Published by the Netherlands Society of Cinematographers and edited by Richard van Oosterhout, Maarten van Rossem and Peter Verstraten, this book provides inspiration and insight in equal measures. Contains interviews with 19 cinematographers from a variety of countries and backgrounds, with as common denominator an extremely high level of artistic accomplishment.

Before the interviews, however, the book provides context in the form of four essays about the history and technology of film. Verstraten’s “From Gance to Reygadas” traces several significant movements from the silent era to more recent national cinemas emerging in the era of globalization. Peter Delpeut’s “The Documentary Experience” gives an eloquent, first-hand account of the relationship between a cameraman and director working in the documentary form. NSC member Phillipe Vie contributes “Custodians of the Image,” a piece on the challenges facing cinematographers who wish to protect their work from interference in the digital age. The final essay, by Elen Lotman, ESC, is “Passionate about Celluloid,” a plea for allowing film to coexist with digital.

The film vs. digital debate is a common theme throughout the interviews that follow.

The book opens with a photo gallery showing cinematographers on the job utilizing innovative rigs and inventive camera positions to tell their stories. It concludes with a beautiful gallery of photographer Kris Dewitte portraits that showcase an array of cinematographers.

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