Cinematographer Ed Lachman has been making movies for thirty years. In that time he has won respect, admiration and awards for his artistry on such films as Desperately SeekingSusan, Less Than Zero, The Limey, The Virgin Suicides and Erin Brockovich. Recently the bicoastal cameraman, repped by the United Talent Agency spoke with Boards about his experience in feature filmmaking and the crossover into commercial production.

Originally a painter, Lachman enrolled in a film appreciation course at Harvard and discovered one of his major influences, Italian director Vittorio De Sica, whose film Umberto D, was an illustration in visual storytelling. Lachman saw the film as an extension of painting and was attracted to the notion of telling a story through found objects.

"It was also the communal aspect of filmmaking that attracted me to the art form," says the director of photography. "Where painting was an isolating and solitary experience, filmmaking was about the shared experience. I thought I could learn how to direct by shooting other people's films, and that's how I became a cameraman."

Since then Lachman has shot commercials for numerous directors including Paul Meijer, Traktor, Michael Haussman and Chris Smith. His most recent commercials were shot for the American Eagle Outfitters' "Live Your Life" campaign (see "No Agency II, Boards, March 2002).

When asked about the role of the DP, Lachman responds, "The main difference between a director and a cinematographer is that both might know how to tell a story through images but the director also has to have the passion and vision for the story being told."

"It used to be that the director had a creative team to produce a particular look," continues Lachman, "but nowadays that is more the exception than the rule." Arguing that the North American approach may actually infringe upon the artistic process, Lachman points out an important distinction between advertising in the US and Europe. "Directors in Europe are usually hired for their interpretation of the boards and have the opportunity to present a final cut. In America, a director functions more like a hired gun."

The cinematographer raises an interesting question: should the visual execution of a project ultimately be determined by the director or the agency?

"Sometimes I'm the director's choice, other times the agency's. But I would rather be chosen by the director," says Lachman implying that the latter results in greater creative freedom.

For the DP, commercials are still the mother of experimentation. "Commercials tend to be more experimental in creating images because of the condensed space and time; a 30-second spot has to compete with the rest of your living experience and your environment.

"Commercials communicate as much with images as with words. Features are oftentimes driven by dialog - that's why cinematographers care about commercials. It's where images are trusted to tell a story."

Ed Lachman recently completed work on features Far From Heaven (directed by Todd Haynes), S1m0ne (directed by Andrew Niccol) and Ken Park, a documentary-style film that examines the lives of skateboarders in California. Ken Park was written by Harmony Korine and co-directed with Larry Clark.