A hidden history of film style : cinematographers, directors, and the collaborative process /
Christopher Beach.
- Oakland, California : University of California Press, (c)2015.
- 1 online resource.
Includes bibliographies and index.
Pioneers in Babylon : D.W. Griffith and Billy Bitzer -- Rebel with a camera : Gregg Toland, William Wyler, and the development of deep focus technique -- Peering into corners : Billy Wilder, John Seitz, and the visual style of film noir -- The color of suspense : Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Burks -- What rule are you breaking? collaborating in the new Hollywood -- Cinematography, craft, and collaboration in the digital age.
"The image that appears on the movie screen is the direct and tangible result of the joint efforts of the director and the cinematographer. A Hidden History of Film Style is the first study to focus on the collaborations between directors and cinematographers, a partnership that has played a crucial role in American cinema since the early years of the silent era. Christopher Beach argues that an understanding of the complex director-cinematographer collaboration offers an important model that challenges the pervasive conventional concept of director as auteur. Drawing upon oral histories, early industry trade journals, and other primary materials, Beach examines key innovations like deep focus, color, and digital cinematography, and in doing so produces an exceptionally clear history of the craft. Through analysis of several key collaborations in American cinema from the silent era to the late twentieth century--such as those of D. W. Griffith and Billy Bitzer, William Wyler and Gregg Toland, and Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Burks--this pivotal book underlines the importance of cinematographers to both the development of cinematic technique and the expression of visual style in film"--Provided by publisher.
9780520959927
Motion picture producers and directors--United States. Cinematographers--United States. Motion pictures--Production and direction--United States. Cinematography--Special effects.