Robert Elswit
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|---|---|
| Born | Robert Christopher Elswit (1950-04-22) April 22, 1950 (age 74)[1]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Education | University of Southern California (BFA) American Film Institute (MFA) |
| Occupation | Cinematographer |
| Known for | Good Night, and Good Luck There Will Be Blood |
| Title | ASC |
| Awards |
(There Will Be Blood; 2008) (There Will Be Blood; 2007) (Good Night, and Good Luck; 2005) |
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.
Elswit was born in Los Angeles.[3] An early short film he worked on was the 1982 television adaptation of 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 film, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Empire Strikes Back and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,[4][5] 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."[6] He started shooting digitally, starting with Nightcrawler. Elswit has worked with George Clooney several times. He shot his black and white, multiple-Oscar nominated films 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.[7] 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.[8] Elswit has cited early independent filmmaker John Cassavetes as a major influence.[9] Elswit is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and worked there as a teaching assistant. Elswit is the godfather to the actor Jake Gyllenhaal.[10]
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Cadillac Dreams | Matia Karrell | |
| 1998 | Richard Lester! | Stacy Cochran | Documentary short |
| 2010 | Lost Masterpieces of Pornography | David Mamet | |
| 2019 | Apple Snowbrawl | David Leitch |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | A Single Light | Karl Epstein | |
| 1982 | All Summer in a Day | Ed Kaplan | |
| 1983 | Tiger Town | Alan Shapiro | |
| 1986 | The Children of Times Square | Curtis Hanson | |
| 1987 | A Different Affair | Noel Nosseck | |
| Long Gone | Martin Davidson | ||
| Into the Homeland | Lesli Linka Glatter | ||
| 1989 | Double Exposure: The Story of Margaret Bourke-White | Lawrence Schiller | |
| 1990 | A Killing in a Small Town | Stephen Gyllenhaal | |
| Opposites Attract | Noel Nosseck | ||
| Steel Magnolias | Thomas Schlamme | ||
| 1991 | Prison Stories: Women on the Inside | Donna Deitch Joan Micklin Silver |
Segments "Esperanza" and "Parole Board" |
| The Summer My Father Grew Up | Michael Tuchner | ||
| Vidiots | Howard Storm | ||
| 1992 | A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story | Martin Davidson |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Michael Toshiyuki Uno | Episode: "The War Between the Classes" |
| 1992 | Human Target | Max Tash | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1997 | Prince Street | Roger Spottiswoode | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2016 | The Night Of | Steven Zaillian | Episode: "The Beach" |
| 2024 | Ripley | 8 episodes[11] |
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Cinematography | Good Night, and Good Luck | Nominated |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | Won |
American Society of Cinematographers
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Good Night, and Good Luck | Nominated |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | Won |
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Best Cinematography | There Will Be Blood | Nominated |
Boston Society of Film Critics
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Cinematography | Good Night, and Good Luck | Won |
British Society of Cinematographers
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Best Cinematography | There Will Be Blood | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Golden Frog Award | Good Night, and Good Luck | Nominated |
Chicago Film Critics Association
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Cinematography | Good Night, and Good Luck | Nominated |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Inherent Vice | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | CBS Schoolbreak Special (For episode "The War Between The Classes") | Won |
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Best Cinematography | Inherent Vice | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Best Cinematography | Hard Eight | Nominated |
| 2005 | Good Night, and Good Luck | Won |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Cinematography | Good Night, and Good Luck | Won |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | 2nd place |
National Society of Film Critics
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Best Cinematography | Punch-Drunk Love | 3rd place |
| 2005 | Good Night, and Good Luck | 2nd place | |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | Won |
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Cinematography | Good Night, and Good Luck | 2nd place |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | Won |
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Cinematography | Good Night, and Good Luck | Nominated |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | Nominated |
San Diego Film Critics Society
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Best Cinematography | There Will Be Blood | 2nd place |
| 2014 | Nightcrawler | Won |
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Cinematography | Good Night, and Good Luck | Nominated |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Salt | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Inherent Vice | Nominated |
St. Louis Film Critics Association
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Cinematography | Good Night, and Good Luck | Nominated |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Nightcrawler | Nominated |
Other awards
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | CableACE Award | Best Cinematography | Long Gone | Nominated |
| 2007 | Austin Film Critics Association | There Will Be Blood | Won | |
| International Online Cinema Awards | Nominated | |||
| New York Film Critics Online | Won | |||
| 2014 | Utah Film Critics Association | Nightcrawler | Won |
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