Cameraman Ly Thai Dung was awarded best cinematographer at the recent 16th Viet Nam Film Festival while working on Canh Dong Bat Tan (Endless Field) in the southern province of Long An. He shared his thoughts on work and national cinema with Culture Vulture.
You are quite famous considering your "quiet" work behind camera. Do you find it easy starting a new job after your last success?
The cameraman has always been a silent worker in film production. Since the first days of cinema. cinematography has made breakthroughs in technology and expression.
With regards to my fame, there are not many cameramen in Viet Nam.
Behind the scenes, production is an arduous, long and hard process, requiring both physical and mental labour. For me, a month between each movie is enough for unfinished affairs, disconnected relationships and to completely free myself from the previous movie, after the long filming process, I find myself living the movie's life, not my own.
Is cinematography appreciated in Viet Nam? How's global integration affecting the art?
The Viet Nam Film Festival and the annual Cinema Association Awards honour excellent cinematographers. The State also awards emeritus and people's artist titles. But we still face the same difficulties as the national cinema: budget constraints for movies and filming equipment and low wages.
The same problem also exists with training. Students have to practice using television equipment so they miss out on learning many cinematography techniques.
But however tough things are, cinematographers take the lead on integration by constantly updating to the latest equipment. Every year, more movies are shot using advanced digital cameras from developed countries. For instance, I shot Choi Voi (Adrift) with a new camera and skills I acquired from a short course in North America in 2004. But we still face synchronisation problems as other parts of the production equipment was not as modern.
Aside from your ongoing success, what drives you to keep working in cinematography?
Twenty-two years behind camera and working in different genres, I'm happy that my works have been welcomed by the public. And after ten years teaching cinematography, I'm glad my students have become my colleagues. They love cinema and long for shooting movies. Yet, movie team salaries are barely enough to live on and young cameramen often have to work many jobs and as a result they miss lots of learning opportunities.
How important is knowledge of literature for a cameraman? What would you tell your students about cinematography?
If the cameraman cannot feel the script, he will never be able to bring the director's ideas to life. So to answer your question, any cinematographer needs to be as knowledgeable about literature as are directors. Something I always tell my students is that you have to be both an excellent technician and a social scientist.
How do you like to spend your leisure time?
My favourite pastimes include talking to people, especially my son. Also, I like visiting places, even places I have already visited, I like to see how they've changed. — VNS