IEC
#2: [Right]
DAVID HIGGS BSC
Born: ?, as David S. Higgs.
Career: Started as film asst for BBC-tv news series 'Newsnight'.
Ph music videos with a: Bloc Party. Ph commercials for Nike [d: Guy Ritchie], Adidas, Ford, etc.
Member of the BSC since November 2008.
Awards: RTS 'Lighting, Photography & Camera - Photography Drama' Award nom [1999-2000] for 'Nature Boy'; RTS 'Lighting, Photography & Camera - Photography Drama' Award nom [2000-01] for 'The Russian Bride'; BAFTA TV Award nom [2003] for 'Cambridge Spies'; Raindance FF 'Canon Best Cinematography Award' nom [2007] for 'The Stronger'; BAFTA TV Award [2009] for 'Red Riding: 1983'.
'Night Flight' [2001], a drama set in 1943 and the present day, looks at the terrifying wartime flying experiences of bomber crews. Christopher Plummer plays pensioner Harry, a Lancaster bomber pilot during World War II, whose life changes when his former flying comrade Vic returns from the past with old memories and secrets.
David Higgs, Director of Photography on 'Night Flight', shot the full-scale Lancaster interior stage scenes with an Aaton A-Minima camera. "The beauty of the Minima is that you can tuck it into your body. I was jammed inside the stage plane and a real Lancaster, fighting for every half inch of space, but I was able to get shots that would have been impossible with a conventional camera. I could balance the Minima on my hand and tilt and rock it." The Lancaster replica was attached to a huge hydraulic gimbal, which vibrated and shook violently for the flying scenes. "I expected to have the bucking and diving motion coming from the camera, but with the Minima I could balance more and take a lot of the vibration out. It's a very fluid way of working and very liberating in general drama terms," he remarks.
An Aaton Prod and an Aaton XTR were used for the exterior scenes with a set of Zeiss ARRI Ultra Primes [16-35mm]. Higgs admits to being extremely pleased with the versatility of the stock and the way it inter-cut - Kodak Vision 320T [7277] film was chosen for the stage plane shots and Kodak Vision 250D [7246] film for the day interiors and exteriors.
"Too much lighting would not have been legitimate, but at the same time I had to ensure the lighting level was acceptable to the audience. The perspex hood on the canopy was old and scratched and too much light would have made it look ropey, so I used very small liner lights and bulbs that I could hide, but I had to be careful where they were placed because of internal reflections at every level."
The storyline of 'Night Flight' is so complex and layered that Higgs kept his technique as simple as possible. "It's not an inherently visual script, but an incredibly strong personal story. At the end of the day, there's always artifice involved, but I've focused on the characters' emotional journey and tried to find ways to encapsulate the fear that was experienced by Lancaster bomber crews." [From the KODAK website.]
| FILMS | |
|---|---|
|
1992 |
The Moment [Terence Gross] s16-35bu/c; short/30m |
|
1993 |
James Herriot's Yorkshire: The Film [Joy Perino] s16/c; doc/80m; cph: Nathan Mann |
|
1996 |
My First Adventure [Jim O'Brien (Egypt) & Michael Schultz (Tangiers)] b&w-c/V; co-2uc; ph: David Tattersall (Egypt) & Ashley Rowe (Tangiers); comp of ep of tv-series 'The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles' |
|
1996 |
Faith [Pete Travis] s16-35bu/c; short/15m |
|
1998 |
Wonderland [Michael Winterbottom] s16/c; co-2uc; ph: Sean Bobbitt |
|
2004 |
The Heat of the Story [Rehana Rose Khan] dv-to-35mm/c; short/13m |
|
2007 |
The Stronger [Lia Williams] HD (ARRI D-20)/b&w; short/10m |
|
2007 |
RocknRolla [Guy Ritchie] HD (ARRI D-20)-to-35mm scope/c |
|
2008 |
Imagine! United Kingdom Sings Argentina [Minivegas] c; mus short/1m13sec; for Pangea Day |
|
2008 |
Tony [Gerard Johnson] s16-35bu/c; addph: Dale McCready (finished film); 2uc: Peter Talbot; based on the short film 'Tony' (2006) |
|
2008 |
Lesbian Vampire Killers [Phil Claydon] RED-to-35mm scope/c; 2uc: Nic Lawson |
|
2009 |
Leap Year [Anand Tucker] p/c; 2uc (+ 2ud) (+ c.op 'b' cam); ph: Newton Thomas Sigel |
|
2009 |
St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold [Oliver Parker & Barnaby Thompson] s35 (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Nic Lawson |
|
2010 |
All in Good Time/Rafta Rafta [Nigel Cole] RED/c |
|
2010 |
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows [Guy Ritchie] s35+HD (Phantom HD)-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; co-2uc; ph: Philippe Rousselot |
|
2011 |
Honour/The Pursuit [Shan Khan] HD/c |
|
2012 |
Epithet [Angus Jackson] HD (ARRI ALEXA) scope/c; short/6m; prod Young Vic Short Films |
|
2015 |
Aliens [Jonathan Van Tulleken] in development |
| TELEVISION | |
|---|---|
|
1990 |
Dunkirk: A Human Endeavour [Leela Creswell] doc (followed by studio discussion)/60m |
|
1990 |
Painted Faces [Tom Hooper] tvm/15m/s16-35bu; ep Channel 4 series 'First Frame' |
|
1992 |
The Tomorrow People [5-part ep 'The Origin Story' dir by Ron Oliver] 5-part children's series/s16; followed by 20-part series; the pilot, 'A Bad Dream Gets Real', was dir by Lorne Magory and ph by Mike Thomson |
|
1993 |
The Tomorrow People [5-part ep 'The Culex Experiment' dir by Alan Horrox (ep #1, 3-5) & Vivianne Albertine (#2) & 5-part ep 'The Monsoon Man' dir by Niall Leonard] 20-part children's series/s16, 1994-95; see 1992 |
|
1994 |
The Tomorrow People [5-part ep 'The Rameses Connection' dir by Roger Gartland & 5-part ep 'The Living Stones' dir by Crispin Reece] see 1993 |
|
1994 |
Romeo & Juliet [Alan Horrox] tvm/s16 |
|
1994 |
Counter Culture [ep 'The Last Van from Golspie' dir by Emma Swain] 6-part doc series/s16 |
|
1995 |
The Merchant of Venice [Alan Horrox] tvm/s16; for Channel 4 series 'Middle English' |
|
1995 |
Delta Wave [2-part ep 'A Twist of Lemming', 2-part ep 'A Glitch in Time', 2-part ep 'Dodgy Jammers', 2-part ep 'The Light Fantastic' & 2-part ep 'Something Fishy', all dir by Roger Gartland] 10-part children's series, 1996 |
|
1995 |
Alarm für Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizei [pilot 'Bomben bei Kilometer 92' dir by Leo Zahn] series, 1996-present; 1st series, 1996 |
|
1996 |
The Treasure Seekers [Juliet May] tvm/s16 |
|
1997 |
The Canterville Ghost [Crispin Reece] tvm/s16 |
|
1997 |
The Broker's Man [Roger Gartland, a.o.] 12-part series, 1997-98; 1st season |
|
1998 |
In the Red [Marcus Mortimer] 3-part miniseries/s16 |
|
1998 |
The Broker's Man [Baz Taylor, a.o.] 2nd season; see 1997 |
|
1999 |
Dalziel and Pascoe [ep #15 'The British Grenadier' dir by Maurice Phillips] 46-part series, 1996-2007; 4th season, 1999 (4 ep) |
|
1999 |
Nature Boy [Joe Wright] 4-part miniseries |
|
1999 |
Summer in the Suburbs [David Attwood] tvm |
|
1999 |
Hero of the Hour [Dave Richards] tvm |
|
2000 |
The Innocents [Peter Kosminsky] tvm/s16; ep Channel 4 series 'Doctors on Trial'; in USA ep of PBS-tv series 'Masterpiece Theatre' (2002) |
|
2000 |
A Christmas Carol [Catherine Morshead] tvm |
|
2000 |
The Russian Bride [Nicholas Renton] 2-part tvm |
|
2001 |
Night Flight [Nicholas Renton] 2-part tvm; 2uc: Gareth Hughes; see above |
|
2001 |
The Project [Peter Kosminsky] 2-part ('Opposition' & 'Government') tvm |
|
2002 |
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries [ep #3 'Well-Schooled in Murder' dir by Robert Young, #4 'Payment in Blood' dir by Kim Flitcroft, #5 'For the Sake of Elena' dir by Richard Laxton (RL) & #6 'Missing Joseph' dir by RL] 2-part pilot (2001) + 22-part series, 2002-08; 1st season, 2002 (4 ep) |
|
2002 |
Cambridge Spies [Tim Fywell] 4-part miniseries |
|
2003 |
Too Good to Be True [Sarah Harding] 2-part tvm |
|
2003 |
Island at War [Thaddeus O'Sullivan (ep #1-3) & Peter Lydon (ep #4-6)] 6-part miniseries/s16; in USA ep of PBS-tv series 'Masterpiece Theatre' |
|
2004 |
The Government Inspector [Peter Kosminsky] tvm |
|
2005 |
Beneath the Skin [Sarah Harding] 2-part tvm |
|
2005 |
Derailed [Kenny Glenaan] tvm; 2uc: Nic Lawson |
|
2005 |
Agatha Christie: Poirot [ep #11 'After the Funeral' dir by Maurice Phillips] 25-part series of tvm's, 2000-13; followed the 45-part series (1989-93) + specials (1995-97) |
|
2005 |
The Best Man [Alex Pillai] 2-part tvm; 2uc: Nic Lawson |
|
2006 |
I Shouldn't Be Alive/Alive [ep #11 'Lost at Sea/Adrift in the Dark' dir by Jules Williamson] 58-part dram doc series, 2005-12; 1st season, 2005-06 (13 ep) |
|
2007 |
Britz [Peter Kosminsky] 2-part tvm/16mm; 2uc: Nic Lawson |
|
2007 |
Who Gets the Dog? [Nicholas Renton] tvm; 2uc: Nic Lawson |
|
2008 |
Lost in Austen [Dan Zeff] 4-part miniseries; addph: Peter Butler |
|
2008 |
Red Riding [ep #3 (RED scope) '[In the Year of Our Lord] 1983' dir by Anand Tucker] 3-part series, 2009; 2uc (#3): Nic Lawson; other ph: Rob Hardy (#1) & Igor Martinovic (#2); for Channel 4; also released theatrically (2010) |
|
2010 |
The Promise/Homeland [Peter Kosminsky] 4-part miniseries/s16, 2011 |
|
2010 |
Case Sensitive [2-part ep 'The Point of Rescue' dir by Charles Martin] series (2x 2-part ep), 2011-12; 1st season, 2011 (1x 2-part ep); 2uc: Nic Lawson |
|
2011 |
First Cut [ep (RED/23m) 'Double Lesson' dir by George Kay] doc series, 2007-present; for Channel 4 |
|
2011 |
Mad Dogs [ep #5-8 dir by James Hawes] 14-part series + 1 special, 2011-13; 2nd season, 2012 (4 ep); for Sky One |
|
2012 |
Restless [Edward Hall] 2-part tvm |
|
2012 |
Complicit [Niall MacCormick] tvm/HD (ARRI ALEXA Plus); pickup unit ph; ph: Jan Jonaeus; for Channel 4 |
|
2012 |
Murder on the Home Front [Geoffrey Sax] 2-part tvm (2013); 2uc: Nic Lawson |
|
2013 |
The Escape Artist [Brian Welsh] 3-part miniseries/HD (ARRI ALEXA) |
|
2013 |
By Any Means [various] 6-part series |
|
2013 |
Outlander [ep #1 'Sassenach' dir by John Dahl (JD) & #2 'Castle Leoch' dir by JD] series/HD (ARRI ALEXA), 2014-present; 1st season, 2014 (8 ep); 2uc: Steven Hall |
|
2014 |
That Day We Sang/Tubby and Enid [Victoria Wood] tvm/HD |
|
2014 |
Indian Summers [ep #1-4 dir by Anand Tucker] series, 2015-present; 1st season, 2015 (10 ep) |
|
2014 |
Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime [3-part ep #1 'The Secret Adversary' dir by Edward Hall (EH) & 3-part ep #2 'N or M?' dir by EH] 6-part series/HD, 2015 |
| MISCELLANEOUS | |
|---|---|
|
2009 |
Leap Year [Anand Tucker] c.op 'b' cam (+ 2uc/2ud); ph: Newton Thomas Sigel |
