The passion to be in the film industry is what drew me to this job from the early beginnings. My friend Janusz Kaminski and I desperately wanted to become cinematographers. We didn’t do it to be rich, we did it because of our passion for cinema. We didn’t care about the money, said Wally Pfister, the recipient of the annual Special Camera 300 for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema, at today’s masterclass at the “Manaki” cinema theater, moderated by Zlatko Gelevski.

In the packed cinema hall, the great Pfister talked about his beginnings, his personal development as a cinematographer, as well as the directors and other film professionals that he collaborated with over his career.

“Very early on in my career, I met Janusz Kaminski in Los Angeles, we became friends, this was 35 years ago. We hung out, we worked on low-budget films and that’s how we honed our skills as cinematographers, on low-budget films. It was great because in a way we were ‘feeding’ off each other. We helped each other, we worked for Roger
Corman”, said Pfister.

He said that at the time he did all this work for virtually no money. He was experimenting, learning more about light.

“I spent years with the camera on my shoulder working on low-budget films. I realized that the whole experience was invaluable. Everything you do, your abilities and skills, will eventually pay off,” Pfister emphasized.

Pfister’s early career included filming videos for MTV, erotic thrillers and Roger Corman’s films, where he honed his skills and learned effective lighting techniques.

“Yes, we worked in the golden age of erotic thrillers. I got into them because of Roger Corman, it was a genre typical for the early 90s, the so-called erotic thrillers. Back then there was no HBO, there was no streaming. As long as there was home video, that business was going strong,” Pfister added.

For the film Laurel Canyon (2002), he said that the budget was seven million dollars.

“The director of that film, Lisa, is a very talented woman. I am a musician, it is my great passion and when I read the script, I was very happy. I literally poured my heart and soul into the photography of that film, because the scenes, the music and the story were beautiful”, Pfister said.

He talked about the films Memento (2000), Insomnia (2002), Inception (2010), The Granny (1995), The Unborn (1991).

“We shot Insomnia in 2001 in Alaska. The director, Chris (Nolan), had wonderful ideas about space and time. Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, they all did a great job,” said Pfister.

Walter C. Pfister (born July 8, 1961) is an American director and former cinematographer. He is best known for his partnership with Christopher Nolan, working as cinematographer on all of his films between 2000 and 2012, including his work on Inception (2010), which earned him an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Pfister then transitioned into a career as a director, debuting with Transcendence (2014). He has since worked mostly on commercials and in television, including episodes of Flaked and The Tick.