Cinematography is the art of capturing the visual essence of a film. The magic of storytelling on the big screen is largely expressed through the lens of a cinematographer, and it is his or her craft that sets the tone, mood, and artistic style that immerses us and helps us escape into the wonderful world of cinema.
In this article, we look at some of the most special thinkers when it comes to the art of camera movement, lens choices, lighting, color, and visual composition. These are the people who give birth to emotionally loaded motion pictures that create lasting memories.
10 Sven Nykvist
Born in 1922, Sven Nykvist is a Swedish cinematographer famous for his soft and motivated camera work in the films of Ingmar Bergman. Bergman called it “a shadowless light.” His most important works include The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), Fanny and Alexander (1992), The Sacrifice (1986), directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, and Cries & Whispers (1972).
Following his massive success in European cinema, Nykvist went on to work on some of the most successful Hollywood pictures, including Sleepless in Seattle (1993), directed by Nora Ephron, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), starring Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio, and Lasse Hallström’s Something to Talk About (1995), starring Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid. Sven Nykvist passed away in 2006 at the age of 83.
9 Eduardo Serra
Multi-award-winning cinematographer Eduardo Serra was born in 1943 in Lisbon, Portugal. After studying engineering in his home country, Serra moved to Paris, France, where he was accepted into the Vaugirard Film School and later on to the Paris-Sorbonne University to study Art History and Archeology.
He established himself as one of the most recognized names in European cinema, after which he went on to work on major box office hits, including Blood Diamond (2006), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 & 2 (2010, 2011), and Defiance (2008). Serra won the European Film Award for Best Cinematography for his fabulous work on Girl With an Earring (2003), starring Scarlett Johansson, a BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for The Wings of the Dove (1998), and others. He shot his latest picture, A Promise, back in 2013, which is a romance drama set in WWI Germany starring Rebecca Hall and Alan Rickman.
8 Michael Ballhaus
Three-time Oscar nominee cinematographer Michael Ballhaus was born in 1935 in Berlin, Germany. During his illustrious career, he brought his magic to more than 100 films and worked with legendary directors, including Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols, Barry Levinson, Paul Newman, Francis Ford Coppola, and many others. Ballhaus is known as a big risk-taker who filmed his movies in a style that was often highly innovative.
Some of his most prestigious works include The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), The Age of Innocence (1993), Gangs of New York (2002), and The Departed (2006). He passed away in 2017 in his hometown after a short illness.
7 Gregg Toland
Born in 1904 in Illinois, United States, Gregg Toland was one of the first true masters of cinematography, known for his genius use of techniques such as chiaroscuro and deep focus, which he implemented extensively in classics like Citizen Kane (1941) and The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and has been a subject of deep study in film schools worldwide.
Toland started his journey into the world of cinema at the ripe age of 15 as an office boy at FOX. He then rose to the level of camera assistant and eventually went on to work on black and white classics, including Wuthering Heights (1939), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Enchantment (1948), shortly after which he passed away aged 44.
6 Gordon Willis
Gordon Willis was a groundbreaking cinematographer born in 1931 celebrated for his unique use of shadow and darkness, working on Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather movies and some of Woody Allan's most critically acclaimed projects. Some of his finest works include The Godfather Trilogy (1972, 1974, 1990), All the President's Men (1976), Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979), and The Devil's Own (1997), starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt. During the seventies, in the span of just seven years, six of Willis' works received 39 Academy Award nominations with 19 wins, including three for Best Picture.
Willis is known for his deep appreciation of the long shot over the use of multiple cuts and close-ups, famously saying, "I'd rather see the soprano die of tuberculosis in a long shot, for instance, than 29 close-ups of her going cough, cough, cough," as per Mubi. He passed away in Massachusetts, United States, in 2014.
5 Emmanuel Lubezki
Emanuel Lubezki, also known as Chivo, or "goat" in Spanish, is a contemporary Mexican powerhouse in the field of cinematography with numerous jaw-dropping achievements to support his mastery. Lubezki is the proud holder of a number of awards, including three Academy Awards for The Revenant (2015), Gravity (2014), and Birdman (2014). He has worked with top-of-the-game directors, such as the Coen Brothers, Terence Malick, Alfonso Cuarón, Tim Burton, and many more.
There is an unmatched sense of authenticity to the worlds and characters of Lubezki's films. Considering how many of these movies focus on character development, he creates images that organically portray the feelings and metamorphosis of the characters. Set in the 1930s, his latest project, Amsterdam (2022), starring Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington, tells the story of three friends blamed for a murder who uncover a shocking conspiracy.
4 Asakazu Nakai
Born in 1901 in Kobe, Japan, Asakazu Nakai was one of the most revered cinematographers the Land of the Rising Sun has ever produced, and his work contributed significantly to the growth and international recognition of Japanese cinema. Nakai was celebrated for his use of natural lighting and his ability to capture the beauty of the Japanese landscape.
He is best known for his astonishing achievements in Akira Kurosawa’s films, including the legendary Seven Samurai (1954), High and Low (1963, and Red Beard (1965)). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Kurosawa’s Ran (1985) at the age of 84 and won the Mainichi Film Award for Best Cinematography for Stray Dog (1949), also directed by Kurosawa. Nakai passed away in 1988 at the grand age of 87.
3 Freddie Young
Freddie Young (1902–1988) is a British-born cinematographer who found untold success in Hollywood. Young was fascinated with cinema since he was a young kid, and he and his brother would go to the cinema at least twice a week to marvel at the magic of the moving pictures. At the height of his career, Young became a three-time Academy Award Winner for three David Lean pictures: Ryan's Daughter (1970), his grandest epic, Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and Doctor Zhivago (1965).
Young continued his passion for the arts until the final years of his life, but as an artist, not a cinematographer, and even held exhibitions of his work.
2 Vittorio Storaro
Italian fiction and documentary cinematographer Vittorio Storaro is one of the most cherished living artists in his line of work. He is a three-time Academy Award Winner for Warren Beatty's Reds (1981), Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, and Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor (1981), the story of China's last emperor, Pu Yi. He was born in 1940 in Rome, Italy, where his father, a projectionist at a film theater, put him through photography school. He started his professional journey as a camera operator's assistant in 1960 and went on to become a director of photography for major pictures, including The Conformist (1970), Last Tango in Paris (1972), Submission (1976), Dick Tracy (1990), Little Buddha (1993), and many more.
Regarding his process, Storaro said that when making a film, one uses "some kind of light or some kind of color to send a message," adding that "If you don't know it, you're doing it according to how you feel is right," as per British Cinematographer. In 2001, the American Society of Cinematographers bestowed Storaro with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
1 Roger Deakins
Born in 1949,Sir Roger Deakins is a virtuoso director of photography born and raised in Devon, United Kingdom. He started his journey in Graphic Design at Bath College and went on to strengthen his skills as a photographer by capturing the disappearing rural farm life of North Devon. Deakins is most famous for his collaboration with the Coen Brothers, with whom he produced Barton Fink (1991), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), No Country For Old Men (2007), and many others. He won his first Academy Award for Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 (2018) and his second for Sam Mendes’ 1917 (2019).
Deakins is known for his captivating use of wide angle lenses, which, according to him, give the audience a deeper sense of intimacy, especially when used for medium and close-up shots. His latest project, Empire of Light (2022), is currently streaming on HBO Max.
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