Gordon Willis was a New York-born cinematographer whose mastery of shadow and underexposure earned him the nickname "The Prince of Darkness." His father worked as a makeup artist at Warner Bros., and Willis grew up around the film industry before serving in the Air Force, where he received his foundational training in motion picture photography. He is best known for his work on Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy, eight Woody Allen films including Manhattan and Annie Hall, and Alan J. Pakula's All the President's Men. Willis received an honorary Academy Award (Governors Award) in 2009 after a career in which he never won a competitive Oscar despite two nominations.
Mitchell
Product description
The Mitchell BNCR is a blimped, studio 35mm motion picture camera introduced in 1967 as a reflex-viewing upgrade to the original Mitchell BNC (1934). The "R" designates the addition of a spinning mirror reflex viewfinder, allowing operators to see through the lens while filming. Its double-claw, register-pin movement provided exceptional image steadiness, and the aluminum blimp housing made it near-silent on sound stages. The BNCR dominated Hollywood studio production through the 1970s.
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Panavision
Product description
The original Panaflex camera, introduced in 1972 as the first truly portable sync-sound 35mm camera. It replaced the heavy studio-bound Mitchell-based systems and could be handheld or shoulder-mounted while remaining quiet enough for dialogue recording. It transformed location filmmaking.
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Bausch & Lomb
Product description
Bausch & Lomb cinema primes introduced in the early 1960s as the successor to the original Baltars, with a maximum aperture of T2.3. Became an industry standard through the 1970s on films like The Godfather, All the President's Men, and Paper Moon. Single-coated optics produce veiling glare and rainbow flares.
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Kodak
Product description
Eastman Double-X 5222 is a black-and-white negative motion picture film rated at EI 250 in daylight and EI 200 under tungsten light. Originally developed from Kodak's Super-XX formula and released in its current form in 1959, it has remained largely unchanged for over six decades. It was the stock used to shoot Raging Bull, Schindler's List, and Manhattan.
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Product description
Tungsten-balanced color negative stock introduced by Kodak in 1968, rated at EI 100. Replaced the earlier 5251 and became the standard camera negative through much of the 1970s. Used on The Godfather, Cabaret, and Barry Lyndon before being superseded by 5247 in 1976.
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Product description
Black-and-white print stock manufactured by Agfa for producing positive release prints from camera negatives. Agfa motion picture products largely disappeared from the market by the early 1990s.
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Panavision
Product description
Custom split-diopter attachment built by Panavision with a rotating frame that allows the optical element to be positioned at any angle, including while the camera is moving. The frameless design lets the diopter be moved across the shot without visible edges.
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Hoyte van Hoytema