DON BURGESS

#1: From interview [2009]

DON BURGESS ASC

Born: 28 May 1956, Santa Monica, Calif., USA, as Don Michael Burgess.

Education: Art Center College of Design, Los Angeles [Filmmaking]

Career: 'I grew up in the Pacific Palisades. My father was an avid 16mm film hobbyist. A family friend, Johnny Stephens, was a cinematographer, who traveled around the world. I thought it was a great life. I was fascinated by the mystique of photography. I took thousands of still photos, and ran a black and white lab at home while I was in high school. I enrolled at the Art Center after checking into a lot of other programs. In 1976, after I finished my first year of film school, I took a break and worked as an assistant cameraman on the second unit crew of 'Sorcerer' in the Dominican Republic. After graduating I worked as an operator and cameraman on industrial films, documentaries and commercials. I went to Australia and shot 'In Search of the Wild Camels' in the Outback. I filmed 'Sharks' for National Geographic. I also did a lot of sports documentaries about professional and Olympics athletes. I can't even tell you how many profiles I've shot of athletes around the world. In 1983, I was in Sarajevo for a month. I did a lot of filming with the athletes who were competing in the Olympics the following year. I did action footage with the skiers and other athletes and profiles of Jackie Joiner and that whole group of athletes. In 1980, Max Kleven, one of the best second unit directors in the business, was doing a show for NBC about stuntmen. It was called 'Superstunt II'. There was a tape crew set up to do this show in one-inch format. The backgrounds were all film. He needed someone who could shoot slow-motion shots of stuntmen falling off horses and that sort of thing. By chance, I had shot a ski movie at Art Center with a guy, who wanted to be a stuntman. He introduced me to Max and I showed him my film. Max said, "I need a guy who's kind of handy, so why don't you come along with us on this show, and let's see what you can do." I rented a 35mm Arriflex camera with a high-speed motor and started shooting for Max Kleven. By the late 1980s, I was shooting cable movies, including 'Too Young the Hero', 'Breaking Point', and 'The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson'. There was a tv-series that started out non-union and was organized after we began shooting. It was called, 'Something Is Out There', and it was on NBC. Unfortunately, there was nothing out there in the way of an audience, so it was cancelled after about 10 episodes, but it did get all of us into the union. I got in as a director of photography.' [From interviews with Bob Fisher.]

Ph commercials dir by Joanna Kerns, a.o.

Member of the ASC since 1995.

His son Don Michael Burgess Jr. [b. 1984] is a c.op/doph.

Awards: ASC Award nom [1991] for 'The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1995], ASC Award nom [1995] & BAFTA Film Award nom [1995] for 'Forrest Gump'; Golden Satellite Award nom [1998] for 'Contact'; CFCA Award nom [2001] for 'Cast Away'.

FILMS
1980	Ruckus/The Loner/Big Ruckus in a Small Town [Max Kleven] c
1980	Happy Birthday to Me [J. Lee Thompson] c; co-2uc; ph: Miklós Lente
1983	Sheena [John Guillermin] p/c; action unit ph; ph: Pasqualino De Santis
1985	Runaway Train [Andrei Konchalovsky] c; 2uc Alaska; ph: Alan Hume
1985	Fury to Freedom [Erik Jacobson] c; add cam: Dan McKinny; prod by Gospel Films, Inc.
1985	Summer Camp Nightmare/The Butterfly Revolution [Bert L. Dragin] c; preview November 1986; released 1987
1986	Quiet Cool [Clay Borris] c; 2uc; ph: Jacques Haitkin
1986	Death Before Dishonor [Terry Leonard] c
1986	The Night Stalker [Max Kleven] c
1986	Cherry 2000 [Steve De Jarnatt] c; co-2uc; ph: Jacques Haitkin
1987	[Playboy Presents] Bedtime Stories [Robert C. Hughes & Sam Weston (= Anthony Spinelli)] c/V; short/58m; 5 seg; other ph: Bob Yeoman, John Dirlam, Stan Lazan & Mark Zavad
1987	Moving [Alan Metter] c; co-2uc; ph: Don McAlpine
1987	World Gone Wild [Lee H. Katzin] c; 2uc (+ aph): Stephen C. Confer
1987	Night Trap [James Riley] vg on CD-ROM; released in 1992; for SEGA
1987	Lucky Stiff/That Shamrock Touch [Anthony Perkins] c; 2uc; ph: Jacques Haitkin
1988	Blind Fury [Phillip Noyce] c
1988	Under the Boardwalk [Fritz Kiersch] c
1989	Back to the Future Part II [Robert Zemeckis] c; 2uc; ph: Dean Cundey
1989	Back to the Future Part III [Robert Zemeckis] c; 2uc; ph: Dean Cundey
1990	The Rookie [Clint Eastwood] p/c; 2uc; ph: Jack N. Green
1990	Nothing But Trouble [Dan Aykroyd] c; co-2uc; ph: Dean Cundey
1990	Backdraft [Ron Howard] s35/c; 2uc; ph: Mikael Salomon
1991	Noises Off... [Peter Bogdanovich] c; 2uc; ph: Timothy Suhrstedt
1991	Mo' Money [Peter MacDonald] c
1991	Traces of Red [Andy Wolk] c; addph; ph: Timothy Suhrstedt
1991	Batman Returns [Tim Burton] c; 2uc; ph: Stefan Czapsky
1991	Death Becomes Her [Robert Zemeckis] c; 2uc; ph: Dean Cundey
1992	Josh and S.A.M. [Billy Weber] c
1993	Forrest Gump [Robert Zemeckis] p/c; 2uc: David Dunlap; addph 2u: Christopher Woods & E.J. Foerster
1994	Richie Rich [Donald Petrie] c; addph: Peter James; vfx ph: Bobby Byrne
1994	Forget Paris [Billy Crystal] c; 2uc: Don McCuaig
*1995*	Twister [Jan de Bont] left production and was replaced by doph Jack N. Green
1995	The Evening Star [Robert Harling] c; + small part
1995	Executive Decision/Critical Decision [Stuart Baird] p/c; addph; ph: Alex Thomson
1996	Contact [Robert Zemeckis] p/c; 2uc: Josh Bleibtreu; efx ph: David Stump
1997	Deep Impact [Mimi Leder] s35/c; addph; ph: Dietrich Lohmann
1999	Cast Away [Robert Zemeckis] c; 2uc: Josh Bleibtreu; after shooting scenes in Moscow, Memphis, Los Angeles and on Monuriki, Robert Zemeckis scheduled a year-long break to give Tom Hanks time to grow a beard and lose the 50 pounds he gained to play the over-stuffed character earlier in the film; during the hiatus, Zemeckis and Burgess made 'What Lies Beneath'; shooting continued in February 2000
1999	What Lies Beneath [Robert Zemeckis] p/c; uncred addph: David Boyd; 2uc: Robert Steadman; uwph: Mike Thomas
2001	The Bourne Identity [Doug Liman] s35/c; co-addph; ph: Oliver Wood
2001	Spider-Man [Sam Raimi] c; 2uc: Tony Jannelli & Jonathan Taylor; add 2uc: Moshe Levin; ph New York: Tom Houghton
2002	Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines [Jonathan Mostow] s35/c; 2uc: Ben Seresin; vfx ph: Tony Cutrono, Carl Miller & Patrick Sweeney
2002	Radio [Michael Tollin] c
2003	The Polar Express/The Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience [Robert Zemeckis] dv-to-35mm scope (+ IMAX-70bu/3-D)/c; cph: Robert Presley
2003	13 Going on 30 [Gary Winick] c; filming in May; re-shoots in December
2004	Christmas with the Kranks [Joe Roth (replaced Hugh Wilson)] p/c
2005	Eight Below/Antarctica [Frank Marshall] s35/c; 2uc (+ 2ud): Mitchell Amundsen; aph: Jeremy Braben
*2005*	It's Not About the Bike/The Lance Armstrong Story [Frank Marshall] in development; some footage was shot in Paris in 2005; status unknown
2005	My Super Ex-Girlfriend [Ivan Reitman] s35/c; 2uc: David M. Dunlap; aph: Phil Pastuhov
2006	Enchanted [Kevin Lima] dv (animation seq) +s35-to-35mm (1.85:1 & 2.35:1)/c; 2uc: David M. Dunlap
2006	Fool's Gold [Andy Tennant] s35/c; aph: Hans Bjerno; uwph: Simon Christidis
2007	The Trap [Rita Wilson] c; short/20m; ep film series 'Glamour Reel Moments'
*2008*	Marley & Me [David Frankel] scheduled as ph, but replaced by Florian Ballhaus
2008	Aliens in the Attic/They Came from Upstairs [John Schultz] 35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Rob Marsh
2009	The Book of Eli [Albert & Allen Hughes] RED-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; aph: Hans Bjerno & Steve Koster
2009	Priest [Scott Stewart] p (+ D-Cinema [also 3-D version])/c; 2uc: Patrick Loungway; aph: Hans Bjerno
2009	Source Code [Duncan Jones] s35+RED+HD (Phantom HD + Iconix)-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc (Chicago): Joe Williams; aph (Chicago): Hans Bjerno
2010	The Muppets [James Bobin] RED One & Epic-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Michael Burgess; aph: Hans Bjerno
2011	Flight [Robert Zemeckis] RED Epic-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; ph splinter unit: Michael Burgess; aph: Hans Bjerno
2012	42 [Brian Helgeland] RED Epic-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc (+ c.op): Michael Burgess
2013	Muppets Most Wanted/The Muppets... Again! [James Bobin] RED Epic-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Michael Burgess
2013	Divergent [Neil Burger] HD (ARRI ALEXA M & Plus)-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; addph (Los Angeles); ph: Alwin Kuchler
2014	Monster Trucks/Formula M [Chris Wedge] HD (scope)-to-digital/c; live action + anim/100m; 2uc: Igor Meglic; aph: Hans Bjerno & Steve Koster; uwph: Ian Seabrook; released in 2017
2014	Same Kind of Different as Me [Michael Carney] RED Epic Dragon-to-D-Cinema (scope)/c; 2uc (+ main unit c.op 'b' cam): Michael Burgess; aph (Fort Worth): Michael Jensen; released in 2017
2015	Ted 2 [Seth MacFarlane] HD (Sony F65)-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; addph (reshoots April-May); ph (in 2014): Michael Barrett
2015	The Conjuring 2/The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist [James Wan] c
2016	Allied [Robert Zemeckis] RED Weapon Dragon-to-D-Cinema (scope)/c
2016	Wonder [Stephen Chbosky] RED Weapon Dragon-to-D-Cinema (scope)/c; ph New York unit (+ main unit co-c.op 'b' cam): Michael Burgess
2017	Aquaman [James Wan] HD (ARRI ALEXA 65 & XT M)-to-35mm scope (+ IMAX-70bu)/c

TELEVISION
1980	Superstunt II [Max Kleven] special/?m
1981	The Sharks [Nicolas Noxon] doc/59m; cph: Mike Hoover, Bertram van Munster, a.o.; uwph: Al Giddings, Ron Taylor, Ramon Bravo, a.o.; for National Geographic (WQED-tv)
1982	To the Ends of the Earth [William Kronick] doc/105m/16mm; co-photographer; ph: Mike Hoover; filmed 1979-82
1988	Something Is Out There [various] 8-part (2 unaired) series
1988	Too Young the Hero [Buzz Kulik] tvm
1989	Breaking Point [Peter Markle] tvm
1990	The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson [Larry Peerce] tvm
1991	Two-Fisted Tales [seg 'Yellow' dir by Robert Zemeckis] pilot/3 seg (for FOX-tv); pilot failed and seg were shown as ep of '[HBO's] Tales from the Crypt', 1992; other ph: Gary Kibbe & Hiro Narita
1992	Space Rangers [various] 6-part series, 1993; other ph: Robert Steadman

FILMS & TELEVISION AS CAMERA ASSISTANT/OPERATOR
1976	Sorcerer/Wages of Fear [William Friedkin] c.asst 2u; 2uc: John M. Stephens; ph: Dick Bush
1983	Hot Dog ...The Movie [Peter Markle] c.op 2u; ph: Paul G. Ryan
1986	Hot Pursuit [Steven Lisberger] co-c.op; ph: Frank Tidy
1991	Keeper of the City [Bobby Roth; tvm] add c.op Chicago unit; ph: Shelly Johnson

FILMS AS DIRECTOR
1980	More Than a Feeling [short] ?
*2003*	Dead Run [feature] announced; status unknown
*2005*	Bleachers [feature] in development since 2005; status unknown

Amanda Hampson [author "The Olive Sisters"] with Bonnie & Don Burgess [2011]

2010

The Olive Sisters [feature] in development (co-prod by his wife Bonnie); prod suspended, but in 2014 in pre-production with dir Fred Schepisi and ph Ian Baker; in 2015 in pre-production with dir Frank Lotito and ph Michael Burgess