David A. Armstrong

Last updated
David A. Armstrong
Born
David A. Armstrong

1961
Alma mater California Institute of the Arts
Occupation(s) Cinematographer, producer, Film director
Years active1986–present
Website davidaarmstrong.com

David A. Armstrong is an American cinematographer, film producer and director, who was involved in a number of short films and low budget horror films. Although best known for his work on the first six installments of the Saw franchise, Armstrong has also directed two films, the crime thrillers Pawn and The Assassin's Code .

Contents

Life and career

Having a Master of Fine Arts in cinematography from the American Film Institute, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from California Institute of the Arts, [1] [2] Armstrong began his career as the cinematographer of an unreleased 1986 film, Norman and God. Shortly after, he shot a series of independent B-movies and short films. [3] In 2004, Armstrong was hired by James Wan and Leigh Whannell to film the first installment of the Saw franchise. He also served as cinematographer for the next five films, namely Saw II , Saw III , Saw IV , Saw V , and Saw VI . [4] Armstrong went on to shoot other low budget independent horror films including Sam's Lake , Skinwalkers , and The Gravedancers (all 2006). In 2009, Armstrong served as director of photography for the crime thrillers The Lodger and 2:13 , as well the action-comedy Next Day Air . Armstrong's latest efforts as cinematographer are Dead Awake (2010), Hellraiser: Revelations , and On the Inside (both 2011).

Armstrong made his directorial debut with the action film Pawn (2013), starring Michael Chiklis, Ray Liotta, Common, Stephen Lang and Forest Whitaker. [5] The independent film was shot in only 15 days and was released straight-to-DVD. [6] [7]

Armstrong directed his second feature, the crime thriller The Assassin's Code (2018), starring Justin Chatwin, Peter Stormare, and Mark Thompson. [8] Having its world premiere at the 42nd Cleveland International Film Festival, [9] the film was released through video on demand platforms by Gravitas Ventures. [10]

Filmography

As cinematographer

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1986Norman and GodUnknownUnreleased
1987Significant OtherUnknownUnreleased
1995Friday Night BluesUnknownUnreleased
1997Two in the MorningMichelle RemsenShort film
My Dinner with Andre the GiantTim RyanShort film
Burningman: Inside the KaleidoscopeUnknownUnreleased
1998The Way to Santiago Jack Swanstrom Short film
JohnMarni BanackShort film
2000New SuitsRegina DonShort film
2002 P.S. Your Cat Is Dead! Steve Guttenberg
Ritual Avi Nesher Crypt Keeper sequences
FootprintsE. MarshallUnreleased
Judge is GodJames AllenShort film
sIDneyMalik VitthalShort film
Lyric CafeUnknownUnknown episodes
2003Fear of FeathersChad McCordShort film
Seventh VeilAmin Q. Chaudhri
2004 Saw James Wan
Ride with Funkmaster Flex Unknown2 episodes
2005Cotillion '65Judy ChaikinShort film
Saw II Darren Lynn Bousman
2006JamMark WoollenDocumentary
Saw III Darren Lynn Bousman
Sam's Lake Andrew C. Erin
Skinwalkers James Isaac
The Gravedancers Mike Mendez
2007Sibling RivalryJoanne Rubino
Liza Seneca
Short film
Saw IV Darren Lynn Bousman
2008 Saw V David Hackl
2008-

2009

Heroes: The Recruit Rob Hardy 5 episodes
2009 Kill Theory Chris Moore
The Lodger David Ondaatje
2:13 Charles Adelman
Next Day Air Benny Boom
Saw VI Kevin Greutert
Two SpiritsLydia NibleyDocumentary
2010 Dead Awake Omar Naim
2011 Hellraiser: Revelations Víctor Garcia
On the Inside D.W. Brown
Independent Lens Lydia Nibley1 episode
2014It's Worth More Than You ThinkMohammed MamdouhShort film

As producer

YearTitleNotes
2017New SuitsShort film; associate producer
2002sIDneyShort film; associate producer
2009 2:13
2017Midnight ClearShort film; executive producer
2018 The Assassin's Code

As director

YearTitleNotes
2013 Pawn Directorial debut
2018 The Assassin's Code

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Cronenberg</span> Canadian filmmaker and film director (born 1943)

David Paul Cronenberg is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is a principal originator of the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and the intertwining of the psychological, physical, and technological. Cronenberg is best known for exploring these themes through sci-fi horror films such as Shivers (1975), Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983) and The Fly (1986), though he has also directed dramas, psychological thrillers and gangster films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy Award for Best Cinematography</span> American film award

The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Whitaker</span> American actor (born 1961)

Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer and director. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Dimension Films is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by Lantern Entertainment. It was formerly used as Harvey and Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax, which was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on June 30, 1993, and it later became a part of The Weinstein Company (TWC) from 2005 until 2018. The company produces and releases independent films and genre titles, specifically horror and science fiction films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marton Csokas</span> New Zealand actor (born 1966)

Marton Paul Csokas is a New Zealand actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the Toi Whakaari drama school, he has worked extensively in Australia and Hollywood, along with his native country, and often portrays villainous roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Chiklis</span> American actor (born 1963)

Michael Charles Chiklis is an American actor, film television director, film and television producer and musician. He is best known for his role as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama The Shield (2002–2008), for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2002, and was nominated in 2003. Other starring television roles of his include Commissioner Tony Scali on the ABC police drama The Commish (1991–1996), Chris Woods in Daddio (2000), Jim Powell on the ABC science-fiction comedy-drama No Ordinary Family (2010–2011), Vincent Savino in the CBS crime drama Vegas (2012), Dell Toledo in American Horror Story: Freak Show (2014), and Nathaniel Barnes in Gotham (2015–2017). In film, he is best known for his roles as The Thing in two Fantastic Four films (2005–2007), George Callister in Eagle Eye (2008), Terry Eidson in When the Game Stands Tall (2014), and Father Dave in Hubie Halloween (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gordon Green</span> American filmmaker

David Gordon Green is an American filmmaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Deakins</span> British cinematographer

Sir Roger Alexander Deakins is an English cinematographer, best known for his collaborations with directors the Coen brothers, Sam Mendes, and Denis Villeneuve. He is the recipient of five BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography, and two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography from sixteen nominations. His best-known works include The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Fargo (1996), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Skyfall (2012), Sicario (2015), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and 1917 (2019), the last two of which earned him Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikki Reed</span> American actress (born 1988)

Nicole Houston Reed is an American actress. She is known for her portrayal of Rosalie Hale in The Twilight Saga (2008–2012). Reed became known in 2003, after the release of the film Thirteen, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, for which she was credited with Hardwicke as a co-writer of the screenplay, and in which she played a lead role. The film earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance, as well as several nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vera Farmiga</span> American actress (born 1973)

Vera Ann Farmiga is an American actress. Farmiga began her professional acting career on stage in the original Broadway production of Taking Sides (1996). After expanding to television and film, Farmiga's breakthrough came in 2004 with her starring role as a drug addict in the drama Down to the Bone. She received praise for starring in the 2009 comedy-drama Up in the Air, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobin Bell</span> American actor (born 1942)

Tobin Bell is an American actor. He has appeared in a number of television shows and films but is most recognized for his role as John Kramer / Jigsaw in the Saw franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Suschitzky</span> British cinematographer and photographer

Peter Suschitzky, A.S.C. is a British cinematographer and photographer. Among his most known works as director of photography are The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Empire Strikes Back, and Mars Attacks! and the later films of David Cronenberg. Suschitzky succeeded Mark Irwin as Cronenberg's regular cinematographer when Irwin left during the pre-production of Dead Ringers (1988), and has been the cinematographer for all of Cronenberg's films since, with the exception of Crimes of the Future (2022). He has also collaborated with directors John Boorman, Ken Russell, Bernard Rose, and Tim Burton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Wadlow</span> American filmmaker

Jeffrey Clark Wadlow is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He's best known for writing and directing feature films including Truth or Dare, Kick-Ass 2 and Fantasy Island. In 2022, Wadlow was nominated for a DGA award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials and Documentary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Lynn Bousman</span> American film director and screenwriter

Darren Lynn Bousman is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the Saw films: Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, and Spiral. He also directed the horror musicals Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Devil's Carnival movies. Bousman is co-creator and writer of alternate reality games (ARG) and immersive experiences, The Tension Experience (2016), The Lust Experience (2017), Theatre Macabre (2018), iConfidant (2020), and One Day Die (2020).

John Hyams is an American screenwriter, director and cinematographer, best known for his involvement in the Universal Soldier series, for which he has directed two installments. Hyams is the son of director Peter Hyams.

<i>Pawn</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

Pawn is a 2013 American crime thriller film directed by David A. Armstrong in his directorial debut.

The Assassin's Code, previously entitled Legacy, is an American thriller film directed by David A. Armstrong and written by Edward Lee Cornett and Valerie Grant. The film stars Justin Chatwin, Peter Stormare and Mark Thompson. The film was released on May 11, 2018, in a limited release and through video on demand by Gravitas Ventures.

John Wick is an American neo-noir action film series and media franchise created by Derek Kolstad. It centers around the titular character, a legendary hitman who is reluctantly drawn back into the criminal underworld after retiring.

Ari Wegner, ACS, ASC, is an Australian cinematographer. Her work includes films such as Lady Macbeth (2016), True History of the Kelly Gang (2019), and Zola (2020). In 2021, she served as cinematographer on The Power of the Dog for which she received widespread critical acclaim including an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography, becoming only the second woman to do so in the award's 94-year history.

Jo Willems is a Belgian cinematographer. Growing up in Westerlo outside Antwerp, he studied film at the LUCA School of Arts, before he relocated to the United Kingdom at the age of 21. He made his feature film cinematography debut with Hard Candy (2005) directed by David Slade, with whom Willems would also collaborate with again on 30 Days of Night (2007). Willems would reunite with music video director Francis Lawrence on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), serving as cinematographer on following installments of the franchise for Lawrence as well as the spy thriller Red Sparrow (2018), the fantasy adventure Slumberland (2022), and three episodes of the Apple TV+ series See (2019–2022).

References

  1. "The Assassin's Code". Clevelandfilm.org. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  2. "Cinematography Department". Nyfa.edu. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  3. London Williams, Mark (July 1, 2004). "DP David Armstrong Shoots Saw". Btlnews.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  4. King, Danny (January 10, 2012). "'Saw' Cinematographer David A. Armstrong to Direct Adaptation of Comic Book Series 'Crawl to Me'". The Film Stage. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  5. Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 28, 2011). "'Shield' Cohorts Michael Chiklis And Forest Whitaker Team For Indie Feature 'Pawn'". Deadline. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  6. Modell, Josh (September 16, 2013). "Not even Michael Chiklis' accent and Forest Whitaker's growl can save Pawn". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  7. Sharkey, Betsy (April 18, 2013). "Movie review: 'Pawn's' cops and robbers game is a mild thrill". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  8. Ford, Rebecca (October 20, 2016). "'Shameless,' 'Fargo' Actors to Star in Indie 'Legacy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  9. "Cleveland International Film Festival: Inside "Assassin's Code," a Cleveland-centric crime thriller". Cleveland.com. April 12, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  10. Murray, Noel (May 9, 2018). "Review: Crime drama 'The Assassin's Code' is strictly by the book". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 24, 2021.