John Alton Author

John Alton (1901-1996) was a Hungarian-born master cinematographer. His work ranged widely, including sharp-shadowed film noir classics such as He Walked By Night, Anthony Mann westerns, musicals (including An American in Paris, for which he won an Oscar), and many others. Painting with Light embodies his versatile, beautiful, often mannered, approach to lighting a film; he insisted that naturalistic lighting was only one option among many, and that directors ought to use light creatively to suit their vision and their story. Todd McCarthy is chief film critic of Variety, co-editor of The King of Bs (1975), and writer and co-director of the award-winning documentary Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography (1992). John Bailey is an award-winning cinematographer and blogger for the American Society of Cinematographers who has written many articles and think-pieces on the transition from celluloid to digital film making. John Bailey, a director of photography since 1978, has photographed more than 75 feature films and documentaries. He serves on the Boards of Governors of the ASC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the National Film Preservation Board.