DAVID EGGBY

#3: With doph Ross Berryman [top] [1973]

DAVID EGGBY ACS

Born: 1950, London, UK. Immigrated to Australia in 1959.

Career: 'I had a four-year apprenticeship lined up at a place where I would learn how to fix smashed up cars. A couple of days before I was supposed to go, my mother noticed an advertisement for a trainee with a company that produced television films. It was an opportunity to be a gofer while learning about film and television production. I applied and got the job. The company was Crawford Productions in Melbourne. I was there for 18 months, and then I left and did an internship with a fairly well known still photographer. I spent most of my time with him in the darkroom making prints. I did another short apprenticeship with a fashion, retail photographer, and then out of the blue I decided to join the Navy. I was a Naval airman ph for six years. The Navy only had one aircraft carrier. There were eight photographers onboard. We filmed every landing and take-off with an old Bell & Howell windup, 16mm camera. But after six years, I had enough, so I got out and went back to the production company in Melbourne. They were doing four fairly popular tv shows. I was an assistant for a couple of months, but then I got promoted and was put on one of the shows as senior cameraman. [After that] I went to work for the government, for the Electricity Commission, shooting, producing, directing and editing training films for engineers. Then I received a phone call from Byron Kennedy who introduced himself and said two directors recommended me to him. Another director who was about to make a movie with Byron Kennedy got on the phone. It was George Miller and they were about to make a film called 'Mad Max'. This was in 1977 and I had only worked on one 35mm format film as an operator - a feature film called 'The Box'.' [From interview with KODAK OnFilm.]

Ph commercials dir by John Ruane, Nadia Tass, a.o.

Active member of the ACS since 1987.

Appeared in the doc's 'Never Be Afraid to Have a Go: David Eggby ACS', 'The Making of 'Dragonheart'' [1996, Laurent Bouzereau; ph: Maurey Dahlen & Jeff Daly], 'Mel Gibson: The High Octane Birth of a Superstar' [2001] & 'Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon' [2001].

Awards: ACS 'Milli' Award 'Australian Cinematographer of the Year' [2001] for 'Pitch Black'.

FILMS
1975	The Vital Link [prod: Gene Scott] 16mm/c; doc/27m; cph: Phil Pike

"Mad Max"

1977	Mad Max [George Miller] tao/c; 2uc: Tim Smart; filmed 1977-78
1980	Dead Man's Float/Smuggler's Cove [Peter Sharp] c
1982	Early Frost/Something Wicked [Brian McDuffie] c; addph: Paul Bucock, Rod Hinds, Louis Irving, Andrew Lesnie, Alleyn Mearns & David Williamson
1983	Buddies [Arch Nicholson] p/c
1983	The Slim Dusty Movie [Rob Stewart] c; docudrama/107m; cph: Dan Burstall
1984	[Morris West's] The Naked Country [Tim Burstall] c
1984	Bullamakanka/At Last... Bullamakanka: The Motion Picture [Simon Heath] c
1984	Frog Dreaming [Brian Trenchard-Smith (replaced Russell Hagg)] c; co-addph; ph: John McLean
1986	Predator [John McTiernan] c; thermal ph; ph: Don McAlpine
1986	Ground Zero [Michael Pattinson & Bruce Myles] p/c; 2uc (+ 2ud); ph: Steve Dobson
1987	Return to Snowy River [Geoff Burrowes] p/c; 2uc (+ 2ud); add camera 2u: Mark Hayward; ph: Keith Wagstaff
1987	Kansas [David Stevens] s35/c; 2uc: Walt Lloyd, Dennis Smith & Gordon Pascal
1988	Warlock [Steve Miner] c; + vfx ph; blue screen ph: Alex Funke
1988	The Blood of Heroes/The Salute of the Jugger [David W. Peoples] c; 2uc: Frank Hammond
1989	Quigley Down Under [Simon Wincer] p/c; 2uc: Ross Berryman
1990	Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man [Simon Wincer] c; 2uc: Jim Pergola; matte ph: Paul Curley; blue screen ph: Jim Aupperle
1991	Fortress [Stuart Gordon] c
1992	Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story [Rob Cohen] p/c; addph: Buzz Feitshans IV & Stanley Hung
1993	Lightning Jack [Simon Wincer] p/c
1994	Dragonheart [Rob Cohen] p/c; 2uc (+ uwph): Buzz Feitshans IV
1995	Daylight [Rob Cohen] c; 2uc (+ 2ud & uwph): Buzz Feitshans IV; aph: Ron Goodman; miniature ph: Bill Taylor & Patrick Turner
1997	Virus [John Bruno] c; 2uc: David M. Dunlap; + small part
1999	Blue Streak [Les Mayfield] c; 2uc: Buzz Feitshans IV
1999	Pitch Black/The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black/Night Fall [David N. Twohy] s35/c; 2uc: Ian Thorburn
2000	Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles [Simon Wincer] c; 2uc (+ 2ud); ph: David Burr
2001	Scooby-Doo [Raja Gosnell] c; 2uc: Roger Lanser
2001	Horseplay [Stavros Kazantzidis] s35/c
*2003*	Mad Max: Fury Road [George Miller] originally scheduled to start filming in May; status unknown; see John Seale (2012)
2003	EuroTrip/The Ugly Americans [Jeff Schaffer; (uncred co-dir) Alec Berg & David Mandel] c; 2uc: Miro Gábor; aph: John Marzano
2003	Racing Stripes [Frederik Du Chau] c
2004	The Marine [John Bonito] s35-to-35mm/c; 2uc: John Stokes; ph Los Angeles: Theo van de Sande; uwph: Simon Christidis
2006	Underdog [Frederik Du Chau] s35/c; 2uc: Paul Hughen; aph: Hans Bjerno

[Left] with dir Gabor Csupo - "The Secret of Moonacre"

2007	The Secret of Moonacre/The Little White Horse [Gabor Csupo] s35/c
*2007*	The Cup [Simon Wincer] some footage was shot in 2006; background atmosphere footage was shot at the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival in November; scheduled to start principal ph in September 2008, then February/April 2010; film was ph by David Burr (2010)
*2008*	The Precious One [Frederik Du Chau] pre-production; status unknown
2009	Ironclad [Jonathan English] HD (Genesis)-to-35mm scope/c; 2uc: Stuart Biddlecombe
2012	Riddick/The Chronicles of Riddick: Dead Man Stalking/The Chronicles of Riddick 3 [David Twohy] HD (ARRI ALEXA)-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; splinter unit ph: Robert Mattigetz; 'I am shooting with 2 ARRI ALEXA cameras, recording Raw data with the Codex on board recorders and using Master Primes and Optimo Zooms lenses. "Riddick" is only my second feature using a digital system and I have to admit I love the ALEXA. Can't wait to use the new ALEXA Studio 4:3 chip and optical viewfinder. Sky's the limit. Am rating at the native 800 ASA. Takes a little getting used to but it's all the same math. Just sees into the shadows a little too much. Looking forward to the DI, to see if the camera's 14 stops latitude combined with the Codex ARRI Raw file lives up to the expectations.' [David Eggby on the ACS website.]
2014	The Moon and the Sun [Sean McNamara] HD (ARRI ALEXA XT/Hawk Scope)/c; 2uc; ph: Conrad W. Hall

TELEVISION
1975	Homicide [3 ep dir by various] pilot + 509-part series/b&w & c/v & film, 1964-76
1985	A Thousand Skies [David Stevens] 3-part miniseries
1985	Dream West [Dick Lowry] 3-part miniseries; other ph: Robert M. Baldwin Jr. & Jack Wallner
1985	Charly's Web [Simon Heath] tvm
1990	The Great Air Race/Half a World Away [Marcus Cole] 2-part tvm; aph; ph: Chris Davis
1992	Survive - The Savage Sea [Kevin James Dobson] tvm
1992	[Stephen King's] The Tommyknockers [John Power] 2-part tvm; cph: Danny Burstall
1995	Space: Above and Beyond/Space: 2063 [2-part pilot dir by David Nutter] 23-part series, 1995-96; other ph: Gordon Lonsdale (14 ep) & Anthony Palmieri (8 ep); 2uc: Don McCuaig
1995	Kansas [Robert Mandel] tvm (created as a pilot, but series not picked up)
1997	The Echo of Thunder [Simon Wincer] tvm; ep #302 'Hallmark Hall of Fame'-series
1999	[Louis L'Amour's] Crossfire Trail [Simon Wincer] tvm; 2uc: Harvey LaRocque
1999	Rip Girls [Joyce Chopra] tvm; surf unit ph: George Greenough & Jack McCoy
2000	Stepsister from Planet Weird [Steve Boyum] tvm
2002	Monte Walsh [Simon Wincer] tvm; 2uc: Roger Vernon

MISCELLANEOUS
1967	Hunter [various; 65-part tv-series, 1967-69] c.asst; ph: Mike Meehan

[Left] with asst dir Tom Burstall and dir Simon Wincer - "Matlock Police"

1973	Matlock Police [Simon Wincer, a.o.; 228-part tv-series, 1970-75] c.asst/c.op; ph: Ross Berryman
1974	Division 4 [various; 301-part tv-series, 1969-75] c.op; ph: Ross Berryman
1975	The Box [Paul Eddey] c.op; ph: Wayne Williams
1981	The Man from Snowy River [George Miller] co-c.op; ph: Keith Wagstaff
1981	A Dangerous Summer/Burning Man/Flash Fire [Quentin Masters] c.op; ph: Peter Hannan
1982	Dead Easy [Bert Deling] co-c.op; ph: Tom Cowan & Mike Molloy
1985	Robbery Under Arms [Donald Crombie & Ken Hannam; 3-part tv-miniseries] 2ud; ph: Ernest Clark