STUART DRYBURGH

#1: From interview [2012, Plus Camerimage]

#2: From interview [2011, NZ On Screen]

#3: Shooting a commercial with the RED [2008]

STUART DRYBURGH ASC/NZCS

Born: 30 March 1952, London, UK. Moved to New Zealand at age 9 [1961].

Education: University of Auckland [Bachelor of Architecture, 1977].

Career: 'My father gave me my first camera when I was 8 years old. Later, when I was studying architecture at Auckland University, they taught us photography and encouraged us to use the darkroom. Photography became part of my life. In the final year of my degree we were required to submit a major project as a sub-thesis, usually a design project. As I had become interested in moviemaking, I decided that I wanted to make a 16mm film. I had a book in one hand about how to make films all the time I was shooting. The theme was about the energy crisis during the mid-1970s. It dealt with things that are relevant now. I used architecture to help tell the story. With the help of my friend who was a trainee editor and a very good book about editing, I managed to connect the pieces into something that was not a bad looking narrative film. I thought this was magical. I wanted to be an editor. [...] Next, I had an opportunity to work in a P.A. position on a couple of New Zealand films. I ended up helping out in the lighting department. I became very interested in lighting. I was promoted to gaffer almost overnight, with on-the-job training provided by the cinematographers who taught me about lighting. Looking back, I understand that I was privileged to be able to see how different cinematographers approached lighting and what choices they made. As a gaffer, I was at their right hand. If you pay attention, you can really learn. After a while, I got opportunities to light low-budget and no-budget films. […] I went to the commercial directors whom I knew, told them I was just getting started as a director of photography, and asked if they would they give me little jobs. I was gradually accepted. People would say maybe he knows how to light, but can he frame a shot. It took three years for me to get a solid commercial career going in New Zealand. It was a great learning experience, because I was shooting something different every day with decent budgets and professional crews. I also shot some music videos, maybe a dozen or 15.' [From interview with Bob Fisher on the KODAK OnFilm website.]

Moved to the USA [New York City] in 1996.

Ph commercials dir by Doug Liman, a.o. Ph music videos dir by Alison MacLean, Fane Flaws, a.o. Co-dir the music video 'Bleeding Hearts' [1985, a: Everything That Flies].

Member of the ASC since 2009. Member of the NZCS.

One of the subjects in the book 'Shot in New Zealand - The Art and Craft of the Kiwi Cinematographer' [2007, Duncan J. Petrie].

Married to film production manager Carla Raij.

Awards: New Zealand Film Award [1990] for 'An Angel at My Table'; AFI [Aus] Award [1993], Camerimage 'Golden Frog' [1993], BSC Award nom [1993], LAFCA Award [1993, shared], 'Oscar' AA nom [1994], ASC Award nom [1994] & BAFTA Film Award nom [1994] for 'The Piano'; Csapnivalo 'Golden Slate Award' nom [2000] for 'Runaway Bride'; New Zealand Screen Award [2005] & Shanghai IFF 'Golden Goblet Award' [2005] for 'In My Father's Den'.

Website: Stuart Dryburgh

FILMS
1985	Drum / Sing [Gregor Nicholas] c; perf (with music-performance group From Scratch)/22m; cph: Alan Locke, Ian Paul & Leon Narbey
1985	Jewel's Darl [Peter Wells] c; short/28m; also ep 7-part tv-series 'About Face'
1987	The Leading Edge [Mike Firth] c; cph: M. Firth
1988	Kitchen Sink [Alison MacLean] b&w; short/14m
1988	Fender Bending [Chris Todd & Chris Williams] 16mm/c; doc/47m; cph: Richard Scott
1988	Rushes [Gregor Nicholas] c; short/12m
1988	Haka/Haka - A Musical and a History [Geoff Steven] b&w-c; doc/36m; cph: Paul Richards
1989	An Angel at My Table [Jane Campion] 16mm-35bu/c; 2uc: Allen Guilford; replaced ph Alun Bollinger, who was unavailable; originally a 3-part tv-miniseries
1991	The Piano [Jane Campion] c; uwph: Rob Hunter
1992	The Invisible Hand [Athina Tsoulis] 16mm/c; short/11m
1993	Once Were Warriors [Lee Tamahori] c
1993	Sense of Place - Robin Morrison Photographer [John Bates] b&w-c; doc/46m; addph: Roland Carati; also ep tv-series 'Work of Art'
1993	Peach [Christine Parker] c; short/16m

With dir Mira Nair [right] - "The Perez Family"

1994	The Perez Family [Mira Nair] c
1995	The Beach [Dorthe Scheffmann] c; short/8m
1995	Lone Star [John Sayles] s35/c
1995	The Portrait of a Lady [Jane Campion] s35/c
1996	The Bar [Dorthe Scheffmann] c; short/13m
1998	Analyze This [Harold Ramis] c
1998	Runaway Bride [Garry Marshall] s35/c; 2uc: Ian Fox
2000	Bridget Jones's Diary [Sharon Maguire] s35/c; addph: Lawrence Gardner; 2uc: Nigel Willoughby
2001	Kate & Leopold [James Mangold] c
2001	The Recruit [Roger Donaldson] s35/c
2002	The Beautiful Country [Hans Petter Moland] s35/c
*2003*	Joe's Last Chance [Andrew Bergman] announced for September start; status unknown
2003	In My Father's Den [Brad McGann] s35/c
2004	Æon Flux [Karyn Kusama] s35/c; 2uc: Josh Bleibtreu & Anna Foerster; aph: John Trapman
*2005*	A Doll's House/Et dukkehjem [Liv Ullmann] scheduled to start in June, but postponed due to budget problems

[Left] with actor Edward Norton - "The Painted Veil"

2005	The Painted Veil [John Curran] p (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc (+ 2ud): John Mahaffie
2006	No Reservations [Scott Hicks] s35/c; remake of 'Bella Martha/Drei Sterne/Mostly Martha' (2000, Sandra Nettelbeck; ph: Michael Bertl)
2006	The Girl in the Park [David Auburn] scope/c
2007	Nim's Island [Jennifer Flackett & Mark Levin] s35/c; addph: Alun Bollinger (+ 2ud) & John Stokes
2008	Amelia [Mira Nair] Hawk Scope+RED (some aerial shots)-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Jacques Haitkin & (South Africa) Miles Goodall; addph 2u (Toronto): Bill Heath; aph: John Marzano
2008	Bitter Memories [Joshua Marston] s16/c; short/14m; prod for Scenarios USA
2008	The Tempest [Julie Taymor] s35+HD (Phantom)-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Dana Gonzales & (New York) David M. Dunlap
2010	George Harrison: Living in the Material World [Martin Scorsese] b&w-c; doc/208m; co-c.op; ph: Robert Richardson & Martin Kenzie; filming started late 2007; premiered in 2-parts on HBO-tv (2011)
2010	Texas Killing Fields/The Fields [Ami Canaan Mann] HD (Genesis)-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; aph: Steve Cassidy
2011	I Don't Know How She Does It [Doug McGrath] 35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c
2012	Emperor [Peter Webber] Hawk Scope (+ D-Cinema)/c
2012	The Secret Life of Walter Mitty [Ben Stiller] Hawk Scope+s35+p-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Craig Haagensen & (Iceland) Erik Wilson; addph: Gwynn (= Toby) Irwin & (uncred) Lawrence Sher (reshoots in May 2013); Pursuit ph: Greg Baldi; aph: David B. Nowell (Iceland) & (uncred) Brian Heller; uwph (Iceland): Pete Romano; replaced ph Toby Irwin, who quit about a month into filming
2012	Runner Runner [Brad Furman] s35 (+ D-Cinema)/c; Princeton ph; ph: Mauro Fiore
2013	Blackhat/Cyber [Michael Mann] HD (ARRI ALEXA M/Hawk Scope & XT Plus/Hawk Scope + Canon EOS C300 & 5D Mark II + GoPro HD Hero + Phantom Flex)+RED Epic & Scarlet-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Duane Manwiller & John Grillo; aph Hong Kong: Hans Bjerno
2014	Alice Through the Looking Glass/Alice in Wonderland 2 [James Bobin] HD (ARRI ALEXA 65 & XT + Sony F65)/c; 2uc (+ 2ud): Shaun O'Dell
2015	The Great Wall [Zhang Yimou] HD (ARRI ALEXA 65, XT/Master Scope & Mini/Master Scope)+RED Epic Dragon/Master Scope & Weapon Dragon/Master Scope-to-D-Cinema (scope [also 3-D version])/c; cph: Zhao Xiaoding; ph action unit: Duane Manwiller; aph: Dylan Goss
2015	Gifted [Marc Webb] Hawk Scope (+ D-Cinema)/c
2016	The Only Living Boy in New York [Marc Webb] c
2017	The Upside/Untouchable [Neil Burger] HD (ARRI ALEXA XT/Hawk Scope)/c; aph: Jason Aron; remake of 'Intouchables' (2011, Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano; ph: Mathieu Vadepied)
2017	The Post/The Pentagon Papers [Steven Spielberg] s35-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; cph Washington D.C.; ph: Janusz Kaminski
2017	Ben Is Back [Peter Hedges] HD (ARRI ALEXA Mini/Hawk Scope)-to-D-Cinema (scope)/c; snow unit ph (addph unit): Anastas Michos; aph (addph unit): Brian Heller; filmed 2017-18

TELEVISION
1986	The Mighty Civic [Peter Wells] doc/b&w-c/62m/16mm; drama ph; ph seg 'Reunion': Kevin Hayward; addph: Sally Bongers, Bayly Watson & Greg McPherson
1989	The Ray Bradbury Theater [ep #20 'A Miracle of Rare Device' dir by Roger Tompkins, #24 'A Sound of Thunder' dir by Costa Botes & #26 'The Haunting of the New' dir by Roger Tompkins] 65-part series, 1985-86, 1988-90 & 1992
1989	Space Knights [ep #1 'The Golden Knight' dir by Chris Bailey] 22-part series; sfx ph: Alun Bollinger
1997	Poodle Springs [Bob Rafelson] tvm
1998	Sex and the City [pilot dir by Susan Seidelman] 94-part series/s16, 1998-2004; 1st season, 1998; other ph: Michael Spiller, Michael Barrow & Maryse Alberti
2000	3rd Rock from the Sun [ep #123-124 'Dick'll Take Manhattan, Part 1 & 2' dir by Terry Hughes] 139-part series, 1996-2001; 6th season, 2000-01; other ph: Ronald W. Browne (+ cph ep #123-124)
2001	The Extreme Team/The X-Team [Leslie Libman] tvm; 2uc: Chris Patterson
2007	New Amsterdam [pilot dir by Lasse Hallström] 8-part series, 2008
2009	Boardwalk Empire [pilot dir by Martin Scorsese] 56-part series/s35-to-HD, 2010-14; 1st season, 2010 (12 ep); 2uc: Charles Libin; other ph: Kramer Morgenthau (5 ep) & Jonathan Freeman (6 ep)
2010	Luck [pilot (s35+HD [Sony F35 + Canon EOS 5D & 7D]-to-HD) dir by Michael Mann & ep #2 'Ace Meets with a Potential Investor' dir by Terry George] 9-part series (ep filmed with the ARRI ALEXA), 2011-12; 2uc (pilot): Duane Manwiller; other ph: Lukas Strebel (#4, 6, 7 & 9), Russell Lee Fine (#3 & 5) & John L. Grillo (#8)
2014	American Odyssey [ep #1 'Gone Elvis' dir by Peter Horton] 13-part series/HD, 2015

MISCELLANEOUS
1978	Middle Age Spread [John Reid] best boy/runner; ph: Alun Bollinger
1980	Nutcase [Roger Donaldson; short/47m] grip; ph: Graeme Cowley
1980	Queen Street [Martin Blythe; tvm] gaffer; ph: Leon Narbey
1981	Goodbye Pork Pie [Geoff Murphy] gaffer; ph: Alun Bollinger
1981	Smash Palace [Roger Donaldson] gaffer; ph: Graeme Cowley
1981	Battletruck/Warlords of the 21st Century [Harley Cokliss] gaffer; ph: Chris Menges
1982	Savage Islands/Nate and Hayes [Ferdinand Fairfax] best boy; ph: Tony Imi
1983	Bodyspeak [Gregor Nicholas; short/10m] co-gaffer; ph: Alan Locke & Jusin Keen
1983	Strata [Geoff Steven] gaffer; ph: Leon Narbey
1983	Trespasses/Omen of Evil [Peter Sharp] gaffer; ph: Leon Narbey
1984	Vigil [Vincent Ward] gaffer; ph: Alun Bollinger
1984	Pallet on the Floor [Lynton Butler] gaffer; ph: Kevin Hayward
1984	Heart of the Stag [Michael Firth] gaffer; ph: James Bartle
1985	Came a Hot Friday [Ian Mune] gaffer; ph: Alun Bollinger
2006	Shine a Light [Martin Scorsese; mus doc] co-c.op; ph: Robert Richardson