John Carpenter is rightfully renowned and enormously successful in his sci-fi and horror repertoire and there’s one thing that always lingers; his unique sense of visual representation. From HALLOWEEN, to ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, then traipsing through THE FOG and freezing with death in THE THING, Carpenter is one of the true greats.
On Set with John Carpenter: The Photographs of Kim Gottlieb-Walker is one of those classic books for your coffee-table that heads behind-the-scenes and documents a whole host of unique moments in his film career, alongside exclusive new shots and material. Kim Gottlieb-Walker was hired by Carpenter’s producing partner Debra Hill to the unit photographer initially on HALLOWEEN. After that gig, she became part of the Carpenter film-making family who shot the on-set stills for the ones included in this book which are the aforementioned Michael Myer’s classic, plus THE FOG, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, HALLOWEEN II and CHRISTINE.
Opening with a foreword from the director, he goes on to talk about how they ‘were kids making movies’ and how Kim produced some exquisite portraits and action shots during the making of those films. He also notes that Dean Cundey, director of photography, and Kim worked perfectly together as they understood the light and mood of the moment – something that comes across in the photos included in both the serious and more relaxed situations.
I always think that composition, depth and capturing that particular instant is the most important thing in this style of photography. Without those basics, you’ll never be able be bring across the emotion or atmosphere and they’ll just be shots without any soul. I’m not talking focus either; it’s more about finding that context and capturing it effortlessly onto 35mm.
Kim’s photos do all of these things and that’s mainly because she’s out to grab every aspect of what’s happening, rather than just specific, setup time. On Set… delves into every part, including makeup, rolling camera and off-camera antics. You’ll find a host of production stills, the crew involved, and candid snapshots that head behind-the-scenes with images we’ve never seen before – It just makes that world even bigger. 
Set up over 176 pages, it would have been great if we’d got a closer look in Carpenter’s other films (Obviously, after Kim’s involvement) as well but this one definitely does the trick. If you’re a fan of the films included, or even just a lover of his work as a whole, then you’ll find this book a great accompaniment. You’ve also got the added bonus of exclusive editorial commentary from many of those involved alongside the photos.
Kim Gottlieb-Walker may have only worked briefly with John Carpenter but even she explains it was one of the ‘great joys’ in her life. She went on to cover politics, music and more through the 1960s and 70s. From there, she worked in the mid-1970s with Island Records and her Bob Marley High Times cover is one of their most popular covers, ever. A seriously talented woman with a career spanning 40 years, this book gives us just a glance into that and it’s worth picking up for all these aforementioned aspects, and a joyous celebration of being on-set during those early days.
[usr=4] On Set With John Carpenter by Kim Gottlieb-Walker is out now from Titan Books. Pick up your copy by clicking here.
