DON McALPINE

#1: From interview [2012]

#2: "Puberty Blues" [1981]

DON McALPINE ACS/ASC

Born: 1934, Quandialla, New South Wales, Australia, as Donald Milton McAlpine.

Career: 'After graduating from high school, McAlpine earned the money to take a four-week boat tour to Europe by working as a sharecropper on a wheat farm. He spent a year exploring the continent while supporting himself by working at odd jobs. After returning home, he enrolled in college as a physical education and science major. Several of his teachers were coaches for Australian teams competing in the 1956 Olympics. He began doing movie camera work for analysis of the Olympic team. He bought an 8mm camera, then upgraded to a 16mm, to film the athletes. He would take footage of all sports including swimming and kayaking using underwater photography and above or under water slow motion. After graduation, he taught at a rural school in Parkes, Australia, where he produced 8mm training films that were used by gym teachers. On a school cultural excursion to Channel Two [Australian Broadcasting Commission Television (ABC)] in the late fifties he discovered the News Office. "There was a door, 'News Supervise Office', and I knocked on that door and said, look, I've got a 16mm camera. If I get the end of the world on film would you guys buy it?" They said, "Are you any good?" to which Don replied, "Who knows?" The News Supervisor gave Don a sheet of paper outlining how to shoot a news story and four one hundred foot loads of Eastman Kodak Plus-X. So, armed with his list and b&w film stock, Don went away. There was a big railroad center in Parkes that was converting from steam to diesel engines. He shot a news story documenting how that transition affected the lives of people who worked for the railroad. In 1962 McAlpine left his position as a schoolteacher and joined ABC-tv as a c.asst. In 1965 he became cameraman. In 1968 he was offered a position at the Federal Government's Commonwealth Film Unit/Film Australia, the lure of working with color called to him. It was at Film Australia that Don started to learn that "there was far more to camera then just reporting. That there was some art in cinematography and some art in filmmaking." In a short time he took the job of Chief Cameraman. A few of his short drama films caught Bruce Beresford's eyes. While still working at Film Australia he ph his first feature film, 'The Adventures of Barry McKenzie' [1971-72], in London. In 1974 he left Film Australia and became freelance doph. His career took another giant step forward in 1981, beginning with a 3 a.m. phone call from Paul Mazursky. During their first conversation, he asked McAlpine to meet him in Greece to scout locations for 'Tempest'. His career shifted into high gear after he collaborated with Mazursky on the making of 'Tempest'.' [From the ACS & ASC websites.]

Was interviewee in an ep of the doc series 'ACS Video Series'. Appeared in the doc's 'Studio Lighting: A Comparative Workshop with Donald McAlpine and Denis Lenoir' [1993, Steve Newman & Jason Wheatley; ph: S. Newman; 63m], 'Art My Arse' [1998; registration of a forum; 90m], "If It Bleeds We Can Kill It: The Making of 'Predator'" [2001, ?; 29m] & 'At the Movies: Behind the Camera' [2006, Stewart Burchmore; 25m].

Awards: AFI [Aus] Award [1980] for 'Breaker Morant'; ACS 'Milli' Award 'Australian Cinematographer of the Year' [1981] & AFI [Aus] Award [1981] for 'My Brilliant Career'; ACS 'Award of Distinction' [1997], Golden Satellite Award nom [1997] & BAFTA Film Award nom [1998] for 'Romeo + Juliet'; ACS 'Hall of Fame' Award [1997]; Empire AFI [Aus] Award [2001], 'Oscar' AA nom [2002], Golden Satellite Award nom [2002], BAFTA Film Award nom [2002] & CFCA Award nom [2002] for 'Moulin Rouge'; ASC 'International Achievement Award' [2008].

FILMS
1971	The Adventures of Barry McKenzie [Bruce Beresford] c
1972	Gentle Strangers [Cecil Holmes] 16mm/c; short/57m; cph: David Sanderson, Bruce Hillyard, Mick von Bornemann & Kerry Brown
1974	Barry McKenzie Holds His Own [Bruce Beresford] p/c
1975	Let the Balloon Go [Oliver Howes] c; 2uc; ph: Dean Semler
1975	Surrender In Paradise [Peter Cox] 16mm/c; + small part
1976	Don's Party [Bruce Beresford] p/c
1977	The Getting of Wisdom [Bruce Beresford] c
1978	Money Movers [Bruce Beresford] c
1978	Patrick [Richard Franklin] c
1978	The Odd Angry Shot [Tom Jeffrey] c
1978	My Brilliant Career [Gillian Armstrong] c
1979	The Journalist [Michael Thornhill] c
1979	Breaker Morant [Bruce Beresford] c

[Left] with actor William Holden - "The Earthling"

1979	The Earthling [Peter Collinson] p/c; 2uc: Dean Semler
1980	The Club/Players [Bruce Beresford] p/c
1981	Puberty Blues [Bruce Beresford] p/c
1981	Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder/Vietnam: Hell or Glory [Peter Werner] c
1981	Tempest [Paul Mazursky] c; stand-by ph: Zoli Vidor

[Right] with Paul Newman [center] - "Harry & Son"

1983	Harry & Son [Paul Newman] c; 2uc: James Pergola
1983	Moscow on the Hudson [Paul Mazursky] c
1983	Blue Skies Again [Richard Michaels] c
1984	King David [Bruce Beresford] p/c; 2uc: Robin Vidgeon
1985	My Man Adam [Roger L. Simon] c
1986	Down and Out in Beverly Hills [Paul Mazursky] c
1986	Predator [John McTiernan] c; Mexico ph: Leon Sanchez; 2uc: Frank E. Johnson; thermal ph: David Eggby
1986	The Fringe Dwellers [Bruce Beresford] c
1987	Orphans [Alan J. Pakula] c
1987	Moon Over Parador [Paul Mazursky] c; 2uc: Lucio Kodato
1988	See You in the Morning [Alan J. Pakula] c
1988	Stanley & Iris [Martin Ritt] p/c
1988	Moving [Alan Metter] c
1989	Parenthood [Ron Howard] c
1990	The Hard Way [John Badham] p/c; replaced R. Primes halfway through filming; cph: Robert Primes; 2uc: Ron Fortunato; addph 2u: Roy H. Wagner; ph cons: Alicia Webber
1991	Medicine Man/The Last Days of Eden [John McTiernan] p/c
1991	Career Opportunities/One Wild Night [Bryan Gordon] p/c; Los Angeles ph: John McPherson
1991	Patriot Games [Phillip Noyce] p/c; cph UK: Stephen Smith & James Devis; 2uc: Michael A. Benson
1992	The Man Without a Face [Mel Gibson] c; uncred addph: Daryn Okada
1993	Mrs. Doubtfire [Chris Columbus] p/c
1993	Clear and Present Danger [Phillip Noyce] p/c; 2uc: Michael A. Benson; matte ph: Craig Barron
1994	Nine Months [Chris Columbus] p/c; remake of 'Neuf mois' (1993, Patrick Braoudé; ph: Jean-Yves Le Mener)
1996	[William Shakespeare's] Romeo + Juliet [Baz Luhrmann] p/c; addph: Kim Marks
1996	The Edge [Lee Tamahori] p/c; 2uc: Roger Vernon
1997	Stepmom [Chris Columbus] p/c
1999	Moulin Rouge! [Baz Luhrmann] p/c; addph: Steven Fierberg & Stephen Dobson
2001	The Time Machine [Simon Wells & (uncred) Gore Verbinski] p/c; 2uc: Hiro Narita; miniature ph: Tony Anderson
2002	Anger Management [Peter Segal] p/c; 2uc (+ 2ud): Hiro Narita
2002	Peter Pan [P.J. Hogan] p/c; 2uc: Martin McGrath; addph: Ian Thorburn; miniature ph: David Hardberger, Carl Miller, Martin Rosenberg & Patrick Sweeney
2004	The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe [Andrew Adamson] s35 (+ D-Cinema)/c; 143m & 150m; 2uc: Brad Shield & Dick Pope; addph: Ian Thorburn; aph: Adam Dale

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine"

2008	X-Men Origins: Wolverine [Gavin Hood] s35 (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Brad Shield; aph: Hans Bjerno
2009	Main Street [John Doyle] p/c; addph: John W. Rutland
2011	Mental [P.J. Hogan] RED Epic/p-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Ben Nott; uwph: Simon Christidis
2012	Ender's Game [Gavin Hood] RED Epic-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; aph 2u: John Trapman & Ronald Hersey
*2013*	September 18 [Jin Ge] prod shut down after the dir left on the first day after 2 hours of filming
*2013*	Broadway 4D/Broadway Sensation [Bryan Singer & Gary Goddard] HD; 3-D film enhanced show incorporating in-theater special effects at the Times Square Theatre, New York; prod cancelled in 2014 in pre-production due to financial problems
2014	The Dressmaker [Jocelyn Moorhouse] RED Epic (scope)-to-digital/c; 2uc (+ ph opening seq): Ross Giardina
2015	Ali's Wedding [Jeffrey Walker] HD (Panasonic VariCam 35) scope/c
2017	Rajma Chawal [Leena Yadav] HD/c

DOCUMENTARIES
1968	In One Lifetime [Lionel Hudson, Arch Nicholson, a.o.] 16mm/c; 27m; cph: Richard Tucker, Michael Edols, a.o.
1968	Papua and New Guinea Development [Douglas White] c; 13m
1968	Ron Shelley, Civil Engineer [Richard Tucker] c; 11m
1969	How to Drive [ep #1 (19m) 'Understanding the Car', #2 (11m) 'Inspecting the Car', #3 (8m) 'Starting Up, Moving Off and Stopping', #4 (12m) 'Steering, Gear Changing and Breaking', #5 (9m) 'Moving Off on Hills, Reversing and Parking', #8 (10m) 'Cornering and Overtaking', #10 (8m) 'In Dense Traffic', #11 (10m) 'Night Driving' & #12 (9m) 'Remembering It All', all dir by John Edwards] 16mm/c; 12-part doc film series; cph (#1-5, #8 & #10-12): Reg Pearse
1969	Leonard French's Stained Glass Screens, National Library, Canberra [Michael Thornhill] c; 9m; cph: Reginald Pearse; ep series 'Outlook'
1969	Horizon [Bob Kingsbury] 70mm/c; cph: ?; multi-screen presentation Australia, EXPO '70
1969	South East Australia & Tipperary [Greg Reading & Harry Reynolds] c; 11m; ep #30 of series 'Australian Colour Diary'
1970	No Roses for Michael [Christopher McGill] b&w; dram doc/33m
1970	The Big Island [prod: Frank Bagnall] 16mm-35bu/c; 9m; cph: Keith Gow
1970	The Country Couldn't Do Without You [Don Murray] c; 7m
1970	Faces of the City [Malcolm Smith] c; 21m; ep series 'Australian Geography'
1970	I'm Going to School Today [Henry Lewes] c; 26m
1970	I'm Ready to Learn [Henry Lewes] c; 28m
1970	Or Forever Hold Your Peace [Kit Guyatt, Ian Dunlop, Arch Nicholson, a.o.] b&w; 58m; cph: Michael Edols, David Sanderson, Mick Bornemann, a.o.
1970	A Selection Interview [Cecil Holmes] 16mm/c; training film/17m
1970	Sheltered Workshops [Kit Guyatt] c; 25m
1970	The Athletes [Don Murray] 16mm/c; 28m; cph: Leo Elia & Richard Tucker; ep series 'A Man and His Sport'
1970	Country Jazz [Robert Kingsbury] c; mus doc/10m; ep #37 of series 'Australian Colour Diary'
1971	In the Bush [Keith Gow] c; 7m
1972	Drugs and the Law [Keith Gow] 16mm/c; ?m
1972	The Gathering Flame [Don Murray] c; 22m; cph: Dean Semler, Jack Bellamy, a.o.
1972	Teaching a Language Structure by the Australian Situational Method [Ian Hart] b&w; 2-part (x 15m) doc
1972	Introducing Australian Football [Malcolm Smith] 16mm/c; 23m
1973	The Man Who Can't Stop [Michael Rubbo] c; 58m; cph: Michael Edols
1973	Whatever Happened to Green Valley? [Peter Weir] c; 55m; cph: Nick Ardizzone, Ross King & Guy Furner
1973	Australian Report [Keith Gow, Ian Hart & David Eastman] 16mm/c; 20m; cph: Mick Bornemann & Kerry Brown
1973	Dairying: Space and Systems [Meg Stewart & James Coffey] c; 19m; ep series 'Australian Geography'
1973	Irrigation [: The Ord River Scheme and the M.I.A.] [Meg Stewart & Oliver Howes] c; 17m; ep series 'Australian Geography'
1973	The Fifth Facade [: The Making of the Sydney Opera House] [Donald Crombie] 16mm + 35bu/c; 28m; co-c.op; ph: Bruce Hillyard
1973	Close Your Eyes and Hold Your Stomach [Curtis Levy] c; 38m; cph: Geoff Burton
1973	Muster [Don McAlpine] c; 9m; cph: Geoff Williams; ep #42 of series 'Australian Colour Diary'
1973	A Voice to Be Heard [Greg Reading] c; 51m
1974	Your Voice [Greg Reading] c; ?m; shortened version of 'A Voice to Be Heard' (1973)
1974	Community Health: The Australian Concept [John Sexton] c; 26m; cph: Peter Levy
1975	Health Centres: The Canberra Concept [John Sexton] c; 13m
1974	The Royal Visit: Surf Carnival 1974 [prod: Peter Johnson] 16mm/c; 13m; cph: Frank Hruby
1974	Sacred Heart College for Boys [Chris Noonan] c; 13m; ep series 'A Place Where Books Are Kept'
1975	Penshurst Girls' High School [Chris Noonan] c; 15m; ep series 'A Place Where Books Are Kept'
1975	Sunshine North Technical School [Chris Noonan] c; 21m; ep series 'A Place Where Books Are Kept'
1975	A Balinese Gong Orchestra [Keith Gow] 16mm/c; 17m; ep 10-part series 'Our Asian Neighbours - Indonesia'
1975	Marvel - A Jakarta Boy [Keith Gow] c; 17m; ep 10-part series 'Our Asian Neighbours - Indonesia'
1975	Mastri - A Balinese Woman [Keith Gow] c; 18m; cph: Gajah Soepardi; ep 10-part series 'Our Asian Neighbours - Indonesia'
1975	Pak Menggung - A Javanese Aristocrat [Keith Gow] c; 21m; cph: Gajah Soepardi; ep 10-part series 'Our Asian Neighbours - Indonesia'
1975	Sinaga's Family - A Batak Village [Keith Gow] c; 18m; ep 10-part series 'Our Asian Neighbours - Indonesia'
1975	Penang - Malaysia [John Morris] ?; ?m
1975	Alpha [Theo van Leeuwen] ?; ?m; prod AFTRS
1977	Models and Methods [Donald Ham] 16mm/c; ?m
1977	The Near Edge - Three Families of the Global Village [Donald Ham] 16mm/c; 26m
1980	Jim [Donald Crombie] ?; ?m
*2011*	[100 Days in the Jungle:] Project Borneo 3D [Cathy Henkel] a teaser film was prod in 2010; scheduled to start shooting in June, but prod was delayed and Ismail Fahmi Lubish was announced as ph

TELEVISION
1975	The Norman Gunston Show [John Eastway] 25-part variety parody series, 1975-76; cph film seg 1st season (May-July); for ABC (Australia)-tv
1980	The Children of An Lac [John L. Moxey] tvm
1982	Now and Forever [Adrian Carr (replaced Richard Cassidy)] tvm
1986	Bob Dylan in Concert/Hard to Handle: Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers [Gillian Armstrong] mus special/56m; filmed in Sydney, Australia; for HBO-tv

FILMS AS DIRECTOR
1973	Muster [doc] see Documentaries
1976	The Crew [: On the Set of Storm Boy] [dir] 16mm/c; making-of doc/21m; ph: Mick Clark; on the making of 'Storm Boy'