Nigel Bluck | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 (age 53–54) [1] |
| Education | Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland [2] Australian Film Television and Radio School (Cinematography) |
| Known for | True Detective (s. 2–3) |
| Website | nigelbluck |
Nigel Bluck (born 1971) is a New Zealand cinematographer known for his work in feature films and television across New Zealand, Australia and the United States. He made his feature film debut as cinematographer with Stickmen (2001) and later worked as a second unit cinematographer on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. [2]
He completed his high school education at Dunedin’s Logan Park High School. [3]
Bluck studied cinematography at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). [4] After graduating, he worked in commercial production before transitioning to feature films. [4] Bluck's first feature film as cinematographer was Stickmen (2001), directed by Hamish Rothwell. The two had previously collaborated on television commercials. [1]
2001: Debut
Bluck's first feature film as director of photography was Stickmen (2001), directed by Hamish Rothwell. The two had previously collaborated on multiple television commercials. The film employed a bleach bypass technique during the interneg stage, which was considered an unconventional choice at the time. Due to Bluck’s relative inexperience, the New Zealand Film Commission appointed cinematographer Alun Bollinger MNZM as the A-camera operator and mentor on the project. [1]
Early in his career, Bluck worked as a second unit cinematographer on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. At the time, he had recently completed his first feature film, Stickmen , in Wellington, New Zealand. His involvement with the project came through a connection with cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, whom he met via his partner, who was working as a camera assistant on the production. Lesnie attended the premiere of Stickmen and offered Bluck the position despite the film containing no visual effects. Bluck later described the experience as a significant learning opportunity, involving nine months of stage work focused on bluescreen lighting and early visual effects techniques. [5]
Bluck has stated that his work on the Australian film Son of a Gun , starring Ewan McGregor, contributed to him being hired for True Detective . According to Bluck, his agent presented the film to executive producer Scott Stephens, who expressed interest after multiple viewings. He noted that True Detective marked his first experience working in television and within a multi-director format. Fitzgerald served as the second unit director of photography on the series. [3]
"I feel that my natural curiosities and inclinations toward art, science and storytelling fit best in the (cinematography form of the) filmmaking process".
In Tigertail, Bluck shot the flashback sequences on 16mm to give them a hazy, half-remembered memory look. [7]
Bluck resides in Los Angeles with his wife, cinematographer Jacueline Fitzgerald, who is originally from Christchurch, and their son Leo. [3] [8]
Joyce King Heyraud reviewed Handsome Harry in Psychological Perspectives: A Quarterly Journal of Jungian Thought and stated that "The photography (Nigel Bluck) captures the light and mood reminiscent of American artist Edward Hopper". [9]
Stephen Holden, in the opening paragraph of his New York Times review, wrote that "here, on the edge of the outback, the environment is so luminous that every outdoor shot has an aura of magical realism" in reference to The Tree (2010), a French-Australian co-production shot by Bluck. [10] [11]
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Stickmen | Hamish Rothwell | [12] [5] | |
| 2006 | Half Moon | Bahman Ghobadi | With Crighton Bone | [13] |
| 2007 | The Home Song Stories | Tony Ayres | [1] | |
| 2009 | Handsome Harry | Bette Gordon | [14] [15] | |
| 2010 | The Tree | Julie Bertuccelli | [16] [3] | |
| 2014 | Son of a Gun | Julius Avery | [17] [18] | |
| 2019 | The Peanut Butter Falcon | Tyler Nilson Michael Schwartz | [19] | |
| 2020 | Tigertail | Alan Yang | [7] | |
| 2022 | The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | Tom Gormican | [5] | |
| 2023 | Americana | Tony Tost | [20] | |
| 2025 | Lilo & Stitch | Dean Fleischer Camp | [8] [21] | |
| Anaconda † | Tom Gormican | Post-production | [22] |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015-2019 | True Detective | 10 episodes |
| 2017 | S.W.A.T. | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Prodigal Son | 1 episode |
Bluck was awarded Best Cinematography at the San Sebastian Film Festival for his work on Half Moon. [4]