Visions of Light

Sep 17, 1992

1h 32m

★ 7.0

The Art of Cinematography

Overview

Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.

Genres

Documentary

History

Production Companies

AFI

NHK

Visions of Light Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Self

Ernest R. Dickerson

Self

Michael Chapman

Self

Allen Daviau

Self

Caleb Deschanel

Self

Lisa Rinzler

Self

Conrad L. Hall

Self

William A. Fraker

Self

John Bailey

Self

Néstor Almendros

Self

Charles Rosher Jr.

Self

Vilmos Zsigmond

Self

Stephen H. Burum

Eccentric, outspoken, and unfiltered TV and low budget film director Josh Becker struggles to emerge from the shadow of his work on "The Evil Dead", "Xena", the careers of his more successful colleagues, depression and alcoholism to fulfill his lifelong ambition of creating high quality, successful films.

7.7

Faces Places

Jun 28, 2017

Director Agnès Varda and photographer/muralist JR journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.

0.0

Stars of Cabaret

Jan 1, 1956

A collection of amateur films made by photographer Roderic Vickers and friends.

6.0

Heirs of the Beast

Oct 10, 2016

The story of the making and subsequent success of The Day of the Beast, the Spanish cult film directed by Álex de la Iglesia and released in 1995.

8.0

D'Emmanuelle à Emmanuelle

Sep 24, 2024

« Emmanuelle » was released 50 years ago. Its main character, played by the young Sylvia Kristel, delve freely into her sexuality, without taboo. This bold movie became one of the great success of french cinema in the 70s, and Emmanuelle became the face of sexual liberation. Through the gaze of a woman, the character is back on the screen in 2024. This new Emmanuelle, written by Audrey Diwan, go in quest of a lost pleasure.

8.0

The Complete Story of Film

Aug 29, 2023

At 18 hours and 43 minutes long, 'The Complete Story of Film' collects two epic documentaries by Mark Cousins into a stunningly expansive global journey through film history from the birth of cinema to today. The Story of Film: An Odyssey is an inclusive and ground-breaking journey through the history of world cinema and a treat for movie lovers around the globe. Guided by filmmaker and historian Mark Cousins, this wonderfully insightful 15-hour love letter to the movies begins with the invention of motion pictures at the end of the 19th century, continuing through the entire 20th century of moviemaking and concluding with the globalized digital industry of the 21st. In The Story of Film: A New Generation, Cousins picks up where Odyssey left off, returning with a new epic and hopeful tale of modern cinematic innovation in the new millennium, exploring how movies and moviegoing have evolved and will continue to transform to our collective joy and wonder.

0.0

Uncensored Women

Dec 21, 2022

The story of a group of actresses who, in the Spain of the seventies, and in the midst of the democratic Transition, decided to appear nude in the films of that time of radical political change, defying the rigid and deeply rooted social rules.

0.0

A Day in the Life of French Cinema

May 20, 2002

Documentary showing one day of work of over 90 actors and filmmakers from French cinema on the same day. On 27 March 2002, 27 teams filmed actors, directors, producers and technicians at work, from Hawaii to Paris and from New York to Lisbon.

6.6

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen

Jul 7, 2018

A feature-length documentary focusing on the acclaimed work and eclectic career of maverick filmmaker Larry Cohen, writer-director of "Black Caesar," "It's Alive," "God Told Me To," "Q," "The Stuff," and many more.

7.0

All You Zombies: Bringing 'Predestination' to Life

Feb 10, 2015

Documentary about the making of the Spierig Brothers' 2014 film PREDESTINATION that is based on Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 science-fiction short story '—All You Zombies—'. Through interviews with cast and crew, film clips and behind-the-scenes footage, this documentary thoroughly explores how the film came to be from casting to pre-production to principal photography to post-production. Interviewees include writers/directors Michael and Peter Spierig, producers Paddy McDonald and Tim McGahan, director of photography Ben Nott, special makeup effects designer Steve Boyle, production designer Matthew Putland, special makeup effects supervisor Samantha Lyttle, costume designer Wendy Cork, film editor Matt Villa, and actors Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor and Ethan Hawke.

7.0

The First Look

Apr 7, 2024

In Spain, a poor country ruined by the recent Civil War (1936-39), and in the midst of Franco's dictatorship, a film school was created in Madrid in 1947, which became, almost unintentionally, a space of freedom and pure experimentation until its closure in 1976.

6.5

Fellinopolis

Jun 10, 2021

Ferruccio Castronuovo was the only authorized eye, between 1976 and 1986, to film the brilliant Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini (1920-1993) in his personal and creative intimacy, to capture the gears of his great circus, his fantastic lies and his crazy inventions.

6.9

The Five Obstructions

Nov 7, 2003

Lars von Trier challenges his mentor, filmmaker Jørgen Leth, to remake Leth’s 1967 short film The Perfect Human five times, each with a different set of bizarre and challenging rules.

0.0

Documentary for the Recently Deceased: The Making of Beetlejuice

Invalid Date

A documentary about Tim Burton's iconic 1988 fantasy comedy Beetlejuice, covering all the aspects of production: from filming in East Corinth, Vermont, to the stop-motion and special effects work, as well as a series of exclusive interviews and rare behind the scenes archives.

8.0

Stephen King's World of Horror

Jan 1, 1989

This horror documentary is not the same as the 1986 TV special Stephen King's World of Horror nor the 1988 VHS release of the same name, which runs 45 minutes, was distributed by Front Row Entertainment and is about King himself. Instead, This Is Horror (copyright 1989) was a TV special which ran in four 60 minute increments. This new special used some framing footage from the original 'World of Horror' but is primarily newer interviews and behind-the-scenes footage about what was hot in horror in the late 80s. Here in the U.S., a condensed 90-minute version made its way onto video courtesy of Goodtimes in 1990. Elsewhere, the entire special was released as 2 different tapes running 90 minutes apiece. In the UK these were titled This is Horror: A Video Encyclopedia of Horror (Volumes 1 and 2) and in Germany they were called Best of Stephen King's World of Horror (Parts 1 & 2).

6.6

1895

May 6, 1995

1895 is a picture about the life of brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere, who have immortalized their names as inventors of cinematography. What inspired them?

7.5

My Journey Through French Cinema

Oct 12, 2016

Famous French director Tavernier tells us about his fantastic voyage through the cinema of his country.

8.0

Die Zeit meines Lebens - Dirty Dancing in Ost und West

Jul 10, 2022

In 1987, a small film distributor from Frankfurt/Main brings the film "Dirty Dancing" to West German cinemas against all negative odds. The film becomes the hit of the year, in complete contrast to France, where foreign films have a hard time against the local film landscape.

6.9

Penélope Cruz: Diva in the Mirror

Jul 17, 2022

An account of the life and work of Spanish actress Penélope Cruz: a long journey that began in the working-class neighborhoods of Madrid and ended in the hills of Hollywood.

No Image Available

5.0

Quentin Tarantino: From a Movie Buff to a Hollywood Legend

Jan 2, 2021

Who has ever compared Reservoir Dogs? What are “Open Road” and “New World Disorder”? Why is Harvey Keitel a fairy and how did we all almost become diehard fans of Paul Calderon? Here’s a story about Quentin Tarantino. The director who needs no introduction.