analyzed them
every which way, including frame by frame, and I
fell in love with the art of cinema and moving
images.

What has been your most satisfying moment on a project?
Creating images that exist only in one's imagination, where nobody fully
understands what the end result will look like until I
help deliver this vision. A lot of my creativity is a result
of the convergences of art and technology. Also, two
years ago when I was awarded the Motion Picture
Academy's Gordon E. Sawyer Award, which is an
honorary Oscar for technological contributions.

Which cinematographers, past or present, do
you most admire?
Freddie Young, BSC, for Lawrence of Arabia, and
Gianni Di Venanzo, for Federico Fellini's 81⁄2.

Have you made any memorable blunders?
There have been occasions when, had I been made
more knowledgeable of what the director was actually looking for, I would have been able to make these
images even more powerful.

What sparked your interest in photography?
After watching a TV episode of Mr. Wizard on photography when I
was about 9 years old, I set up a small darkroom and made contact
prints from some negatives my dad had shot. In the process I
destroyed a good set of my mom's baking pans by using them for the
processing trays.
Where did you train and/or study?
In high school I shot 16mm play-by-plays of our sports teams, and
continued that at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. When I was 19
I got on a train to California and enrolled in the Art Center College of
Design. I also studied at USC, UCLA and University of San Francisco.

What recent books, films or artworks have inspired you?
Nature and travel inspire me the most. I've traveled the world, worked
with so many talented people, and been to many amazing places, and
this inspires me more than something you can hold in your hand. Also,
I've been a great aficionado of American Cinematographer since I was in
junior high.

Who were your early teachers or mentors?
I came across Hal Mohr, ASC as he was filming a commercial with the
prototype Mustang in 1963. I took pictures of him filming and made
up some special prints, and Hal accepted me as a friend and became
my mentor. He introduced me to Charlie Clarke, ASC at the Clubhouse, and Charlie and I serviced the Clubhouse's camera collection.

Do you have any favorite genres, or genres you would like to try?
I've been blessed to be able to work on everything from commercials to
television to features, on technical projects, motion control, and special
venues like Imax and theme parks. I've done so many 3D and immersivecinematography projects, which are now making a comeback as virtual
reality.

What are some of your key artistic influences?
Art museums and movies, and anything involving Charlie Chaplin,
Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. And while I was a student, [I
admired] the films of Fellini, De Sica, Antonioni, Truffaut, Godard,
Resnais, Bergman, Kurosawa and many other great international filmmakers. I am also very strongly influenced by nature.

If you weren't a cinematographer, what might you be doing
instead?
I would be a photographer and a teacher.

How did you get your first break in the business?
After successfully running my own advertising photo studio for a
couple of years, Macy's bought me out and hired me to head up their
photo advertising department. I then returned to L.A. and worked at
Reel 3 with Richard Spies, through which I became involved in my first
live-action studio feature production, Mahogany - filming Diana
Ross and Anthony Perkins. Richard also introduced me to Douglas
Trumbull, whom I then worked with on Close Encounters.

What is the best professional advice you've ever received?
Oddly enough, it was a print ad that McDonald's ran back in the Sixties,
promoting being 'persistent and patient.' This mantra has served me very
well over my career.

October 2016

Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for membership?
Art Cruickshank, L.B. Abbott, Joseph Westheimer and Linwood Dunn
pushed for me in the Eighties, though it was Jack Cooperman, Izzy
Mankofsky, Russell Carpenter and John Hora who successfully recommended me for membership.
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
I have been hanging around our Clubhouse for over 40 years, and it took
until the Nineties to officially become a member of the ASC. It was a validation of my ability as a creator of motion pictures.
●

American Cinematographer

Photo by Layne Marie.

Close-up

American Cinematographer - October 2016

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