Harris Savides

Harris Savides ASC (; Greek: Χάρης Σαββίδης; September 28, 1957 – October 9, 2012)Weber, Bruc
Harris Savides, Visual Poet, Dies at 55
''New York Times'', October 12, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012. was an American cinematographer. Nominated for a BAFTA Award and five Independent Spirit Awards, he is most known for his collaborations with director Gus Van Sant including ''Finding Forrester'' (2000), ''Gerry'' (2002), ''Elephant'' (2003), '' Last Days'' (2005), ''Milk'' (2008), and '' Restless'' (2011).

He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for the Ridley Scott crime film '' American Gangster'' (2007). He also served as the cinematographer for David Fincher's '' The Game'' (1997), and ''Zodiac'' (2007); Woody Allen's '' Whatever Works'' (2009); Jonathan Glazer's ''Birth'' (2004); Sofia Coppola's ''Somewhere'' (2010) and '' The Bling Ring'' (2013); Noah Baumbach's '' Margot at the Wedding'' (2007), and '' Greenberg'' (2009). For his work on the Martin Scorsese short film '' The Key to Reserva'' (2007) he won the Clio Award.

Career

Feature films

Savides first solo job as a cinematographer was on the thriller '' Heaven's Prisoners'' (1996), directed by Phil Joanou and starring Alec Baldwin.Jay A. Hernandez, 'Zodiac,' 'Milk' and 'American Gangster' Cinematographer Harris Savides Has Died at Age 55, http://www.indiewire.com/article/zodiac-milk-and-american-gangster-cinematographer-harris-savides-dies Before that film, he served as a cinematographer on a TV short film entitled ''The Investigator'' (1994) directed by Matthew Tabak and a TV movie ''Lake Consequence'' (1993) directed by Rafael Eisenman.

Savides was the cinematographer for a total of six films directed by Gus Van Sant: ''Gerry'', ''Elephant'', '' Last Days'', ''Milk'', ''Finding Forrester'', and '' Restless''. Savides also shot two films for David Fincher: '' The Game'' and the mostly digital ''Zodiac'', and the footage that was used in the opening title sequence of Fincher's '' Seven''. With Noah Baumbach Savides was director of photography on '' Greenberg'' and '' Margot at the Wedding''. He was also the director of photography for Ridley Scott's '' American Gangster'' and Woody Allen's '' Whatever Works''. He was additionally the director of photography on a film directed by John Turturro, '' Illuminata''.

Savides was also the cinematographer on two films directed by Sofia Coppola, '' The Bling Ring'' and ''Somewhere'', a departure from Coppola's regular DP Lance Acord. For the visual style of ''Somewhere'', she discussed Bruce Weber's Hollywood portraits and Helmut Newton's of models at the Chateau Marmont, and ''Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles'' (1975), the film by Chantal Akerman about the routine of a Belgian housewife, with Savides. Savides said, "The main thing was to tell the story really simply and let it play out in long beats and have the audience discover the moment."Lim, Denni
It’s What She Knows: The Luxe Life
''New York Times'', December 10, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2011. Coppola used the lenses that her father had filmed ''Rumble Fish'' (1983) with in an effort to give the film a more period look, although it is set in the present. ''The Bling Ring'' was Savides' last film.

Besides his frequent collaborations with Gus Van Sant, David Fincher, Noah Baumbach and Sofia Coppola, Savides was known for the very delicate images that he created for '' The Yards'' (directed by James Gray) and ''Birth'' (directed by Jonathan Glazer). In both instances he underexposed the filmstock by several stops in order to break up the colors and give the blacks a purplish and brownish tint. This non-conventional approach leads to a look that resembles the paintings of Georges de La Tour and Caravaggio.

Music videos and short films

Savides was the cinematographer on a number of well-known music videos directed by Mark Romanek including Michael Jackson's '' Scream'', Madonna's ''Rain'' and '' Bedtime Story'', Fiona Apple's ''Criminal'', and Nine Inch Nails' '' Closer.'' He has also served as cinematographer on the music videos for The Rolling Stones' "Like A Rolling Stone" (directed by Michel Gondry), Chris Isaak's ''Blue Spanish Sky'' (directed by Bruce Weber) and R.E.M.'s ''Everybody Hurts'' (directed by Jake Scott, son of Ridley Scott). Savides is the only person to date that has won three MTV Video Music Awards for Best Cinematography in a Music Video (for Madonna's "Rain", Fiona Apple's "Criminal" and R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts") and the only person to win two in a row (for "Rain" by Madonna and "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M.)

Savides was also the director of photography on a short film directed by Wong Kar Wai for BMW's " The Hire" film series entitled ''The Follow''. The film starred Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke and Adriana Lima. Savides was also the director of photography on a short film directed by Martin Scorsese as a homage to Alfred Hitchcock (and also sponsored by Freixenet Cava champagne) entitled '' The Key to Reserva''.

Savides has also collaborated as a director of photography with director John Hillcoat ('' Lawless'', '' The Proposition'', '' The Road'') in a series of Levi's commercials for their "To Work" advertising campaign.

Personal life

Savides was born in New York City, New York, to parents of Greek Cypriot origin, Eleni, a clerical worker, and Savas Savides, a short-order cook.Joanna Varikos, Cinematographer Harris Savides, 55, Passes Away, http://hollywood.greekreporter.com/2012/10/11/cinematographer-harris-savides-55-passes-away/ He graduated with a degree in photography and film from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Savides lived in Manhattan with his wife Medine, and daughter Sophie. He died from brain cancer, at age 55.

Filmography

*Posthumous release

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Museum of the Moving Image interview

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savides, Harris
1957 births
2012 deaths
American cinematographers
American people of Greek Cypriot descent
Deaths from brain cancer in New York (state)
People from Manhattan