Since then Hall has been involved with over 30 films, and directed numerous commercials. He has been nominated for an Academy Award nine times, and was awarded three Academy Awards for his work as Director of Photography for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), American Beauty (1999), and Road to Perdition (2002). His final project was Road to Perdition (2002) where we teamed up again with Director of American Beauty, Sam Mendes. His son accepted the Academy Award for Road to Perdition in March, 2003, just two months after his death.

Growing Up

Hall was born in Papete, Tahiti, in 1926. His father, a writer and WWI veteran, went to Tahiti to find a quiet place to write about his experiences in WWI. Conrad grew up on the island surrounded by a small literary community, and when he hit his teens he was sent by his father to a prep school in Santa Barbara, California. Encouraged by his father, he then majored in journalism at the University of South California . After his decision to change majors and study cinema, Hall knew that his road was in film.

Conrad Hall, on the set of Road to Perdition. Photo taken from Road to Perdition DVD

Breaking In

When he graduated a couple of his fellow classmates started a small company of their own and raised enough money to make a movie. Conrad was assigned to cinematographer duties. This experience started his career behind the camera, were he ultimately found his strength. Hall worked on camera crews during the 1950s and 1960s with veteran cinematographers such as Ernie Haller, A.S.C., Ted McCord, A.S.C., and Burnie Guffey, A.S.C. After a this he spent two years as director of photography for episodes of TV series Stoney Burke, and The Outer Limits.

His first feature-film work was in 1965 where we worked on Morituri, Incubus, and Wild Seed. During this time he began working with William Fraker, a member of his camera crew who later went on to become Director of Photography for films like Rosemary's Baby (1968), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), and many other hits. 

The "Happy Accident"

In 1967 Hall was nominated for an academy award for his work in In Cold Blood, which he considers to be one of his primary milestones in his career. The most memorable scene showed the killer in the movie speaking to a prison chaplain while standing in front of a window. The killer is not showing emotion, however the light coming through the rain on the window created streaks on the mans face that resembled tears. 

During this time Conrad L. Hall worked on other influential films including The Professionals (1966) and Cool Hand Luke (1967). During this time Conrad was establishing his keen observational eye that allowed him to take advantage of what he called the "Happy Accident". He became very good at observing what the light was doing in the camera and was able to use it to tell the story in a more dramatic way.

Director George Roy Hill, and actors Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and actress Katherine Ross made a powerful team with the help of Conrad L. Hall as Director of Photography. The director actually had to fight for Hall to be on the film. Although Conrad Hall was well known for his quality of work, he was also well known for taking a longer time than usual to get it done. In the end, both Newman and Director George Hill had to petition for Conrad. In the end, everyone was happy with the decision to work with Hall.

Paul Newman in a shot from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

The director had a lot of trust in Hall's work, and actually handed Conrad part of the script that he did not have time to direct and told him to find the locations for the shots and film it on his own. The film was a personally rewarding experience for him, and was a highlight of that part of his career.

Back to Film

After his work on Black Widow (1987) and an Academy nomination for  Tequila Sunrise (1988), Hall had once again established himself as an important cinematographer in the industry. 

From 1991 - 1999 Conrad worked as Director of Photography for seven films. Three of those films earned him recognition with the Academy. He received a nomination for cinematography for Searching for Bobby Fisher (1993) and A Civil Action (1994). He won his second Award for his work on American Beauty (1999) with director Sam Mendes.

For Road to Perdition Sam Mendes wanted to give the film a natural mid-western look. In order to accomplish this, the film was entirely shot in Chicago and the small town of Pullman just outside of Chicago.  "The Illinois State Film Commission provided the filmmakers with the Armory, the largest location mainstay in Chicago. Large enough to hold a football field, the Armory is home to the Illinois State National Guard." (Zone)

scene from Road to Perdition. Unit photography by Francois Duhamel, SMPSP

The Armory provided a location that Hall was able to thrive in. It was large enough to give him complete control of his lighting setup. Lighting rigs were setup around the edges of the Armory and on the ceiling. This allowed Hall to have the control he wanted as well as as the ability to hide lighting off screen. The lighting rig took a crew of 10 people eight weeks to set up.

In each scene of Road to Perdition there is a distinct look that provides the mood for the location the story is being told. "Room Tone" was the term Conrad Hall used to discuss his interior shots.  "Room tone is the light that results from light bouncing off of walls, ceilings and floors, It gives a sense of presence to what I don't want to see." says Hall. (Zone) 

Conrad Hall is known for taking a long time to get the shot how he likes it. During Road to Perdition Sam Mendes allowed Hall to take his time and to get the shots that would best tell the story. It is also well known to Hall's crew and the director that regardless of what kind of prior planning has been done, Conrad will not determine the lighting for a shot until he arrives on the set.

scene from Road to Perdition. Unit photography by Francois Duhamel, SMPSP

Sam Mendes had the following to say about working with Conrad L. Hall. 

	The melancholy works of painter Edward Hopper were a major influence on the look of the film. This shot and the next of Sullivan and his son Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) sharing a meal in a diner offer a prime example of the Hopper aesthetic, in which light and space are used to convey emotional subtext. © 2002 American Cinematographer.
	The melancholy works of painter Edward Hopper were a major influence on the look of the film. © 2002 American Cinematographer.
	Conrad Hall, ASC seeks divine inspiration on location. © 2002 American Cinematographer.
	Amid a driving rainstorm, hit man Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) mows down his enemies with a hail of bullets. © 2002 American Cinematographer.
	Over the course of the story, the younger Sullivan begins to see his father in a new light. © 2002 American Cinematographer.
	An overhead angle shows the mobster cleaning his weapon of choice. © 2002 American Cinematographer.
	The crew sets up a dolly shot to capture the action. © 2002 American Cinematographer.

 

"During postproduction, Hall considered using a bleach-bypass process on the negative to desaturate the images further, but Mendes was concerned that the special process might 'undermine what is brilliant in Conrad's lighting of the film. Conrad takes his own lighting skill for granted, and I felt that putting a post process on top of his work might make it look like ... something that could be done on a computer, as opposed to what he actually did. I think Road to Perdition is the most dazzling work he's ever done. He really wanted to take the image closer to black-and-white. He dares to light very, very little; he deals in shadows, in half-light and in muted shades of gray.' " (Zone)

In conclusion, Conrad L. Hall was one of the the most talented cinematographers of the film industry. His work and experience will be missed. However, like Conrad L. Hall himself who was the son of a talented storyteller, Conrad W. Hall, Conrad L. Hall's son, is now following in his fathers footsteps. Conrad W. Hall grew up admiring the work that his father did and spent many years studying and working with his father. After years of working as a camera operator, Conrad W. Hall has begun his own career as a cinematographer. In 2002 he completed work as Director of Photography for Panic Room, and is now working on the upcoming Punisher movie to be released in 2004. If we are lucky enough perhaps some of his fathers talents will be continued in the work of his son.