FTC Forum
ENGLISH => GENERAL => Topic started by: MysteRy on July 28, 2014, 02:28:59 PM
-
50 - Wally Pfister
(https://scontent-b-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/600713_474229125979693_824530791_n.jpg?oh=e893d0f4541079bd8c1e9ff11467fc6a&oe=543D634B)
Though he’s currently making the transition to director (with 2014’s Transcendence), Pfister has long been Christopher Nolan’s go-to man when it comes to cinematography.
Pfister has worked with Nolan on all of his films apart from Following – so that’s his Batman trilogy, plus Memento, The Prestige and Inception.
Greatest Achievement: Really, take your pick.
Of course, freshest in our minds is The Dark Knight Rises, which swapped the flame-licked palette of The Dark Knight for something murkier, greyer and altogether more ominous.
-
49 - Vilmos Zsigmond
(https://scontent-a-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10094_475244505878155_573986804_n.jpg?oh=ae8720d9ed4c5d77d8adabfa7ed716b9&oe=543DBDF0)
A lover of vivid colour and natural light, Hungary-born Zsigmond first came to the USA when he fled his homeland with footage of the Soviet invasion. (He sold the footage to CBS.)
His most notable work comes in the varied form of The Long Goodbye and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.
Greatest Achievement: Close Encounters nabbed him his first Oscar win (three more nominations would follow, the most recent in 2007 for The Black Dahlia
-
48 - Roger Deakins
(https://scontent-a-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/945478_475696972499575_982049611_n.jpg)
Deakins has been responsible for many of the Coen Brothers’ finest films, having collaborated with the siblings since 1991.
With complete command of colour and mood, he gave The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001) a monochrome opulence, while O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) was blushed warm with sepia tones.
Greatest Achievement: Last year’s Skyfall, one of the best-looking Bond films ever made.
-
47 - Ellen Kuras
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1.0-9/1314_476234522445820_586405417_n.jpg)
A frequent collaborator of Spike Lee (and one of the few established female cinematographers out there, don’t ask us why), Kuras’ work on He Got Game (1998) elevated that film to a whole new level.
Greatest Achievement: The potentially unruly Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004), which busts film form wide open.
Kuras embraced the challenge, though, and the result is something entirely unique.
-
46 - Eduardo Serra
(https://scontent-b-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/971770_476583759077563_1197770443_n.jpg?oh=fd9523fea618c241e686b6e29f503ab3&oe=543BC082)
Serra most recently worked on Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Parts 1 and 2 (yep, he’s one of the guys that ensured the series got consistently darker).
Serra’s other credits include comic-book redux Unbreakable (2000), Blood Diamond (2006) and The Wings Of The Dove (1997).
Greatest Achievement: Girl With A Pearl Earring (2003), in which Serra brought the paintings of Joannes Vermeer to life on the screen.
-
45 - Dante Spinotti
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/1003446_476843612384911_380668501_n.jpg?oh=6d0c12d80f0f3a0ea83da3c88a40ce9e&oe=54340F1A&__gda__=1412968907_304e21917ab8ce5df0cedbe9d85bb6da)
Manhunter (1986) made things change for Spinotti after a career in Italian TV.
With that film, he showed significant flare for feverish visuals, something Michael Mann obviously valued – he hired Spinotti again for Heat (1995) and Public Enemies (2009).
Greatest Achievement: LA Confidential (1997) oozed noir ‘50s glamour while Heat was as slick as they come.
-
44 - Darius Khondji
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t1.0-9/295505_477609425641663_52832922_n.jpg)
Born in Iran and educated at the New York University, Khondji quickly realised that he was more interested in shooting other people’s films than his own.
“I was concerned with the power of the image and much less with story,” he admits. He went on to work with David Fincher, Oliver Stone, Woody Allen, Wong Kar-wai, Michael Haneke and Roman Polanski among many others.
Greatest Achievement: In France, Delicatessen had an oily, glowing ambience, while in the US, Khondji ensured that Se7en (1995) was suitably scuzzy and atmospheric.
-
43 - Bruce Surtees
(https://scontent-a-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/1016397_478030028932936_999585604_n.jpg)
With a style that echoes that of Tonino Delli Colli’s work on Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy, it’s no surprise that Surtees spent much of his career working with Clint Eastwood.
He sadly died last year after complications related to diabetes.
Greatest Achievement: Lenny(1974), for which Surtees received an Oscar nomination.
And rightly so – the biopic of stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce relied heavily on Surtees’ lighting techniques, especially in the pivotal stage-set scenes, which are evocative and mesmerising.
-
42 - Robert Richardson
(https://scontent-b-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/947056_478458795556726_57770086_n.jpg)
A fan of mixing things up, Richardson has utilised a variety of different techniques throughout his career thus far, including changing up lenses and film stock depending on the project’s demands.
It’s a loose and free style that has made him a firm favourite for Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone.
Greatest Achievement: Richardson’s CV is amazing (Natural Born Killers (1994), Kill Bill (2003), JFK (1991), but he accomplished the impossible with Hugo (2011), which not only looked fantastic, but it also looked fantastic in 3D.
-
41 - Robert Krasker
(https://scontent-a-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/971460_479158362153436_1696808656_n.jpg?oh=3c5ad2e400204294cdc3139962f28391&oe=54562A5D)
Heavily influenced by German expressionism and film noir, Aussie-born Krasker is best known for moody, noir-ish masterpieces like Brief Encounter (1945), The Third Man (1949) and Uncle Silas (1947).
Greatest Achievement: Krasker won an Oscar for The Third Man, and it’s not difficult to see why.
Harsh lighting, quirky camera angles and deep, rich blacks all gave the film an intense mood that’s difficult to shake off.
-
40 - Daniel L. Fapp
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/998397_479490048786934_215423698_n.jpg?oh=5ad592643b2ed7d72d2bfa8d31aa858b&oe=5445E594&__gda__=1413565994_8476e318bd46015c83d803c246e73151)
With 81 credits to his name (one of his most famous was The Great Escape (1963)), Fapp covered a variety of genres as both a cinematographer and camera operator.
Greatest Achievement: West Side Story (1961), which found romance in the gritty urban setting and earned Fapp his only Oscar.
Photo: Directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, cinematographer Daniel L. Fapp, associate producer Saul Chaplin and crew on the set of West Side Story (1961)
-
39 - Oswald Morris
(https://scontent-a-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/t1.0-9/1005698_479883328747606_910307399_n.jpg)
Morris made his name by pushing the development of colour film in the 1950s, most notably on Josh Huston’s sizzling and saturated Moulin Rouge (1952).
He’d work with Huston eight times in total.
Greatest Achievement: Fiddler On The Roof (1971) garnered Morris the most acclaim (factoid: certain scenes were shot through linen to get an olde worlde look), though Oliver! (1968) shouldn’t be overlooked for its pleasingly grungy aesthetic.
-
38 - Armand Thirard
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/970185_480204442048828_95138239_n.jpg)
A French filmmaker with a massive 127 films to his name, Thirard entered the business in the late 1920s.
Over a 40 year career, he worked alongside the esteemed likes of Duvivier, Clouzot, and Vadim.
Greatest Achievement: The Wages Of Fear (1953) is noteworthy for the way that the sweaty visuals are used to ramp up the tension.
-
37 - Eduard Tisse
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/v/t1.0-9/993775_480615825341023_54141836_n.jpg?oh=8fa62d71529c6a8389dbc74b44b81f9e&oe=543D0044&__gda__=1413856647_e8ef033b5118095414174ed87e4864e2)
Tisse’s background as a painter and still life photographer served him well when he moved into filmmaking – he’d go on to create some indelible cinematic images with Sergei Eisenstein between 1924 and 1946.
Greatest Achievement: Battleship Potemkin (1925), perhaps most celebrated for its use of montage – but those images wouldn’t be half as effective without Tisse’s lensing.
-
36 - Tak Fujimoto
(https://scontent-b-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/l/t1.0-9/1010016_480983965304209_2105065866_n.jpg)
Though he worked as a camera operator on Star Wars: Episode IV – A new Hope in 1977, Fujimoto got his first taste of cinematography in 1973 with Terrence Malick’s Badlands.
Since then he’s worked with some of America’s finest directors, among them John Hughes, M. Night Shyamalan and Jonathan Demme.
Greatest Achievement: He’s never been nominated for an Oscar, but he should have been for The Silence Of The Lambs (1991).
-
35 - John Alton
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/v/t1.0-9/994772_481318165270789_824518455_n.jpg?oh=7c8a14c3965335b0e07b3f64961873e2&oe=543E3C62&__gda__=1413382461_879fb638a202a833fdf393feb2017513)
Alton was responsible for shooting many of the classic film noirs of ‘30s and ‘40s, and was a fan of using unconventional camera angles (see He Walked By Night (1948) and The Big Combo (1955)).
He also wrote a book, Painting With Light, which detailed his unconventional approach to shooting films.
Greatest Achievement: An American In Paris (1951), which won him his only Oscar.
Photo: Director Allan Dwan, Arlene Dahl and cinematographer John Alton on set of Slightly Scarlet (1956)
-
34 - Thomas Mauch
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/992947_481671631902109_2053320593_n.jpg?oh=8d097113ff3dac3955e3515da9859549&oe=543608F2&__gda__=1412651027_1ae66901615138b8fe2e1f141d3fcb9b)
A German filmmaker who has worked with Werner Herzog on numerous occasions, Mauch’s extensive filmography comprises of 98 films as director of photography.
Greatest Achievement: 1972’s Aguirre, The Wrath Of God.
Despite what was, according to all involved, one of the worst movie shoots ever, Mauch succeeded in creating one of the most visually stunning films ever.
-
33 - Michael Chapman
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/1013974_482399581829314_159276508_n.jpg)
Chapman cut his teeth as a camera operator on films like Jaws (1975) before graduating to cinematographer just in time to work with Martin Scorsese on his phenomenal Taxi Driver (1976).
His work is typified by punchy colouring and contrasts, and he was celebrated for his improvisational skills on set.
Greatest Achievement: There’s no doubt that Taxi Driver looked amazing, but it was Raging Bull (1980) – with the improvised rigs that strapped cameras onto actors – that showed Chapman’s real flare for ingenuity.
-
32 - Gianni di Venanzo
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/1013415_482813411787931_386746423_n.jpg?oh=f10dc8ce93671dfc8ef4ec617c31de8c&oe=544510EC&__gda__=1414955887_6f6319fd7d85a15154abd4be5652b1a4)
Prolific throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, Venanzo worked with some of the greats of Italian cinema before he died of viral hepatitis aged just 45.
Greatest Achievement: Federico Fellini’s slick, black-and-white 8½ (1963).
Not only does it sound fantastic (Nina Rito croons on the soundtrack), thanks to Venanzo it looks fantastic, too.
Photo: Gianni Di Venanzo with director Michelangelo Antonioni at work on Il grido (1957)
-
31 - Slawomir Idziak
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/1010028_483123925090213_1656776628_n.jpg)
Idziak’s early career is characterised by intimate European films, most notably those of director Krzysztof Kieślowski.
In more recent years, though, Idziak has worked on mainstream films like Black Hawk Down (2001), Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (2007) and Gattaca (1997).
Greatest Achievement: Three Colours: Blue (1993), a sensory masterpiece that challenges as much as it engages.
-
30 - Raoul Coutard
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/v/t1.0-9/1016109_483533738382565_63934225_n.jpg?oh=6de5c97a0e3ebc7d65a161ec0f0dfbad&oe=54556EFB&__gda__=1415166901_ccc95d33277978fd3ecdc9a6ab8d0b83)
A filmmaker prominent in the French New Wave, Coutard worked with directors Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut.
His documentary-style lighting and handheld camerawork was emblematic of the New Wave movement.
Greatest Achievement: Though his CV is varied and full of gems, it was Vivre Sa Vie (1962) on which Coutard created a free-hanging ceiling light system that meant Godard could improvise at will.
-
29 - Tonino Delli Colli
(https://scontent-b-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/t1.0-9/1016825_483875621681710_2125606235_n.jpg)
Colli shot the first ever colour Italian film in colour in 1952 when he made Totò a colori with director Steno.
His varied CV includes the exceptional likes of 1997's Life Is Beautiful (his last film before his death), Once Upon A Time In America (1984) and controversy-courter Salo (1975).
Greatest Achievement: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966), which kick-started a collaboration with Sergio Leone.
-
28 - Janusz Kaminski
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/1011188_484310284971577_245710867_n.jpg?oh=51a7cfa4c7eb6935f63bcbecb46c0598&oe=5456BFFB&__gda__=1413735304_f22e084b0e8ce14d2070a28fded34cba)
Spielberg’s cinematographer of choice, Kaminski has worked on 13 of his films – including last year’s historical biopic Lincoln (2012).
Greatest Achievement: War stories are Kaminski’s forte, the cinematographer having landed two Oscars for Schindler’s List (1992) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).
Stylistically, they’re worlds apart – which says a lot for his skill with a lens.
-
27 - Geoffrey Unsworth
(https://scontent-b-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/1044808_484761384926467_426929884_n.jpg)
After working as a camera assistant, Unsworth graduated to director of photography with 1946 musical The Laughing Lady before becoming a connoisseur of black and white filming – no matter what the genre.
Later, he’d go full colour in style with 1978’s Superman.
Greatest Achievement: He was overlooked by the Academy for his stunning work on 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) because it was Stanley Kubrick who got the credit for the film’s visuals.
-
26 - Rudolph Maté
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/1045007_485117644890841_1077321044_n.jpg)
After starting out in film in Hungary, Maté moved to Hollywood in the 1930s to work on films like Laurel and Hardy’s Our Relations (1936) and Stella Dallas (1937).
Greatest Achievement: It was Maté’s early work on Carl Theodor Dreyer’s The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928) that really impresses.
The film was acclaimed as a landmark moment in filmmaking, not least because of its luscious visuals.
-
25 - Stanley Cortez
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/1001135_485536654848940_1301812203_n.jpg?oh=439e5deaeffa7c7c74732b9864e7907e&oe=54474149&__gda__=1414608794_c80f5da12699f17630cdb8362b157821)
Celebrated for his often outrageous (but nonetheless boundary-pushing) experimentation, Cortez caught Orson Welles’ eye with 1941’s The Black Cat, and worked with Welles on the visually stunning (and aptly-titled) The Magnificent Ambersons (1942).
Greatest Achievement: The Night Of The Hunter (1955) drew on German expressionist cinema, most particularly in the motif of irises.
The film’s now lauded as a gorgeously dark thriller, with some of its most memorable images – Shelley Winters’ hair underwater, for instance – credited to Cortez.
Photo: Stanley Cortez and director Fritz Lang at work on Secret Beyond the Door (1948)
-
24 - Hal Mohr
(https://scontent-a-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/1017283_485917228144216_1665429773_n.jpg?oh=8af89d47599412f0ac96471f1328f773&oe=5442DB50)
After studying European filmmaking following the First World War, Mohr translated and developed a lot of European concepts to Hollywood cinema.
His love of symbolism and shallow lighting ensured films like A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) and Phantom Of The Opera (1943) were moody and absorbing.
Greatest Achievement:
* The Jazz Singer (1927), the first ever talkie.
* In 1935, Hal Mohr became the first and only person to win an Academy Award without officially being nominated. He won Best Cinematography, via a write-in vote, for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
-
23 - Jordan Cronenweth
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/970775_486374898098449_1080518557_n.jpg)
Esteemed by the International Cinematographers Guild as one of the 10 most influential cinematographers ever, Cronenweth’s illustrious career included the varied likes of Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Altered States (1980) and a number of U2 documentaries.
Greatest Achievement: Undoubtedly Blade Runner (1982).
Cronenweth and Ridley Scott were a match made in sci-fi heaven, blushing a future world in noir shadows and blasting rain.
Photo: Jordan Cronenweth, and Harrison Ford on the set of Blade Runner.
-
22 - Nestor Almendros
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t1.0-9/1005897_486656341403638_1146517144_n.jpg)
A favourite of director François Truffaut, Almendros began working with the New Wave filmmaker when two of his short films were banned in Cuba, where he’d lived since his teens.
Greatest Achievement: Terrence Malick's Days Of Heaven (1978) set him up in Hollywood in 1978.
He got on particularly well with Malick because of the director’s love of natural lighting.
Photo: Néstor Almendros, François Truffaut on the set of L'enfant sauvage (1970).
-
21 - Ted McCord
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t1.0-9/1043900_487104768025462_954151338_n.jpg)
Influenced by the paintings of Rembrandt, there are echoes of master cinematographer Greg Toland in McCord’s work, probably because Toland mentored him.
Greatest Achievement: McCord’s love of gothic shadows is never more evident than in The Sound Of Music (1965), an opulent (if admittedly sentimental) masterpiece.
Photo: Director John Huston and Ted McCord resulted in the visually striking The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). This is their only collaboration.
-
20 - Russell Metty
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t1.0-9/1002396_487402057995733_1773650377_n.jpg)
An alumnus of John Huston, Steven Spielberg and Orson Welles, Metty showed particular skill on the latter’s The Stranger (1946) and Touch of Evil (1958), particularly in the striking night-time scenes.
He didn’t get on with Stanley Kubrick, though; the pair fought over Spartacus (1960), with Kubrick adamant that he was the real cinematographer…
Greatest Achievement: Touch Of Evil, which proved Metty was adept with black and white, and knew how to manoeuvre a crane for those swooping overhead shots.
-
19 - Sacha Vierny
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t1.0-9/1002765_487762167959722_752803548_n.jpg)
Vierny made 10 films with director Alain Resnais between 1955 and 1984, while Peter Greenaway referred to Vierny as his “most important collaborator”.
One of the reasons those two directors loved Vierny was his speed. As Resnais once said: “We knew each other so well that, when we were on set, he could tell the frame and lens I was going to choose just by the way I looked through the viewfinder and moved up or down.”
Greatest Achievement: Belle De Jour (1967), in which Vierny cannily went for frosty lighting to counterbalance the film’s raunchy content.
-
18 - Charles Rosher
(https://scontent-a-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t1.0-9/1044417_488218674580738_1300772700_n.jpg)
The first ever cinematographer to receive an Oscar (in 1929), Rosher was also the first ever full-time movie cameraman when David Horsley set up a Hollywood production company in 1911.
Greatest Achievement: Silent 1927 drama Sunrise, which Rosher worked on with Karl Struss, is considered one of the most important achievements in cinematography.
-
17 - Maryse Alberti
(https://scontent-b-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/t1.0-9/998171_488607054541900_1783095723_n.png)
A winner of trophies at the Sundance Film Festival and Spirit Awards, Alberti is a French cinematographer who mostly works in American independent cinema.
Her myriad credits include Crumb (1994), Taxi To The Dark Side (2007), Velvet Goldmine (1998) and, bizarrely, two early episodes of Sex And The City (1998).
Greatest Achievement: The Wrestler (2008), which Alberti shot on Super 16.
“I really felt that the story needed to be told on film and I knew that the texture of Super 16 would be perfect,” she says. “It’s not a glossy, glamorous story so you need a little bit of grittiness in the image.”
-
16 - Asakazu Nakai (Picture unavailable)
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/970421_488948504507755_2126540603_n.jpg)
An Oscar-nominated Japanese cinematographer, Nakai was a frequent collaborator of director Akira Kurosawa.
Greatest Achievement: He collaborated with fellow cinematographer Takao Saitô on 1985’s Ran, though he also impressed working solo on 1954’s epic Seven Samurai.
That film was notable for its use of the long lens (over the then-commonplace telephoto lens), which affords Samurai some fantastic wide-angle cinematography – and a noticeable fluidity in movement.
Still from Seven Samurai (1954)
-
15 - Robert Burks
(https://scontent-a-sin.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/v/t1.0-9/1069388_489350784467527_1754080384_n.jpg?oh=2e1eb9a1321205dd742962a8f2d4dc94&oe=5439CAD1)
A close friend and working buddy of Alfred Hitchcock’s, Burks caught Hitch’s attention with 1950’s The Glass Menagerie. Impressed, Hitch asked him to shoot Strangers On A Train (1951).
The duo went on to create some of cinema’s finest thrillers, among them Rear Window (1954), North By Northwest (1959) and How To Catch A Thief (1955).
Greatest Achievement: Vertigo (1958), which embraced VistaVision and created something equal parts beautiful and nightmarish.
Photo: Alfred Hitchcock shows cinematographer Robert Burks how he wants Tippi Hedren framed in a scene from Marnie (1964).
-
14 - Gordon Willis
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/1002097_490407417695197_913893014_n.jpg)
His love for rich blacks and dimly-lit interior shots earned him the moniker ‘prince of darkness’, not least because he used those techniques to ghoulish effect on The Godfather trilogy.
Greatest Achievement: The Godfather (1972) is his best known film, though he also did amazing work on Woody Allen’s Zelig (1983), helping to create a faded 1920s look for the film.
-
13 - Sven Nykvist
(https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t1.0-9/945108_491278174274788_1235755866_n.jpg)
One of Ingmar Bergman’s favourite cinematographers, Nykvist was celebrated for his simple approach to some of cinema’s most startling images – something most evident in his love for natural lighting.
After working with Bergman, he went on to collaborate with other cinematic greats Roman Polanski and Andrei Tarkovsky.
Greatest Achievement: Persona (1966), which includes the mesmerising shot of twilight slowly creeping into a hospital room.
-
12 - Sergei Urusevsky
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t1.0-9/6281_491797910889481_1154149439_n.jpg)
Renowned for his wily cinematic language, Urusevsky’s finest work came when he knocked heads with director Mikhail Kalatozov.
His favourite techniques were a use of deep focus and gravity-defying tracking shots, all of which would take a decade to reach Western filmmaking.
Greatest Achievement: I Am Cuba (1964), which comes equipped with that mind-bending opening tracking shot – devised entirely by Urusevsky.
-
11 - Subrata Mitra
(https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/1075826_492230850846187_1312710262_n.jpg?oh=600a33257e21c01469dde0a0a423a264&oe=54481DF4)
A native of West Bengal, Mitra rose to prominence thanks to his work with director Satyajit Ray for his major 10 films including Apu Trilogy.
He was responsible for inventing the technique of ‘bounce lighting’, in which a set or location is illuminated by bouncing light from an off-camera surface.
Greatest Achievement: The Apu Trilogy, with its poetic lighting.
-
10 - Conrad L. Hall
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t1.0-9/22001_493037714098834_1220520119_n.jpg)
JJ Abrams has Hall to thank for making lens flares cool - Hall turned so-called filmmaking ‘mistakes’ such as light striking the camera lens and dirty film into an aesthetic all their own.
Greatest Achievement: He won his first Oscar for Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969). And the other two for Sam Mendes' two notable pieces American Beauty (1999), and Road to Perdition (2002).
-
9 - James Wong Howe
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/1001520_493404317395507_317010520_n.jpg)
Howe saw a lot of change over the years, beginning in the silent era and working all the way up to when film went colour.
He was most popular in the ‘30s and ‘40s, though it wasn’t until the ‘50s and ‘60s that the Academy finally awarded him gold for The Rose Tattoo (1955) and Hud (1963).
Greatest Achievement: Hud, a perfect example of Howe’s contribution to black and white film – he pioneered techniques that ensured a crisp, sharp image.
-
8 - Vittorio Storaro
(https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/1013529_493783570690915_807562016_n.jpg)
A frequent collaborator of Bernardo Bertolucci, Storaro was hugely inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s theory of colours, which stresses the relationship between colour and emotion.
He certainly attained that explosive combination in the Oscar-winning likes of The Last Emperor (1987) and Reds (1981).
Greatest Achievement: Francis Ford Coppola gave Storaro the freedom to do whatever he wanted on Apocalypse Now (1979).
The result is an oily, hellish masterpiece.
-
7 - Christopher Doyle
(https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/970620_494279247308014_13848332_n.jpg)
Though he’s an Australian, Doyle made his mark in Asian cinema, most notably working with director Wong Kar-Wai.
He’s considered an integral component in the Asian New Wave, not least because of his love for high saturation and heart-stopping splashes of colour.
Greatest Achievement: In The Mood For Love (2000) is a thing of beauty, but it was Doyle’s multi-coloured work on Hero (2002) that really popped.
Photo: Doyle with his most buddy filmmaker Wong Kar‑wai.
-
6 - Emmanuel Lubezki
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/1005437_494931753909430_240833476_n.jpg)
Throughout a varied career, Lubezki has tackled numerous (often conflicting) genres and excelled at each and every one. With Ali (2001), he jumped from 35mm to digital and invented a tiny camera to attain close-up shots during the fight scenes.
Then, of course, he took handheld to the limit with Children Of Men (2006), which features gob-smackingly long takes (some achieved in digital editing) and a believably gritty future world.
Greatest Achievement:The Tree Of Life (2011).
Even if you’re not a fan of Malick’s approach to narrative (or lack thereof), there’s no doubting that Tree Of Life is one of the most beautifully shot films ever made.
-
5 - Freddie Young
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/73403_496194220449850_83404726_n.jpg)
One of Britain’s most influential directors of photography, Young found most acclaim working with director David Lean on Lawrence Of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Ryan’s Daughter (1970).
He nabbed Oscars for all three.
Greatest Achievement:Lawrence Of Arabia was his breakthrough, and still looks stunning to this day.
-
4 - Kazuo Miyagawa
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/v/t1.0-9/1000513_496648737071065_1105269769_n.jpg?oh=42f81a506a81ce793a98b7ac430201bb&oe=545919FE&__gda__=1414878337_112a92636fbc505579858d7b98e9398d)
Famous for his work with Japanese directors Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu, and Kenji Mizoguchi, Miyagawa was responsible for giving Japanese cinema its distinct look.
Among his inventions were using black water for rain (it looked better on camera) and the use of mirrors to capture natural light.
Greatest Achievement:Rashomon (1950), with which Miyagawa had the gall to become the first filmmaker to point a camera directly into the sun.
-
3 - Gregg Toland
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/540743_496868487049090_781924954_n.jpg)
Though he tragically died aged just 44, Toland made an indelible mark on the cinematic landscape that saw him nominated for five Oscars over a period of just seven years.
He’d win the gong for William Wyler’s 1939 adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
Greatest Achievement:Citizen Kane (1941) had him perfecting deep focus photography, which meant that characters in both the foreground and background were simultaneously in focus.
Many of Kane’s finest shots were also Toland’s doing, though they’ve often been miscredited to Orson Welles.
-
2 - Jack Cardiff
(https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/1002559_497282280341044_591174722_n.jpg?oh=1b2a5aa98d339b42c3ec64225297461a&oe=543C01A7)
A pioneer in the field of cinematography, Cardiff’s career spanned the silent era and the advent of Technicolor.
His big break came when he worked as a cameraman with Powell & Pressburger on The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp, which got him promoted to cinematographer on A Matter Of Life And Death.
Greatest Achievement: The Red Shoes (1948), obviously, with its startlingly vivid imagery.
-
1 - Gunnar Fischer
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/1017541_498039380265334_1589082802_n.jpg?oh=b48ec1fa7ec00befa2a59ea36cd70e67&oe=5434A65D&__gda__=1414520795_ea89f7a6c12c9db6d0ce4038db2afcaa)
A frequent collaborator of Ingmar Bergman’s, Fischer was responsible for shooting some of the Swedish director’s finest films, among them Wild Strawberries (1957), The Magician (1959) and, of course, The Seventh Seal (1957).
“Fischer's great skill was in monochrome,” says film historian Peter Cowie. “He gave Bergman's films that unique expressionist look, with their brilliant contrasts in every gradation of black and white.”
Greatest Achievement: The Seventh Seal, which includes that infamous scene of a knight playing chess with Death on a beach.
Fischer shot the scene so that the sea was dark and tormented behind them.
Photo: Ingmar Bergman and Gunnar Fischer on the set of Summer with Monika, 1953.