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 Entertainment | May 2007 
7 Reasons Why Winning an Oscar is Awesome
 Deborah Netburn - LATimes
| | Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro reveals why the little golden man means so much. |
When cinematographer Guillermo Navarro came to Los Angeles from Mexico 13 years ago a friend recommended he approach an agent who had done work in foreign language movies and would therefore be likely to take him on as a client.
But when Navarro showed the agent his reel he was shown the door. "How can I go to any producer in Hollywood and tell them to hire a Mexican cinematographer?" said the agent. "No way."
That agent probably feels pretty dumb now. Last year Navarro, whose films include "Spy Kids," "Hell Boy" and "Night at the Museum," won an Oscar for his work on "Pan's Labyrinth" and was one of two Mexican cinematographers nominated for the award.
Reached in Budapest, where he is shooting "Hell Boy: 2" (Navarro said the new film will be fantastic - "This one has a bigger scope to it. It's more well defined and is giving me very good visual opportunities"), he was initially resistant to our proposed topic of conversation: "Seven ways getting the Oscar changed my life." "I'm not sure that it has changed my life, and certainly not in seven ways," he said.
But then he started talking, and it turns out that Oscar was pretty monumental for him. Here's his seven reasons why winning this Oscar was awesome.
1. It had the element of surprise. "I never thought I was doing to get it. There were so many things that were saying it was not for me. It is very intense to be in the audience and here comes your category and you're completely convinced it's not you and then they call your name. You know how you stand in the ocean and a wave takes you by surprise? It was like that."
2. The right film got picked. "I think that one of the best things is that it happened on a movie I adore. The recognition came on the right one. I like to tell a story with images and 'Pan's Labyrinth' is really all about that."
3. It's a big deal when you are from Mexico. "For me, coming from Mexico, it was a huge accomplishment to just do my work here. So to become the first Spanish speaking cinematographer that won an Oscar, that is a very important thing for me."
4. A sense of belonging to Hollywood. "Winning this award did change me in it gave me a very strong sense of belonging to an industry that has very good professionals. It's a very strong feeling of belonging."
5. A sense of belonging to a community of Mexican filmmakers. "This year was a very important year. Three major movies by Mexican filmmakers were nominated for Oscars - 'Babel,' 'Children of Men' and 'Pan's Labyrinth.' It is a very powerful position to feel that you belong to that group."
6. The possibility of new possibilities. "I have more work than I could do, really, but maybe the Oscar will open up spaces that were not open for me, giving me access to filmmakers that I wouldn't have had before. That is transforming."
7. A new toy to play with. "The actual award itself has been finding it's place in our house. I've moved it from the kitchen to the living room, back to the kitchen. Then it went my bedroom, my kids had it for a while... it's like that."
"Pan's Labyrinth" came out on DVD Tuesday, May 15. |
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