Notes on a film - Mccullan
It’s much better to be on the side of humanity. You have a moral duty - you want to take the picture and you want to stop it. People ask me, do you have nightmares? I say no, only when I’m awake. Even my darkroom is a haunted place. The red light, it’s as if I’m drowning in a deep ocean.
Integrity, accuracy, don’t recreate something that wasn’t real.
The sixties were packed with opportunities if you wanted to go to war
If they think I’ve come back happy they know I have something ghastly to show. I’m trying to get the message over to people. My duty is to be there for a reason. I wouldn’t like to go through a year without being in a war.
It’s not about photography, it’s about humanity. The very poorest people get clobbered. Don’t have money, communication to move off quickly.
Is it worthwhile? Taking the risk. The ripples of the image. Feel can make people wake up to what’s going on.
Battle, price of war, suffering, loss.
Vietnam war - allowed freedom. Not allowed in Afghanistan. Changed the rule book. Very restricted.
Northern Ireland - it was like a play, you knew the plot, you’d seen it many times before, you knew where the action would be, like a football match, when the pubs turned out a 3pm.
I don’t think they make people change their minds. Middle aged people are sick of war, but the young people think they can make a difference.
Suffering from becoming a war junkie. Passion to report what’s happening. Reporters can change things. Make the strongest images.
There’s always threat surrounding the things you love.