He Is A True Artist Cecil B. DeMille in his studio office, California, 1919. Amid the strange ingredients man. I believe this is why: He is the custodian of the heart of filmmaking as the writers are His tool is a box with a glass window, lifeless until he breathes The product of his camera, and therefore of his magic, means He is the judge who applies the laws of dramatic effect in Light, composition, treatment are his instruments of power, His versatile management of intricate mechanism yields A flash of a man's face rises to the grandeur of drama, inspiring Before his wizardry, wrinkles fade from the faces of Yes, the technique of the cameraman is the technique of artistic nation. For his patience and singleness of purpose in a most arduous " STATEMENT OF STANLEY CORTEZ, A.S.C. PAST PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS OF THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE OCTOBER 24, 1989 I thank Chairman DeConcini and the Subcommittee for allowing me the privilege of inserting my remarks into the record of these hearings and for the kind words expressed about me by the Chairman and other witnesses. I note that in his opening remarks, the Chairman revisited the issue of colorization in films photographed in black and white. Subsequently, this subject was discussed with great eloquence as well by George Stevens Jr. When this matter first arose, prompting the need for past Congressional hearings, I was then the President of the American Society of Cinematographers. We of the A.S.C. thought it ironic and, in fact, shocking that of all of the creators of film, we, the cinematographers, were not even consulted about our views on this issue. After all, when a motion picture which was originally photographed in black and white is then colorized, it is not the actor's acting which is changed, nor the writer's writing, nor the composer's music, nor the editor's editing, nor the director's directing. No. It is the cameraman's photography which is totally altered - from what was an expressive work of intricately refined light and shadow to a totally different form, completely foreign to the cinematographer's vision of the story. Not only was the cinematographer not brought into the prior debate before Congress, the cinematographer was not even included as a member of the National Film Preservation Board a stepchild conceived out of the colorization issue. Representatives of the directors, writers and actors were included on the National Film Preservation Board. The critics, broadcasters, representatives from film departments at universities, and the producers were all represented on the Board. But not the cinematographer. Whose work is principally being altered? One would hope and trust that this glaring omission will be corrected by Congress in the future out of a simple sense of fairness and respect for the position of the cinematographer as a co-author in the creation of motion pictures. I have photographed many feature films, including The Magnificent Ambersons and Night of the Hunter. The great majority of those films I photographed in black and white. I concur with the A.S.C.'s position voiced by our esteemed counsel, Mr. David Fleming, in that producers should have the right, as owners of films, to exploit them in whatever economic manner they have available to them, provided however, that any material alterations they allow to be made should be clearly labeled to indicate that they were made to the original version and were done without the collaboration or consent of the cinematographer. This is absolutely necessary to protect our integrity and reputation as artists. But as a long time craftsman in the Hollywood community, I still hold to my personal beliefs regarding the colorization process. I know that perhaps some young people in America today scorn the impressionistic beauty of the classic black and white film the master achievement of Hollywood's Golden Era. But because some people do not appreciate the black and white picture does not mean all should be robbed of the joy of seeing a classic in its original beauty and splendor. Each of us must have the right to feel that indescribable thrill of seeing classics uncut and uninterrupted - the truth as we, the cinematographers created them. When the colorization issue first arose, as President of the A.S.C. I wrote the following statement on behalf of cinematographers. It still is my personal philosophy regarding the matter: "I believe firmly in the preservation of the historical |