FILMSCHOOL Q & A: (FILM SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL)
Welcome to Film School Confidential, the HD EXPO Newsletter series highlighting leading film schools and the top notch talent who are preparing the next generation of filmmakers launch their careers.

First up is THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE CONSERVATORY

For more than 40 years the American Film Institute has provided education, conservation, and information about the art of the moving image.  The Los-Angeles based AFI Conservatory program is divided by specialty:  Directing, Editing, Cinematography, Producing, Screenwriting and Production Design.   Top-level schools have rigorous admission policies, and entry into any of the AFI tracks is highly competitive.  Each year 28 students are accepted into each of the directing, producing, cinematography and writing programs, and 12 to 14 into the production design and editing programs. There are classes and laboratories scheduled, but the emphasis is heavily weighted towards working in teams to create narrative projects.
 
Stephen Lighthill, ASC, is the Senior Filmmaker in Residence, Cinematography, at the AFI Conservatory.  HD EXPO caught up with him as a new school year begins.

HDE: You’ve had a varied and successful career as a cinematographer.  What has your career path been?
LIGHTHILL: I’ve had several “stages” in my career; I started shooting news when it was all on16mm, then became one of the main West Coast cinematographers for CBS News and then shot long-form documentaries for “60 Minutes” and PBS. Filming interviews gave me a basic knowledge about exposure and lighting, particularly portrait lighting for interviews. So, I became a cinematographer out of a journalistic interest and intent, but found fiction narrative offered more opportunities to tell stories well. I was a cinematographer on many social interest films on PBS, including “American Playhouse”, “Berkeley in the Sixties,” “Seeing Red,” “Coming Out Under Fire,” “Shimmer,” and “Hot Summer Winds.”
HDE: That pathway is interesting and varied. You’ve had a very busy career as a cinematographer; what brought you to the AFI Cinematography Program?
LIGHTHILL: I feel strongly that the community of cinematographers must share information and experience in an organized way.  And, so, one way or another, I have taught for many years.  I am also active in the efforts of the Cinematographers Guild (ICG) and the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) to further understand new technologies. I became an instructor at AFI in 2001 and after teaching here on and off, was invited to head to the department.
HDE: The AFI offers a two-year MFA. How does the cinematography program work for first and second year Cinematgraphy Fellows?
LIGHTHILL: The Cinematography discipline is a two-year MFA Program.  The fellows form teams in the first year and make three short projects.  These projects are shot on DVCam, with -the Sony 450.  The emphasis at AFI is on the team experience, on collaboration, just as it is in the workaday professional world. 
In the second year, the 28 cinematography fellows film the 28 thesis projects developed with their classmates; writers, directors, producers, editors and production designers. The majority of these are produced on film, the remainder on HDCAM, with the Sony F900R.  If you do the math, you can see that we prep, shoot, and edit 112 projects in a year at AFI.  There is a regular classroom schedule but the emphasis is in production. 
HDE: What formats are used for the student projects? 
LIGHTHILL: First year narrative projects are on DVCam, Classroom work is in 16mm film and HD CAM.  Thesis projects are S16, 35 or HDCAM.
HDE: AFI boasts a noticeably high number of prominent alumni. What do you hope that your students understand about the art, craft & business of cinematography?
LIGHTHILL: We expect our graduates to have a solid technical underpinning, but also to understand that the art and craft grows out of the original written script.  It is only through the development of solid collaborative skills and respect, and nurturing fellow filmmakers, that the original intent of a script can be successfully realized.
HDE: The industry is on a steep evolution in terms of technology. Are there technologies and innovations that you find particularly exciting?
LIGHTHILL: We are excited about recent developments toward smaller and more efficient lighting fixtures, about the potential for reasonably priced digital intermediates, and the many
new film and video cameras that are in the development stage.
HDE: Are there trends that you find troubling for the next generation of cinematographers?
LIGHTHILL: We find the integration of color correction tools into the editorial process problematical, and in general, the number of fingers itching to fiddle with the final image in post production is problematical as well.
HDE:  What would you like people to know about the Cinematography program at AFI?
LIGHTHILL: Well, I doubt if there is a program anywhere except at AFI, where each and every one of the 28 cinematographers working toward their masters awill shoot a Masters Thesis project.  I think we have cinematographers doing the most production of any Masters program.  In addition, I think we have the most illustrious cinematography alumni.  At last count, there were 18 ASC members.

For more information about AFI, visit afi.com.

(A few AFI Cinematography alumni:  Janusz Kaminski, ASC, Amy Vincent, ASC, Wally Pfister, ASC, Caleb Deschanel, ASC, Robert Elswit, ASC, Fred Elmes, ASC Juan Ruiz-Anchia, ASC, to name but a few.) 

Written by Christine Purse, August 2007

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