James Wong Howe: Happy Accident

From "The Outrage"-Off-beat Photography Is One Of Its Virtues by Herb A. Lightman, American Cinematographer, April 1964:

A happy accident occurring on the set led to an effect which turned out to be valuable in conveying this feeling of excessive desert heat. Because it was impossible to mount the required filters on the camera for one scene, Howe's assistant held three of them in front of the lens. After a while his hand became tired and he could no longer hold them steady, and the quivering of his hand resulted in a shimmering refraction that produced an illusion of pulsating heat waves-- an effect that was readily incorporated into the style of the photography.

Sadly this effect is not seen in the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt9xrEjQZPg
^ If the story seems familiar, look no further than the classic film Rashomon directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa.

Constantine Makris: Creative Limitations on Location

From American Cinematographer, Legal Eagle by Eric Rudolph (October 1998)

"The fun of doing this show is working on location in New York City. I think my work may be better on location than in the studio. I like to deal with real problems. Since I've figured that out, I've started imagining, when I'm in the studio, that I'm on location and that I can't pull this wall out or clamp a light to this fancy molding. Having those types of limitations seems to spur my creativity. When every accent is right and every actor is perfectly backlit, I'm not that happy. I often do my best work when there are accidents. For example, when my gaffer is moving a light to the position I gave him and I see how it hits an actor as he's moving it, I'll often say 'Stop!'; Or sometimes a lamp will go out and I'll think, 'Gee, that looks better; let's leave it out.'"

- Constantine Makris, ASC