‘Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography’

If movies are magic, then cinematographers are the resident wizards. Creators of images, manipulators of sun and shadow, they are drawn to light as well as its absence. Because their work is technical, more dependent on complicated hardware and specific knowledge than that of either the writer or the director, cinematographers tend to be the forgotten folk of the movie process--which is why this 1993 documentary is both a treat and a revelation. “Visions” thoughtfully intermixes clips from 125 films and interviews with more than two dozen cinematographers, including Alan Daviau, pictured (KCET Monday at 9 p.m.).