His early taste for painting probably had a great influence on his work when collaborating with essential directors such as Sam Mendes, Martin Scorcese, or the Cohen Brothers. Maybe one of the most famous directors of photography. Spreading water in the streets to bounce the city lights and gain a few stops is one of them.Įven now that we constantly push back the limits of modern cameras when it comes to high ISOs and darkness, such ingenuity can still surely find a practical use nowadays. Even with such a perfectionist and control freak as Kubrick, Alcott found a way to use his own techniques and tricks. While in 2001 he used mostly bounced light to allow Kubrick to shoot from any angle, he had to rely on the famous Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.7, developed by NASA, for the nonetheless famous and challenging Barry Lyndon during the scenes lit only by candlelight. He also carried on in movies what he learned in his career in advertising: he made great use of diffusion filters and practical lighting (a source of light included in the frame). He had developed revolutionary filmmaking and had to demonstrate qualities of adaptability to follow Kubrick's ambition to constantly change his style. Since 2001: A Space Odyssey, when he had to replace the director of photography, he has collaborated on many major Kubrick movies, none less than Clockwork Orange or The Shining. Despite his short career, his work had a great influence on the history of cinema.

Coffee break pictures