A cameraman is a profession in cinema. Oscar Laureates for Best Cinematography

A cameraman is one of the most important professions in cinema, along with an actor, director and screenwriter. Only thanks to their well-coordinated work can a high-quality film be obtained. After all, no one will want to watch even the most interesting story if it is filmed horribly.

What does he do

A cameraman is a person who controls a camera. It depends on him how the film will look. He is an artist, his colors are a movie camera, and his picture is an image that will be shown in movie theaters.

This is an interesting but difficult job. It’s not enough just to turn on the camera and start shooting. The cameraman must monitor the lighting, often independently setting lighting devices. Sometimes they take up much more space than the frame itself.

The operator also needs strong nerves and good physical fitness. When time is running out, you have to work 12-14 hours a day, carry heavy equipment and monitor the quality of each frame. Not everyone can handle this mode.

But shooting is not the only concern of the cameraman. The work does not end even when the last scene was shot. He will take part in the installation and creation of special effects. He carefully monitors that not a single frame is lost, and the image meets all the requirements.

Operator group

If the cameraman has a group of people under his direction, then he is called the director of photography - or the main operator. Now only amateur films can be created with the participation of only one operator.

The team includes:

• Assistants (assistants). There may be several, they are responsible for technical control: the number of shots and scenes taken. There is always a “focus assistant” that monitors focus accuracy.
• Additional operators - for multi-camera and combined shooting. Unlike the main operator, their work ends after the shooting.
• Interest holders and cranmeister. The first monitors the trolley with the camera, and the second monitors the crane during filming from above.

Story

The filmmakers of the profession are, of course, the Lumiere brothers. In 1895, the first paid movie show was held in Paris. To project the image used a kinetoscope - an improved version of the creation of Thomas Edison. After which they taught other people to work with him, which served as an impetus for the development of cinema and, as a result, the emergence of the profession of cameraman.

Oscar for best cinematography

It has been awarded since 1929 - that is, from the very creation of the film award. At first, awards were awarded separately for color and black and white cinema. This continued until 1967, when the separation was removed. And from that moment there was only one black and white film that won the award. This is Schindler's List.

Oscar Laureates for Best Cinematography

During the existence of the film award "Oscar" for camera work received about 100 people. Next, we will talk about several outstanding cameramen:

• Emmanuel Lubetzky.
• Mauro Fiore
• Janusz Kaminsky.
• Roger Deakins.
• Joseph Ruttenberg
• Leon Shamroy.

Emmanuel Lubetzky

One of the best cameramen of our time. The only one who won three Oscars in a row.

Born in 1964. His mother and father are both film producers. This determined his future. He graduated from film school. In the 1980s he began working in Mexico. His first work in America was the film Twenty Bucks, filmed in 1993. Often worked with his friend, director Alfonso Cuaron. He made six films with him.

In 2014, 2015 and 2016, he won the Academy Award for films:

• Gravity (2014) is a technotriller in which there were only 2 actors: George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. Almost everything was shot using a computer, and the actors were in a cube, the walls of which displayed an image of space. This is the last film shot with Alfonso Cuaron.
• Birdman (2015) is a black comedy starring Michael Kitan. Some scenes used modern continuous shooting using the Steadicam system. Thanks to the work done, it may seem that there are no glues in the film, although in fact there are more than 100.
• Survivor (2016) is an action-packed western, for which Leonardo DiCaprio, who played the main role, received his long-awaited figurine, and Lyubetskiy became the only operator to receive 3 Oscars in a row.

Examples of his films:

• "Cat";
• "Ali";
• "The Tree of Life";
• "Meet Joe Black";
• "After reading burn."

Mauro Fiore

The first cameraman to receive an Oscar for a 3D film.

Born in 1964 in the commune of Marzi, Italy. In 1971 he moved to the United States. In 1987, with his classmate, two-time winner of the Oscars, Janusz Kaminsky went to Hollywood.

The most difficult and significant work for him as a cameraman is the film Avatar. Filming was conducted over a year in New Zealand. A new facial expression capture system was used: a helmet with a small camera was mounted on the actor’s head. For the first time, a camera was used, with which it was possible to see virtual images of actors during a real shooting. Such colossal work did not go unnoticed, and the film won three nominations related to the image.

Janusz Kaminsky

Polish cameraman, winner of two Oscars. He shot the last black and white movie that received a statuette for camera work.

Born in 1959. Since 1981, lives in America. Since 1982, he studied at Columbia College with Mauro Fiore. After graduation, transferred to the Conservatory of the Institute of Cinematography of America.

His first cinematography was “The Dark Prairie Tales”. The first and only film directed by Wayne Coe, filmed in 1990.

Since 1993, collaborates with Steven Spielberg. Together they shot two films for which Janusz received the Oscar - Schindler's List and Save Private Ryan.

Work examples:

• Lincoln
• "Munich";
• "Terminal";
• "Funny people";
• "Referee".

Roger Deakins

One of the most famous Hollywood operators. The first cameraman who received the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Born in 1949 in Torquay, United Kingdom. He studied at the National School of Film and Television.

Since 1975, he made documentaries for English television. Sometimes he had a very hard time. For example, he spent nine months traveling around the world on a yacht and came under mortar fire in Ethiopia when there was a civil war.

Fame came to Roger after the movie "1984" directed by Michael Anderson. Since 1990, he works mainly in the USA. After the release of the black comedy Barton Fink, he begins collaboration with directors, the Cohen brothers. Since 1995, he has been nominated for an Oscar for more than a dozen times, but managed to win only in 2018 - for the science fiction film Blade Runner 2049.

Movie Operator:

• Fargo
• Barton Fink;
• "Time";
• "Serious man";
• The Big Lebowski.

Joseph Ruttenberg and Leon Shamroy

One cannot help but recall the only owners of four Oscars for camera work. They received their awards in the middle of the last century. Often nominated in one year and become rivals.

Ruttenberg won in 1939 (the film “The Big Waltz”), in 1957 (“Someone up there loves me”) and in 1959 (“Gigi”).

Shamroy - in 1945 (“Wilson”), in 1946 (“God be her judge”) and in 1964 (“Cleopatra”).

And in 1943, both became laureates. Joseph - for the black and white drama "Mrs. Miniver", Leon - for the color thriller "Black Swan".