Visions of Light

This 1992 documentary tells the history of cinema through its cinematographers. Made by Arnold Glassman, Todd McCarthy and Stuart Samuels, it works with clips from more than a hundred films and runs from the silent era to the nineties. What is described is less technique than decision: where the light goes, how it is settled where the audience will look, and how the arrival of sound, colour and widescreen forced the craft to be rebuilt. Cinematographers comment on their own work and each other's, and much of the time you hear for the first time why a scene was shot as it was. The documentary sets out directly to correct how invisible the technical crew usually is in film history. Who it's for: viewers curious about film history and cinematography. Who it's not for: anyone who has not seen most of the films discussed; the documentary assumes you know them.