David Schwartz on Greenberg, Baumbach and Harris Savides

David Schwartz, the Chief Curator of the Museum of Moving Image and editor at large of the most excellent Moving Image Source, has recently done two extensive pieces of Greenberg interest. First is “Screwball Drama,” his extensive interview with Noah Baumbach on his filmic influences. More recently he interviewed cinematographer Harris Savides, who not only shot Greenberg, but also shot Gus Van Sant’s Milk and Sofia Coppola’s upcoming Somewhere. Savides talks a little about his special relationship with Baumbach in "That '70s Look: the throwback naturalism of cinematographer Harris Savides:"

We looked at Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye, and Five Easy Pieces. But there's a kind of shorthand now with Noah. He'll just mention a couple of films and I kind of know what he wants to do. But I never want to ape a movie. I think it just informs us and suggests a certain vibe. You know, you can't work in a void. I certainly can't go into a project and just do what I want. So to mention those movies to me just sets the tone and the pace for the way the movie looks.