William Fraker

A friend of mine in Los Angeles just sent some somber news. William Fraker has passed away.

Mr. Fraker was the gifted cinematographer who shot Rosemary’s Baby, Bullitt, War Games, The Freshman and so many more.

I had the pleasure the pleasure of meeting and working with him a couple years ago. He appears in Old School New School and his appearance has repeatedly been a crowd pleaser at screenings. He was a gracious and pleasant and giving man, energized by life and had a smile that was infectious. My memories of our time together and our phone chats long after shooting will stay with me a very long time.

One of the earliest pictures I ever saw in theater was The Legend of the Lone Ranger. Fraker directed it and Christopher Lloyd appears as the nemesis. The movie had a profound affect on me and a life long fascination with the American West and, believe it or not, Native American culture. The movie also features one of the most remarkable stunts ever captured on camera. Going from memory here…. I think it was a scene in which a stagecoach is being robbed by bandits charging it on horseback. One rider jumps onto the four or six horses pulling the stage but then falls to the ground among their hooves. The stuntman, playing the bandit, basically lays on his back while the horses and stage continue riding over him at full speed.

At any rate, it was an incredible stunt.

You can see a clip from Mr. Fraker’s appearance in OSNS here.

Thank you for everything, Mr. Fraker.
~Steven

Steven Fischer with William Fraker shooting on location in Hollywood in 2008.

Loring Cornish and Brian Cox to Appear in Old School New School

Two exciting up-coming shoots for Old School New School, our educational study on creativity.

Visionary artist Loring Cornish is an energetic and exciting communicator whose art is highly stylized and personalized. He works primarily with glass and has covered a variety of surfaces, including two houses top to bottom!

Brian Cox is an actor’s actor, through and through. He is known for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and his portrayal of King Lear, but you may have also seen him on the silver screen in Troy, The Bourne Supremacy, Braveheart, Rob Roy, Deadwood, the list goes on and on…

More details to come, and more news to share…

A 44 inch x 36 inch mosaic by Loring Cornish.

Brian Cox in Running with Scissors (2006).

Allen Moore in Old School New School

Shot Allen Moore March 31st for Old School New School. Allen is a world class cinematographer and one of Ken Burns’ go-to guys. In addition to Allen’s numerous independent work, he’s shot Florentine Films’ The Civil War, Baseball, National Parks and much more.

Allen is a very intellectual kind of guy. His thoughts on success, identity, and finding one’s place in the world will add a lot to the series. I hope to have some clips up soon.

Thanks to Allen and his family for letting us invade their beautiful home! And three cheers to DPs Jack Reybold and Phil Rosensteel for capturing the best light and a great conversation.

Videographers Phil Rosensteel and Jack Reybold bookend director Steven Fischer and Old School New School subject Allen Moore. March 2010.

Old School New School on CineMaryland

Check out CineMaryland’s spotlight of Old School New School. Click Here.

Tomas Arana Appears in Old School New School

Earlier this month we shot the actor Tomas Arana in NYC for Old School New School. Moveigoers might recognize Tomas from his work as Quintus in Gladiator or as Lazarus in Scorsese’s Last Tempation of Christ. Tomas also works alot in Italy and regularly appears as Ricardo in the program Tutti Pazzi per Amore.

Many thanks to DP Chris Cassidy, Bernie Gavzer for the use of the apartment, and Diane Leigh Davison for making this shoot a reality!

More about the shoot and Old School New School, click here!

Steven Fischer at Script DC

Script DC is a conference for screenwriters and takes place each year, as one would suspect, in Washington, DC. This year I was asked to speak with Lisa Goldman and Kristin Harris on the subject of Writing for Animation. The audience was comprised of both novice and professional writers, all eager to participate and ask questions. We screened some of our respective animation work and answered questions on everything from basic format to breaking into “the biz” and the relationship between the writer and the animator.

I enjoy speaking at events like this because it gives me a chance to contribute and share the lessons I’ve learned along my journey.

Lisa and Kristin are great people and terrific animators. Lisa is the president of Women in Animation, and Kristin runs a successful business called Kristin Harris Design.

Steven Fischer and Lisa Goldman speak about Writing for Animation at Script DC 2009 (photo: Amy Stern).

Animation vs Live Action

An interesting article from writer Todd Alcott (Antz) on when animation and live action are most effective.

Tomas Arana, Herman Leonard, and Allen Moore

The Next Old School New School subjects are…

Cinematographer Allen Moore. He’s one of Ken Burns’ trusted cameramen and has served as cinematographer on Burns’ classics The Civil War, Thomas Jefferson, The West, The National Parks. His own films are equally as amazing. The Shepherd of Berneray is an extraordinary documentary of a year in the life of a Gaelic-speaking island community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

Actor Tomas Arana is also on board to appear in Old School New School. He is probably best known for the role of Quintis in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, but his credits extend way beyond…. ER, Pearl Harbor, The Bodyguard, CSI, 24 … and a ton of work throughout Europe. The list goes on. His connection with fine artists such as Andy Warhol and the lessons he learned about creativity had me completely engaged in our chat.

Actor Tomas Arana.

And legendary photographer Herman Leonard has agreed to appear in the movie! Quincy Jones once wrote that any image a person has in mind of Jazz history is probably one of Herman Leonard’s photos. He’s photographed everyone from Louis Armstrong to Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and Marlon Brando not to mention Clark Gable, Harry Truman and Albert Einstein!

Legendary photographer Herman Leonard.

Old School, New School producers Diane Leigh Davison and Steven Fischer with Herman Leonard (far left) at a gallery opening in New York City. (2009, photo by Rick Edwards)

Having chatted with him, I’ve discovered Mr. Leonard to be a terrific storyteller. He told a fascinating story of a conversation he had with Albert Einstein and Einstein’s thoughts on the creative power of improvisation. I’m looking forward to this one. Details soon.

More details to follow. Many thanks to Diane Davison for making it happen!

Hucksters and Conformists

Double bill tonight, The Hucksters (1947) with Clark Gable and The Conformist (1970) by Bertolucci.

The Conformist I needed to see because Vittorio Storaro rocks and the photography of this movie still takes my breath away! It always inspires. The time screening it though I developed more appreciation for the set designs. Pretty outstanding.

My friend Richard Kline sent me a DVD burn of Hucksters. He’s a retired cinematographer who’s turned to writing scripts. We talk often about cinematography, acting, and the craft of storytelling. For him, The Hucksters features quintessential acting. He challenged me to see if I could imagine any of todays leading actors pulling off what Gable, Kerr and Greenstreet did. I developed a new found respect for Clark Gable. There are some nice subtleties. Ava Gardner’s in it too, I think. Cute as ever. I didn’t care about the advertising game, but the love story between Gable and Kerr was great! Very touching.

OSNS on CineMaryland

Diane Leigh Davison and I taped an interview for CineMaryland today talking about Old School New School. The episode we appear in will air sometime in October.

Details to come. Many thanks to Karen Hinds Vadnais for the invite!