If you were to look over Hoyte van Hoytema‘s resume you would probably think he already has an Oscar statue somewhere hidden in his home. Surprisingly, despite collaborations with Spike Jonze, Same Mendes, and Jordan Peele, among others, that isn’t the case. He has just two nominations so far and both are for Christopher Nolan movies, “Dunkirk” and “Oppenheimer.” His time is coming and it might just be this year for Nolan’s critically acclaimed period blockbuster and Best Picture frontrunner.

Continue reading Hoyte van Hoytema Lighting ‘Oppenheimer’ With “Our Own Technology” [Interview] at The Playlist.

The American Society of Cinematographers revealed the nominees for the 2024 ASC Awards, a precursor to the Oscar for Cinematography, and the results were somewhat as expected. Emphasis on “somewhat.” In the Theatrical Feature Film category, Matthew Libatique (“Maestro”), Robbie Ryan (“Poor Things”), Hoyte van Hoytema (“Oppeneheimer”), and Rodrigo Prieto (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) all earned nominations. They were joined by Edward Lachman who was honored for his work on Pablo Larrain‘s “El Conde.”

READ MORE: Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig and Yorgos Lanthimos earn 2024 DGA Awards nominations

Surprising omissions in the category that might make the Oscars cut include Linus Sandgren (“Saltburn”), Lukasz Zal (“The Zone of Interest”), and Prieto, again, for “Barbie.”

In the television categories, a slew of intriguing nominees include Cathal Watters (“Foundation”), Glen Keenan (“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”) Jon Joffin (“Schmigadoon!”), and Andrew Wehde (“The Bear”), among others.

Continue reading ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Poor Things’ & ‘Foundation’ Earn 2024 ASC Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

The Oscars are now just a week away and Sunday provided three guild award ceremonies to provide hints at who may take away Hollywood’s most prestigious prizes. The Daniels’ “Everything Everywhere All At Once” continued its winning streak at the ACE Eddie Awards for editing and the WGA Award for screenplay, but they didn’t complete the trifecta at the ASC Awards. That’s because they never made the cut with the American Society of Cinematographers in the first place (and Larkin Seiple didn’t earn an Oscar nomination either).

Continue reading ‘Elvis’ Cinematographer Mandy Walker Becomes First Woman To Win Top ASC Award at The Playlist.

Earlier this month, several historic achievements were made after “The Power of the Dog” earned 12 Oscar nominations. Jane Campion became the first woman with two Best Director nominations. The first for “The Piano” and, now, a second for “Power.” Kirsten Dunst was finally honored with a long-deserved acting nomination for Supporting Actress. And, in another reminder that the industry has a long way to go when it comes to diversity, Ari Wegner became just the second woman to land a Cinematography nod.

Continue reading Cinematographer Ari Wegner Breaks Down A Scene From ‘The Power Of The Dog’ [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

The last guild award ceremony of this long protracted awards season went to the American Society of Cinematographers and they were in a “Mank” mood for the 2021 ASC Awards. Their premiere honor went to Erik Messerschmidt for his work on David Fincher‘s passion project. This was Messerschmidt’s first nomination and win at the ASC Awards and a positive sign as he tries to win his first Oscar for Best Cinematography.

Continue reading ‘Mank,’ ‘The Crown’ & ‘The Mandalorian’ Among ASC Awards Winners at The Playlist.

The last guild awards announcement for 2021 was reserved for the American Society of Cinematographers which, in truth, isn’t a guild, but represents the most important creative aspect of a movie, the image itself. More than any other guild honor, the Oscar for Best Cinematography rarely deviates from the Feature Film nominees from the ASC Awards. So, that should make the Directors of Photography behind “Mank,” “Nomadland,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “News of the World” and “Cherry” quite happy today.

Continue reading ‘Mank,’ ‘Nomadland’ & ‘The Great’ Among 2021 ASC Awards Nominees at The Playlist.

The American Society of Cinematographers announced the nominees for the 2020 ASC Awards this afternoon and there were few surprises among their picks. Likely frontrunner Roger Deakins (“1917”) was joined in the Theatrical Release category by Rodrigo Prieto (“The Irishman”), Robert Richardson (“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”), Phedon Papamichael (“Ford v Ferrari”) and Lawrence Sher (“Joker”).  The nominees almost always lineup with Oscar’s Best Cinematography award considering the duplication between the ASC and the Academy’s Cinematography branch.

Continue reading ‘1917,’ ‘Joker,’ ‘The Irishman’ Among 2020 ASC Awards Nominees at The Playlist.

As countless films look for attention as the days countdown to the beginning of Oscar nomination voting, one film’s below-the-line contributions have been slightly unheralded.  Well, at least in the media.  The guilds have already given “Jojo Rabbit” significant love with ADG Awards (production design), ACE Eddie Awards (editing) and CDGA Awards (costumes) nominations.  One aforementioned aspect of Taika Waititi’s word of mouth wonder that deserves slightly more love is Mihai Mălaimare Jr.’s cinematography. 

Continue reading ‘Jojo Rabbit’ Exclusive: Taika Waititi On The Film’s Shifting & Bold Color Palette at The Playlist.

Labor of love alert: in recent years we’ve poured extra special helpings of heart and soul into our lists of the year’s Best Cinematography, and while it might overstate things to suggest the decade list, therefore, has that care lavished on it tenfold, it’s not far off. Our ground rules were simple: try to reduce the number of repetitions by choosing emblematic but differently styled works from the same cinematographer or director where possible, don’t overlook the clever in favor of the beautiful, and don’t get so lost in the enjoyment of these spectacular examples of craft that you miss your original deadline.

Continue reading The Best Cinematography Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.

This year’s Cinematography field is somewhat of an open field at the moment. We assume Robert Richardson will earn his 10th nomination for “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” which would also be his fourth for a Quentin Tarantino film. We assume Roger Deakins will earn his 15th nomination for “1917.” We assume Rodrigo Prieto will earn his third nomination for “The Irishman” after earning a nod for his last Martin Scorsese collaboration, “Silence.” And if there are truly only two slots left to fill?

Continue reading 2020 Best Cinematography Oscars Contenders & Predictions at The Playlist.

John Bailey, the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, sent a letter to AMPAS members today detailing the changes to the 91st Academy Awards telecast. In the E-mail, he revealed the four categories that would not be revealed live on this year’s program, a change that was first hinted at in August. One of the categories was expected, the other three were not.

Bailey noted that Cinematography, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling and Live Action Short will be tape delayed this year.

Continue reading Oscars Officially Going Tape Delayed With Four Unexpected Categories at The Playlist.

The American Society of Cinematographers announced their 2018 nominees and “Roma,” “A Star is Born,” “Cold War,” “First Man” and “The Favourite” were the big winners on the film side.  For television, “The Handmaid’s Tale” earned two nods alongside work from “Homeland,” “The Crown” and “The Man in High Castle.”

READ MORE: “Roma” and “Cold War” top Oscar’s Foreign Language Film Shortlist

A major bellwether for an Oscar nomination (the ASC and Oscar almost always line up), this has to be disconcerting for James Laxton‘s gorgeous work in “If Beale Street Could Talk,” Rachel Morrison’s achievements in “Black Panther” or Bruno Delbonnel’s lighting in “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.”

It should be noted that “Roma’s” Alfonso Cuarón is now just the second director to earn an ASC nod for shooting his or her own film.

Continue reading ‘Cold War,’ Roma,”A Star Is Born,’ ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Earn ASC Cinematography Nods at The Playlist.

2018 saw the passing of a cinematography legend in Robby Müller, a regular collaborator of Wim Wenders and Jim Jarmusch, who with his work on “Paris, Texas,” “Down By Law,” “Dead Man” and Lars von Trier’s “Breaking the Waves” was responsible, perhaps more than anyone, for defining and expanding the aesthetics of the 1980s and 1990s arthouse. It is a sad note in a year that has been otherwise a banner year for the craft he perfected and elevated, and so as our small tribute, we dedicate our list of the Best Cinematography of 2018 to him.

Continue reading The Best Cinematography of 2018 at The Playlist.

Click here for more from our Oscars 2018 coverage, including the Best & Worst of the ceremony, all the speeches, and the Snubs & Surprises.

One of the greatest cinematographers in the history of cinema finally has an Academy Award.  Roger Deakins took the Best Cinematography trophy Sunday night for his work on Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049” and what was his 14th Oscar nomination.  The fact the 68-year-old visionary had lost 13 previous times was becoming something of an embarrassment for the Academy, but no more.

Continue reading Roger Deakins Finally Wins Cinematography Oscar On 14th Nomination at The Playlist.

Roger Deakins. A legendary cinematographer who has absurdly never won an Oscar, despite being nominated 14 times. His latest nod is for “Blade Runner 2049,” the painterly sci-fi sequel from director Denis Villeneuve, their third collaboration together. Much of the film’s atmospheric brilliance was due to Deakins’ work, and it certainly appears that Villeneuve gave Deakins carte blanche, which wasn’t a bad idea, especially since the two complemented each other to great degrees in their other two projects (watch “Sicario” and “Prisoners” if you already haven’t.) With all that being said, we figure this will finally be the movie that will have Deakins win his elusive first Oscar.

Continue reading Roger Deakins Wins Top ASC Award For ‘Blade Runner 2049’ at The Playlist.

When it comes to this year’s Best Cinematography race everyone is focused on the legendary Roger Deakins (“Blade Runner 2049”) and the first female nominee Rachel Morrison (“Mudbound”) but Bruno Delbonnel should not be ignored. Now a five-time Oscar nominee, Delbonnel’s work on Joe Wright’s “Darkest Hour” is a beautifully lit and worthy entry in a body of work that includes “A Very Long Engagement,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Inside Llewyn Davis.”

Joe Wright and Gary Oldman discuss discovering Winston Churchill

Delbonnel jumped on the phone before learning of his nomination last month, but took some time to talk about “Darkest Hour” and at confirmed his reunion with the Coen Bros.

Continue reading Bruno Delbonnel Shines The Light On ‘Darkest Hour’ And ‘Buster Scruggs’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

[Updated Feb. 4]

Winners prediction
1. Roger Deakins, “Blade Runner 2049”
2. Rachel Morrison, “Mudbound”
3. Dan Laustsen, “The Shape of Water”
4. Bruno Delbonnel, “Darkest Hour”
5. Hoyte van Hoytema, “Dunkirk”

Current predictions:

Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Director
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Editing
Cinematography
Production Design
Original Score
Best Song
Costumes
Sound Mixing
Sound Editing
Documentary
Foreign Language Film
Animated Feature Film
Makeup and Hairstyling
Visual Effects

Continue reading 2018 Best Cinematography Oscars Predictions at The Playlist.

Not so fast, “La La Land.” The American Society of Cinematographers have gone in a different direction. Amounting to the first real guild loss for the Lionsgate blockbuster, Greig Fraser took the top Theatrical Release prize for “Lion” over Linus Sandgren‘s work on the modern movie musical. There are a number of factors that might have been at play here, including a split vote with support also going to Bradford Young (“Arrival“) and James Laxton (“Moonlight“), or the fact that the Swedish Sandgren has so few Hollywood credits.

Continue reading Greig Fraser And ‘Lion’ Upset ‘La La Land’ As ASC Awards Honor Best In Cinematography at The Playlist.

The time has come for The Academy to once again make history.  We’ve heard the nation’s critics chose their top films and performances. We’ve had the indie film community anoint their year-end honorees.  We’ve had every guild from the 213 to the 818 throw their own nominations into the ring. We’ve even had the Golden Globes reveal their winners early enough to *potentially* impact the Oscar nominations. And now we are just hours away from learning who benefited from the long slog on the global awards circuit.

Continue reading Final Locked Down 89th Academy Awards Nominations Predictions at The Playlist.

Prediction based on nominees [Feb. 5]

NOMINEES
1. Linus Sandgren, “La La Land”
2. Greig Fraser, “Lion”
3. James Laxton, “Moonlight”
4. Bradford Young, “Arrival”
5. Rodrigo Prieto, “Silence”

PREVIOUS CONTENDERS (for historical context)
Caleb Deschanel, “Rules Don’t Apply”
Stephan Fontaine, “Jackie”
Seamus McGarvey, “Nocturnal Animals”
Robert Richardson, “Live By Night”
Philippe Rousselot, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
Vittorio Stoaro, “Cafe Society”
Robert Elswit, “Gold”
Roger Deakins, “Hail, Caesar!”
Simon Duggan, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Greig Fraser, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
Janusz Kaminski, “The BFG”
Giles Nuttgens, “Hell or High Water”

Gregory Ellwood’s Current Oscar Predictions:
Best Picture
Director
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Editing
Cinematography 
Production Design
Animated Feature Film
Foreign Language Film
Documentary Feature
Original Score
Original Song
Costume Design
Makeup and Hairstyling
Visual Effects
Sound Mixing
Sound Editing

Continue reading 2017 Best Cinematography Oscars Predictions at The Playlist.