FA: Are you reading anything
right now?
CK:
I am nigh on finishing
"White Jacket" by Herman Melville, an account
of his days as a sailor in the American Navy on board a Man-O-War. I love
it because it paints a very clear picture of the inner workings of a fighting
ship, and all the various characters that inhabited it. And of course, Melville
is no slouch of a writer.
FA: How
has your worked changed over the years?
CK: In
the first 15 years of shooting, I very much controlled
what was going on in front of the lens. I was a strong
director, I created attitude, and lighting was very
important. I made sets and made a reality that wasn't
necessarily there. In the early 90's I re-discovered
the snapshot with it's implicit liberty. I had no
control of the moment. I was invisible behind the
lens. This allowed something larger than my small
imagination could make happen. With the ghost stories,
it is a mix of control and allowing for the unexpected.
Choosing what images to pair up, and shifting the camera
from side to side is about where the control ends. The
consequences are much larger, and beyond human endeavor.
FA: Do
you do anything special for Halloween?
CK: Well,
I used to, many years ago now, practice witchcraft. All
Hallow's Eve was the witches New Year. And our coven
would work the magic. I still dress up and go trick-or-treating
with friend's children, and get a bang out of it. For
the past 5 years or so, I have been attending a large and
wild party hosted by the Fool's Guild, of which I am a guilty
member. It is lots of fun, with incredible sets, it
is a night to be remembered. Ironically I never take
my camera.
