Comments on: Kodak’s “On Film”: A Brief History

By: Manuel Billeter

Manuel Billeter — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:21:08 +0000

I cannot overstate my excitement when I opened the July ICG magazine and saw the very ad you are writing about in this article. Raoul Coutard! Not only is the real Paris background a compelling departure from the usual studio setting, and so fitting of the cinematographer’s vision, but the excerpt of his words, real and poetic, was even more thrilling. They summarize my very own fascination with film. Thank you for lending your great mind in creating this crown jewel of a great ad campaign, John!

By: Mohammad Khawaja

Mohammad Khawaja — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:18:35 +0000

This post is so much fun to go through that I have been scrolling back and forth constantly between the pictures and anecdotes! I was so delighted to read that you and Carol were able to invite Sven Nykvist to stay with you and take him on his first tour of the Mohave desert. It would be a delight to see the photographs he took of the desert as he took in his first impressions. I hope he was able to show them to you and Carol before leaving Los Angeles. On my first flight over Los Angeles I kept looking outside the plane window in awe at the scale of the L.A. basin. I hardly moved until the plane landed at LAX and will always remember the feeling of seeing it for the first time.

I’m really glad that you told us that the other On Film interviews would become available online. They are always inspiring to me and they provide an invaluable service by demystifying the process of filmmaking. Now I can also learn more about Douglas Kirkland and how he approaches his subjects and colleagues. Kodak can use this On Film visual history in so many different parts of the world to highlight the life, the challenges, the loves, the passions, and the beauty of being a cinematographer. A career in cinematography should be about people from different walks of life discovering and reinventing the pre-verbal language known as cinema.

I loved that picture of Kirkland and Doherty you included because I found myself studying his setup. I would love to read more about the way they approach each shoot and maybe they can begin with their recent one on Raoul Coutard. It would make for a wonderful program to show how they choose which person to highlight, all the preparation necessary for the profile, and then finally the actual photograph and conversation.

Your timing was perfect in suggesting Coutard to them because several of the films he shot (most recently was Breathless) are now being shown in restored prints. It is really wonderful news and I look forward to seeing his profile!

By: Jason Knutzen

Jason Knutzen — Sun, 02 May 2010 21:40:19 +0000

Thank you for this John. I am always excited to see who the next featured cinematographer for On Film is every month when I receive my copy of American Cinematographer. Not being too familiar with the history of the ad, I was initially surprised when Matthew Weiner appeared in the ad (although Mad Men does have a great unique visual style and is one of my favorite shows on TV). While I agree that the ad should mostly be reserved for renowned and established cinematographers, it is important for producers and directors to see the importance of shooting on film. They are frequently the ones making the financial decisions, so to hear someone with as much clout as Weiner talking about why he chooses film, hopefully that will rub off on the next generation of producers!

On another note, do you know if those On Film posters you pictured are still available to the public, i’d love to pick one up! Thank you again for this very informative post.

By: Ben

Ben — Sun, 02 May 2010 05:23:35 +0000

Reading your blog always renews my enthusiasm for working in cinema. These Kodak interviews are wonderful and the Stanley Cortez anecdote is great fun. I think I’m going to watch Scorsese’s New York Story tonight and take notes.

By: Walter Dufresne

Walter Dufresne — Sat, 01 May 2010 04:19:20 +0000

This is great stuff. Thanks so much for posting this, for writing this.

By: Jason Kohl

Jason Kohl — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:19:14 +0000

Whenever I hear Nykvist’s name I always imagine him sitting in the church set with Bergman studying the movement of the sun for “Winter Light.” His use of bounce lighting is revelatory. Thanks for this.

By: Raul Davalos

Raul Davalos — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:31:15 +0000

Thank you, John. I always cherished these ads and wished the interviews were longer. Perhaps now we can click on a “Read More” link and learn so much more of these great artists.