A Returning Vision

For cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs, there exists a sort of
“pay it forward” mentality in regards to the film
industry. Because his teacher taught him in Hungary, he has
promised to educate the next generation of filmmakers in
return.

Kovacs, whose tremendous body of work includes such films as
“Easy Rider,” “Ghostbusters,” “My
Best Friend’s Wedding” and “Miss
Congeniality,” will teach three day-long workshops for the
Kodak Cinematographer in Residence Program at UCLA on April 24
and May 1, with the last date still to be determined.

“When I went back to Hungary, (my teacher George Illes)
said, “˜This is what you have to do because we gave you a free
education and scholarship. You have to pass this knowledge onto the
next generation of filmmakers “¦ and don’t charge for
it!'” Kovacs said.

Reminded by his 86-year-old film professor, who is still running
workshops and organizing master classes in Budapest, Kovacs
continues to educate future filmmakers by putting his own time,
energy and resources into running workshops, meeting with students,
and offering a scholarship in his name. He has even formed an
education committee for the American Society of
Cinematographers.

But Kovacs’ rise to success was anything but glamorous. He
was born in a small village in Hungary, where his first
introduction to film was through watching black and white films on
a white sheet in a classroom where his mother ran the weekend
cinema. When he went to school in Budapest, he skipped his classes
every day so that he could go to the movie theater.

He then decided to apply to the Academy of Drama and Film in
Budapest, and was accepted to a class of about a dozen students
picked from 3,000 applicants. There, Kovacs and his friend and
fellow cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond witnessed and photographed
the revolution against the Soviets, which drove them to
America.

“It was very difficult, but we believed in our dream so
strongly we knew it was just a question of time,” Kovacs
said.

He got his big break when Dennis Hopper approached him to film
“Easy Rider,” a movie Kovacs almost dismissed as just
another biker film.

“We didn’t know that we would be film
history,” Kovacs said. “It blew to pieces back-lot
studio pictures.”

Kovacs has remained incredibly selective regarding the projects
that he chooses to take on, preferring films that show individual
relationships and drama as opposed to big science fiction and
action films.

But he also wants to encourage students to film anything they
can, which made him an ideal choice for the Cinematographer in
Residence Program.

Because of the hectic schedules cinematographers frequently
face, where one project can consume months of time, production Vice
Chair and cinematography Professor William McDonald, who originally
formed the idea for the program, doesn’t call
cinematographers until two months before the workshops are supposed
to begin. Otherwise they would be unwilling to commit their time in
case another project came up.

When discussing who should be the cinematographer in residence
this year, Kovacs’ name kept coming up. And when McDonald
approached Kovacs, who was already familiar with the program, he
was delighted to receive an enthusiastic “yes” from the
cinematographer.

“During his career, (Kovacs) has always been committed to
educating the next generation,” McDonald said. “Someone
like (Kovacs) is even more unique because his commitment is not
just lip service, but involves doing workshops and meeting with
students.”

Kovacs’ tenure here began Monday with a screening of
Martin Scorsese’s “New York, New York,” which
Kovacs photographed, and his workshops cater to people interested
in cinematography on all levels. The first workshop will involve
screening clips, listening to Kovacs talk, and having an
opportunity to ask him questions about his craft. After that,
Kovacs will lead the workshops with a more hands-on approach,
giving students the opportunity to recreate challenging scenes on
stage by setting up the lighting and working the camera.

Most cinematographers only do the three workshops required for
their residence, but Kovacs desires to use the entire ten weeks of
the academic quarter if possible.

“(Kovacs) has asked how much more he can do during his
residency,” McDonald said. “He has asked, “˜If I
want to have more workshops, can I?’ Absolutely. “˜If I
want to screen more films, can I?’ Absolutely. He has given
over 100 percent.”

Aspiring filmmakers continually approach Kovacs with questions
about the secret to breaking into the industry. Kovacs believes
that it is more than just connections and blind luck.

“The number one thing is that you must have talent,”
Kovacs said. “You must find that talent inside of you and
nurture it and make it grow. It’s not easy, and the
competition is severe, but you can’t give up your dream. You
have to live your dream 24 hours a day because if you slack off the
competition will take it.”