I missed Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World here the first time round, and regret has been gnawing a little pit in my heart ever since. But no more! Not after rushing to catch the inaugural MDA-Kodak Master Lecture yesterday, at the insanely early time of 6pm. Fortunately I made it with time to spare (and I didn't even need to take a cab).

Master and Commander is awesome on the big screen. Supremely awesome. Intensely detailed. Beautifully shot.

I hung around for the dialogue with cinematographer Russell Boyd, responsible for Master and Commander's Best Achievement in Cinematography Oscar this year. The good man gamely took on all questions with sincerity and honesty. He came across as a bit shy, without any airs whatsoever.

The key points I took away from the dialogue/Q&A were his thoughts on what a cinematographer does (doesn't just work to fulfil the director's vision at the least, and provides his own interpretation and input to complement and enhance that vision at best) and a patient "can-do" attitude towards working with diverse people in a film. Particularly fickle actors. "Roll with the punches," he said.