Jonathan Sela

Last updated
Jonathan Sela
Born (1978-04-29) April 29, 1978 (age 46)
Occupation Cinematographer
Years active1995–present

Jonathan Sela, ASC (born April 29, 1978 [1] ) is a French-born Israeli cinematographer. He has shot numerous commercials, music videos and feature films, including John Wick , The Midnight Meat Train , Transformers: The Last Knight , and Deadpool 2 , as well as numerous collaborations with directors John Moore and David Leitch.

Contents

Life and career

Sela was born in Paris, France. At the age of 10, his Polish grandfather took him to the set of Schindler's List in Kraków, [2] which inspired him to pursue a career in filmmaking. Four years later, he began working in Israel as a cameraman and lighting technician on numerous television films and shows, first as lighting technician, then as gaffer. He emigrated to the United States at age 19, enrolling in the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. [2] He served as assistant to cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond for two films [2] before making his debut as director of photography with the music video for Cypress Hill's Lowrider. After shooting several shorts, he made his feature film debut with the 2004 comedy film Soul Plane . In 2006, he shot the remake of The Omen , the first of several collaborations with director John Moore. In 2008 he shot both the Clive Barker adaptation The Midnight Meat Train and Max Payne; a neo-noir action film based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same name. Some of Sela's more recent projects include the F. Gary Gray-directed crime drama Law Abiding Citizen , the fifth entry of the Die Hard film series A Good Day to Die Hard , and the action thriller John Wick . [3] Sela was director of photography on 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight , the fifth entry in the science fiction action franchise. [4] Sela has also worked on commercials for companies like Verizon Wireless, KFC, Gillette, and Mary Kay, and has shot music videos for artists like Rihanna and Green Day.

Sela was invited into the American Society of Cinematographers in December 2022. [5]

Personal life

Sela lives in Venice, California with his wife, photographer Megan Schoenbachler, and their two sons. [6]

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorNotes
2004 Soul Plane Jessy Terrero
2005 Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom
Dancing and Charm School
Randall Miller
2006 Dreamland Jason Matzner
Grimm Love Martin Weisz
The Omen John Moore
2007 Randy and the Mob Ray McKinnon
2008 The Midnight Meat Train Ryuhei Kitamura
Powder Blue Timothy Linh Bui
Max Payne John Moore
2009 Law Abiding Citizen F. Gary Gray
2013 A Good Day to Die Hard John Moore
2014 John Wick Chad Stahelski
David Leitch
2017 Transformers: The Last Knight Michael Bay
Atomic Blonde David Leitch
2018 Deadpool 2
2019 Hobbs & Shaw
2022 The Lost City Aaron and Adam Nee
Bullet Train David Leitch
2024 The Fall Guy Post-production

Television

YearTitleDirectorEpisode
2015 Limitless Marc Webb "Pilot"
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend "Josh Just Happens to Live Here!"

Music videos

YearTitleArtistDirector
2001"The Motivation Proclamation" Good Charlotte Marc Webb
"Waiting" Green Day
"Simple Creed" Live
"Sunny Hours" Long Beach Dub Allstars featuring will.i.am Francis Lawrence
"Lowrider" Cypress Hill Smith n' Borin
2002"Anything" Jaheim featuring Next Darren Grant
"I'm Just a Kid" Simple Plan Smith n' Borin
"Walking Away" Craig David Lenny Bass
"American Girls" Counting Crows Marc Webb
"I Don't Wanna" Keke Wyatt Erik White
"Dilemma" Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland Benny Boom
"Luv U Better" LL Cool J
"Hot Wheels" Jim Crow Fat Cats
"Bigger Business" Swizz Beatz featuring P. Diddy, Baby,
Jadakiss, Cassidy and Snoop Dogg
Benny Boom
"Crush Tonight" Fat Joe featuring Ginuwine
"Paradise" LL Cool J
2003"Pussycat" Wyclef Jean Director X
"Rock Your Body" Justin Timberlake Francis Lawrence
"Many Men (Wish Death)" 50 Cent Jessy Terrero
"Fallen" Mýa Darren Grant
"The First Cut Is the Deepest" Sheryl Crow Wayne Isham
"Milkshake" Kelis Jake Nava
"Clap Back" Ja Rule Benny Boom
"You Don't Know My Name" Alicia Keys Chris Robinson
"Sick and Tired" Nappy Roots The Saline Project
2004"The Unnamed Feeling" Metallica The Malloys
"100 Years" Five for Fighting Trey Fanjoy
"U Should've Known Better" Monica Benny Boom
"Lola Stars and Stripes" The Stills Olivier Gondry
"Love Will Come Through" Travis Arni & Kinski
"A Million Days" Prince Sanaa Hamri
"Slither" Velvet Revolver Kevin Kerslake
"Who Is She 2 U" Brandy Jake Nava
"My Boo" Usher featuring Alicia Keys Chris Robinson
"Rumors" Lindsay Lohan Jake Nava
"Sand in My Shoes" Dido Alex De Rakoff
2005"Get Right" Jennifer Lopez Francis Lawrence
"Over" Lindsay Lohan Jake Nava
"Shiver" Natalie Imbruglia
"The Clincher" Chevelle Nathan Cox
"Cater 2 U" Destiny's Child Jake Nava
"First" Lindsay Lohan
"Make a Move" Incubus Marc Webb
"No Daddy" Teairra Marí Jessy Terrero
"Everlasting Love" Jamie Cullum Toby Tremlett
"Let It Slide" Joanna Honey
"Get Your Number" Mariah Carey featuring Jermaine Dupri Jake Nava
2006"Pump It" The Black Eyed Peas Francis Lawrence
"Coming Undone" Korn Director X
"Rough Landing, Holly" Yellowcard Marc Webb
"Ain't No Other Man" Christina Aguilera Bryan Barber
"Morris Brown" Outkast
"Dark Blue" Jack's Mannequin Brett Simon
"Save Room" John Legend Bryan Barber
"We Ride" Rihanna Anthony Mandler
"Love Like Winter" AFI Marc Webb
"Irreplaceable" Beyoncé Anthony Mandler
"Hurt" Christina Aguilera Floria Sigismondi & Christina Aguilera
2007"Just Fine" Mary J. Blige Chris Applebaum
2008"Love Lockdown" Kanye West Simon Henwood
"Sex on Fire" Kings of Leon Sophie Muller
2009"Russian Roulette" Rihanna Anthony Mandler
"A Dustland Fairytale" The Killers
"Kings and Queens" Thirty Seconds to Mars Bartholomew Cubbins
"New Divide" Linkin Park Joe Hahn
"21 Guns" Green Day Marc Webb
"Run This Town" Jay-Z featuring Rihanna and Kanye West Anthony Mandler
"Stronger" Mary J. Blige
"It Kills Me" Melanie Fiona Armen Djerrahian
"(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" Weezer Marc Webb
2010"Last of the American Girls" Green Day
"Pop Goes the World" Gossip Philip Andelman
"Fistful of Tears" Maxwell
"Over" Drake Anthony Mandler
"The Time (Dirty Bit)" The Black Eyed Peas Rich Lee
2011"What the Hell" Avril Lavigne Marcus Raboy
"E.T." Katy Perry featuring Kanye West Floria Sigismondi
"Till the World Ends" Britney Spears Ray Kay
"Right There" Nicole Scherzinger Paul Hunter
"Dance for You" Beyoncé Alan Ferguson & Beyoncé
2012"This Kiss" Carly Rae Jepsen Justin Francis
2013"Give It 2 U" Robin Thicke featuring Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz Diane Martel
"Wrecking Ball" Miley Cyrus Terry Richardson
"Danse" Mia Martina Michael Maxxis
2014"Love Never Felt So Good" Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson Rich Lee & Justin Timberlake
2015"Can't Feel My Face" The Weeknd Grant Singer
"Finna Get Loose" Puff Daddy featuring Pharrell Williams Hype Williams
2018"Ashes" Céline Dion David Leitch
"Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken" Pink Sasha Samsonova
"In My Blood" Shawn Mendes Jay Martin
2023"I Can See You" Taylor Swift Taylor Swift

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">Janusz Kamiński</span> Polish cinematographer, film and television director

Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński is a Polish cinematographer and director of film and television. He has established a partnership with Steven Spielberg, working as a cinematographer on his films since 1993. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Spielberg's holocaust drama Schindler's List and World War II epic Saving Private Ryan (1998). He has also received Academy Award nominations for Amistad (1997), The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (2007), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), and West Side Story (2021). He has also received nominations for five BAFTA Awards, and six American Society of Cinematographers Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Surtees (cinematographer)</span> American cinematographer

Robert L. Surtees was an American cinematographer who won three Academy Awards for the films King Solomon's Mines, The Bad and the Beautiful and the 1959 version of Ben-Hur. Surtees worked at various studios, including Universal, UFA, Warner Brothers, and MGM, lighting for notable directors Howard Hawks, Mike Nichols, and William Wyler, gaining him a reputation as one of the most versatile cinematographers of his time.

Frederick James Koenekamp, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer. He was the son of cinematographer Hans F. Koenekamp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darius Khondji</span> Iranian-French cinematographer

Darius KhondjiAFC, ASC is an Iranian-French cinematographer. Khondji has worked with a number of high-profile directors, including David Fincher, Woody Allen, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Gus Van Sant, Roman Polanski, Wong Kar-wai, Michael Haneke, Danny Boyle, Stephen Frears, Philippe Parreno, Bong Joon-ho, Nicolas Winding Refn, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Jonathan Glazer, Pablo Larraín, the Safdie brothers, Alejandro G. Iñárritu and James Gray. He has been nominated for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award and three César Awards.

Dean Raymond Cundey, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer and film director. He is known for his collaborations with John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, and Robert Zemeckis, as well as his extensive work in the horror genre, in addition to numerous family and comedy films. His filmography as a cinematographer includes Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981), The Thing (1982), the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Jurassic Park (1993), Apollo 13 (1995), and Garfield: The Movie (2004).

Russell Paul Carpenter, ASC is an American cinematographer and photographer, known for collaborating with directors James Cameron, Robert Luketic and McG. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for the 1997 Best Picture-winning film Titanic.

Walter C. Pfister is an American director and former cinematographer, who is best known for his work with filmmaker Christopher Nolan. Some of his collaborations with Nolan include Memento (2000), The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012), and Inception (2010). For his work on Inception, Pfister won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and received a BAFTA Award nomination.

Leslie Robert BurksA.S.C. was an American cinematographer who worked in many different film genres and collaborated several times with Alfred Hitchcock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Yeoman</span> American cinematographer

Robert David Yeoman, ASC is an American cinematographer, best known for his collaborations with directors Wes Anderson and Paul Feig. He was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and has won numerous other awards including an Independent Spirit Award.

Matthew Frank Leonetti A.S.C. is an American cinematographer. Accomplished and highly prolific, he has worked on dozens of well-known and acclaimed films spanning numerous genres, including Poltergeist, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Weird Science, Jagged Edge, Strange Days, and Star Trek: First Contact. He has collaborated with directors such as Tobe Hooper, Walter Hill, John Hughes, Kenneth Branagh, Kathryn Bigelow, Zack Snyder, and The Farrelly Brothers.

<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.

Thomas Richmond was an American cinematographer who worked in the film industry since the mid-1980s. His first major feature film as cinematographer was Stand and Deliver (1988), and by the time he shot for A Midnight Clear (1992), he had settled into working with different directors with ease. Richmond described his experience, "All my films look different because they're not my visions; they're my reflections of the directors' visions." In 1998, he said he was most proud of his work on Little Odessa (1994), for which he was nominated an Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography. For Right at Your Door (2006), he won the Excellence in Cinematography Award (Dramatic) at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alik Sakharov</span> Cinematographer

Alik Sakharov is a film and television director. A former Director of Photography, he is an active member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).

Egill Örn Egilsson ASC, known as Eagle Egilsson, is an Icelandic television director and cinematographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Goi</span> American cinematographer and director

Michael Goi is an American cinematographer and film director.

Steven Barry Poster, A.S.C, I.C.G. is an American cinematographer and photographer who is the former President of the International Cinematographers Guild. He is best known for his collaborations with Richard Kelly, including the director's 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko.

Christian Sebaldt is a German-born cinematographer best known for his work on the long-running CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television series, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series in 2010. In addition, he has worked on numerous major motion pictures, including Resident Evil: Apocalypse and FeardotCom, and commercials for companies like Toyota and Energizer.

James Hawkinson is an American cinematographer known for his work in television, music videos, and film. He is best known for his critically acclaimed work on the Hannibal and The Man in the High Castle television series', for which he has received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award and a nomination for an ASC Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Calahan</span> American cinematographer

Sharon Calahan is an American cinematographer who was director of photography on the Pixar films A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), and Finding Nemo (2003), and was lighting director for Ratatouille (2007), Cars 2 (2011), and The Good Dinosaur (2015). She took part in the early rise of computer animated feature film making and the acceptance of that medium as cinematography. Calahan is the first member of the American Society of Cinematographers who was invited to join on the basis of a career entirely in animated film. She was nominated, with Bill Reeves, Eben Ostby, and Rick Sayre, for a 2000 BAFTA Award for Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects for A Bug's Life.

References

  1. "Jonathan Sela". AlloCiné . Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "JONATHAN SELA". www.cinematographers.nl. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  3. EnStars (22 April 2016). "'Transformers 5' Spoilers: Comedian Jerrod Carmichael Set To Join 'Age of Extinction' Sequel? [VIDEO]". Enstarz. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  4. Caranicas, Peter (7 April 2016). "Agencies Book Artisans on 'Fast 8,' 'Transformers 5,' 'To the Bone,' 'MacGyver' and 'Altered Carbon'". Variety . Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  5. Williams, David E. (23 December 2022). "Jonathan Sela Welcomed by ASC as New Member". American Society of Cinematographers . Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  6. "Panorama: Megan Schoenbachler and Jonathan Sela's Venice home". Los Angeles Times . 30 January 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2016.