Comments on: Frank Hurley: The “Endurance” and Paget Color http://www.theasc.com/blog/2010/03/08/frank-hurley-the-endurance-and-paget-color/ John Bailey's thoughts on cinematography and artistic expression Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:12:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Jason Knutzen http://www.theasc.com/blog/2010/03/08/frank-hurley-the-endurance-and-paget-color/#comment-143 Jason Knutzen Mon, 10 May 2010 04:11:03 +0000 http://www.ascmag.com/blog/?p=1004#comment-143 A very interesting post John, thank you for your insight. I was not previously aware of the work on Frank Hurley but after reading this I'm excited to look deeper into his work and methods. He is truly a pioneer to much of the filming you see done today for programs on the national geographic/travel/discovery channels. I thought the quote you included about his camera art is a great one. "…not an exact representation of nature, and a picture is not a record of things in view… Regard your camera as an artist does his brush. Think that you hold a piece of apparatus worthy of the same possibilities as the artist… Your camera is but a piece of mechanical apparatus. You are its intellect." This is a great principle to keep in mind while practicing cinematography. Be it digital or film, RED or 16mm, the format does not matter as what you do with the image in the frame. It is just the "mechanical apparatus". The true vision in the imagery of cinema is the artist creating stirring images within the canvas. A very interesting post John, thank you for your insight. I was not previously aware of the work on Frank Hurley but after reading this I’m excited to look deeper into his work and methods. He is truly a pioneer to much of the filming you see done today for programs on the national geographic/travel/discovery channels. I thought the quote you included about his camera art is a great one.

“…not an exact representation of nature, and a picture is not a record of things in view… Regard your camera as an artist does his brush. Think that you hold a piece of apparatus worthy of the same possibilities as the artist… Your camera is but a piece of mechanical apparatus. You are its intellect.”

This is a great principle to keep in mind while practicing cinematography. Be it digital or film, RED or 16mm, the format does not matter as what you do with the image in the frame. It is just the “mechanical apparatus”. The true vision in the imagery of cinema is the artist creating stirring images within the canvas.

]]> By: Alasdair McGregor http://www.theasc.com/blog/2010/03/08/frank-hurley-the-endurance-and-paget-color/#comment-142 Alasdair McGregor Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:09:30 +0000 http://www.ascmag.com/blog/?p=1004#comment-142 I would like to make an correction to your excellent article on Frank Hurley and Shackleton's Endurance Expedition. My biography 'Frank Hurley: a photographer's life' is not out of print. A second edition was published in October 2010 by Penguin/Viking in Australia (ISBN 978 067007 351 1). The illustration that you have used of the cover of my book is in fact that of the new edition. The book is obviously available online from numerous sources in Australia. Alasdair McGregor I would like to make an correction to your excellent article on Frank Hurley and Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition. My biography ‘Frank Hurley: a photographer’s life’ is not out of print. A second edition was published in October 2010 by Penguin/Viking in Australia (ISBN 978 067007 351 1). The illustration that you have used of the cover of my book is in fact that of the new edition. The book is obviously available online from numerous sources in Australia.

Alasdair McGregor

]]> By: Richard Walden http://www.theasc.com/blog/2010/03/08/frank-hurley-the-endurance-and-paget-color/#comment-141 Richard Walden Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:45:43 +0000 http://www.ascmag.com/blog/?p=1004#comment-141 “Undaunted Courage” is the title of an account of the Lewis and Clark expedition by Stephen E. Ambrose. While reading it I thought what shame photography had not yet been invented to record that expedition. Hurly and the other members of Shackleton’s expedition show that same Undaunted Courage and the fact that any photographic record survived is amazing. With our modern day reliance on batteries and electronics that often cease to function in temperature extremes, I wonder if such a record could exist today if it had been done digitally. “Undaunted Courage” is the title of an account of the Lewis and Clark expedition by Stephen E. Ambrose. While reading it I thought what shame photography had not yet been invented to record that expedition.

Hurly and the other members of Shackleton’s expedition show that same Undaunted Courage and the fact that any photographic record survived is amazing. With our modern day reliance on batteries and electronics that often cease to function in temperature extremes, I wonder if such a record could exist today if it had been done digitally.

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