ASC’s Michael Goi and John Toll Add to Interview Series
John Toll, ASC was recently interviewed on camera at the Clubhouse in Hollywood by Michael Goi, ASC, ISC as part of an ongoing series of in-depth, peer-to-peer, career-spanning discussions with Society members to be preserved for posterity.
Days after this shoot, Goi sat down with Dean Cundey, ASC for another extensive discussion about his work.
The ASC has been conducting such interviews for many years in order to create a lasting record that not only documents the history of cinematography but the personal experiences of many of its top practicioners.
Previous interview subjects include ASC members Gerald Perry Finnerman, George Folsey, William A. Fraker, James Wong Howe, Arthur Miller, Victor J. Kemper, Richard H. Kline, Hal Mohr, Ray Rennahan, Owen Roizman, Hal Rosson, Gordon Willis, Haskell Wexler, Ralph Woolsey and Vilmos Zsigmond.
“Some of the interviews include up to 10 hours of footage on a single cinematographer,” says Goi. “Billy Fraker’s interview included some discussions with [ASC members] Bobby Byrne and Chuck Rosher about their collaborations. Actor Burt Reynolds came to the Clubhouse to be interviewed about working with Billy on three movies and working on Deliverance with Vilmos.”
While some of the early interviews were recorded only on audio tape, others were shot on 16mm film. Today, they are digitally captured in 4K.
These documents are not currently available to the public, but the ASC hopes to make that possible in the future.
“These ASC interviews differ from many other interviews that these legends have given because they are equally about what they accomplished and what they sacrificed to get to where they are,” Goi adds. “Because a fellow ASC member is asking them the questions, the responses are more personal.”
