Horror movies have been terrorizing audiences for decades, and a Canadian cinematographer has had his finger on the pulse of many Halloween favourites. Mark Irwin, a Toronto-born director of photography, has around 180 film credits dating back more than 50 years. He’s responsible for creating the look of director David Cronenberg’s 1980s classics like “The Fly” and “Scanners.” Cinematographers are visual storytellers who use elements like lighting, framing, and pacing to bring the director’s vision to life. “I want to make sure not only do we tell it properly and artistically,” Irwin told CTV News on Friday. “But, of course, this is called show business. So, on time and on budget. That’s a real mandate you just can’t avoid.” Irwin also worked on the 90s slasher “Scream,” a film he describes a reinvention of a teenage horror classic. He said the key to creating scary movies is “don’t get too dark, too early.” “The hope is to try to get people to be comfortable and then slowly turn off the lights, and then that’s when you scare them and bring in threat and bring in consequence,” Irwin explained. “That’s where the drama tells the story.” But Irwin’s filmography isn’t all doom and gloom. He’s worked on countless comedy hits, including “Dumb and Dumber,” “There’s Something About Mary,” “Old School,” and “10 Things I Hate About You.” “You just have to be good at what you do in all directions,” Irwin said. “So, I don’t say, well, I just do horror films, or I just do Hallmark movies, and I encourage cinematographers to take those chances.” The silver screen veteran is in Winnipeg this weekend to share his expertise with the next generation of Canadian filmmakers at a series of workshops put on by Film Training Manitoba (FTM). “When you have an individual of Mark’s experience, come into Winnipeg and come into Manitoba and provide learning; it’s just going to upscale our entire industry,” Adam Smoluk, FTM’s executive director, told CTV News. Irwin said the craft of visual storytelling is more important than ever as artificial intelligence becomes the norm. He said AI infiltrating the industry is scarier than anything he’s ever created. “We can create entire, not just backgrounds, but entire scenes and actors and performance and character and camera moves,” Irwin said. “And everyone’s looking at each other thinking, ‘Why am I here?’” Irwin was recently honoured in Toronto with the Canadian Society of Cinematographers’ (CSC) Masters Award for his “extraordinary contribution to the art of cinematography.” In a release, the CSC wrote Irwin’s “distinctive visual style and decades of creative excellence have influenced generations of filmmakers.”
