Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey was born in the town of Armagh, Northern Ireland, on 29 June 1967. He attended the University of Westminster in London. After leaving he began shooting documentaries and short films, which included Skin (1995), and Atlantic, which was nominated for the 1998 Turner Prize. He went on to shoot over one hundred music videos for many top pop artists. In 2004 he was awarded the Royal Photographic Society’s Lumiere medal for contributions to the art of cinematography.
Where did you go to school?
I went to school in Northern Ireland and in 1984 I went to the Polytechnic of Central London to study photography and film.
Were you interested in photography from being very young?
I got a real interest in it from the age of thirteen. I used a little instamatic camera, taking pictures around the town of Armagh. Bit by bit I built up my interest and got better cameras. I started printing and looked at the world through a lens. Growing up in Northern Ireland in the eighties was a hot bed of activity. I would shoot some material and get it published in local newspapers.
At that time did you think about becoming a cinematographer?
I didn’t really consider being a photographer or cinematographer. I wanted to be a journalist. Gradually the fever took hold and I really started to get an interest in my final year of college. I then went to the University of Westminster in London to study film and photographic art for three years, which I enjoyed very much. I also enjoyed the experience of being in London. I had the opportunity to learn about cinema and cinema history.
Were you interested in cinema as a child?
No, I hardly ever went to the cinema. I found out that my great grandfather owned a chain of cinemas in Ireland.
Seamus McGarvey. Photograph of Seamus McGarvey by Kimberley French, courtesy of Seamus McGarvey
What got you interested in becoming a cinematographer?
I shot some material on a Super 8 camera, which was a stipulation of the course I was applying for.
Did you get a job in the business after leaving film school?
I didn’t straight away. I worked in several jobs and did some loading for DPs. I went on to get a job as a trainee with a French DP, Bruno de Keyser. I learned a lot from him. Bit by bit I was introduced to other films as a loader. I worked with Ian Wilson BSC [1939– ] and Eduardo Serra [1943– ]. Concurrently with that I would shoot low budget/experimental films as a DP. One of those led to me shooting Butterfly Kiss (1995) for director Michael Winterbottom [1961– ]. That was a fun shoot near Morecambe Bay. It was shot largely with available light and was made on a low budget.
Did you also do focus pulling?
I did. I don’t think I was a very good focus puller and I was never an operator for a DP. Focus pulling is a vital job and I have been so lucky to have worked with great focus pullers.
Focus pulling is a nerve wracking job because you are never sure it’s in focus.
Luckily we can play it back on the spot now we have digital.
Do you think in the next few years film will no longer be used in production?
Whether we want to or not will be down to the laboratories. Sooner or later it will not be viable for the manufacturers to make film. Sadly, I think film will eventually disappear.
Do you hope to shoot on film in the future or are you happy just to stick with digital?
I would love to shoot on film and there is a project I am considering. I would have to test assiduously to make sure the laboratories would pull through and offer a reliable service. I adore film but I would have to be assured that there was a laboratory supporting me.
Would you tell me about Pan with director Joe Wright [1972– ]?
We shot for 106 days. It was a long shoot with virtually no break. We shot six days a week and I also worked Sunday preparing for the following week. It was relentless but was hugely creatively enjoyable because Joe Wright, who I have worked with on a number of occasions, is a great visionary director, so I benefit from that when I shoot for him. It’s lovely working with a filmmaker like Joe, who is so committed and wants to make the film look great. Joe’s way of working is very precise. I have been nominated twice for Academy awards and BAFTAs after working with him.
What would you say was your biggest challenge so far?
There are constant challenges. On a philosophical level one is choosing the right script. I try to oscillate between doing low budget films that have really challenged me in some way in terms of technique and subject matter. For instance doing a film like We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011) and then The Avengers (2012), also known as Avengers Assemble. One is a hundred and eighty million dollar movie and one is a one million dollar movie. Those are big challenges and certainly they are very different movies. Mixing low budget with the bigger ones is a way of exercising different photographic muscles and keeps you looking at things in a different light. Over the last couple of years I’ve done a few films back-to-back, Godzilla (2014), Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), and now Pan (2015). They have been at the higher end of the budget range. So, the next thing I would like to do is something in the lower budget range.
What would you say were your best and worst moments?
The best moments are when something unusual and unpredictable happens. On Atonement for example a shot didn’t look right photographically. We did two takes which were backlit by the sun and we had flare. It was interesting emotionally but photographically it was too bright. Suddenly on the third take a cloud came over and created the effect we wanted. So it was a totally unpredictable accident. You just have to be ready for those situations.
The worst moment was when I was a clapper loader. I accidentally opened a magazine and snapped it shut very quickly and luckily it was ok only fogging the sprocket area.
Do you use a light meter?
I used to, but with digital it is possible to light off the monitor.
When there was a choice of film stocks, which did you prefer?
I always loved Kodak but it was nice to change between film stocks for different looks. I shot We Need to Talk about Kevin on high speed Fuji film. It looked good and the producers loved it, as it was slightly cheaper than Kodak. I like working with high-speed film stocks. My favourite stock of all time was Kodachrome, a reversal stock that was available in 16mm. It almost looked like Technicolor, having a dye transfer look. I used it a lot with my Bolex 16mm camera. Recently I transferred some footage that was heartbreakingly beautiful, which I shot of my grandfather. It was filmed thirty years ago but it is just amazing to look at that footage.
Do you like studio and location work equally?
They both present different challenges. On location, particularly on interiors you are dictated by where the light is. Studios are great to work in because you can create a world that is more tailored. You can plan things in advance. Anna Karenina (2012) was almost all studio, which allowed me to light it in a very specific way. With studio there is more control.
What do you think of the long hours worked—do you feel creativity suffers?
I certainly do, I am very concerned about the hours worked, particularly when working away and having a long drive after work. Our job is very intense, there is very little time to rest and reflect. We have to work at an incredibly fast pace for very long hours. We often work a fourteen hour continuous day. Then there is the drive to and from work. I would say creativity suffers because of this.
Do you have any favourite movies you have worked on?
They would include The Hours, because for me it marked an attempt to try something that was photographically sophisticated and playful at the same time, describing the different eras. I was trying to give each era a distinct look. Anna Karenina, because it was a style of photography I hadn’t done before and We Need to Talk about Kevin because it was working with a director who is really interested in cinematography. She is very conscious of what a camera move does and the way the light works. She doesn’t use the camera for a bombastic effect. It is very easy to make pretty pictures. It is more difficult to produce something that has atmosphere.
Do you advise the director on set-ups?
Yes I do, you sit down with the director. Some directors are more technically adept than others. Some will specify that they want a 40mm lens here or something else there. Joe Wright is like that, he knows his lenses inside out.
Have you worked much with directors that work from a tent?
I have never worked with any director that sits in a tent. Every director I have ever worked with has either been by the camera or by a monitor very close to the actors. I’m in a privileged position being close to the camera. The actor will often look up and you’re the first face they see after giving a performance. The directors I have worked with know how important it is to stay close to the cast.
Have you ever considered directing?
No I haven’t, David, I have been so lucky to have worked with some great directors. I am so in awe at the way they are able to jump between all the different aspects of film. I don’t have that sort of ambition, or talent actually. I love light, photography, and telling stories through the lens with the director.
Do you have any favourite directors?
Joe Wright is a director I love working with and we have a long running collaboration.
Mike Nichols is one of the nicest directors I have ever worked with and one of the most talented. I also enjoy working with Sam Taylor Johnson [1967– ]. Some of the actors I have worked with have been great including Tim Roth [1961– ] and Alan Rickman [1946– ]. I also loved working with director Stephen Frears.
Are there any other cinematographers you admire?
My great hero and mentor was Jack Cardiff [1914–2009]. I had the pleasure of meeting him. He is the cinematographer still above all others.
Which film has taken the longest to shoot?
It was Pan (2015), which took one hundred and six days. That was the shooting but of course we had the preparation before. It was demanding and creative. Technically, there was a lot going on. It was a real jigsaw puzzle of CGI, real cinematography, special and visual effects, and model work. It was difficult to try and imagine the whole frame in front of you with all the elements.
Filmography
I Love You, short (1990, Sarah Miles)
Damsel Jam, short (1992, Sarah Miles)
Shooting to Stardom, TV short (1993, Kieron J. Walsh)
Look Me in the Eye (1994, Nick Ward)
The Take Out, short (1994, Jamie Thraves)
Marooned, short (1994, Jonas Grimas)
Skin Tight, short (1994, John Forte)
Coloured, short (1994, Barrie White)
A Sort of Homecoming, short (1994, Dudi Appleton)
Butterfly Kiss (1995, Michael Winterbottom)
The Charming Man, documentary short (1995, Meloni Poole)
Skin, short (1995, Vincent O’Connell)
Out of the Deep Pan, TV movie (1996, Kieron J. Walsh)
Harald (1997, Jurgen Egger)
Jump the Gun (1997, Les Blair)
The Winter Guest (1997, Alan Rickman)
The Slab Boys (1997, John Byrne)
Magic Moments, short (1997, Saul Metzstein)
The End, short (1998, Joe Wright)
Fying Saucer Rock ‘n’ Roll, short (1998, Edna Hughes)
The War Zone (1999, Tim Roth)
I Could Read the Sky (1999, Nichola Bruce)
A Map of the World (1999, Scott Elliot)
The Big Tease (1999, Kevin Allen)
High Fidelity (2000, Stephen Frears)
The Name of This Film Is Dogme95, documentary (2000, Saul Metzstein)
Enigma (2001, Michael Apted)
WIT, TV movie (2001, Mike Nichols)
The Hours (2002, Stephen Daldry)
The Actors (2003, Conor McPherson)
Rolling Stones: Tip of the Tongue, video documentary (2003)
Along Came Polly (2004, John Hamburg)
Sahara (2005, Breck Eisner)
Destricted, segment Death Valley (2006, Sam Taylor Johnson as Sam Taylor Wood)
World Trade Center (2006, Oliver Stone)
Charlotte’s Web (2006, Gary Winick)
Atonement (2007, Joe Wright)
Love You More, short (2008, Sam Taylor Johnson as Sam Taylor Wood)
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, TV series, 1 episode (2008, Anthony Minghella)
The Soloist (2009, Joe Wright)
Nowhere Boy (2009, Sam Taylor Johnson as Sam Taylor Wood)
Lost Angels: Skid Row Is My Home, documentary (2010, Thomas Q. Napper)
Lost Angels, documentary (2010, Thomas Q. Napper)
We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011, Lynne Ramsay)
James Bond Supports International Women’ Day, short (2011, Sam Taylor Johnson)
Avengers Assemble (2012, Joss Whedon)
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction, documentary (2012, Sophie Huber)
Anna Karenina (2012, Joe Wright)
Je T Ecoute, video short (2013, Martina Amati)
A Fuller Life, documentary (2013, Samantha Fuller)
Godzilla (2014, Gareth Edwards)
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015, Sam Taylor Johnson)
Pan (2015, Joe Wright)
Awards
The Winter Guest (1997) 1998: Nominated for Best Cinematography. Chlotudis Award
The Hours (2002) 2004: Won Best Technical/Artistic Achievement. Evening Standard British Film Award
Sahara (2005) 2005: Won Best Cinematography. Irish Film and Television Award
World Trade Center (2006) 2007: Nominated for Best Cinematography. Irish Film and Television Award
Atonement (2007) Won: Best Director of Photography. Irish Film and Television Award
Atonement (2007) 2007: Nominated for Best Cinematography. St Louis Critics Associasion US
Atonement (2007) 2007: 2nd place for Best Cinematography runner up. Awards Circuit Community Award
Atonement (2007) 2007: Nominated for Best Cinematography Award. British Society of Cinematographers
Atonement (2007) 2007: Nominated for Best Cinematography. Chicago Film Critics Association Award
Atonement (2007) 2007: Nominated for Best Cinematography. Houston Film Critics Award
Atonement (2007) 2007: Won Best Cinematography. North Texas Film Critics Association
Atonement (2007) 2007: Won Best Achievement in Cinematography. Phoenix Film Critics Society Award
Atonement (2007) 2008: Oscar Nomination for Best Achievement in Cinematography. Academy Award USA
Atonement (2007). 2008: Nominated for Best Cinematography. BAFTA
Atonement (2007) 2008: Nominated for ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases. American Society of Cinematographers
Atonement (2007). 2008: Won Best Technical Achievement. Evening Standard British Film Award
Atonement (2007) 2008: Nominated for Best Cinematography. International Online Cinema Award
Atonement (2007) 2008: Nominated for Best Cinematography. Online Film and Television Association
Atonement (2007) 2008: Nominated for Best Cinematography. Online Film Critics Society Award
Atonement (2007) 2009: Nominated for Best Cinematography. International Online Film Critics’ Poll
We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011) 2011: Nominated for Best Technical Achievement. British Independent Film Award
We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011) 2011: Nominated for the Golden Frog Award in main competition. Camerimage
We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011) 2012: Won Best Director of Photography (Film/TV Drama) Irish Film and Television Award
Anna Karenina (2012) 2013: Oscar Nomination for Best Achievement in Cinematography. Academy Award USA.
Anna Karenina (2012) 2013: Nominated for Best Cinematography. BAFTA
Anna Karenina (2012) 2013: Nominated for ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Feature Film. American Society of Cinematographers
Anna Karenina (2012) 2013: Won Best Cinematography Award for Best Cinematography in a Feature Film. British Society of Cinematographers
Anna Kerenina (2012). 2013: Won Best Technical Achievement. Evening Standard British Film Award
Anna Karenina (2012) 2013: Won Best Director of Photography. Irish Film and Television Award
Anna Kerenina (2012) 2012: Nominated for Best Cinematography. Satellite Award