John P. Fulton,

A.S.C. The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinema ...

(November 1902, in

Beatrice, Nebraska Beatrice () is a city in and the county seat of Gage County, Nebraska, United States. Its population was 12,459 at the 2010 census. Beatrice is located approximately 25 miles south of Lincoln on the Big Blue River and is surrounded by agricultu ...

– July 1966, in London, England) was an American special effects supervisor and

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

. His work included the parting of the Red Sea scene in the 1956 film '' The Ten Commandments''.

Biography

Though Fulton began his adult life as a

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

, he became involved in the movie industry after accepting a job as an assistant cameraman with the

D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

Company. This led to a job at the Frank D. Williams Studio in Los Angeles, where Fulton learned the basics of optical composites and

traveling matte Mattes are used in photography and special effects filmmaking to combine two or more image elements into a single, final image. Usually, mattes are used to combine a foreground image (e.g. actors on a set) with a background image (e.g. a scenic ...

photography, which would serve him so well for the rest of his career. In time he became a

camera operator A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not imply that a male is performing the task. In filmmaking ...

and acted as cinematographer in his first official credit in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

with the early sound drama '' She Goes to War''. His experiments and experience with camerawork eventually lead him to the special effects department at Universal Pictures, assisting in the special effects of the landmark horror film '' Frankenstein'' in

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

. Fulton eventually became head of the special effects department at Universal. Fulton followed his early success as special effects supervisor with a number of memorable films, many of them of the

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

genre, including John Ford's ''

Air Mail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the ...

'' and ''

The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places *Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States *Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...

'' in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

. The following year he created some of the most astounding effects of the time in '' The Invisible Man'' as well as

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

's '' Bride of Frankenstein''. Between other film projects, he worked on the special effects for three sequels to the successful ''Invisible Man'', and received Academy Award nominations for his work in all three films, as well as the

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...

musical '' The Boys from Syracuse''. While on loan to Samuel Goldwyn in

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

, he earned a Special Effects Academy Award for his work in the

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...

fantasy '' Wonder Man''. In 1953, however, after the death of Gordon Jennings,

, he became the head of the special effects department at

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

, which led to his work on '' The Naked Jungle'' (1954), ''

Elephant Walk ''Elephant Walk'' is a 1954 American drama film produced by Paramount Pictures, directed by William Dieterle, and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Dana Andrews, Peter Finch and Abraham Sofaer.It is based upon the 1948 novel ''Elephant Walk'' by "Robe ...

'' (1954), Alfred Hitchcock's '' Rear Window'' (1954), Billy Wilder's ''

Sabrina Sabrina may refer to: * Sabrina (given name), a feminine given name, including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name People * Sabrina (actress), stage name of Norma Ann Sykes (1936–2016), a British glamour model and actres ...

'' (1954), and ''

The Bridges at Toko-Ri ''The Bridges at Toko-Ri'' is a 1954 American war film about the Korean War and stars William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney, and Robert Strauss. The film, which was directed by Mark Robson, was produced by Paramount Pictur ...

'' (1954). Fulton won his second Academy Award for ''The Bridges at Toko-Ri''. Fulton also became known for his collaborations with

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

. Though he had worked on

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

's '' Saboteur'', the two did not begin their frequent collaborations until

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

's '' Rear Window''. Fulton's work for Hitchcock culminated with

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

's '' Vertigo''. Though the film met lukewarm reception when released, it has gained almost legendary status in recent years, especially for its innovative special effects. In

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

, Fulton won his final Best Special Effects Academy Award for his work on Cecil B. DeMille's '' The Ten Commandments '' (1956), in which he parted the Red Sea, among other impressive special photographic effects. After leaving Paramount Pictures in the early '60s, Fulton continued to work until his death in 1966. While working in Spain on '' Battle of Britain'' (1969), he contracted a rare infection and died shortly thereafter in a London hospital. John P. Fulton's body of work includes some 250 films spanning nearly four decades. His daughter Joanne Fulton recalled his life and career in an 18-page interview in the book "A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde" ( McFarland & Co., 2010) by Tom Weaver.

Academy Awards - (Special Photographic Effects)

* 1940: Nominated for '' The Boys from Syracuse'' (Universal) - John P. Fulton,

ASC ASC may refer to: Educational institutions * Anglican Schools Commission, Australia * Andres Soriano Colleges of Bislig, located in Surigao del Sur, Philippines * Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia Organizations Australia * Australian Singing ...

(photographic effects) * 1940: Nominated for ''

The Invisible Man Returns ''The Invisible Man Returns'' is a 1940 American horror science fiction film directed by Joe May. The film stars Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Nan Grey and John Sutton. The film is a sequel to the 1933 film ''The Invisible Man'', and the sec ...

'' (Universal) - John P. Fulton,

(photographic effects) * 1941: Nominated for ''

The Invisible Woman The Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel dur ...

'' (Universal) - John P. Fulton,

(photographic effects) * 1942: Nominated for ''

Invisible Agent ''Invisible Agent'' is a 1942 American action and spy film directed by Edwin L. Marin with a screenplay written by Curt Siodmak. The invisible agent is played by Jon Hall, with Peter Lorre and Sir Cedric Hardwicke as members of the Axis, and ...

'' (Universal) - John P. Fulton,

(photographic effects) * 1945: Won for '' Wonder Man'' (Goldwyn; RKO Radio) - John P. Fulton,

(photographic effects) * 1949: Nominated for '' Tulsa'' (Walter Wanger Pictures) - John P. Fulton,

(photographic effects) * 1955: Won for ''

'' (Paramount) - John P. Fulton,

(photographic effects) * 1956: Won for '' The Ten Commandments'' (DeMille; Paramount) - John P. Fulton,

(photographic effects)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fulton, John P. 1902 births 1965 deaths Special effects people American cinematographers Artists from Nebraska Best Visual Effects Academy Award winners People from Beatrice, Nebraska