Steven Poster

Last updated
Steven Poster
Born
Steven Barry Poster

(1944-03-01) 1 March 1944 (age 81)
Alma mater
Years active1967–present
TitlePresident of the International Cinematographers Guild
(2006-2019)

Steven Barry Poster ASC, CSC [1] (born 1 March 1944) is an American cinematographer. [1]

Contents

He served as President of the International Cinematographers Guild from 2006 to 2019. [2] [3] [4]

Early life and education

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Poster studied at Southern Illinois University, the ArtCenter College of Design, and the Illinois Institute of Technology. [5] [6]

Career

He began his filmmaking career as a creative assistant at 'The Film Group,' a Chicago-based commercial film production company. [1]

After being promoted to director of photography for his skill at lighting, he met Herschell Gordon Lewis and worked with him in various crew positions on a total of three films. [1]

He founded a production company with director Michael Mann, and served as the cinematographer on numerous industrial and education films. [1] [6] His 1973 short film Another Saturday Night, which he co-directed with Mik Derks, was nominated for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2024.

In 1977, he was the second unit cinematographer for Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. [6]

In 1980, he relocated to Hollywood and shot his first feature film as cinematographer, Blood Beach .

Poster joined the American Society of Cinematographers in 1987. The same year, he shot Someone to Watch Over Me for director Ridley Scott, which earned him an ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases

He shot the iconic music video to Madonna's "Like a Prayer", as well as commercials directed by Ridley Scott and Kinka Usher.

In 2006, he was elected as the National President of the International Cinematographers Guild, a position he held until 2019. [2] He is also a former executive board member of the International Documentary Association, and currently sits on the Nicholl Fellowship committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [5]

He is a adjunct professor at the ArtCenter College of Design.

Filmography

Feature film

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1980 Blood Beach Jeffrey Bloom
1981 Dead & Buried Gary Sherman
1983 Spring Break Sean S. Cunningham
Strange Brew Rick Moranis
Dave Thomas
Testament Lynne Littman
1985 The New Kids Sean S. Cunningham
The Heavenly Kid Cary Medoway
1986 Blue City Michelle Manning
The Boy Who Could Fly Nick Castle with Adam Holender
1987 Someone to Watch Over Me Ridley Scott
1988 Aloha Summer Tommy Lee Wallace
Big Top Pee-wee Randal Kleiser
1989 Next of Kin John Irvin
1990 Rocky V John G. Avildsen
1991 Life Stinks Mel Brooks
1993 The Cemetery Club Bill Duke
1997 RocketMan Stuart Gillard
1998 Une chance sur deux Patrice Leconte
2001 Donnie Darko Richard Kelly
2002 Stuart Little 2 Rob Minkoff
2003 Daddy Day Care Steve Carr
2006 Southland Tales Richard Kelly
2009 Spread David Mackenzie
The Box Richard Kelly [7]
2010 Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore Brad Peyton
2011 Flypaper Rob Minkoff
2017 Amityville: The Awakening Franck Khalfoun
2024 Scared to Death Paul Boyd

Short film

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1973Another Saturday NightHimself
Mik Derks
1994Nunzio's Second CousinTom DeCerchioSegment of Boys Life 2
1995Celluloid HeroesGary A. Beaird
Tony Dow
With Billy Beaird
2004Tap Heat Dean Hargrove
2011Xelerate Bill Duke
2018The Boor Jeannie Berlin

Television

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1978 What Really Happened
to the Class of '65?
James Sheldon Episode "Mr. Potential"
1987 I'll Take Manhattan Richard Michaels
Douglas Hickox
2 episodes;
With Larry Pizer
1998 American Experience Richard P. RogersEpisode "A Midwife's Tale"
2006 The Loop Betty Thomas Episode "Pilot"
2007-2012 Craft in America Carol Sauvion
Daniel Seeger
Nigel Noble
Hilary Birmingham
8 episodes
2008 Raising the Bar Jesse Bochco Episode "Pilot"
2013 Hemlock Grove Eli Roth Episode "Jellyfish in the Sky"
2020Cine ChalomYossi BenavrahamEpisode "EXTRAIT DU FILM "INCASSABLE" DE M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN... 2000"

TV movies

YearTitleDirector
1978The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank Robert Day
1979The Night Rider Hy Averback
Beggarman, Thief Lawrence Doheny
1981Coward of the County Dick Lowry
1982Mysterious Two Gary Sherman
1983The Cradle Will Fall John Llewellyn Moxey
1986Courage Jeremy Kagan
1992The Bat, the Cat and the PenguinMichael Meadows
John Pattyson
1994 Roswell Jeremy Kagan
1995Present Tense, Past Perfect Richard Dreyfuss
1996 Once You Meet a Stranger Tommy Lee Wallace
1997Color of JusticeJeremy Kagan
2005 Mrs. Harris Phyllis Nagy
2006The Danny Comden Project Robert Duncan McNeill
2013Gutsy Frog Mark A.Z. Dippé

Documentary works

Film

YearTitleDirectorNotes
2001The Oscar LegacyDavid Haugland
2020For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close Heather Ross With Simon Fanthorpe

Short film

YearTitleDirector
2013Canon USA Commercial: Rhythm of Life Dean Hargrove

Television

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1990Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Special John Landis TV special
2021The Miles Davis Documentary Christopher Wilkinson TV movie

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryTitleResult
1973 Cannes Film Festival Short Film Palme d'Or Another Saturday Night
(Shared with Mik Derks)
Nominated
1987 American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Someone to Watch Over Me Nominated
1994 CableACE Award Best Cinematography Roswell Nominated
2005 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography Mrs. Harris Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "STEVEN POSTER". www.cinematographers.nl. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  2. 1 2 "Local 600 - Home". www.icg600.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  3. "Steven Poster Re-Elected President of International Cinematographers Guild". The Hollywood Reporter. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  4. "Lewis Rothenberg Ousts Steven Poster as Cinematographers Guild President". Variety. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  5. 1 2 "Steven Poster". ArtCenter College of Design. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
  6. 1 2 3 Williams, Tom (2023-10-27). "Visionary / Steven Poster ASC". British Cinematographer. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
  7. "Steve Poster, ASC on "The Box"". www.tiffen.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.