Russell Paul Carpenter, ASC (born December 9, 1950) is an American cinematographer[1] and photographer,[2] known for his Oscar-winning work on Titanic (1997).[3][4]
Russell Carpenter | |
|---|---|
| Born | Russell Paul Carpenter December 9, 1950 Van Nuys, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Russ Carpenter Paul Carpenter |
| Alma mater | San Diego State University (BA) |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse | Donna Ellen Conrad |
| Website | russellcarpenter |
The rest of his work has been centered around blockbuster films, including Hard Target (1993), True Lies (1994), Charlie's Angels (2000), Ant-Man (2015), and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).
Early life and education
editThe grandson of a film sound engineer, Carpenter was born in Van Nuys, California in 1950 to a family of six.[5] After his parents divorced in 1960, he moved with his mother and three siblings to Orange County, where he took up Super 8 films as a hobby.[5]
After graduating from Van Nuys High School, he enrolled at San Diego State University to study television directing, but later changed his major to English. To pay for school, he worked at a local public broadcasting channel, where he learned the ropes of documentary filmmaking. After graduating, he moved back to Orange County, where he shot educational films and documentaries.[5]
Career
editCarpenter is most widely known for his early work in horror and genre cinema and for his collaborations with directors James Cameron, McG, and Robert Luketic. His first major project as Director of Photography was, Lady in White. It was followed by Critters 2: The Main Course, written and directed by Mick Garris. The Los Angeles Times criticized the film but praised Carpenter's cinematography.[6]
Carpenter had earlier worked as a Director of Photography (DP) on numerous low-budget horror films like Sole Survivor and Cameron's Closet. In 1983, he shot The Wizard of Speed and Time, a special effects-laden experimental film directed by animator Mike Jittlov.[7] His first major studio film was Critters 2: The Main Course. Two years later, he shot his first science fiction film, Solar Crisis, and his first action film Death Warrant starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. After shooting several episodes of the television series The Wonder Years, he worked on The Lawnmower Man.
Carpenter met James Cameron during the production of the John Woo-directed action film Hard Target, who hired him on the basis of his work on Lady in White to shoot his 1994 Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis action comedy True Lies,[5] and the 1996 Universal Studios attraction T2 3-D: Battle Across Time. Their next collaboration, Titanic, carried away 11 Oscars in 1997, including Best Picture and Best Cinematography. Carpenter's work on Titanic earned him nine industry awards and a nomination for a BAFTA Award.
Carpenter is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers, and received the Society's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.[8][9]
Personal life
editCarpenter is married to Donna Ellen Conrad and has one son, Graham (from a previous marriage), a stepson Zak Selbert, a daughter-in-law Gaudia Correia, and two granddaughters.
Filmography
edit| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Film
editShort film
edit| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Redlands | Joan Taylor | |
| 1996 | T2 3-D: Battle Across Time | James Cameron John Bruno Stan Winston |
Theme park attraction; Shared credit with Sulejman Medenčević and Peter Anderson |
| 1997 | Michael Jackson's Ghosts | Stan Winston | |
| 2007 | Lucifer | Ray Griggs | |
| 2009 | Down and Out | Matthew Mebane | Segment of Locker 13 |
| 2014 | Sins of the Father | Rachel Howard | Also credited as producer |
| 2016 | The Final Adventure of John & Eleanor Greene | Matthew Mebane |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Lemon Grove Incident | Frank Christopher | Documentary special |
| 1987 | Rolling Stone Presents Twenty Years of Rock & Roll | Malcolm Leo | |
| 1988 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Jeffrey Auerbach | Episode "No Means No" |
| 1991 | The Wonder Years | Jeffrey Auerbach Nick Marck Ken Topolsky Lyndall Hobbs |
4 episodes |
| 1993 | Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman | Christopher Guest | TV movie |
| 2013 | Guilty | McG |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Academy Awards | Best Cinematography | Titanic | Won |
| American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Won | ||
| 2018 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | ||
| 2023 | Austin Film Critics Association | Best Cinematography | Avatar: The Way of Water | Nominated |
| 1998 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Cinematography | Titanic | Nominated |
| 1997 | British Society of Cinematographers | Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film | Nominated | |
| 1998 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Cinematography | Won | |
| 2023 | Columbus Film Critics Association | Best Cinematography | Avatar: The Way of Water | Nominated |
| Critics Association of Central Florida | Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| 1998 | Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | Best Cinematography | Titanic | Won |
| 2023 | Avatar: The Way of Water | Won | ||
| Hawaii Film Critics Society | Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| Hollywood Critics Association | Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| Houston Film Critics Society | Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| 1998 | Las Vegas Film Critics Society | Best Cinematography | Titanic | Won |
| 2023 | Music City Film Critics' Association | Best Cinematography | Avatar: The Way of Water | Won |
| North Carolina Film Critics Association | Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| Portland Critics Association | Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| San Diego Film Critics Society | Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| 1998 | Satellite Awards | Best Cinematography | Nominated | |
| 2023 | Nominated | |||
| Seattle Film Critics Society | Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | SoCal Independent Film Festival | Best Cinematography | Parched | Nominated |
References
edit- ↑ "Russell Carpenter | Biography and Filmography | 1950". Hollywood.com. 2015-02-06. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- ↑ Keller, Roni (January 10, 2013). "The Photography of Russell Carpenter". Cultural Weekly. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- ↑ Zack, Christopher (July 2, 1998). "Titanic's Cinematographer Russell Carpenter". MovieMaker Magazine. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- ↑ "True Luminaries: Russell Carpenter". The American Society of Cinematographers. June 1998. p. 3. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Canon DLC: Bio: Russell Carpenter, ASC". www.learn.usa.canon.com. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
- ↑ WILMINGTON, MICHAEL (1988-04-29). "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Critters 2": Once More With Even Less Taste". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
- ↑ "Mike Jittlov's "The Wizard of Speed and Time": His Life's A Special Effect!". nightflight.com. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
- ↑ "Russell Carpenter To Receive ASC Lifetime Achievement Award". Shoot. October 5, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
- ↑ "Russell Carpenter, ASC: Passion for the Craft". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 2026-03-14.