"As a photographer, sometimes you just need to be a fly on the wall."
Steve Schapiro. Excerpt from the book 'The Godfather Family Album'
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As a photographer, sometimes you just need to be a fly on the wall. Shooting the movie's opening sequence in Don Corleone's office meant working with a blimp (a metal box, sponge-foamed inside to muffle the still camera's clicks), or waiting until the scene was finished so that it could be replayed for the still camera.My two most memorable images came from within those doors: Brando holding the cat, and Salvatore Corsitto, as Bonasera, whispering into the don's ear. Both photographs have been used over and over again to iconize the movie, and are now familiar images throughout the world.
But there are also times when a photographer has license to shoot at will, looking for the candid moments. The organized chaos of the wedding-party scene offered a wonderful opportunity to capture the actors at work, and at play.
The set was filled with humor, from practical jokes to the famous mooning episodes
Behind the scenes, all the tricks of the trade are revealed, like the wiring-up of James Caan with gunpowder-filled brass casings and sacs of fake blood—all to be set off by remote control to create the illusion that the bullets are hitting him from a distance, riddling his body with bullet holes and blood.
During the filming of The Godfather: Part II, Gordon Willis, the cinematographer, seemed to be going for an Oscar. Usually it was almost noon before he would feel his lighting was ready for the first shot of the day. For a scene on a hotel balcony in the Dominican Republic, where Lee Strasberg sits with Al Pacino to cut the cake that symbolizes Cuba, the light continued to be just not quite right for four days. We remained there, doing the same scene over and over. One morning, I took Al Pacino around the corner of the balcony to do a portrait against a glass window.With some actors, I've had to jump up and down or even make bird sounds to get the appropriate look. Al, within half a roll, had given me anything I could ever ask for, and we were done. In Sicily, it was like a merger of families—everyone had family there.My fondest memory is of Coppola's mother coming out one morning dressed exactly like Francis—with a false beard, glasses, and the same brown corduroy jacket he always wore. They looked almost identical, together beneath the Corleone town sign.
During a film production, the still and "special" photographers are low men on the totem pole. They are thought to take time and energy away from the production, and their work is considered unessential to the finished film itself. Yet for The Great Gatsby, Paramount credited me with making $7 million for the company through my soft, romantic images, which appeared on many magazine covers and throughout the entire advertising campaign. (The film, though incredibly beautiful, was slow-moving and didn't inspire the necessary word of mouth to become a blockbuster.)
For The Godfather: Part III, besides shooting during scenes,my primary assignment was to create a poster to advertise the movie. It was decided while we were in Palermo, Italy, that I would photograph Al Pacino sitting in a hallway, with light streaming through the windows behind him, reflecting onto the floor. Dutifully, we set up for this shot at 9:00 A.M., with that wonderful light just the way I wanted it. And then we waited. And waited. And then we waited some more. The scene being filmed in the study was long, and Al was simply never available. Time continued to pass, and it was five o'clock that afternoon before Al was finally available for the photograph.
Page [1] [2] [3]
Page [1] [2] [3]
As a photographer, sometimes you just need to be a fly on the wall. Shooting the movie's opening sequence in Don Corleone's office meant working with a blimp (a metal box, sponge-foamed inside to muffle the still camera's clicks), or waiting until the scene was finished so that it could be replayed for the still camera.My two most memorable images came from within those doors: Brando holding the cat, and Salvatore Corsitto, as Bonasera, whispering into the don's ear. Both photographs have been used over and over again to iconize the movie, and are now familiar images throughout the world.
But there are also times when a photographer has license to shoot at will, looking for the candid moments. The organized chaos of the wedding-party scene offered a wonderful opportunity to capture the actors at work, and at play.
The set was filled with humor, from practical jokes to the famous mooning episodes
Behind the scenes, all the tricks of the trade are revealed, like the wiring-up of James Caan with gunpowder-filled brass casings and sacs of fake blood—all to be set off by remote control to create the illusion that the bullets are hitting him from a distance, riddling his body with bullet holes and blood.
During the filming of The Godfather: Part II, Gordon Willis, the cinematographer, seemed to be going for an Oscar. Usually it was almost noon before he would feel his lighting was ready for the first shot of the day. For a scene on a hotel balcony in the Dominican Republic, where Lee Strasberg sits with Al Pacino to cut the cake that symbolizes Cuba, the light continued to be just not quite right for four days. We remained there, doing the same scene over and over. One morning, I took Al Pacino around the corner of the balcony to do a portrait against a glass window.With some actors, I've had to jump up and down or even make bird sounds to get the appropriate look. Al, within half a roll, had given me anything I could ever ask for, and we were done. In Sicily, it was like a merger of families—everyone had family there.My fondest memory is of Coppola's mother coming out one morning dressed exactly like Francis—with a false beard, glasses, and the same brown corduroy jacket he always wore. They looked almost identical, together beneath the Corleone town sign.
During a film production, the still and "special" photographers are low men on the totem pole. They are thought to take time and energy away from the production, and their work is considered unessential to the finished film itself. Yet for The Great Gatsby, Paramount credited me with making $7 million for the company through my soft, romantic images, which appeared on many magazine covers and throughout the entire advertising campaign. (The film, though incredibly beautiful, was slow-moving and didn't inspire the necessary word of mouth to become a blockbuster.)
For The Godfather: Part III, besides shooting during scenes,my primary assignment was to create a poster to advertise the movie. It was decided while we were in Palermo, Italy, that I would photograph Al Pacino sitting in a hallway, with light streaming through the windows behind him, reflecting onto the floor. Dutifully, we set up for this shot at 9:00 A.M., with that wonderful light just the way I wanted it. And then we waited. And waited. And then we waited some more. The scene being filmed in the study was long, and Al was simply never available. Time continued to pass, and it was five o'clock that afternoon before Al was finally available for the photograph.
Page [1] [2] [3]
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The Godfather Family Album
Hardcover + Box, 29 x 44 cm (11.4 x 17.3 in.), 444 pages
$ 1800.00
$ 1800.00
Selections from Steve Schapiro's photographs provide an insider's view of the making of the legendary trilogy. This edition is limited to 1,000 copies, numbered and signed by Steve Schapiro.
Smile for the camera, please, Mr. Brando.
Don Vito Corleone: A Man of Reason (Marlon Brando)
All photos: Photographs courtesy Steve Schapiro, and copyright (c) 2008 Paramount Pictures Corporation. The Godfather is a registered trademark of the Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved.