Women Behind The Camera

Hollywood has seen the number of camerawomen quadruple in the past 15 years. Women Behind the Camera is the first book to offer an in-depth look at the lives of camerawomen and their struggles to succeed in a male-dominated field. Krasilovsky presents interviews with 23 camerawomen, most of whom are pioneers in Hollywood and whose experiences cover the full range of the Camera Department.

The camerawomen interviewed include all four women Directors of Photography who have achieved membership in the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers, one of the first female camera assistants to work at the BBC, camerawomen who worked on Star Trek VI and Terminator 2, and a full range of documentary, experimental, and video camerawomen.

These pioneering women, who have filmed in war zones, on mountain peaks, underwater, and on Hollywood sets, discuss their influences, goals, and experiences with directors and stars, and the art of cinematography. Review: A fascinating book for anyone, female or male, who contemplates making a career in cinematography.

It offers a great wealth of insights, evaluating the rewards and the sacrifices which are facing people behind the camera in their professional and personal lives. It opens for the reader a world of strong, courageous women who are possessed by the love of film. -Kris Malkiewicz author, cinematographer faculty, California Institute of the Arts