Conrad Hall Quotes

Cinematography is infinite in its possibilities... much more so than music or language.

You are always a student, never a master. You have to keep moving forward.

With today's fast films, you can light the way your eye sees the scene. You can abuse the film and create subtleties in contrast with light and exposure, diffusion and filters. That's what makes it an art.

Dad, wherever you are, you are gone but you will never be forgotten.

It was 100 feet of 16 mm black-and-white film of a car coming to a stop sign, and driving off. I had to decide how to frame and light it. It was magic. There was a sense of mystery.

I was very happy sitting alone at a dining room table, writing a script.

There are infinite shadings of light and shadows and colors... it's an extraordinarily subtle language. Figuring out how to speak that language is a lifetime job.

Every cinematographer I worked with had his own way of solving problems.

Every once in a while, when the audience is expecting to see one thing, you have to show them something else.

Contrast is what makes photography interesting.

But at heart, I am more than a cinematographer.

It took a while for me to grasp that my colleagues believe I have made an impact on the history of cinema.

To me, the camera is like a musical instrument. You use it to control the flow, shape, size and colors of images.

Billions of people have seen and been influenced by movies in the short history of this industry.

Manipulating shadows and tonality is like writing music or a poem.

I don't think of myself as a director or writer. I think of myself as a filmmaker.

In aptitude tests, I scored highest in music.

The closer the source of light is to a subject, the broader the beams are.

It is also difficult to articulate the subtleties in cinema, because there aren't words or metaphors which describe many of the emotions you are attempting to evoke.

My peers say I have made a difference. That means more to me than winning an Oscar.

It's important to know that if you are dealing with shadows.

But you know you haven't done it all because you know everything keeps evolving and changing; and you know you can evolve with it if you grow and develop as a human being.

Painting and writing are solitary arts.

The sun is the most parallel light source because it is so far away.

I hope I'm still shooting when I'm 80.

There are a lot of directors who are knowledgeable about images, and others who aren't.

I can still recall the thrill of shooting my first film.

The audience has to understand that if the film is going to have any meaning for them. If they are going to empathize with the characters, they have to visualize the process of concentration involved in making every move.

Photography is a very important part of my life.

I think one of the reasons people quit is because they're afraid they won't be able to get better and better; that they have to come to a zenith of some kind.

I suppose I would still be a communicator, maybe a musician.

In Hollywood, maybe only ten percent will make it and the other ninety percent try. This elusive dream of making it and being on top is the same story as the moth being drawn to the flame. The flame and it's attractiveness is something you'll never eliminate. Some will learn how to live in that environment and others will burn in it.

That's why I like fast film. It gives you more freedom to light more naturally.

You have to understand the nature of light.