Oscar nominee and Japanese award-winning cinematographer Shoji Ueda has been inspiring up-and-coming cameramen in Asia for more than 20 years. And the depth of his influence was brought into focus during the recent Cinematographer Day seminar "Asian Eyes" organised as part of the Bangkok International Film Festival.

"When I saw your [Ueda's] movie 'Ran', I realised how much I stole for 'Hero'," said Hong Kong-based Australian cameraman Christopher Doyle.

"But I didn't realise until I saw a clip from 'Sympathy of Lady Vengeance' how much you stole from me," continued a laughing Doyle turning to gesture Korean cinematographer Jeong-hun Jeong, who did "Sympathy".

Doyle, who says he feels Asian at heart and has worked on more than 50 films, most of them in China, is also considered an inspiration by many young filmmakers.

While today's Asian films are praised for their stunning visuals, beauty was being brought to the screen by such icons as Japanese director Akira Kurosawa in "Ran" and "Kagemucha", long before Doyle created the wide-angle style that became Hong Kong director/auteur Wong Kar Wai's signature.

Working behind the lens has dramatically changed since the 1980s when Ueda worked alongside Kurosawa for the Oscar-nominated "Ran".

"At that time Kurosawa drew the storyboard himself and it came out like a perfectly moving painting. Our duty was to bring it on screen no matter how hard that was to achieve," said Ueda, who received the Bangkok International Film Festival's inaugural Asian Perspective Award.

"I much preferred looking at the movie through the lens than on the monitor."

Twenty years ago, the director and the cinematographer would spend several months preparing their angles to avoid mistakes once proper filming began.

In contrast, Doyle prepares by visiting the location and absorbing the atmosphere. This allows him to visualise it in the context of the story.

"It's always about people. If we don't know anything about people what right do we have to tell their story on film," he says.

Ueda loved working with Kurosawa. "It felt like a family on the set. When Kurosawa arrived [on the set], he would be upset if he didn't see the film crew he felt close to."

Doyle, on the other hand, gets pleasure from working with a variety of people of all nationalities and with varying levels of experience.

"First time filmmakers always ask stupid questions but sometimes, even when we get older, we don't have the answers. That's not important. Asking the question is.

"The cameraman has to deal with thousands of uncertainties during filming - technical issues, the weather, the director, the actors."

While today's high-tech equipment does much to overcome everyday glitches, technical skill and creativity are essential to capture the perfect shots.

"We use hi-tech equipment but we don't like following the manual and I think that's turned out to be out the strong point of Korean cinematography," Jeong added.

Jeong, who admires Doyle, said he would also like to start working with new people.

"I've had to turn down Hollywood projects because my English isn't good enough. But I don't want to limit myself to just Korean movies. I want to expand my horizons," he said.

And hopefully the seminar helped several other young cinematographers expand their horizons. 

Parinyaporn Pajee

The Nation