Best Cinematography for THE HOST |
(b. 24 June 1940 , Rome , Italy )
During a period of crisis in the Italian film industry, STORARO spends his time visiting galleries and studying the works of great painters, writers, musicians and other artists. Despite he starts receiving proposals to work as a Cinematographer, but feeling not yet prepared for respecting Cinematography as an art so much, he decides to continue to work as Cameraman. Still, being eager to learn more, he starts experimenting Cinematography concepts in several short films. Director Franco Rossi seeing one of STORARO's shorts, asks him to conceive the Cinematography for his film-project Giovinezza, giovinezza/ Youth March (1969). And so it goes STORARO's first film as Cinematographer. In 1970 he also collaborates in Dario Argento's first directing experience with L' Uccello dalle piume di cristallo/ The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970). -------------- BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI His first film collaboration with director Bernardo Bertolucci, as Cinematographer, takes place in Il Conformista/ The Conformist (1970) - previously STORARO had collaborated in Bertolucci's Prima della rivoluzione/ Before the Revolution (1964) as Cameraman. Amazingly, their first collaboration, gives STORARO his first career awards (two). That same year, a new collaboration with Strategia del ragno/ The Spider's Stratagem (1970) takes place and their partnership will be kept throughout their careers. Oscar nominated film title Ultimo tango a Parigi/ Last Tango in Paris (1972) by Bertolucci (Best Director) will also be an important event in STORARO's career being his first international film title to get a high nomination. From then on, it became clear that to each film title STORARO always tried to create a "light narrative" that would enhance key aspects of the film: he has explored the use of natural Light of the Renaissance and the relation between Light and Shadow for Giordano Bruno (1973); the passion of Passion of colour for Ultimo tango a Parigi/ Last Tango in Paris (1972) and Apocalyse Now (1979); the symbology of colours and colour opposites in Bertullici's La Luna/Luna (1979), and so on. For every single project he looked for an inspiration emanating from the film itself bringing narrative and image closer together. Two other film titles with Bertolucci followed ( Novecento/ 1900 (1976) and La Luna/ Luna (1979)). -------------- COPPOLA AND OSCAR AWARDS In 1979, his first collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola takes place in Apocalyse Now ( 1979). In STORARO's words: - "a life experience". Coppola's bold and intense film project was a profound experience for everyone involved and its final product was rewarded with 2 Oscars, another 13 wins and 32 nominations. Coppola gave STORARO complete creative control and for it, STORARO won his first Oscar (1980), his first BAFTA (UK) nomination (1980) and his first British Society of Cinematographers nomination (1979). From then on STORARO and Coppola kept a strong relation making him an important director in STORARO's career.
Reds (1981) directed by Warren Beatty gave STORARO his second Oscar (1982) and several other awards and nominations. (Two other collaborations followed with Dick Tracy (1990) - Best Cinematography Oscar nominated - and Bulworth (1998).)
Coppola's One From The Heart (1982) will be another strong experience in STORARO's career allowing him to experiment colour again, this time using colour physiology and playing with different wave lengths to built his narrative.
An important film in STORARO's career is Bertolucci's The Last Emperor (1987). It gave STORARO his third Oscar (1988) and also a David di Donatello ( Italy - 1988) and a British Society of Cinematographers (1989) award. For it he got his first American Society of Cinematographers nomination (1988) and a BAFTA Awards nomination (1989). Their following collaborations The Sheltering Sky (1990) and Little Buddha (1993) also have received several awards and nominations. -------------- LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS AND CARLOS SAURA In 1994 he receives a Lifetime Achievement Award at the main Cinematography world festival, Camerimage ( Poland ). The next following years, he will be a "Gold Frog" nominated for Flamenco (de Carlos Saura) (1995) and Taxi (1996) both directed by praised Spanish director Carlos Saura - another important partnership in STORARO's career. Their third collaboration Tango, No Me Dejes Nunca (1998) will give STORARO his first award in Argentina winning also in Spain , France ( Cannes ) and Italy . Goya en Burdeos (1999) - makes him again a "Gold Frog" nominee and a winner in Spain (Goya) and at the European Film Awards (2000).
In 2001 he has received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Society of Cinematographers being the youngest person to receive it and being also the second recipient after Sven Nykvist not to be a U.S. citizen. -------------- NOW Recently STORARO has worked with director Alfonso Arau ( Picking Up the Pieces (2000) and Zapata - El sueño del héroe (2004)) and in Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005) and All the Invisible Children (2005) film titles.
His yet to be released projects are Io, Don Giovanni (2007) by Carlos Saura, and L' Imbroglio nel lenzuolo (2007) and Dare to Love Me (2008) both by Alfonso Arau. STORARO features in several documentaries on Cinematography, among them: Writing with Light: Vittorio Storaro (1992), Visions of Light (1992), Különbözö helyek/ Different Places (1995) and Cinematographer Style (2006). -------------- TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS He had Rosco International fabricate a series of custom colour
gels for his lighting, which he used to implement his theories
about emotional response to colour. The "Storaro Selection" of
colour gels is available for other cinematographers from Rosco.
Diana Soeiro
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STORAROS's relation with photography came up very early in
his life due to his father's influence - a projectionist at
Lux Film Studio, in Italy , where between 1947 and 1950 Fellini
has worked as scriptwriter. Not only has his father influenced
him through his own profession as he has also encouraged him,
young 11 years-old Vittorio, to enrol in a 5 year course at
a Photography technical school. From 1956-1958 he took a special
course for Assistant and Cameraman for Colour Filming and only
then, when he was 18, the Experimental Cinematography Centre
has accepted him as a student (despite his young age). After
graduating, he has worked with Cinematographers Aldo Scavarda
(Antonioni, Rosselini and Bertolucci]) and Marco Scarpelli
(Augusto Genina, Steno, Mario Mattoli). At the age of 20, he
goes from Assistant Cameraman to Cameraman.
