Ernest Day, B.S.C. (15 April 1927 - 16 November 2006) was a British

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

and director of film and television, known for his collaborations with

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema. He directed the large-scale epi ...

and

Lewis Gilbert Lewis Gilbert (6 March 1920 – 23 February 2018) was an English film director, producer and screenwriter who directed more than 40 films during six decades; among them such varied titles as '' Reach for the Sky'' (1956), '' Sink the Bismarck! ...

. He spent the majority of his career as 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 necessarily imply that a male is performing the task. ...

, often referred to Lean as his "eyes", and was the first British cameraman to operate a

70mm film 70 mm film (or 65 mm film) is a wide high-resolution film gauge for motion picture photography, with a negative area nearly 3.5 times as large as the standard 35 mm motion picture film format. As used in cameras, the film is wid ...

camera. He was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

and

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

for Lean's final film ''A Passage to India'' (1984).

Career

Early career

Day initially worked as a

clapper loader A clapper loader or second assistant camera (2nd AC) is part of a film crew whose main functions are that of loading the raw film stock into camera magazines, operating the clapperboard (slate) at the beginning of each take, marking the actors as ...

for various movies from 1944 to 1948, then as a

focus puller A focus puller or first assistant camera (1st AC) is a member of a film crew's camera department whose primary responsibility is to maintain the camera lens's optical focus on whatever subject or action is being filmed. "Pulling focus" refers t ...

for 1949 to 1950. Credited as a technician of ''

Hell Below Zero ''Hell Below Zero'' is a 1954 British-American adventure film directed by Mark Robson and starring Alan Ladd, Joan Tetzel, Basil Sydney and Stanley Baker. It was written by Alec Coppel and Max Trell based on the 1949 novel '' The White South ...

'' for

Warwick Films Warwick Films was a film company founded by film producers Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli in London in 1951. The name was taken from the Warwick New York Hotel, Warwick Hotel in New York City where Broccoli and his wife were staying at the ...

. He was a cameraman for the British film ''

The Cockleshell Heroes ''The Cockleshell Heroes'' is a 1955 British Technicolor war film with Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, Christopher Lee, David Lodge and José Ferrer, who also directed. The film depicts a heavily fictionalised version of Operation Frankton, t ...

'', released in 1955 and acted as camera operator on several more

. He continued this through 1976, when he contributed notably to American films ''

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

'' (1960), ''

Lord Jim ''Lord Jim'' is a novel by Joseph Conrad originally published as a serial in '' Blackwood's Magazine'' from October 1899 to November 1900. An early and primary event in the story is the abandonment of a passenger ship in distress by its crew, ...

'' (1965), the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

film '' You Only Live Twice'' (1967), ''Davey Major Roads (1969),

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

's ''

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

'' (1971), as well as three films by

. His last film as a cameraman was released in 1988.

Cinematography

As a cinematographer, he has worked on fourteen feature films, the first of which was Peter Collinson's British film ''

The Long Day's Dying ''The Long Day's Dying'' is a 1968 British Techniscope war film directed by Peter Collinson, and starring David Hemmings, Tony Beckley and Tom Bell. It is based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Alan White. Plot Three British paratroope ...

'', released in 1968. He also worked on

Bob Balaban Robert Elmer Balaban (born August 16, 1945) is an American actor, director, producer and writer. Aside from his acting career, Balaban has directed three feature films, in addition to numerous television episodes and films, and was one of the pro ...

's ''Parents'' (with

Randy Quaid Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor and comedian known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy. He was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in '' The ...

and

Mary Beth Hurt Mary Beth Hurt (''née'' Supinger; born September 25, 1946) is a retired American actress of stage and screen. She is a three-time Tony Award-nominated actress. Notable films in which Hurt appears include ''Interiors'' (1978), '' The World Accor ...

), released in 1989. Some other notable films include ''

Revenge of the Pink Panther ''Revenge of the Pink Panther'' is a 1978 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards. It is the sixth film in ''The Pink Panther'' comedy film series. Released in July 1978, it is the final on-set performance of Peter Sellers in the role of Inspector ...

'' (1978), David Lean's ''

A Passage to India ''A Passage to India'' is a 1924 novel by English author E. M. Forster set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. It was selected as one of the 100 great works of 20th-century English liter ...

'' (1984), and '' Superman 4'' (1987). Additionally, Day served as a director of photography for a number of TV movies between 1983 and 1994.

Director and Second Unit Director

Day resumed his collaboration with

second unit director A second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming s ...

of '' The Adventurers'' (1970), ''

Operation Daybreak ''Operation Daybreak'' (also known as ''The Price of Freedom'' in the U.S. and ''Seven Men at Daybreak'' during production) is a 1975 war film based on the true story of Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of SS general Reinhard Heydrich i ...

'' (1975), two more James Bond films, '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) and '' Moonraker'' (1979), and ''

Rambo III ''Rambo III'' is a 1988 American action film starring Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. Directed by Peter MacDonald, the script was co-written by Stallone and Sheldon Lettich. It is a sequel to '' Rambo: First Blood Part I ...

'' (1988), among others. Day also directed television episodes, such as two episodes of '' The New Avengers'' and a 1978 episode of '' The Professionals''. Day directed the theatrical films ''

Green Ice ''Green Ice'' is a 1981 British adventure film starring Ryan O'Neal. It was also released under the name ''Operation Green Ice''. Plot While drifting through Mexico, American engineer Joe Wiley meets well-heeled woman Liliana Holbrook, who sets h ...

'' (1981) and '' Waltz Across Texas'' (1982).

Filmography

Accolades

* 1985

Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture. History In its first film season, 1927–28, this award (like others such as the acting awards) w ...

: ''A Passage to India'' (nominated) * 1985 B.S.C. Best Cinematography Award: ''A Passage to India'' (nominated) * 1986

BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography The BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography is a film award presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) at the annual British Academy Film Awards to recognize a cinematographer who has delivered outstanding cinematography in ...

: ''A Passage to India'' (nominated) * 1992 Gemini Award for Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series: ''

Young Catherine ''Young Catherine'' is a 1991 British TV miniseries based on the early life of Catherine II of Russia. Directed by Michael Anderson, it stars Julia Ormond as Catherine and Vanessa Redgrave as Empress Elizabeth. Plot summary In the early 1740 ...

'' (nominated)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Ernest English cinematographers 1927 births 2006 deaths