Robert Elswit
Robert Elswit | |
---|---|
Born | Robert Christopher Elswit April 22, 1950[1] California, United States |
Nationality | American |
Education | AFI Conservatory |
Occupation | Cinematographer |
Known for | Good Night, and Good Luck There Will Be Blood |
Title | ASC |
Awards |
|
Robert Christopher Elswit, ASC (born April 22, 1950) is an American cinematographer. He has collaborated with Paul Thomas Anderson on six of his films and won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for There Will Be Blood.[2] Elswit has also collaborated with directors and screenwriters Tony and Dan Gilroy on all of the six films that either brother directed.
Biography[]
Elswit was born in California. An early short film he worked on was the 1982 television adaptation for Ray Bradbury's short story All Summer in a Day. Elswit worked as a visual effects camera operator at John Dykstra's Apogee Productions Inc. on each films, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Empire Strikes Back and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,[3][4] before shooting made-for-television films and shows. Elswit has been a fierce defender of shooting on film, and whenever possible avoids using digital cameras. Images shot digitally, he said, have "no texture, no grain."[5] He started shooting digitally, starting with Nightcrawler. Elswit has worked with George Clooney several times. He shot his black and white, multiple-Oscar nominated film Good Night, and Good Luck. Elswit shot the film in color, and converted the film into black and white in post production. According to Elswit, the technique preserved the subtlety of the colors (as complex shades of blacks and greys) and made the overall look much richer in the final film.[6] Elswit was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Good Night, and Good Luck, but lost to Dion Beebe for Memoirs of a Geisha. Elswit won the award for There Will Be Blood in 2008.[7] Elswit has cited early independent filmmaker John Cassavetes as a major influence.[citation needed] Elswit is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and worked there as a teaching assistant.
Filmography[]
Film[]
Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | The End of August | Bob Graham | |
1982 | Waltz Across Texas | Ernest Day | |
1985 | The Sure Thing | Rob Reiner | |
Moving Violations | Neal Israel | ||
Desert Hearts | Donna Deitch | ||
1986 | Trick or Treat | Charles Martin Smith | |
1987 | Amazing Grace and Chuck | Mike Newell | |
1988 | Return of the Living Dead Part II | Ken Wiederhorn | |
1989 | How I Got into College | Savage Steve Holland | |
Heart of Dixie | Martin Davidson | ||
1990 | Bad Influence | Curtis Hanson | |
1991 | Paris Trout | Stephen Gyllenhaal | |
1992 | The Hand That Rocks the Cradle | Curtis Hanson | |
Waterland | Stephen Gyllenhaal | ||
1993 | A Dangerous Woman | ||
1994 | The River Wild | Curtis Hanson | |
1996 | Hard Eight | Paul Thomas Anderson | 1st of 6 collaborations with Anderson |
The Pallbearer | Matt Reeves | ||
Boys | Stacy Cochran | ||
1997 | Boogie Nights | Paul Thomas Anderson | |
Tomorrow Never Dies | Roger Spottiswoode | ||
1999 | 8mm | Joel Schumacher | |
Magnolia | Paul Thomas Anderson | ||
2000 | Bounce | Don Roos | |
2001 | Heist | David Mamet | |
2002 | Impostor | Gary Fleder | |
Punch-Drunk Love | Paul Thomas Anderson | ||
2003 | Behind the Red Door | Matia Karrell | |
Gigli | Martin Brest | ||
Runaway Jury | Gary Fleder | ||
2005 | Good Night, and Good Luck | George Clooney | |
Syriana | Stephen Gaghan | ||
2006 | American Dreamz | Paul Weitz | |
2007 | Michael Clayton | Tony Gilroy | |
There Will Be Blood | Paul Thomas Anderson | ||
2008 | Redbelt | David Mamet | |
The Burning Plain | Guillermo Arriaga | ||
2009 | Duplicity | Tony Gilroy | |
The Men Who Stare at Goats | Grant Heslov | ||
2010 | The Town | Ben Affleck | |
Salt | Phillip Noyce | ||
2011 | Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Brad Bird | |
2012 | The Bourne Legacy | Tony Gilroy | |
2014 | Inherent Vice | Paul Thomas Anderson | |
Nightcrawler | Dan Gilroy | 1st of 3 collaborations with Dan Gilroy | |
2015 | Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | Christopher McQuarrie | |
2016 | Gold | Stephen Gaghan | |
2017 | Suburbicon | George Clooney | |
Roman J. Israel, Esq. | Dan Gilroy | ||
2018 | Skyscraper | Rawson Marshall Thurber | |
Write When You Get Work | Stacy Cochran | ||
2019 | Velvet Buzzsaw | Dan Gilroy | |
2020 | The King of Staten Island | Judd Apatow | |
2021 | King Richard | Reinaldo Marcus Green |
Short films[]
Year | Title | Director |
---|---|---|
1988 | Cadillac Dreams | Matia Karrell |
2010 | Lost Masterpieces of Pornography | David Mamet |
2019 | Apple Snowbrawl | David Leitch |
Television[]
Year | Title | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | A Single Light | Karl Epstein | Television film |
1983 | Tiger Town | Alan Shapiro | |
1985 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Michael Toshiyuki Uno | Episode: "The War Between the Classes" |
1986 | The Children of Times Square | Curtis Hanson | Television film |
1987 | Into the Homeland | Lesli Linka Glatter | |
Long Gone | Martin Davidson | ||
1989 | Double Exposure: The Story of Margaret Bourke-White | Lawrence Schiller | |
1990 | A Killing in a Small Town | Stephen Gyllenhaal | |
Opposites Attract | Noel Nosseck | ||
1991 | Prison Stories: Women on the Inside | Donna Deitch Joan Micklin Silver Penelope Spheeris | |
The Summer My Father Grew Up | Michael Tuchner | ||
1992 | Human Target | Max Tash | Episode: "Pilot" |
A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story | Martin Davidson | Television film | |
1997 | Prince Street | Roger Spottiswoode | Episode: "Pilot" |
2016 | The Night Of | Steven Zaillian | Miniseries; 2 episodes |
Awards and nominations[]
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
- 2006: Good Night, and Good Luck (nominated)
- 2008: There Will Be Blood (won)
American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
- 2006: Good Night, and Good Luck (nominated)
- 2008: There Will Be Blood
Austin Film Critics Association for Best Cinematography
- 2007: There Will Be Blood
Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Cinematography
- 2007: There Will Be Blood (nominated)
- 2005: Good Night, and Good Luck (nominated)
BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography
- 2008: There Will Be Blood (nominated)
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography
British Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography
- 2008: There Will Be Blood (nominated)
CableACE Award for Direction of Photography and/or Lighting Direction for a Dramatic or Theatrical Special/Movie or Miniseries
- 1988: Long Gone (nominated)
Camerimage Golden Frog Award
- 2005: Good Night, and Good Luck (nominated)
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography
- 2006: Good Night, and Good Luck (nominated)
- 2007: There Will Be Blood (nominated)
- 2014: Inherent Vice (nominated)
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
- 1986: CBS Schoolbreak Special (1984)
(For episode "The War Between The Classes")
Houston Film Critics Society for Best Cinematography
- 2014: Inherent Vice (nominated)
Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography
- 2006: Good Night, and Good Luck
- 1998: Sydney (nominated)
International Online Cinema Awards for Best Cinematography
- 2008: There Will Be Blood (nominated)
International Online Film Critics' Poll Award for Best Cinematography
- 2009: There Will Be Blood (nominated)
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography
- 2006: Good Night, and Good Luck
- 2007: There Will Be Blood (2nd place)
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography
- 2008: There Will Be Blood
- 2006: Good Night, and Good Luck (2nd place)
- 2003: Punch-Drunk Love (3rd place)
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematographer
- 2007: There Will Be Blood
- 2005: Good Night, and Good Luck (2nd place)
New York Film Critics Online for Best Cinematography
- 2007: There Will Be Blood
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography
- 2008: There Will Be Blood (nominated)
- 2006: Good Night, and Good Luck (nominated)
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography
- 2014: Nightcrawler
- 2007: There Will Be Blood (2nd place)
Satellite Award for Best Cinematography
- 2015: Inherent Vice (nominated)
- 2010: Salt (nominated)
- 2007: There Will Be Blood (nominated)
- 2005: Good Night, and Good Luck (nominated)
St. Louis Film Critics Association
- 2014: Nightcrawler (nominated)
- 2007: There Will Be Blood (nominated)
- 2005: Good Night, and Good Luck (nominated)
Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography
- 2014: Nightcrawler
References[]
- ^ Robert Elswit - Biography. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved May 7th, 2010.
- ^ Eugene Hernandez, "Decade: Paul Thomas Anderson on 'There Will Be Blood'," indieWIRE (December 24, 2009) Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ "ROBERT ELSWIT". www.cinematographers.nl. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
- ^ "A Little More Than Luck on Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck - Studio Daily". Studio Daily. 2006-01-01. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
- ^ "A Little More Than Luck on Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck," StudioDaily (January 1, 2006) Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ "A Little More Than Luck on Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck," StudioDaily (January 1, 2006) Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ Robert Elswit - Awards. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved May 7th, 2010.
External links[]
- Robert Elswit at IMDb
- 1950 births
- American cinematographers
- AFI Conservatory alumni
- Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners
- Independent Spirit Award winners
- Living people
- USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni