Robert Elswit


Robert Christopher Elswit, is an American cinematographer. He has had multiple Oscar, BAFTA and Independent Spirit nominations for several films, including winning for There Will Be Blood. Elswit has frequently collaborated with Paul Thomas Anderson.

Biography

Elswit was born in California. An early short film he worked on was the 1982 television adaptation for Ray Bradbury's short story All Summer in a Day. He began his career as a visual effects camera operator at John Dykstra's Apogee Productions Inc., working on films like , The Empire Strikes Back and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, before shooting made-for-television films and shows.
Elswit is a fierce defender of shooting with film, and whenever possible refuses to use digital cameras. Images shot digitally, he says, have "no texture, no grain." He’d eventually start shooting in digital, starting with Nightcrawler.
Elswit has worked with George Clooney several times. He shot his black and white, multiple-Oscar nominated film Good Night, and Good Luck. Elswit shot the film in color, and converted the film into black and white in post production. According to Elswit, the technique preserved the subtlety of the colors and made the overall look much richer in the final film. Elswit was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Good Night, and Good Luck, but lost to Dion Beebe for Memoirs of a Geisha. Elswit won the award for There Will Be Blood in 2008.
Elswit has cited early independent filmmaker John Cassavetes as a major influence. Elswit is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and worked there as a teaching assistant in the 1970s.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1981The End of AugustBob Graham
1982Waltz Across TexasErnest Day
1985The Sure ThingRob Reiner
1985Moving ViolationsNeal Israel
1985Desert HeartsDonna Deitch
1986Trick or TreatCharles Martin Smith
1987Amazing Grace and ChuckMike Newell
1988Return of the Living Dead Part IIKen Wiederhorn
1989How I Got into CollegeSavage Steve Holland
1989Heart of DixieMartin Davidson
1990Bad InfluenceCurtis Hanson
1991Paris TroutStephen Gyllenhaal
1992The Hand That Rocks the CradleCurtis Hanson
1992WaterlandStephen Gyllenhaal
1993A Dangerous WomanStephen Gyllenhaal
1994The River WildCurtis Hanson
1996Hard EightPaul Thomas AndersonNominated - Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography
1996The PallbearerMatt Reeves
1996BoysStacy Cochran
1997Boogie NightsPaul Thomas Anderson
1997Tomorrow Never DiesRoger Spottiswoode
19998mmJoel Schumacher
1999MagnoliaPaul Thomas Anderson
2000BounceDon Roos
2001HeistDavid Mamet
2002ImpostorGary Fleder
2002Punch-Drunk LovePaul Thomas Anderson
2003Behind the Red DoorMatia Karrell
2003GigliMartin Brest
2003Runaway JuryGary Fleder
2005Good Night, and Good LuckGeorge ClooneyIndependent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography
Nominated - Academy Award for Best Cinematography
Nominated - ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
Nominated - Camerimage Golden Frog Award
Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Cinematography
2005SyrianaStephen Gaghan
2006American DreamzPaul Weitz
2007Michael ClaytonTony Gilroy
2007There Will Be BloodPaul Thomas AndersonAcademy Award for Best Cinematography
ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography
Nominated - BSC Best Cinematography Award
Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Cinematography
2008RedbeltDavid Mamet
2008The Burning PlainGuillermo Arriaga
2009DuplicityTony Gilroy
2009The Men Who Stare at GoatsGrant Heslov
2010Lost Masterpieces of PornographyDavid Mamet
2010The TownBen Affleck
2010SaltPhillip NoyceNominated - Satellite Award for Best Cinematography
2011'Brad Bird
2012The Bourne LegacyTony Gilroy
2014Inherent VicePaul Thomas AndersonNominated - Satellite Award for Best Cinematography
2014NightcrawlerDan Gilroy
2015'Christopher McQuarrie
2016GoldStephen Gaghan
2017SuburbiconGeorge Clooney
2017Roman J. Israel, Esq.Dan Gilroy
2018SkyscraperRawson Marshall Thurber
2018Write When You Get WorkStacy Cochran
2019Velvet BuzzsawDan Gilroy
2020The King of Staten IslandJudd Apatow

Television

Awards and nominations

Academy Award for Best Cinematography
American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
Austin Film Critics Association for Best Cinematography
Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Cinematography
BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography
British Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography
CableACE Award for Direction of Photography and/or Lighting Direction for a Dramatic or Theatrical Special/Movie or Miniseries
Camerimage Golden Frog Award
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
Houston Film Critics Society for Best Cinematography
Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography
International Online Cinema Awards for Best Cinematography
International Online Film Critics' Poll Award for Best Cinematography
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematographer
New York Film Critics Online for Best Cinematography
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography
Satellite Award for Best Cinematography
St. Louis Film Critics Association
Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography