Alumni Profiles

Lights, Camera, Action: Top Cinematographer Offers Snapshot of the Scene

“Know what your talents are, identify your passion, and don’t give up,” advises Alan Caso ’74 (communication), award-winning cinematographer for movies and television series, to those who might like to pursue a similar career. “When breaking in, expect to work for free, for peanuts, for real jerks and occasionally for someone really nice—and always expect to work really hard. Your talent and passion will get you through a lot of the hard grunt work for the first few years.”

Caso’s first big opportunity came as second assistant cameraman (the one who claps the slate and keeps the paperwork) for the film Roar (1981) under Jan DeBont (Diehard, Speed, Twister). “I was told to show up early to acclimate to the film’s ‘unique’ shooting conditions,” Caso recalls. “It sounded suspicious, but I agreed. The first thing I saw was an ambulance with swirling lights. Then, came the EMTs, carrying Jan on a stretcher. This film, it turns out, featured over 500 large exotic cats, plus an elephant, zebras, ostriches, and an assortment of other African fauna. Young and headstrong, Jan had been in a pit dug for his camera placement and refused to wear a helmet. So, when they herded 35 female lions down a camouflaged corridor, one noticed Jan’s head bobbing around under the camo net—like a housecat noticing a hand moving under a blanket. She pounced. 125 stitches later Jan was looking at two months of recovery.”

The upshot was that the first assistant cameraman took over the shooting, and Caso became first assistant, doing lens focusing, camera loading, and basically running the department. “I’d never done any of that before, only observed. Furthermore, my very first shot found me on a camera raft, attached to a canoe that carried the actors (including Tippi Hedren). A bunch of frolicking Siberian tigers surrounded us and kept trying to get up on our raft to play. (They really are fun and playful when you watch from the shore!) That was my baptism under fire.”

When DeBont returned to the set, he saw something in Caso and quickly made him camera operator. The movie rolled on for over three years, but gave Caso a daily training ground to learn the complicated skills of operating and cinematography in general. It also allowed him to begin a parallel career as an A-camera and Steadicam operator. In the late eighties, he moved up to Director of Photography. “Through the years," Caso says, “I’ve worked with some terrific directors and actors. There have been many high points and of course many low points. I’ve made my fair share of errors, but the biggest one that comes to mind was falling asleep while filming Bette Davis’ close-up!”

To be a successful cinematographer, Caso points to having a visual style that is yours alone and carries through all your work, no matter how diverse the material is and how different the styles of productions may be. “A thread of coherency is a must,” he emphasizes, “as well as being a good communicator, organizer, administrator and, most important, a good leader who doesn’t demand but earns the respect of the crews and peers. Hard work with good taste creates opportunities for good luck in getting interesting and challenging projects. If executed well, those are the things that get recognition. Nominations and all the hoopla surrounding the business are fun, if not in some way political, but peer recognition is the ultimate compliment.”

Caso came to UMass Amherst because the Communication Department offered a blossoming film studies program. “Butterfield, where I lived,” he says, “was actively raising money for dorm activities by putting on a monthly movie night for the entire campus. We’d rent films from major studios’ libraries and charge admission. This very popular and profitable activity financed all sorts of projects. We formed Butterfield Productions, and the dorm became ground zero for budding film students. We bought film equipment, including the only sync sound 16mm camera on campus then. Two or three films were always in production, and everyone helped each other. The Athletics Department had a lab for processing sports films, so we took full advantage of that, too. It was a dynamic and exciting time.”

Being involved in the film community as a student, Caso notes, provided a broader and more applicable education than just in the classroom. Exhibiting studio movies taught the business of distribution and exhibition. Raising money and getting outsiders involved in their projects taught the difficult process of producing and getting a film off the ground. “We did so much from scratch,” Caso says. “The electricity surrounding this medium was new to universities, and UMass Amherst was no exception. Confidence in myself took hold and spread its wings. By the time I graduated, I felt ready to take on the film industry.”

Caso’s current project for NBC and Universal Studies is “Trauma,” a new series to be aired this fall. As with any new program, Caso spends a lot of time on the preproduction phase with the director. Besides picking locations, hiring crew and deciding on equipment for lighting and photography, he participates in a series of exhausting meetings that run the gamut: color palette, set designs, wardrobe, special and visual effects, stunts, make-up, lighting, budget, and more. “By the time preproduction is over, facing 12-14 hour workdays of production shooting is welcome!” Caso says. “Shooting basically is controlled chaos. Being able to adapt and change direction is the only way to survive the race against the clock. It’s not for the faint of heart.”

For a sneak peak of “Trauma,” click here.

July 8, 2009