Ben Smithard

Last updated

Ben Smithard
Alma mater Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design
OccupationCinematographer
Years active1993–present

Ben Smithard, B.S.C., is a British cinematographer known for his work on period pieces, such as the films The Damned United (2009), My Week with Marilyn (2011), Goodbye Christopher Robin , The Man Who Invented Christmas (both 2017), Blinded by the Light and Downton Abbey (both 2019). [1]

Contents

In television, Smithard served as cinematographer on the 2007 BBC One series Cranford (2007). He returned for the subsequent series Return to Cranford in 2009, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography. [2] In 2012, Smithard received a nomination for Best Cinematography in a Television Drama by the British Society of Cinematographers for his work on the "Henry IV, Part I" and "Henry IV, Part II" episodes of the BBC Two series The Hollow Crown . [1]

Selected filmography

Film

YearTitleRef(s)
2009 The Damned United [3]
2011 My Week with Marilyn [4] [5]
2012 I, Anna [6]
2013 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa [7]
Belle [8]
2015 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel [9] [10]
2017 Viceroy's House [11]
Goodbye Christopher Robin [12]
The Man Who Invented Christmas [13]
2019 Blinded by the Light [1]
Downton Abbey [1]
2020 The Father [14]
2022 The Son [15] [16]
2024 Lonely Planet

Television

YearTitleNotesRef(s)
2005 Wire in the Blood Episode: "Synchronicity" [17]
Spooks 2 episodes [17]
2007 Cranford [17]
2009 A Short Stay in Switzerland Television film [17]
Return to Cranford 2 episodes [2]
The Day of the Triffids 2 episodes [17]
2012 The Hollow Crown Episodes: "Henry IV, Part I" and "Henry IV, Part II" [1] [18]
2017 Diana and I Television film [17]
2018 King Lear Television film [17]
2021–2023 The Nevers [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinematographer</span> Creative head of a motion pictures camera and lighting decisions

The cinematographer or director of photography is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera and light crews working on such projects. They would normally be responsible for making artistic and technical decisions related to the image and for selecting the camera, film stock, lenses, filters, etc. The study and practice of this field are referred to as cinematography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vittorio Storaro</span> Italian cinematographer

Vittorio Storaro, A.S.C., A.I.C., is an Italian cinematographer widely recognized as one of the best and most influential in cinema history, for his work on numerous classic films including The Conformist (1970), Apocalypse Now (1979), and The Last Emperor (1987). In the course of over fifty years, he has collaborated with directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Francis Ford Coppola, Warren Beatty, Woody Allen and Carlos Saura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imelda Staunton</span> English actress and singer (born 1956)

Dame Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre productions in the United Kingdom. Over her career, she has received several awards including a British Academy Film Award, and four Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nominations for an Academy Award, three British Academy Television Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and three Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Dockery</span> English actress (born 1981)

Michelle Suzanne Dockery is an English actress. She is best known for starring as Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV television period drama series Downton Abbey (2010–2015), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She reprised her role in the films Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guillermo Navarro</span> Mexican cinematographer and director

Guillermo Jorge Navarro Solares, AMC, ASC is a Mexican cinematographer and television director. He has worked in Hollywood since 1994 and is a frequent collaborator of Guillermo del Toro and Robert Rodriguez. In 2007, he won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and the Goya Award for Best Cinematography for del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. His subsequent filmography runs the gamut from lower-budget arthouse and genre films to high-profile blockbusters like Hellboy, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Night at the Museum, and Pacific Rim.

<i>My Week with Marilyn</i> 2011 film directed by Simon Curtis

My Week with Marilyn is a 2011 biographical drama film directed by Simon Curtis and written by Adrian Hodges. It stars Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, and Judi Dench. Based on two books by Colin Clark, it depicts the making of the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl, which starred Marilyn Monroe (Williams) and Laurence Olivier (Branagh). The film concerns the week during the shooting of the film when Monroe was escorted around London by Clark (Redmayne), after her husband Arthur Miller had returned to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lily James</span> British actress (born 1989)

Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson, known professionally as Lily James, is an English actress. She studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began her career in the British television series Just William (2010). Following a supporting role in the period drama series Downton Abbey (2012–2015), her breakthrough was the title role in the fantasy film Cinderella (2015).

Haris Zambarloukos, B.S.C. is a Greek-Cypriot cinematographer. He is best known for his work on films such as Venus (2006), Sleuth (2007), Mamma Mia! (2008), Thor (2011), and Belfast (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Curtis (filmmaker)</span> British director and producer

Simon Curtis is an English director and producer. He has worked on theater, television and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gareth Neame</span> British television producer and executive

Gareth Elwin Neame is a British television producer and executive. As an executive at the BBC, Neame presided over the development of the dramas Spooks, State of Play, Bodies, Hustle, New Tricks and Tipping the Velvet. He was executive producer of the historical drama series Downton Abbey and originally proposed the idea to its writer and creator Julian Fellowes. He is a recipient of the Emmy, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.

Daniel Cohen, BSC is an English cinematographer. A member of the British Society of Cinematographers, he has worked on many feature films and television series, and is known for his collaborations with Tom Hooper, Stephen Frears, Shane Meadows, and Lenny Abrahamson. He has worked with Hooper on five occasions: Longford (2006), John Adams (2008), The King's Speech (2010), Les Misérables (2012), and The Danish Girl (2015). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for The King's Speech, the BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for Les Miserables, and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series for John Adams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Morrison</span> American cinematographer

Rachel Morrison is an American cinematographer and director. For her work on Mudbound (2017), Morrison became the first woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. She has twice worked with director Ryan Coogler, as cinematographer on the films Fruitvale Station (2013) and Black Panther (2018). Morrison's feature film directorial debut is the biographical sports drama The Fire Inside (2024).

Reed Morano is an American film director and cinematographer. Morano was the first woman in history to win both the Emmy and Directors Guild Award for directing a drama series in the same year for the pilot episode of The Handmaid's Tale. Morano is known for her cinematography work on feature films such as Frozen River (2008), Kill Your Darlings (2013) and The Skeleton Twins (2014).

Fabian Wagner is a German cinematographer. His roles in the production of the television shows Sherlock and Game of Thrones have earned him two Creative Arts Emmy Award nominations. In 2017 and 2020 respectively, he won the American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series for his work on the Game of Thrones episode "Battle of the Bastards" and for his work on season 3 of The Crown.

Benjamin Paul Seresin, BSC, ASC is a New Zealand cinematographer best known for his work on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Unstoppable (2010), World War Z (2013), and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). For his work on Unstoppable, he was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Cinematography in 2010. Seresin is a member of the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC) since 2010, and the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 2011.

Polly Morgan is a British cinematographer who has worked on the studio feature films Lucy in the Sky (2019), A Quiet Place Part II (2020), Where the Crawdads Sing (2022), and The Woman King (2022). She was also the cinematographer for multiple episodes of the TV series Legion (2017–2019). Morgan is accredited by the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC) and the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). To date, she is the only woman to be a member of both, and she is the youngest member of ASC.

Anette Haellmigk is a German cinematographer who has been nominated for multiple Emmy and ASC Awards. She has been a cinematographer on Game of Thrones, The West Wing, and Insecure, amongst others.

The British Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film is an award given annually by the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC). It was first given in 1953, since 1976 a set of nominees is presented.

The British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Photography & Lighting: Fiction is one of the categories presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) within the British Academy Television Craft Awards, the craft awards were established in 2000 with their own, separate ceremony as a way to spotlight technical achievements, without being overshadowed by the main production categories. According to the BAFTA website, for this category the "eligibility is limited to the director of photography."

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Prince, Ron (September 2019). "Double Bill: Ben Smithard BSC / Blinded by the Light & Downton Abbey". British Cinematographer. No. 95. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 "2010 Creative Arts Emmy Winners (Live)". Deadline Hollywood . 21 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  3. Scott, A. O. (8 October 2009). "A Soccer Coach Divides and Doesn't Conquer". The New York Times . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  4. Block, Alex Ben (19 November 2011). "Hip Pads, Prosthetic Chins, Dips in Sub-Zero Lakes: The Making of 'My Week With Marilyn'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  5. Lumbard, Neil (14 March 2012). "My Week with Marilyn". DVD Talk . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  6. French, Philip (8 December 2012). "I, Anna – review". The Guardian . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  7. Dalton, Stephen (24 July 2013). "Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  8. Romanek, Neal (10 December 2012). "Ben Smithard: 'It's important that you give the DoP the choice of the camera to shoot with'". Screen Daily . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  9. Sragow, Michael (4 March 2015). "Deep Focus: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel". Film Comment . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  10. Fauer, Jon (12 March 2015). "Ben Smithard on "2nd Best Exotic..."". Film and Digital Times. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  11. "Ben Smithard BSC captures 'Viceroy's House' for director Gurinder Chadha on Kodak". Kodak. 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  12. Linden, Sheri (20 September 2017). "'Goodbye Christopher Robin': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  13. Valentini, Valentina (16 March 2018). "Lighting Ghosts: Ben Smithard BSC / The Man Who Invented Christmas". British Cinematographer. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  14. Marchant, Beth (2 March 2021). "Here are 4 key films — and 4 great moments within them — for this awards season". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  15. Laman, Lisa (20 January 2023). "'The Son' Struggles Where 'The Father' Soared". Collider . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  16. Kuźma, Darek (March 2023). "Fathers and Sons". Cinematography World. No. 14. pp. 36–37. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "BSC Members | Ben Smithard". BSCine.com. British Society of Cinematographers . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  18. Wolf, Matt (8 July 2012). "The Hollow Crown: Henry IV Part 1, BBC Two". The Arts Desk . Retrieved 22 August 2023.