Denys Neil Coop (20 July 1920 – 16 August 1981) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

camera operator and cinematographer. He was a president of the

British Society of Cinematographers The British Society of Cinematographers (abbreviated B.S.C. or BSC) was formed in 1949 by Bert Easey (23 August 1901 – 28 February 1973), the then head of the Denham and Pinewood studio camera departments, to represent British cinematographers ...

from 1973 to 1975. Coop was best known for his works on the film ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

'' (1978), for which he and his team won the

Special Achievement Academy Award The Special Achievement Award is an Academy Award given for an achievement that makes an exceptional contribution to the motion picture for which it was created, but for which there is no annual award category. Many of the film projects that recei ...

and the Michael Balcon Award.

Early life and career

He began his career in the

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

as apprentice to Freddie Young. In the 1960s he was Director of Photography on films such as '' A Kind of Loving'' (1962), ''

This Sporting Life ''This Sporting Life'' is a 1963 British kitchen sink drama film directed by Lindsay Anderson. Based on the 1960 novel of the same name by David Storey, which won the 1960 Macmillan Fiction Award, it recounts the story of a rugby league footb ...

'' (1963), ''

Billy Liar ''Billy Liar'' is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, a film, a musical and a TV series. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popular songs. The semi-comical story is about William Fisher, ...

'' (1963) and ''

Bunny Lake Is Missing ''Bunny Lake Is Missing'' is a 1965 British-American psychological drama film, directed and produced by Otto Preminger. Filmed in black-and-white widescreen format in London, it was based on the 1957 novel '' Bunny Lake Is Missing'' by Merriam ...

'' (1965).

Awards and nominations

In 1979, he was one of a team of artists to win a special

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

for visual effects in ''

''. In addition to the Oscar, Coop was also awarded a BAFTA (the Michael Balcon award) for his work on ''Superman'' (as Creative Director of Process Photography). He was also awarded the Bert Easey award by the British Society of Cinematographers. He was nominated for the Best Cinematography (B&W) BAFTA in 1964 for ''Billy Liar'', in 1965 for '' King and Country'', and in 1967 for ''Bunny Lake is Missing''. His black and white cinematography on films such as these, and ''This Sporting Life'' amongst others earned him the reputation as one of the finest B&W cinematographers of his generation.

Personal

He has been followed into the film industry by his son, Trevor Coop (Camera Operator), and his three grandchildren, Jason Coop (focus puller), Gareth Coop (Clapper Loader), and Amy Coop (Assistant Director)

References

External links

Denys Coop at the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers
* 1920 births 1981 deaths Special Achievement Academy Award winners British cinematographers BAFTA winners (people) {{UK-film-bio-stub