Wayne Kennan, ASC
The Wanderers (1979)
"The Wanderers was the picture that had the biggest influence on my career. I was 18 years old when I first saw that film, and I was blown away.
"It was directed by Philip Kaufman, and told the story of a neighborhood gang rivalry in the Bronx during 1963. There was no setup in the film at all; you were just dropped right in the middle of these characters' lives, with no back story provided. It was the first time I realized that a story could be told in a non-linear fashion.
"Stylistically, The Wanderers was most impressive. I enjoyed the sets, the costumes, and the way it captured the times. I thought it was really cool that there was a gang called the Baldies, and that they all had bald heads.
"Also, there was no real plot, so to speak — just kids going through a difficult time in a neighborhood where they were pulled between the Italian culture and the old way of life, and [feeling] a desire to be a part of the neighborhood. When I saw the film, I thought to myself, 'I want to do that.' Despite everything else, I think I was influenced most by the non-linear aspects of the story."
"I'm still waiting for a script like that to arrive on my doorstep, but I haven't had a film come along that is anything like The Wanderers. I don't generally go to a movie for the cinematography; I really go for the story. Think about it. When was the last time somebody walked out of a film and said they loved the cinematography and hated the story? They just say it's a bad film. Unfortunately, the cinematography gets dragged down to the level of the story. On the other hand, if the story is good, the cinematography looks even better.
"If you want to know my favorite film to watch, I'd have to say it's The Sound of Music. I love that film. Every single frame in that picture is so perfectly composed it could stand on its own. It is very noticeably symmetrical and very smooth. There is not one bad cut, and all of the pieces fit together perfectly like a puzzle. But in terms of the picture that had the most impact on my career, I'd still have to say, hands down, it was The Wanderers."
— as told to Kathleen Fairweather
Wayne Kennan's credits as a director of photography include the feature George B. and the series Seinfeld, NewsRadio and The King of Queens.
© 1999 ASC