News + Events

12/20/2011

In a career that has brought ever-growing acclaim for cinematographer Robert Richardson 79 FAV, 2010 has proven to be a particularly good year. He earned his sixth Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography – in this case, for his work on Quentin Tarantino’s film Inglourious Basterds. Although he didn’t win, he went on to receive numerous accolades from critics for his most recent film with Martin Scorcese, Shutter Island, his fifth collaboration with the renowned director. And when Eat Pray Love opened in theaters nationwide in late summer, critics once again cited his work as outstanding, noting his “painterly approach” to capturing the atmosphere.

After graduating from RISD and going on to earn an MFA from the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory, Richardson worked as a camera operator and 2nd unit photographer for numerous documentary films and television shows. In the early 1980s he met director Oliver Stone while working on a documentary about El Salvador. This led to his first gig as a director of photography on a feature film, Stone’s memorable Salvador. Richardson’s repeated work with Stone eventually earned him three Oscar nominations and two wins, for The Aviator and JFK.

Critics laud Richardson for his signature visual sense and his ability to use old-style photographic techniques to evoke previous eras. His filmography includes such classics as Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Wag the Dog, Snow Falling on Cedars and Kill Bill. In addition to repeated work with Scorcese and Tarantino, he has worked with the famed documentary director Errol Morris. In 2010 Richardson is busy filming Hugo Cabret, Scorcese’s version of the Brian Selznick 88 IL children’s bestseller The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The movie is due out in late 2011, along with another Scorcese film shot by Richardson: Living in the Material World: George Harrison.