In words worth a thousand pictures, Light Years makes a palpable reality of an elusive and vivid way of seeing the world - and of a way of life equally intense and unpredictable. Unlike any other writer on the craft of film, Tom McDonough illuminates not only the mysterious alchemy that transmutes light into feelings, but also the passions of the movie industry's dreamers and the deft, sometimes daft, technicians who make the dreams come true. Uniquely expert as both a cameraman and a writer, McDonough tells us how the masters leave their indelible mark on movies - Gordon Willis on Woody Allen's, Allen Davideau on Spielberg's, Nestor Almendros on Sophie's Choice. More importantly, with his experience with the day-to-day complexities of a cinematographer's life - with its disruptive, exhilarating dislocations and brief but lifeboat-intense relationships - transforms Light Years into a very human and compelling portrait of the world of moviemaking. Traditionally the silent man in a garrulous entertainment, the invisible vicar of a stunningly visual art, the cinematographer at last acquires in these pages an expressive voice and an unforgettable face. Written on the set and on the road, Light Years is in authentic inside look at a profession whose story hsa never been told with such eloquence or passion.