Cinematographer - A movie photographer, especially one who is in charge of shooting a movie.
Since we know Will is not a cinematographer, it's safe to assume that he's making a metaphor where the cinematographer in this song is the guy in charge of his own movie, i.e. moving the camera in his own life.
The song is a great tribute to the idea of finding yourself - walking away from and going to the places you need to, and finding yourself in a constantly changing world. My favorite line is "only to find it was made of wood" because that's Will's signature line open for total interpretation. Similar in ideology to Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill"
@sidneycarton See, I have the opposite interpretation. Great songs are like that. I think it is about this pretentious guy who fancies himself a cinematographer. He walks away from New York, California, and even Louisville because he is an utter failure. I think it is a self-parody in a way because Will Oldham himself has a "starving artist" image. But even though the guy in the song is a pretentious douche bag, it is still sad in a way.
@sidneycarton See, I have the opposite interpretation. Great songs are like that. I think it is about this pretentious guy who fancies himself a cinematographer. He walks away from New York, California, and even Louisville because he is an utter failure. I think it is a self-parody in a way because Will Oldham himself has a "starving artist" image. But even though the guy in the song is a pretentious douche bag, it is still sad in a way.
Cinematographer - A movie photographer, especially one who is in charge of shooting a movie.
Since we know Will is not a cinematographer, it's safe to assume that he's making a metaphor where the cinematographer in this song is the guy in charge of his own movie, i.e. moving the camera in his own life.
The song is a great tribute to the idea of finding yourself - walking away from and going to the places you need to, and finding yourself in a constantly changing world. My favorite line is "only to find it was made of wood" because that's Will's signature line open for total interpretation. Similar in ideology to Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill"
@sidneycarton See, I have the opposite interpretation. Great songs are like that. I think it is about this pretentious guy who fancies himself a cinematographer. He walks away from New York, California, and even Louisville because he is an utter failure. I think it is a self-parody in a way because Will Oldham himself has a "starving artist" image. But even though the guy in the song is a pretentious douche bag, it is still sad in a way.
@sidneycarton See, I have the opposite interpretation. Great songs are like that. I think it is about this pretentious guy who fancies himself a cinematographer. He walks away from New York, California, and even Louisville because he is an utter failure. I think it is a self-parody in a way because Will Oldham himself has a "starving artist" image. But even though the guy in the song is a pretentious douche bag, it is still sad in a way.