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The Visions of Maryse
Maryse Alberti explains the art of cinematography
by Connie Blaszczyk
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 Maryse Alberti is a rare breed in a rarefied form: a woman cinematographer working in independent film. For the past two decades, Alberti has developed her craft to become one of the most respected indie cinematographers around.
Led by her instincts, Alberti has often found the edgy and offbeat topic. The result is an eclectic resume that includes the documentaries H2 Worker (1989), about Jamaican field hands, and Crumb (1994), based on the bizarre life of cartoonist R. Crumb. She also shot two of 1998's most talked about feature films: Todd Solondz's Happiness, a story about pedophilia and masturbation that won the Critics' Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and Todd Haynes' Velvet Goldmine, which recreated the '70s glam rock scene in London.
For the latter film, Alberti received a 1999 Independent Spirit Award. But recognition isn't anything new -- she twice won for best cinematographer at the Sundance Film Festival for H2Worker and Crumb. While the limelight is nice, it clearly isn't the reason Alberti puts in 18-hour days on projects that often pay too little. What fuels the mostly self-taught filmmaker is when everything falls in place, and she sees a moment of startling freshness and honesty through the lens.
Long before she sat behind a massive 35mm camera, Alberti wandered through China and Central and South America, snapping unusual images as she went. In Russia, her camera documented the rise and fall of Mikhail Gorbachev. Today, Alberti remains closer to home, New York City, and to her husband and five-year-old son Marley. But this French-born cinematographer hasn't slowed down much. After a long day of scouting locations for a feature film directed by Stanley Tucci, ZineZone caught up with Alberti at an art gallery in lower Manhattan, where she talked about film, motherhood and her unconventional career.
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On video, meet cinematographer Maryse Alberti.
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Maryse Alberti
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