Cinematographer Wally Pfister's first foray into directing has given him a new perspective
Cinematographer Wally Pfister's first foray as director has given him a new perspective, writes James Mottram
There seems to be an unspoken rule in Hollywood: everybody knows their place. While actors, and occasionally screenwriters, have made the crossover to directing, it seems far harder for others in the industry to do the same.
Costume designers or art directors stay as such; the same goes for cinematographers. So credit Wally Pfister for making the leap with his directorial debut Transcendence - particularly when you consider the intimidating shadow he's emerged from.
Every drop helps fill the reservoir," he says. "You absorb and no lesson is a waste of time. As long as you don't die before you get to do it!
For 14 years, the American was the cinematographer for British-American director Christopher Nolan. Spanning six films - including Nolan's Batman trilogy - it's seen Pfister nominated for four Academy Awards, succeeding at his most recent attempt - "an incredible validation of my work" - for the brain-bending Inception. It seems foolhardy to break up this fruitful partnership. But having wanted to direct since he was young, the Oscar brought perspective.
"It was the point," the 52-year-old Pfister says, "where I felt, 'Okay, I've done it now. I've accomplished everything I want to accomplish in cinematography. Now it's time to try something else. I think I need to pursue some of my lifelong ambitions'."
Even so, you'd think he might start with something smaller than Transcendence, with its US$100 million budget, starring Johnny Depp and a cast including Nolan alumni Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall and Cillian Murphy, along with a complex array of visual effects.
