Harris Savides (/səˈviːdɪs/; Greek: Χάρης Σαββίδης; September 28, 1957 – October 9, 2012)[1] was an American cinematographer. Nominated for a BAFTA Award and five Independent Spirit Award, 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).
Harris Savides | |
|---|---|
 Savides in 2008 | |
| Born | September 28, 1957 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 9, 2012 (aged 55) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Cinematographer |
| Years active | 1993–2012 |
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
editFeature films
editSavides first solo job as a cinematographer was on the thriller Heaven's Prisoners (1996), directed by Phil Joanou and starring Alec Baldwin.[2] 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.[3] One of his earliest jobs was being the director of photography on a workout video from Cindy Crawford.[4]
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.[5] 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."[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
Music videos and short films
editSavides 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.)[9] Savides was also the cinematographer for the Tom Waits music video, "Goin' Out West" (directed by Jesse Dylan).[10]
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.[11] 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.[12]
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.[13]
Personal life
editSavides 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.[1][14] He graduated with a degree in photography and film from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.[2][9]
Savides lived in Manhattan with his wife Medine, and daughter Sophie. He died from brain cancer, at age 55.[1]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Lake Consequence | Rafael Eisenman |
| 1996 | Heaven's Prisoners | Phil Joanou |
| 1997 | The Game | David Fincher |
| 1998 | Illuminata | John Turturro |
| 2000 | Finding Forrester | Gus Van Sant |
| The Yards | James Gray | |
| 2002 | Gerry | Gus Van Sant |
| 2003 | Elephant | |
| 2004 | Birth | Jonathan Glazer |
| 2005 | Last Days | Gus Van Sant |
| 2007 | American Gangster | Ridley Scott |
| Margot at the Wedding | Noah Baumbach | |
| Zodiac | David Fincher | |
| 2008 | Milk | Gus Van Sant |
| 2009 | Whatever Works | Woody Allen |
| 2010 | Greenberg | Noah Baumbach |
| Somewhere | Sofia Coppola | |
| 2011 | Restless | Gus Van Sant |
| 2013 | The Bling Ring* | Sofia Coppola |
*Posthumous release
Awards and nominations
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Weber, Bruce Harris Savides, Visual Poet, Dies at 55 New York Times, October 12, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
- ^ a b 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
- ^ "Harris Savides | Cinematographer, Camera and Electrical Department, Actor". IMDb. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ Id.
- ^ The Essentials: The Works of Harris Savides, http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-essentials-our-favorite-work-by-cinematographer-harris-savides-20121011
- ^ Lim, Dennis It’s What She Knows: The Luxe Life New York Times, December 10, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
- ^ Linda Barnard (January 8, 2011). "Interview: Sofia Coppola". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
- ^ Chiaroscuro – From Caravaggio to Harris Savides, http://cdn.halcyonrealms.com/film/chiaroscuro-from-carravagio-to-harris-savides/
- ^ a b "Harris Savides - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ Tom Waits Fan, Music Videos, Filmography, http://www.tomwaitsfan.com/tom%20waits%20library/www.tomwaitslibrary.com/filmography/filmographypromos-menu.html
- ^ The Follow (2001) - IMDb, retrieved December 21, 2023
- ^ The Key to Reserva, Official Film Page, http://www.scorsesefilmfreixenet.com/video_eng.htm
- ^ "The Essentials:The Works Of Harris Savides | The Playlist". blogs.indiewire.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012.
- ^ Joanna Varikos, Cinematographer Harris Savides, 55, Passes Away, http://hollywood.greekreporter.com/2012/10/11/cinematographer-harris-savides-55-passes-away/
- ^ ""Far From Heaven" Sweeps 2003 Independent Spirit Awards". IndieWire. March 22, 2003. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "Far From Heaven tops New York critics awards". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "American Beauties". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "Harris Savides - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ "'Whale' of a day at Spirits". Variety. November 29, 2005. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "Film in 2008". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "Martin Scorsese Brings "Lost" Hitchcock Film to Screen in Short Faux Documentary". Open Culture. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "2009 Spirit Award nominations list". Variety. December 2, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "Winners Announced For 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards". CBS News. February 26, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "'Silver Linings,' 'Moonrise Kingdom' Lead Spirit Award Nominations". IndieWire. November 27, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
External links
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