Biography for
Wally Pfister More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

Birth Name

Spouse

Trivia

The Batman Begins (2005) (VG) video game includes a character who does not appear in the film named "Walter Pfister".

Grandfather was the city editor of a newspaper in Wisconsin.

As of 2008, he is the only cinematographer that has worked with Director Christopher Nolan since "Memento" (2000).

Member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 2002.

Personal Quotes

The battle that we have to fight as cinematographers is to not let anybody treat us like we are consumers by using marketing techniques to push technology that's not better than what we have. Good enough isn't good enough. 24P is nowhere near the resolution of 35mm film, and if you put it side by side with anamorphic it's off the charts. There's not even a comparison. I don't see why we should settle for that and I don't see why the public should settle for it. I don't understand why we would use an inferior product to capture our images, when we want to see all the nuances and into the darkest details. I want to push the envelope. I don't think we have the power to fight this battle alone. The technology vendors have enough power and money to influence our art form. We need to get the directors on our side, because they have the clout.

Sadly, some people think of good cinematography as a beautiful sunset or a spectacular vista. I believe we affect the audience in a much more subtle way. We're manipulating them emotionally with light, darkness, colors, contrast and composition. I know the Dogme 95 theories, but I believe actors respond to light. Just look at a Rembrandt or Caraveggio painting or any of the Dutch masters, and tell me light isn't important. The pictures have to be true to the narrative, but I like to test the boundaries and see how far I can go.

I liked photographing people kind of on the sly with a long lens. I tried to capture stolen moments and find humor in them. I took pictures in natural light with interesting colors and shapes. But photography wasn't my main interest. I loved music. I played guitar in high school bands and that's still one of my passions.

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