Obit.

In Waiting for the Weather, Teruyo Nogami likens being old to being in a war — every week brings news of another fatality. Being a fan of old movies is similar, though at least I’m at one remove. 

Just been told that David Watkin passed away on Tuesday. Maybe my favourite cinematographer.

‘David was an assistant cameraman in documentaries and went right from that to being a director of photography. He was never an operator, was never really an assistant at all. Just went straight into it, and as a primitive, doesn’t know any of the conventional things of film-making, but has weird ideas. Some of which have now become essentials — I mean the Wendy light is now part of filming, and using bed sheets from his hotel bedroom. Having no conceivable light source shooting night-for-night in a field, which nobody ever did before. You just didn’t do it. All sorts of things. First one not to use an 85 filter, to my knowledge. First one to leave the silver in the negative. Pre-fogging, flashing years before anyone else. First one to use the Ross Express lenses. But I was around for all of that and I watched it all happen. It was lovely.’

‘He seems to be an interesting character.’ 

‘Oh yes. As he said to Audrey Hepburn, “You’ll just have to take your chances with the rest of them, luv.”‘ (Laughter.)

Richard Lester in conversation with Steven Soderbergh in Getting Away With It, Or: The Further Adventures of the Luckiest Bastard You Ever Saw.