Celebrity Biographies
Michael chapmann
Nicknamed “the poet of the sidewalks”, he was best known for having been at the service of Martin Scorsese in his best-known feature films, and he won two Oscar nominations. Cinematographer Michael Chapman passed away on September 20, 2020 at the age of 84, in Los Angeles, as a result of heart failure.
Born on November 21, 1935, in New York, Michael Chapman had no interest in cinema during his youth, when he was only passionate about sports. After high school he graduated in English from Columbia University. When he finished his studies, he was in need of work, and accepted a precarious contract in a railway company.
After marrying future filmmaker Amy Holden Jones , his father-in-law got him a job in the film industry, as a camera assistant. “It was one of the best jobs you could have, because you saw the movie before anyone else,” he said in an interview. “He practiced this job on titles like Jaws , by Steven Spielberg .
In 1973, Michael Chapman made the leap into cinematography with Hal Ashby ‘s Last Duty . He shone with his work with Martin Scorsese , first with Taxi Driver , where he established his particular style, marked by strong colors and great contrasts. Then with The Last Waltz , where he and the director designed a detailed strategy to film a concert by The Band, whom they both admired, with nine cameras. Finally with Raging Bull, where he demonstrated his expertise for black and white, and used all kinds of techniques, including handheld camera, or tying it to an actor. His effort was rewarded with an Oscar nomination for best photography. Years later he would achieve another for The Fugitive , by Andrew Davis , but he did not get the statuette either.
He worked with filmmaker Ivan Reitman on the comedies Kindergarten Cop , Ghostbusters II , and Evolution , and with Joel Schumacher on Undercover Boys . He said goodbye to the cinema in 2007 after A Bridge to Terabithia .