Thomas Del Ruth

On his early life and influences; on going to film sets with his father, director Roy Del Ruth; on growing up around movie stars and realizing he wanted to be a cinematographer

On his education and making connections in the industry; on working as an assistant cameraman at 20th Century Fox and learning his way around a camera; on becoming involved with Conrad Hall and working his way up to be a camera operator 

On his early days as a camera operator; on his style of communication and his early projects as a cameraman; on becoming director of photography for Mrs. Columbo

On working as assistant cameraman on Batman; on what a director of photography does and working with directors; on acting as director of photography on various made-for-television movies and on the technical aspects of the job

On his visual style; on being director of photography for Simon & Simon; on being director of photography for The X-Files and working with show creator Chris Carter

On acting as director of photography for The X-Files and establishing the "look" for a series in the pilot; on acting as director of photography for the pilot of ER and the use of the steadicam; on working with executive producer John Wells on the ER pilot

On acting as director of photography for ER episodes subsequent to the pilot; on acting as director of photography for Barbarians at the Gate; on acting as director of photography for JAG

On directing some episodes of JAG and his feelings about directing; on acting as director of photography for Charmed and the look of Aaron Spelling shows; on how he became involved with Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing and on being hired by The West Wing  director Thomas Schlamme

On developing the look of The West Wing; on a typical production week for The West Wing and on the arduous rehearsal process, colors, and location of the show; on how the set of The West Wing compared with the real-life Oval Office and the lighting of the show 

On the kinds of cameras that were used for The West Wing; on the on-location shooting of The West Wing; on working with Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme on The West Wing 

On using light to identify characters on The West Wing; on winning Emmy Awards for The West Wing; on the biggest challenge of the cinematography of The West Wing  

On the appeal of The West Wing and his contribution to the show; on acting as director of photography for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip; on acting as director of photography on the feature films "The Breakfast Club" and "Stand By Me"

On the most important developments in television cinematography; on the key to his success and longevity in the business and career highlights and regrets; on his advice to an aspiring cinematographer, the future of cinematography, and how he'd like to be remembered