#1: From the doc "Cinematographer Style"

#3: "The Rocketeer" [1990]

 

   


HIRO NARITA   ASC

 

Born: 26 June 1941, Seoul, Korea, as Hiro Morikawa. Raised in Nara, Honshu, Japan [1945-57] and Oahu, Hawaii [since 1957]

Education: Kaimuki High School Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii; San Francisco Art Institute [BFA in 1964].

Career: Entered a national student competition in 1960 and won a 4-year scholarship to study at the San Francisco Art Institute. 'I went to the San Francisco Art Institute to study graphic design and story illustration. I also took some still-photography classes there. Though trained as an illustrator, I quickly felt confined and limited by static images, and that led me to explore images over time, choreographed images - motion pictures. It may not be simple coincidence that I so loved movies as a child; I certainly feel it played a role in my choice of profession. When I got out of the U.S. Army [he served as designer/photographer (1964-66)], John Korty, the Bay Area director of 'The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman', took me under his wing. I apprenticed with him for more than three years as an assistant cameraman, gaffer, projectionist, film-poster designer, etc. I even took on an animation project, doing all the artwork and filming it. After I did some additional photography on Antonioni's 'Zabriskie Point', John Korty gave me my first substantial film, a TV movie called 'Farewell to Manzanar'.' [From the ASC website.]

Ph many doc's for BBC-tv, WGBH-tv and David Wolper Productions.

Member of the ASC since 1993.

Was married [1971-2013] to script superv Barbara Parker.

Appeared in the doc 'Cinematographer Style' [2005, Jon Fauer; ph: J. Fauer, Jeff Laszlo, Brian Heller & David Morgan].

Awards: 'Emmy' Award nom [1975/6] for 'Farewell to Manzanar'; BSFC Award [1984] & NSFC Award [1984] for 'Never Cry Wolf'; 'Emmy' Award nom [2000] for 'Dirty Pictures'; 'Emmy' Award nom [2001; shared] for 'Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks'; Boston IFF 'Best Cinematography' Award [2006] for 'Valley of the Heart's Delight'.


'Shadrach' [1997]: 'My recent period film, 'Shadrach' - a boy's remembrance of the death of a hundred year old former slave - called for simplicity and naturalism in lighting. By that I mean the source of light, especially on interiors, needed to seem to come from natural, logical places or windows. This is, of course, purely conceptual as we all know. To create such a look, we cinematographers often use seemingly illogical means and methods. For instance, I feel that in reality the light in a room with a window is, in fact, rarely uniform in color temperature. So I mix tungsten with HMI sources [each requiring some gels to keep the lamps within 1000 degrees Kelvin of one another]. This creates a rather natural look and gives depth to an image - and it is not tinted or colored as one might expect. In 'Shadrach', I dispensed with any hint of sepia tone, which is often used when lighting such period films. Any other chromatic feeling came from collaboration with the art and costume departments.'


 FILMS

1969

Zabriskie Point [Michelangelo Antonioni] p/c; addph; ph: Alfio Contini

1973

Silence/Cry Silence/Crazy Jack and the Boy [John Korty & H. Kaye Dyal (took over from J. Korty)] c; as Hiro Morikawa

1974

Memory of Us [H. Kaye Dyal] c; as Hiro Morikawa

1976

The Last Waltz [Martin Scorsese] c; interv + concert film/115m; co-addph; ph: Michael Chapman; concert filmed 25 November (San Francisco)

1977

Who'll Stop the Rain/Dog Soldiers [Karel Reisz] c; uncred co-addph; ph: Richard H. Kline

1978

Rust Never Sleeps [Bernard Shakey (= Neil Young)] c; concert film/103m; cph: Robbie Greenberg, Jon Else, David Myers, Daniel Pearl, Larry A. Johnson, Paul Goldsmith & Richard Pearce

1980

Never·Cry·Wolf [Carroll Ballard] c; 2u c.op: Stephen St. John; uwph: Al Giddings; released in 1983

1981

Mr. Adler and the Opera [Eugene Finley] c; doc/59m; cph: Tim Metzger; for Encyclopædia Britannica

1982

[Star Wars: Episode VI -] Return of the Jedi [Richard Marquand] J-D-C Scope (+ 70bu)/c; co-addph; ph: Alan Hume & (uncred) Alec Mills

1983

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom [Steven Spielberg] c; ?; ph: Douglas Slocombe

1983

Prince Jack [Bert Lovitt] c

1984

Sylvester [Tim Hunter] c; 2uc: Rexford Metz

1986

Nutcracker - The Motion Picture [Carroll Ballard] c; addph; ph: Stephen Burum

1986

Fire with Fire/Captive Hearts [Duncan Gibbins] c

1986

No Man's Land [Peter Werner] c; 2uc: Roy H. Wagner

1987

The Unbearable Lightness of Being [Philip Kaufman] c; addph; ph: Sven Nykvist

1988

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [Joe Johnston] c; ph Mexico: Henner Hofmann; spec vfx ph: Rick Fichter; addph scorpion crew: Peter Kozachik

1988

Shuttlecock [Jerry Barrish] 16mm/b&w-c

1989

Always [Steven Spielberg] c; vfx ph; ph: Mikael Salomon

1989

Tummy Trouble [Rob Minkoff & (live action seq) Frank Marshall] c; 'Roger Rabbit'-short/7m; ph live action seq

1990

Roller Coaster Rabbit [Rob Minkoff & (live action seq) Frank Marshall] c; 'Roger Rabbit'-short/7m; ph live action seq

1990

The Rocketeer [Joe Johnston] p/c; 2uc: Frank Holgate & Rexford Metz; vfx ph: Patrick Turner

1991

The Inland Sea [Lucille Carra] b&w-c; doc/56m

 

[Center] with Nicholas Meyer and c.op Kristin Glover

"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"

 

1991

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country [Nicholas Meyer] s35 (+ 70bu)/c; 2uc: John V. Fante; aph: Clinton O. Johnson; matte ph: Craig Barron

1992

Gunmen [Deran Sarafian] p/c; 2uc Mexico: Guillermo Rosas

1992

Hocus Pocus [Kenny Ortega] c; anim ph: Brandy Hill; optical ph: Kevin Koneval, Ron Peterson & Jim Mann

1993

White Fang II: Myth of the White Wolf [Ken Olin] c; 2uc: James Devis & A.J. Vesak

 

[Left/background] with Henry Selick & actor Paul Terry

"James and the Giant Peach"

 

1994

James and the Giant Peach [Henry Selick] c; live action ph; anim ph: Pete Kozachik

1995

The Arrival/Shockwave [David Twohy] c; 2uc: Isidore Mankofsky; addph: Arthur Botham; aph: John M. Stephens

1996

Sub Down [: Take the Dive]/Crush Depth [Alan Smithee (= Gregg Champion)] c; 2uc: Roger Simonsz

1997

Visas and Virtue [Chris Tashima] b&w-c; short/26m

1997

Conceiving Ada [Lynn Hershman-Leeson] p/c; ph virtual sets: Bill Zarchy

1997

Shadrach [Susanna Styron] c; see above

1997

Simon Birch/Angels and Armadillos [Mark Steven Johnson] c; co-2uc; ph: Aaron Schneider

1998

I'll Be Home for Christmas [Arlene Sanford] c; 2uc: Don McCuaig

1998

Fortress 2 [Geoff Murphy] c

1999

Dvorak and America [Lucille Carra & Brian Cotnoir] c; mus doc/56m; cph: Antonín Chundela & Allen Moore

2001

The Time Machine [Simon Wells] p/c; 2uc; ph: Donald McAlpine

2001

The Scorpion King [Chuck Russell] s35/c; 2uc; ph: John R. Leonetti

2001

Teknolust [Lynn Hershman-Leeson] HD (Sony F900)-to-35mm/c

2001

Night of Henna [Hassan Zee] c; released in 2005

2002

Anger Management [Peter Segal] p/c; 2uc (+ 2ud New York); ph: Donald McAlpine

2003

Day of Independence [Chris Tashima; short] announced as doph, but replaced by Stacy Toyama

2004

Enfants Terribles [Terry Nemeroff] announced as ph, but film was ph by Stephen Sheridan

2004

The Darwin Awards [Finn Taylor] c; 2uc: Georgia Packard

2005

Valley of the Heart's Delight [Tim Boxell] HD (Sony F900)/c

2006

Strange Culture [Lynn Hershman-Leeson] dv (Panasonic AG-DVX100)-to-35mm/c; dram doc/75m; 2uc: Charlie Kuttner, Lise Swenson & Unsu Lee

2006

Generic Thriller [Scott Sublett] dv (Panasonic AG-DVX100)/c; uncred; 2uc: Todd Banhazl; + visual cons

2007

A Perfect Place [Derrick Scocchera] p/b&w; short/25m

2008

La mission/Mission Street Rhapsody [Peter Bratt] c; addph: Billy D. Marchese & Johnny Radzik

2010

!Women Art Revolution/!W.A.R. [Lynn Hershman-Leeson] ?/c; doc/83m; cph: L. Hershman-Leeson, Charlie Kuttner, Lise Swenson, Steve Jensen, Fawn Yacker, a.o.; for over forty years, dir Lynn Hershman-Leeson has collected hundreds of hours of interviews + recent interviews (2006-08)

2011

Love & Taxes [Jacob Kornbluth] c; released in 2015

 

 TELEVISION

1975

Farewell to Manzanar [John Korty] tvm

197?

Vegetable Soup [various] 78-part educational children's program, 1975-78; for PBS-tv

1977

Nanette: An Aside [Rik van Glintenkamp] tvm/39m

1983

The Haunting Passion [John Korty] tvm

1983

Vietnam: A Television History [ep 'The End of the Tunnel (1973-1975)/The Fall of Saigon' written/prod by Elizabeth Deane] 13-part doc series for PBS-tv (1983) & 11-part series for PBS-tv series 'American Experience' (1997); cph: John Gordon, Judy Irola, Peter Hoving, Gerry Pinches & Jerry Hogrewe

1984

Amerika [Donald Wrye] 7-part miniseries, 1987; vfx ph: Bryan Greenberg

1984

Half-Slave, Half-Free/Solomon Northrup's Odyssey [Gordon Parks] tvm; ep PBS-tv series 'American Playhouse'

1984

Go Tell It On the Mountain [Stan Lathan] tvm; ep PBS-tv series 'American Playhouse'

1984

The Ewok Adventure/Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure [John Korty] tvm; title background ph; ph: John Korty; released theatrically outside USA

1985

The Blue Yonder/Time Flyer [Mark Rosman] tvm

1987

Pigeon Feathers/The Revolt of Mother [Sharron Miller] tvm/48m; ep PBS-tv series 'American Playhouse'

1989

Mothers, Daughters and Lovers/American River [Matthew Robbins] tvm

1990

Plymouth [Lee David Zlotoff] tvm

1991

Two-Fisted Tales [seg 'Showdown' dir by Richard Donner] pilot/3 seg; for Fox-tv; pilot failed, shown as ep (#46) of '[HBO's] Tales from the Crypt', 4th season, 1992; other ph: Gary Kibbe & Don Burgess

1993

They/They Watch/Children of the Mist/The Lost Souls [John Korty] tvm

1993

Long Shadows [Sheldon Larry] tvm; ep PBS-tv series 'American Playhouse'

1994

Siegfried & Roy: The Magic, the Mystery [Charles A. Bangert] variety special; for ABC-tv

1997

Isamu Noguchi: Stones and Paper [Hiro Narita] doc/59m/16mm; ep PBS-tv series 'American Masters'

1999

Dirty Pictures [Frank Pierson] tvm

2000

Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks [Craig Rice] doc/91m; addph; ph: Henry Adebonojo

2000

Gilmore Girls/Gilmore Girls: Beginnings [pilot dir by Lesli Linka Glatter] 153-part series/s16, 2000-07; 1st season, 2000-01; other ph: Teresa Medina (+ cph pilot), Ron Garcia & Michael Price

2001

Other People [Michael W. Watkins] pilot

2007

Shrink Rap [ep #5 'Robin Williams' dir by Michael Waldman or Ian Lilley] 14-part talk-show series, 2007-10; 1st season; cph: Wes Dorman & Tim Metzger

 

 MISCELLANEOUS

1977

Apocalypse Now [Francis Coppola] c.op insert ph; insert ph: Caleb Deschanel; longer version, 'Apocalypse Now Redux', released in 2001

1978

More American Graffiti/Purple Haze [B.W.L. Norton] co-c.op; ph: Caleb Deschanel

1978

Human Highway [Dean Stockwell & Bernard Shakey (= Neil Young)] co-c.op dream seq; ph: David Myers

1979

Shadows and Light - by Joni Mitchell [Joni Mitchell; feature film seq + mus perf/73m] co-c.op; ph: David Myers; filmed September

1982

The Right Stuff [Philip Kaufman] co-add c.op; ph: Caleb Deschanel

2007

All About Dad [Mark Tran] visual cons; ph: Todd Banhazl

 

 FILMS AS DIRECTOR

1974

Vision USA No. 32 [co-dir: Paul Ryan & Peter Schnitzler] 16mm/c; ep (27m) of doc series, 1972-79; ph: ?; prod United States Information Agency

1997

Isamu Noguchi: Stones and Paper [tv-doc; + ph] see Television