MIKE ELEY   BSC

 

Born: 1960, Romford, Essex, UK, as Michael Eley.

Education: Leeds Polytechnic [Graphic Design].

Career: After college, Eley got a job as an assistant film editor with Aspect Films, a small independent film company in London. A few years later he segued to the camera department and trained as an assistant, mainly working on doc's. He eventually became a cameraman at the company and then began freelance jobs in 1989. He spent the next 10 years working on doc's for BBC-tv and Channel 4 before getting the chance to shoot dramatic films.

Ph & dir commercials.

Member of the BSC since November 2010 and president since 2017.

Awards: BAFTA TV Award nom [1999; shared] for 'Lemurs'; British Independent Film Award [BIFA] 'Best Technical Achievement' [2004] for 'Touching the Void'; RTS Craft & Design Award 'Photography - Drama' [2006-07; 'Technically skilled, stunning to look at, the winner's talent was to find the tiny details of character, emotion and story set against a huge landscape of large vistas, castles and buildings. But most importantly his work was always in close sympathy with character.'] & 'Emmy' Award nom [2007; for Part 1] for 'Jane Eyre'; 'Emmy' Award nom [2009] for 'Grey Gardens'.

Website: Mike Eley


 FILMS

1990

STEP - Bridging the Gap [Doug Smith] c; comm doc/18m; for Shell U.K.

1998

Notting Hill [Roger Michell] s35/c; addph; ph: Michael Coulter

1999

Skin and Blister [Sarah Williams & Michael Eley] c; short/15m

1999

The Spaceman [Giles Borg] s16/b&w; short/10m

2000

Dust [Milcho Manchevski] c; 2uc; ph: Barry Ackroyd

2000

The Navigators [Ken Loach] s16-35bu/c; cph: Barry Ackroyd (ph first week)

2001

Mike Bassett: England Manager [Steve Barron] HD-to-35mm/c; mockumentary/89m; addph: Howard Napper, Barry Kamen & (Hungary) Nyika Jancsó

2001

The Birthday [Lucy Blakstad] c; short/12m

2001

It's Not You, It's Me [Clara Glynn] c; short/20m; also ep of BBC-tv series '8 Ways to Leave Your Lover'

2002

Touching the Void [Kevin Macdonald] s16+35mm+HD (Sony F900)-to-35mm/c; doc/106m; climbing ph: Keith Partridge & (add) Simon Wagen; addph: Dan Shoring & John de Borman

2002

Love Actually [Richard Curtis] s35/c; ph doc kissing footage; ph: Michael Coulter

2003

Touching the Void: Return to Siula Grande [Kevin Macdonald] c/V; doc/24m; cph: Mick Duffield & John Whittle

2004

No Man's Land [Clara Glynn] s16/c; short/9m; also ep BBC Scotland-tv series 'Tartan Shorts'

2005

Wounded [Catherine McCormack] c; short/12m

2005

The Undertaker [Joe Penhall] c; short/14m

2005

Home [Giles Borg] HD-to-35mm/c; short/11m

2005

Tate Scavengers [James Kent] v/c; doc/19m; released on DVD

2005

United 93 [Paul Greengrass] s35/c; co-2uc; ph: Barry Ackroyd

2007

More More More [Blake & Dylan Ritson] c; short/13m

2007

Too Pretty to Die [Tiffany Freisberg] c; doc/75m; cph: Piers Leigh

2008

1234 [Giles Borg] 16mm/c

2009

Snowblind [Vikram Jayanti] HD/c; doc/87m; cph: Chris Chanda, Joan Churchill, Peter Pilafian, a.o.; aph: Mark Hryma

2009

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang/Nanny McPhee Returns [Susanna White] s35 (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Tony Slater-Ling; aph: Jeremy Braben

2010

Winter in the Garden [Jo Smyth] c; short/15m

2010

Marley [Kevin Macdonald] s35+s16+HD (Canon EOS 5D)-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; mus doc/145m; cph: Alwin Küchler & Wally Pfister; addph: Jess Hall, Jean-Luc Perréard & Masanobu Takayanagi; 2uc: Peter Emery; announced in 2008 with Martin Scorsese as dir; in 2009 with dir Jonathan Demme; released in 2012

2010

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel [John Madden] s35 (+ D-Cinema)/c; London ph; ph: Ben Davis

2011

Shadow Dancer [James Marsh] s35 (+ D-Cinema)/c; addph; ph: Rob Hardy

2011

Virgin Galactic [Anthony Wonke] doc; in development

2012

The Selfish Giant [Clio Barnard] HD (ARRI ALEXA Studio)/c

2014

Ronaldo [Anthony Wonke] RED Epic/c; doc/102m; cph: Neil Harvey; addph USA: Robert Barocci; filmed January 2014-February 2015

2015

Our Kind of Traitor [Susanna White] HD (ARRI ALEXA XT Plus + Canon EOS C500 + IndieCam)/c; addph (pickups in March); ph (2014): Anthony Dod Mantle

2015

This Beautiful Fantastic [Simon Aboud] HD/c

2016

My Cousin Rachel [Roger Michell] HD (ARRI ALEXA XT Plus)-to-D-Cinema (scope)/c; 2uc: Michael Wood & Simon Baker; aph: Jeremy Braben

2016

Woman Walks Ahead [Susanna White] HD (ARRI ALEXA XT & Mini)-to-D-Cinema (scope)/c

2017

The White Crow [Ralph Fiennes] s16-to-D-Cinema)/c

 

 TELEVISION

1989

The Little Plane Gamble [series ed: Brian Davies] doc/24m; cph: Tom Ingle; ep BBC-tv series 'Business Matters'

1990

Signs of Life [prod: John Wyver] doc/49m; cph: Kevin Graf; ep BBC-tv series 'Horizon'

1990

Doing the Dishes [Richard Curson Smith] doc/26m; ep Channel 4 arts series 'Without Walls'

1991

The Missing [Stephen Lambert] doc/49m; ep BBC-tv series 'Inside Story'

1991

Suicide Killers [Stephen Lambert] doc/49m; ep BBC-tv series 'Inside Story'

1991

Pandora's Box [- Six Fables from the Age of Science] [Adam Curtis] 6-part doc series; New York ph: Andrew Godfrey; for BBC-tv

1991

Hackney Evictions [John Alexander] doc/?m; ep BBC-tv doc series 'Forty Minutes'

1991

The Longest Hatred [: The History of Anti-Semitism] [Rex Bloomstein] 3-part doc series; cph: Simon Kossoff, Brian Tufano, Mike Spragg, Paul Sommers & Mike Pharey; for Thames-tv

1992

Dogs of War [Stephen Lambert] doc/49m; ep BBC-tv series 'Inside Story'

1992

Annie Leibovitz [: Celebrity Photographer] [Rebecca Frayn] doc/51m; ep LWT series 'The South Bank Show' (1993)

1992

Soweto Flying Squad [Joanna Head] doc/60m; ep Channel 4 series 'Cutting Edge'

1993

True Brits [Stephen Lambert] 6-part doc series; for BBC-tv (1994)

1993

Facing the Music: The Return of Torvill and Dean/Torvill and Dean: Facing the Music [Edward Mirzoeff] doc/59m

1993

Speedway Stars [Adam Tysoe] doc/50m; cph: Roger Chapman; ep #3 of Channel 4 series 'Champions' (1994)

1994

Real Sex [ep #11 dir by Shari Cookson, Patti Kaplan & Anne Parisio] doc/55m; cph: Sandra Chandler, Jean de Segonzac, a.o.; for HBO-tv

1994

Dead Lucky [Susanna White] doc/65m; ep Channel 4 series 'True Stories'

1994

Talk Radio [Rebecca Frayn] doc/60m; ep Channel 4 and A&E-tv 4-part series 'Naked News' (1995)

1994

Nora Ephron [Rebecca Frayn] doc/60m; ep LWT series 'The South Bank Show' (1995)

1994

The Living Dead [ep #1 'On the Desperate Edge of Now', #2 'You Have Used Me as a Fish Long Enough' & #3 'The Attic'; prod: Adam Curtis; exec prod: Edward Mirzoeff] 3-part (x 60m) doc series, 1995; for BBC2-tv

1995

The Fame Game [Dan Reed] doc/49m; cph: Dave Bennett; ep BBC-tv series 'Modern Times'

1995

Carrie Fisher: The Hollywood Family/Carrie on Hollywood [Rhonda Evans] special/120m (in USA); 2-part (x 50m) doc (in UK): 'Life and Love in La-La Land' & 'Chasing the Hollywood Dream'; cph: Luke Hallam

1995

Tory Wives [Rebecca Frayn] doc/50m; ep BBC-tv series 'Modern Times'

1995

The Lido [Lucy Blakstad] doc/50m; uwph: Mike Valentine; ep BBC-tv series 'Modern Times'

1995

Cheetahs with Holly Hunter [Justine Kershaw] doc/53m/s16; wildlife ph: Trevor De Kock, Gil Domb, a.o.; ep series 'In the Wild'

1996

The Maestro [Peter Webber] doc/60m; cph: Lawrence Gardner & Richard Numeroff; ep 4-part series 'Naked Classics'

1996

Lone Star Hate [Paul Yule] doc/76m; ep Channel 4 series 'True Stories'

1996

Identical Twins [Rebecca Frayn] doc/60m; ep Channel 4 series 'Cutting Edge' (1997)

1996

Hong Kong [Lucy Blakstad] doc/50m/16mm; ep BBC-tv series 'Modern Times'

1997

Arch People/The Archers [David Turnbull] doc/46m/s16; ep BBC-tv series 'Modern Times'

1997

Orangutans with Julia Roberts [Nigel Cole] doc/54m; cph: Luke Hallam; wildlife ph: Gil Domb; ep series 'In the Wild'

1998

Lemurs/Born to Be Wild: Operation Lemur with John Cleese [Justine Kershaw] doc/50m; cph: Luke Hallam; wildlife ph: Gavin Thurston & Warwick Sloss; for BBC-tv

1998

The Garden [Stephen Lambert] doc/49m; + prod; ep BBC-tv series 'Modern Times'

1998

Magazine/Dazed & Confused [Joanna Bailey] doc/60m; ep 3-part Channel 4 series 'Upstarts' (1999)

1999

The Face Makers [Katie Bailiff & Alex Reed] doc/50m; cph: Mike Carling

1999

Tell Me the Truth About Love - W.H. Auden [Susanna White] doc/59m; ep BBC-tv series 'Art Zone'

1999

Wild Horses of Mongolia with Julia Roberts/Horsemen of Mongolia with Julia Roberts [Nigel Cole] doc/60m; cph: Luke Hallam & Sean O'Driscoll; ep series 'In the Wild' (in USA ep PBS-tv series 'Nature')

2001

The Lost Elephants of Timbuktu [prod: David Allen] doc/49m; cph: Gil Domb & D. Allen; addph: Mike Holding & Clare Houdret; aph: Adrian Warren; ep BBC-tv series 'Natural World'

2001

Leopards of Zanzibar [Graham Booth] doc/52m/s16; co-addph; principal ph: Rob Franklin, Andrew McClenaghan & Ian Moss; ep #7 of 8-part series 'Africa'; in USA a National Geographic special for PBS-tv series 'Nature'

2001

Bridge [Lucy Blakstad] 3-part (x 52m) doc series; for BBC-tv

2001

Aka Albert Walker/The Many Lives of Albert Walker [Harry Hook] tvm

2002

The Blues [ep 'Red, White & Blues' dir by Mike Figgis] 7-part doc series; cph: Barry Ackroyd, John Lynch & Patrick Stewart

2002

Love Again [Susanna White] tvm/16mm

2003

Carlos Acosta: The Reluctant Ballet Dancer [Lucy Blakstad] doc/41m/v; ep BBC-tv series 'Imagine'

2003

He Knew He Was Right [Tom Vaughan] 4-part miniseries/16mm

2003

The Genius of Mozart [part 1 'The Miracle of Nature' dir by James Kent] 3-part miniseries/v; part 2 & 3 ph by Roger Chapman

2004

[Dragons' World:] [Dragons:] A Fantasy Made Real/The Last Dragon [Justin Hardy] doc/90m/s16; cph: John Howarth; for Animal Planet

2004

Holocaust - A Music Memorial Film from Auschwitz [James Kent] mus film/87m

2005

Final Chance to Save [ep #1 'The Black Rhino' dir by Harry Hook] 10-part wildlife series/HD; for Sky One

2005

Wallis & Edward [Dave Moore] tvm

2005

Alive/I Shouldn't Be Alive [ep #6 'Jaws of Death/Thrown to the Lions' dir by Jules Williamson] 58-part doc series, 2005-12; 1st season, 2005-06 (13 ep); premiered on the Discovery Channel

2005

Elizabeth David: A Life in Recipes [James Kent] docudrama/90m; for BBC2-tv

2006

Jane Eyre [Susanna White] 4-part miniseries

2006

The Diary of a Nobody [Susanna White] 4-part miniseries (2007) & 12-part (x 10m) serial

2007

Generation Kill [ep #1-3 dir by Susanna White] 7-part miniseries/s16-to-HD; 2uc (+ 2ud); ph: Ivan Strasburg

2007

Grey Gardens [Michael Sucsy] tvm/s35-to-HD

2008

Blood and Oil/Sweet Delta [David Attwood] 2-part tvm/v+16mm+3perf 35mm

2009

Hostage in the Jungle [Angus MacQueen] doc/60m (for BBC-tv), 92m (Spanish language version) & 97m (French language version); cph: Roger Chapman

2011

Parade's End [Susanna White] 5-part miniseries/HD (ARRI ALEXA); 2uc: Daniel Holland; for BBC-tv & HBO-tv

2011

British Legends of Stage and Screen [ep #1 'Sir Michael Gambon', #2 'Claire Bloom' & #4 'Dame Diana Rigg', all dir by Anthony Fabian] 8-part (x 45m) series/b&w-c/HD, 2012; 2nd cam (#4): Damien Rea; for Sky Arts-tv

2012

Fire in the Night/Piper Alpha - Fire in the Night [Anthony Wonke] doc/94m; uwph: Mark Silk; also in theaters

2013

Klondike [Simon Cellan Jones] 6-part miniseries, 2014; uwph: Ian Seabrook; splinter unit ph: Craig Wrobleski; for Discovery Channel

2013

The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies [Roger Michell] 2-part tvm, 2014; 2uc: Hamish Doyne-Ditmas

2014

The Outcast [Iain Softley] 2-part tvm/HD (2015)

2015

Shooter [pilot 'Point of Impact' dir by Simon Cellan Jones] 31-part series/HD, 2016-18; 1st season, 2016-17 (10 ep)