Jeff Cronenweth on the set of K-19 with director Kathyrn Bigelow.

For Jeff Cronenweth, cinematography was in the gene pool. The son of legendary DP Jordan Cronenweth, Jeff's career got an early jumpstart when he began assisting his father-first on Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and next on Gardens of Stone (1987), both for Francis Ford Coppola.

In the past three years, he has made a name of his own, first working behind the camera on David Fincher's stylish Fight Club (1999). Most recently, Cronenweth's work can be seen in Kathryn Bigelow's at-sea adventure, K-19: The Widowmaker, as well as in Mark Romanek's highly-anticipated One Hour Photo. While wrapping up Peyton Reed's Down With Love, a romantic-comedy starring Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, Cronenweth took a few minutes to chat with MM about the key to finding your own style and the challenges of having your father as your boss.

Jennifer Wood (MM): Usually I start out by asking how someone decided to become a cinematographer, but in your case the source of inspiration seems obvious. Did your father encourage your desire to pursue his craft?

Jeff Cronenweth (JC): I was introduced to the industry at quite an early age, but as I got older it was the comradery and teamwork with a common goal that first attracted me. My father was very open-minded about the field of cinematography and allowed me and my siblings the opportunity to experience it, but never forced or even steered us in its direction. And I think because it was my choice alone it made him all the more proud. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to view any of my work.

MM: You had the great fortune to work with your father early in your career. What were some of the benefits of being so close to the cinematographer on the set? Were there any drawbacks?

JC: Working with my father as his camera assistant had both benefits and drawbacks. The benefits are the obvious: working with one of the more gifted cinematographers ever to shoot afforded one the insight into his creative process, and the chance to watch him conquer the most challenging situations. It also put me in a position to work on the highest profile, quality-driven projects. That's where some drawbacks came into play. Early on, assisting responsibilities on such big shows is an overwhelming task on its own. Then add in the fear of embarrassing and disappointing the cinematographer-your father-as any son would have. So you overachieve to offset the stereotype of nepotism.

MM: What were some of the lessons your father taught you about the craft that you've carried forth to today? What are some of the lessons you wish he'd taught you?

JC: There are so many ideas and concepts that he instilled in me that I don't know where to begin. But in general I would say that ultimately your responsibility is in guiding the audience and enhancing the story through photography and composition, but never distracting from it. Don't let your ego get in the way of the story.

As far as missed lessons, there is not a working day that goes by that I don't wonder how he would have solved this situation and that I wish I had paid a little more attention to the lighting and not the extras.

MM: In one of your first films, Fight Club, your own assistant, Conrad Hall, Jr. was the son of another great DP. I assume your backgrounds and introduction to film were similar; did this commonality help to strengthen your working relationship?

JC: Yes, on Fight Club I was fortunate enough to have Conrad Hall, Jr. as my camera operator. We had been friends for many years and had both worked for David Fincher on other projects, so we had a common understanding of his style and approach. This allowed us to multitask, if you will, and keep up with a rather demanding pace-not to forget that my father had operated for Conrad Hall, Sr. on five or six films.

MM: Can you talk a bit about how you became involved with both K-19 and One Hour Photo?

JC: One Hour Photo was photographed first and I had a long working relationship with Mark Romanek. We had made maybe a handful of music videos together, many winning awards, so there was a great artistic relationship that existed. K-19, on the other hand, came about from Kathryn Bigelow's appreciation of Fight Club and some of those videos with Mark. She loved the camera movement and knew a submarine would be the greatest challenge. I also had a history with two of the producers, Steve Jaffe and Joni Sighvatsson.

MM: How do you go about choosing projects? Once you have accepted a project, what are the first steps you take in preparing?

JC: Finding a good script that is compelling enough to give up your family and friends for six months and allow you the artistic license to apply your craft is always a daunting task. And the first thing you need to do is make sure you have the creative and financial support that would allow you to make the film as you see it.

MM: You've worked with a number of directors who have a very clear idea about visual style-David Fincher being the most obvious; Mark Romanek as well. How does this affect your own work? Do you prefer a director with a definite vision of how the film will look, or do you like to experiment on the set?

JC: I think a combination of both is ideal. By that I mean working with someone who has a clear vision, but has the knowledge, capacity and confidence to let you take things beyond the limit and push the boundaries of photography and composition. This makes a true collaboration and that is very rewarding.

MM: Many cinematographers have a distinct visual style that leaves as much of an imprint on a film than that of the director, screenwriter, etc. What would you say are the keys to your own consistent style?

JC: In my short career I have Fight Club, One Hour Photo, K-19 and, will complete by the end of this week, Down With Love, a romantic comedy. They are all very different in approach, so I would hope that if a signature existed, it would be the use of a fluid camera to tell the story through composition and beautiful images that marry the audience emotionally to the screenplay.

MM: Working in so many genres, and with various visual results, do you have a preferred film stock?

JC: Once again, I think that the situation to some degree will tell you the film stock to go with. But in most low light situations I prefer to go with Kodak 5279 (500ASA Tungsten balanced), and for day exteriors 5248 (100ASA Tungsten balanced). But for Down With Love I chose to go with 5274 (200ASA Tungsten balanced), as I wanted a great deal of color saturation and very fine grain structure. This is story-driven because the film is a romantic comedy based on the old Rock Hudson-Doris Day comedies such as Pillow Talk, and I wanted to get back some of that quality.

MM: What's up next for you?

JC: Finishing Down With Love and then going back to the commercial world until summer is over.