George Spiro Dibie
Director of Photography / Cinematographer
About This Interview
In his Archive interview, George Spiro Dibie discusses his childhood in Jerusalem and his passion for American films. He speaks of his move to Los Angeles as a youngster and of his start in the entertainment industry -- as a member of the electrical department at Fox. He details his rise up the ranks to Director of Photography and how his experience as an electrician and gaffer contributed to his expertise in cinematography. Dibie describes lighting techniques he invented (Dibie net, Dibie square), shares the myth about his work on pilot episodes, and explains his contributions to series Barney Miller; Growing Pains; Night Court; Just the Ten of Us; and Sister, Sister, among others. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the three-hour interview on July 26, 2010 in Sherman Oaks, CA.
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Highlights
On the importance of smelling good in front of cast and crew - "Hi, Sexy"
Clip begins at: 24:09, Duration: 01m 06s
On the challenges of lighting women
Clip begins at: 20:14, Duration: 01m 08s
On the luck of every pilot he did becoming a series
Clip begins at: 46:52, Duration: 00m 46s- On changing the way sitcoms were lit in the 1970s
Clip begins at: 52:25, Duration: 00m 40s
Chapters
- Chapter 1
- On his childhood in Jerusalem and love of films as a youngster; on moving to Los Angeles and his college years with Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman; on his first jobs after college - as an electrician at Fox
Clip begins at: 0:26 - On becoming a gaffer and creating Dibie-Dash Productions for documentary film work; on working as an electrician for television; on working with Barbra Streisand and Mary Tyler Moore
Clip begins at: 15:55 - On creating the Dibie Net; on lighting for Barney Miller; on changing the standards for sitcom lighting in the 1970s
Clip begins at: 33:44 - Chapter 2
- On lighting for New Zoo Revue; on cinematography for Barney Miller; on the cast of Barney Miller
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On cinematography for Buffalo Bill, Mr. Belvedere, and Growing Pains
Clip begins at: 26:02 - Chapter 3
- On cinematography for and the cast of Growing Pains; on cinematography for Night Court; on pilots he did for Warner Brothers; Murphy Brown, Head of the Class, Room For Two, Just the Ten of Us, Sister, Sister
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On differences between cinematography and director of photography; on the Cinematographer's Guild
Clip begins at: 32:04 - On techniques he developed or utilizes: Dibie Square, OB, practical lighting, camera movements; on new technology and how he processes a script
Clip begins at: 40:38 - On serving on the Board of Directors for The Television Academy; on developments for television cinematography
Clip begins at: 48:42 - On advice to aspiring cinematographers; on how he'd like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 54:04
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