American Cinematographer - February 1995 - 98

The
as

Right to Sign Ourselves
"Authors of Cinematography"

by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC
It is obviously a very simple matter to
establish to whom the rights, and, more

mark on a film, so much so that every
director, producer, critic and moviegoer

specifically, to whom the moral and sub¬
stantial rights of an individual's "original
work" belong. When it comes to cinema,
inasmuch as [each film] is a joint original

does not hesitate in

work, it becomes much

more

difficult to

determine the

ownership of the above
rights. The producer himself has always
been the logical owner of the substantial
rights, but deciding to whom the moral
rights legally belong has never been an
easy task.
Just like any author who ex¬
presses himself in each artistic work, the
"author of cinematography" (i.e. the cin¬
ematographer) not only contributes all of
his technical and professional experience
to the creation of the images on which he

bution to that

same

defining his contri¬
film

as

"creative."

Writing in light is not merely a
form of individual handwriting that is a
part of a figurative concept, but also a
personal concept of life represented by
individual artistic expression. It is un¬
doubtedly an expression of our inner self,
a visualization of our own spirit by means

The director of

photography ought
to be considered an

author in his

its creation.
It is not in fact the

cinematog¬
rapher's job to simply reduce objects
with the aid of

final version of the film, he becomes the
sole technician responsible for the qual¬

ity of the print when viewed on the
by moviegoers throughout the
world. He controls the projection stan¬
screen

ematographic work in the

of

original cinematographic work; it is
a journey I began some time ago by first
exploring the realm in which darkness
and light are separate - by immersing
myself in the same light to discover the
meanings, symbols, physiology, ages,
drama, feelings and emotions of each
color. It is a journey I am continuing -
even while setting down these thoughts
by investigating and meditating upon
the equilibrium of the elements.
an

-

way in which
conceived and realized by its au¬
thors. The cinematographer's work is

it

was

completed before the moviegoer's
on

the

same screen

eyes
where the word "cin¬

ema" is fully defined. In reality, it is only
when the means of expression known as
cinema is realized with a language of

photographic images - and follows a
logical argument with a beginning, a
middle and an end
that it can truly call
itself by that name. It is only when the
-

movie camera, but to

Audiovisual works fall into the

particular way, a succession
of images which have been reflected
upon and structured according to a spe¬
cific concept, via a creative process
called photography.
If one holds to the interpreta¬
tion which sees the director (defined by
all as the principal author of a cinemato¬
graphic work) as the sole controlling and

category of composed works which can¬
not and should not be protected in part.

a

The term "audiovisual"

film. It is for these reasons that I believe
we all have the right, whether it has been

realize, in

a

a

can

be divided

into two basic areas of creativity but, un¬
fortunately, the area pertaining to vision
still does not enjoy full recognition as re¬
gards moral rights, in that authorship has
not yet been established for the light.
The photography of a cinematographic

pher leaves his personal and original

an "insubstantial" property
which, from the very moment it is con¬
ceived, labored upon and realized, is gov¬
erned by a copyright which "belongs" to
us even though it has not yet been legally
recognized. The cinematographer makes
a specific creative contribution during the
preparation stage (when he establishes

American

February 1995

creative force behind the camera, one
must therefore acknowledge that the di¬
rector of photography... ought to be con¬
sidered a co-author of the cinemato¬

graphic work and consequently an author
in his particular field of cinematography.
By writing with light, the cinematogra¬

96

photographic concept), during the allimportant shooting stage (when, besides
realizing his own creative concept, he
also recognizes those of all the other
authors of the film) and during the
postproduction stage (when, as well as
determining the light and color tones of
the cinematography by means of the an¬
swer print, he becomes responsible for
unifying the creative desires and the
work of all the co-authors, mainly of the
director). In giving his approval to this

dards and makes himself the guarantor
of the cinemagoer's right to enjoy a cin¬

particular field.

collaborates, but also influences their

composition in his own personal way
with his particular artistic taste and with
his highly individual creativity. He is the
alpha and the omega of the photographic
process, and with his technical and cre¬
ative conceptualization, realization and
communication of the image, he is
equally as responsible as the director for

his

Cinematographer

work is

various elements that combine to create

cinematographic work are in equilib¬
that they can fully be called a

rium.

.

.

assigned to
works

as

ema, a

us legally or not, to sign our
authors of photography in cin¬

qualification that is rightfully

ours.

This article

was excerpted
book published for the
Camerlmage Film Festival, which took
place in Jorun, Poland from November 26
through December 3. Storaro was hon¬

from

a

program

ored with the festival's Lifetime Achieve¬
ment Award.
American Cinematographer - February 1995

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