Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters

The images of contemporary American photographer Gregory Crewdson suggest cinematic narratives teeming with despair, mystery, and longing compressed into a single picture. It’s no surprise to learn that Crewdson is inspired not only by the “awe and terror” in the work of Diane Arbus but also by the films of Hitchcock and Lynch, filmmakers who relish in exploring the sinister, primal undercurrents seething under the surface of everyday life. Crewdson’s practice is also closer to that of a filmmaker. Each picture calls for a director of photography, Klieg lights, fog machines, magic-hour twilight, and meticulous staging, not to mention digital post-production touch-ups. But none of this elaborate preparatory work diminishes the urgency and spellbinding intrigue of Crewdson’s pictures. Filmmaker Ben Shapiro offers a complete rendering of Crewdson’s process, especially as the photographer works on his most ambitious series—Beneath the Roses, shot in small Massachusetts towns and cast almost entirely with locals—and his most stripped down—Crewdson’s portraits of Cinecittà Studios’ sprawling, vacant back lots.

Bing Theater | Frequently Asked Questions (PDF | 71 KB) | A Q&A with Gregory Crewdson, director/producer/cinematographer Ben Shapiro and writer Jonathan Lethem to follow.

$7 for LACMA members, students with valid ID, and seniors (62+); $10 for the general public | $5 for Film Independent, LACMA Film Club, The New York Times Film Club, and LACMA's Photographic Arts Council members 

STANDBY ONLY: Tickets for this event are no longer available for reservation in advance. A standby line will form at 6:30 pm at the Hammer Building Ticket Office on the night of this event. Guests in the standby line will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis, though unfortunately there is no guarantee of tickets being made available to guests in this line.

Ticketholders: Tickets can be picked up at the Hammer Building Ticket Office at LACMA during museum hours anytime after purchase. Ticketed guests must be in the theater by the published start time of the event, otherwise your seat(s) may be released and distributed to the standby line.

Screening co-presented by LACMA's Wallis Annenberg Photography Department, with funds from the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation. Additional support provided by Gagosian Gallery.

Image: "Untitled (Ophelia)" by Gregory Crewdson from the Twilight series. Photo © Gregory Crewdson