Harvey Harrison was born on 16 October 1944. He went to a boarding school in Wiltshire. His father worked with films and his grandfather was the first person in England to use colour film. He is also related to British film pioneer William Friese-Greene [1855–1921].
Were you interested in films as a child and did you go to the cinema a lot?
Not that much. The film industry was always part of my life. My father was a director/cameraman in documentaries and my mother wrote scripts. Before that my father’s father was a laboratory man and he was the first person to use colour film in England. My great uncle was William Friese-Greene. I didn’t take much interest in the business until I left school because I always wanted to be a farmer when I was a kid. We lived in the country and I was going to go to agricultural college. After about three months of practical farming I thought there is more to life than this.
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Harvey Harrison as a young man. Courtesy of Harvey Harrison
Did you then decide to enter the film business?
Yes, I did. I entered the business in 1961 and first helped my father. I then went to work in a small commercial studio called Television Advertising in Wardour Street, London. I started as a tea boy. After three months DP Billy Williams [1929– ] offered me a clapper boy job.
When I left the company I worked for a production company in Soho, London. This lasted for around six months. Then I went freelance, spending a couple of years pulling focus on documentaries for DP Arthur Wooster [1929– ].
I see you also worked with Wooster on The Plank (1967) as an operator and then went on to pull focus on your following film—why wasn’t it the other way round?
Normally it would be the other way round. Arthur Wooster, who was the DP found it was a bit too much to operate as well as being the DP, so he asked me. The film only took around four weeks to shoot. As I wasn’t a fully fledged operator I went back to focus pulling, working with DP Alex Thomson [1929–2007]. The first film I worked with him on was Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968), working with him for around four years.
When did you become an operator and then DP?
I went lighting (DP) in 1970. I operated for a couple of years before that. I didn’t operate for long, as I really didn’t like it.
How does an operator learn about lighting to become a DP?
I found, and still believe this, when you are a focus puller you learn more about lighting than when you are an operator. As a focus puller you work more with the DP. The operator tends to work more with the director on set-ups. I learned everything about lighting from Alex Thomson when I pulled focus for him. I went operating purely to get the experience to learn about not crossing the line and that sort of stuff. I was quite keen on becoming a DP although I still did some operating after becoming one.
I see most of your work is second unit—is this through choice?
Oh yes, once I’d done many years of doing commercials, rock concerts, motor racing, five Olympic games, five World Cups, and other things I decided in 1994 to go back to pictures full time. I got the opportunity to become the second unit DP on GoldenEye (1995) with Phil Meheux. That was it; I loved working on the second unit and thought this is me. After that I stuck to doing second units as DP.
You have no desire to go back to main unit work?
No, never have done. I did a first unit around three years ago with director Ian Sharp [1946– ] and actor Ray Winstone [1957– ] on a film called Tracker (2011). I enjoyed that. That was purely because it was a nice small movie, great actors, and a good fun director. Normally I have stuck to the second unit.
What was your first day as a DP like—were you nervous?
The first picture I was DP on was The Magnificent Deadly Sins (1971), directed by Graham Stark. It had all the famous comic actors of the day in it. I was scared witless with all the sets at Pinewood. It was a ten-week shoot and yes, I was scared.
Have you an agent and how do you choose your projects?
No, I don’t. I haven’t had an agent since the mid-nineties. People get in touch with me direct.
On some films, for example Blitz (2011) you are credited as a DP on the action unit—was this part of the main unit?
Blitz was an awful little film. What happened was, one of the actors Jason Statham [1967– ] insisted on an American stuntman coming over to direct a chase sequence. The guy came over and he didn’t know anyone in England. I’d worked with him on other pictures, so he rang me, as I was the only DP he knew. We had also become good friends. We did the chase sequence over eight or nine days and I was credited as being on the action unit.
Are there any films that have been challenging and what was your biggest challenge?
There has. One that comes to mind is Speed Racer (2008) directed by the Wachowski brothers, Andy [1967– ] and Lana, formally Larry [1965– ]. I’d already done a picture with them called V for Vendetta (2005) for which they had written the screenplay and I knew them well. Speed Racer was a nightmare. First of all it was shot digitally in the early days of digital. Secondly it was a very difficult film to make technically. It was challenging but I thought it was a good movie.
Do you have any favourite directors?
I have four. There is the late Mickey Moore [1914–2013]. I did two pictures with him, 101 Dalmations (1996) and 102 Dalmatians (2000). He was an ex-child actor. He worked on numerous memorable films and worked with Cecil B. DeMille on The Ten Commandments (1956). He directed Elvis Presley [1935–1977] in Paradise Hawaiian Style (1966) and worked as assistant director with Presley on King Creole (1958), GI Blues (1960), Blue Hawaii (1961), Girls Girls Girls (1962), Fun in Acapulco (1963), and Roustabout (1964). Then there is Nicolas Roeg [1928– ]. I have known Nic for many years. He used to come down to TV advertising. He is a great director and always does his homework. What he doesn’t know about filmmaking isn’t worth knowing. Ian Sharp [1946– ] is another director that does his homework. Finally, E. J. Forester is another great director and friend.
Have you directed the second unit?
Yes, a lot. I have done a lot of second unit where I have been the DP and director. I enjoy it because you have got everything under your control. It’s especially good for action stuff. You tend to get a bit hampered sometimes with action shooting, with too many people making decisions, so it’s probably better if you do it yourself.
Did you ever want to become a main unit director?
No, that was never in my make-up.
Do you prefer studio, location, or both equally?
I love being in a studio because it is in your control. I also love shooting on location with the challenges it presents. The problem with location is matching things up because of weather conditions.
Have you a favourite location in the world?
I love Morocco. Kenya is probably my favourite location. Also there is Thailand and New Zealand. A favourite city is Georgetown in Guyana, which is staggering.
What were the best and worst moments on the set?
The best moments are when you are working on a picture and when people say things won’t work and you make it work as a DP. On second units you have to be thinking on your feet all the time. Very often you get people from the main unit saying that’s not going to work and you say actually I think it will. The worst moment is when it doesn’t work.
What do you think of digital and have you shot much digitally?
Yes, I have. I shot Speed Racer and more recently The Man from Uncle (2015). I don’t like digital. I think so much has been taken away from the cinematographer now. It’s crazy to see pictures like The Life of Pi (2012) getting cinematographer awards when it’s all been manipulated digitally. I think digital cinematography is a terrible expression. You should move with the times and I have always done that but this is it for me, I can’t take to digital.
I suppose the good thing about it is a blemish free picture at the cinema.
Well, yes it is but it doesn’t have the look of film. Film has a unique look and I don’t like those horrible sharp images produced digitally. In post-production the cinematographer hardly gets a look in. The editors do it all. Then you have the producer and director twisting knobs and it can be changed from the way it was originally lit. Give me film every time. When I did The Man from Uncle, the extra work on location was a nightmare.
A good thing from the cinematographer’s point of view is there is no waiting to see if it is exposed OK.
That is true, but wasn’t it part of the excitement not knowing what was going to come out? You’d ring the labs the next morning for the result. Also, nobody views rushes anymore. In the old days we had a chance to view and discuss them.
What is your view of people working from tents?
I think it is absolutely appalling. Actors also dislike it. There are some directors that don’t emerge from their tent or caravan and never talk to the actors. Some leave talking to the actors to the assistant directors. In the old days the director would be on the set talking to the actors and be right beside the camera when we shoot. The DP used to be beside the camera, now we have to be looking at the monitor all the time. Even when I did the digital pictures I still stood beside the camera during the actual shooting, looking at the monitor later.
What do you think of the long hours worked?
I think it is outrageous. You have a basic twelve-hour day and the DP has to be there an hour before the start and also an hour afterwards talking about the following days’ set-ups. So you are already up to fourteen hours. Then you have an hour’s travel each way. It’s also not unusual to work a couple hours overtime, often taking it to eighteen hours. Sometimes these hours are worked six days a week and I think it can be too much, affecting concentration.
Have you a favourite piece of kit?
Yes, there is a stabilised mount called the Libra. I was co-inventor of it and it won a technical Oscar in 1999. I use it on all my action sequences such as car chases. I came up with the idea and teamed up with a very clever Australian engineer by the name of Nick Phillips. It took a long time to get there and I wouldn’t be without it. There are around thirty Libras all over the world and they are used all the time.
When there was a choice of film stocks, which did you prefer?
One of the film stocks I actually loved was a short-lived stock called Kodak 800T (tungsten). We used it on the Mummy and Dalmatian films. I thought it was a brilliant stock. I then went back to Kodak 500T, which I think is fabulous.
What was the hardest shot you have had to light and frame?
The hardest shot I had to light was the opening sequence of Sahara (1995). The scene was in the control house of a ship and we literally went 350 degrees around the cabin in one shot. It was the most difficult thing I have lit. It had to look really good—you couldn’t just flood it with light, it needed shadows and I had to mask camera shadow. It took a long time to light it but the result was worth it. The hardest thing I have had to frame was on GoldenEye. It was in the opening sequence where I had to follow Bond as he jumps off the highest dam in Europe, 800 feet. We did it on a bungee jump and I followed it all the way down using a 800mm lens. I couldn’t let my operator do it because we only had one chance and I thought if he doesn’t get it right he’s in a lot of trouble, so I decided to do it myself. My old sports training came back into use.
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Harvey Harrison on the set of Sahara (2005). Courtesy of Harvey Harrison
What is the best and worst thing about being a DP?
Well, I think the best thing is creating images. I think it is a wonderful exciting career. You have so much real freedom, in a funny sort of way. It is down to you to create those wonderful images that are going to cut together and hopefully have people on the edge of their seats. I think that is the best about being a DP. The worst thing is having to deal with some of the young producers, who think they know everything. If I go to a producer and say I want a helicopter tomorrow, I don’t expect him to ask why I want a helicopter—I would obviously want it for a reason. So often you have to fight to get these things and it can drive you mad.
What do you think of film schools?
One of my pet hates is film schools. I don’t believe you can just go to a film school and come out and go straight in as a DP. Today many DPs just suddenly appear. They haven’t been a clapper loader, focus puller, or operator. How can they know what the job is all about?
Do you think some movies suffer because of lack of training?
I do, it’s not all bad, some movies are great, but I think it could be a lot better if people went through the ranks.
Maybe people who don’t do a great job of lighting are not too worried believing it can be fixed in post-production.
Exactly, the famous expression now is “Don’t worry, we’ll fix it in post.”
Which would be your top three films?
Tracker (2010), the film I worked on in New Zealand was certainly one of them. It was wonderful working there. New Zealand crews are great. Then there is Rambo 4 (2008), which I shot in Thailand with Sylvester Stallone [1946– ] as actor and director. I directed and photographed the second unit. I really enjoyed that, it had a lot of action and Stallone said make it look dangerous. I loved V for Vendetta. Working with the Wachowski brothers was a treat.
What was the best advice you were given?
The best advice I ever had was from Nic Roeg and Alex Thomson. It was you look after your crew and they will look after you. I think it was the best advice I ever had because you want your crew to be with you, you don’t want anyone working against you. A DP is not only there as a DP, he’s there as a sort of executive over the crew, who looks after the crew even to the extent that when the food is no good you go and have a moan about it. You must back up your crew. I hear some terrible stories from various crewmembers about how they don’t get any backup from the DP. Nic and Alex and all the old DPs used to look after their crew. I find many of the new generation of DPs don’t.
Do you usually work with the same crew?
As much as I can. I have a favourite operator, focus puller, grip, and gaffer. I try and get as many of them together as I can.
When you are the DP on the second unit do you advise directors?
Oh yes, absolutely. Sometimes I have to advise inexperienced directors. No matter how good the director is, you work as a team. The director, DP, and operator must collaborate.
How important do you think the photographic style is to the film?
I think the photographic style will either make or break a picture. I saw a special screening of The Hill (1965), which the late Oswald Morris [1915–2014] photographed. It was in black and white shot in the desert. Ossie got this wonderful feeling of the blistering heat of the desert. How clever is that in black and white?
Are there any moments that stand out?
One of my great moments was in 1966. We were shooting the World Cup and I was up in the gantry, the roof of the stadium with Michael Samuelson [1931–1998]. We had two cameras up there and we were doing the master shots. When England won the whole stadium erupted. It was a real moment. Another moment was my first foreign location with cinematographer Billy Williams. We went to Amsterdam on a documentary for the Dutch tourist board. We went all around Holland. I thought if this is what filmmaking is all about, this is me. That was around 1962.
Do you find it easy to adapt to each director’s way of working?
I do. You have to listen and work things out together. You may not agree with some things, but at the end of the day we can work together.
Have you shot pop videos?
I was heavily into pop videos in the seventies and eighties. I did Elton John’s tour of Russia, which was amazing. I was very lucky because I got some of the big boys. I got Paul McCartney [1942– ], Ringo Starr [1940– ], Neil Diamond [1941– ], Rod Stewart [1945– ], and David Bowie [1947– ] to name a few. I did a lot of the big concerts, which were a lot of fun. Some were shot on 16mm and a lot of the big stuff on 35mm.
Do you have any hobbies away from film?
I enjoy good food and wine and I am currently writing a book on my life in the business.
Filmography
The Frasers’ Return (1963, Harvey Harrison)
The Plank (1967, Eric Sykes); camera operator
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968, Clive Donner); focus puller
The Strange Affair (1968, David Greene); focus puller
Alfred the Great (1969, Clive Donner); focus puller
The Olympics in Mexico (1969, Alberto Isaac)
Simon Simon, short (1970, Graham Stark)
The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971, Graham Stark)
LHR (1972, Mike Fox)
Remember Me This Way (1974, Bob Foster/ Ron Inkpen)
Side by Side (1975, Bruce Beresford)
Never Too Young to Rock (1976, Dennis Abey)
Genesis: In Concert (1977, Tony Maylam)
Twenty-Five Years (1977, Peter Morley)
The Game of the Century, TV series (1978)
To Russia…With Elton (1979, Dick Clement/Ian LaFrenais)
Henry Cleans Up (1979, Digby Turpin)
The Kids Are Alright (1979, Jeff Stein)
Escape to Victory (1981, John Huston)
The Burning (1981, Tony Maylam)
Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981, Sharad Patel)
The Stone Carriers (1982, C. David Lochner)
Still Smokin’ (1983, Tommy Chong as Thomas Chong)
Cheech & Chong’s The Corsican Brothers (1984, Tommy Chong)
G’olel (1984, Tom Clegg)
Castaway (1986, Nicolas Roeg)
Aria (1987)
American Gothic (1988, John Hough)
Salome’s Last Dance (1988, Ken Russell)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, TV movie (1989, Mel Damski)
The Witches (1990, Nicolas Roeg)
GoldenEye (1995, Martin Campbell)
101 Dalmations (1996, Stephen Herek)
The Avengers, (1998, Jeremiah S. Chechik); 2nd unit director
RPM (1998, Ian Sharp)
The Mummy (1999, Stephen Sommers)
102 Dalmations (2000, Kevin Lima)
The 10th Kingdom, TV mini series (2000); 2nd unit director
The Mummy Returns (2001, Stephen Sommers)
Reign of Fire (2002, Rob Bowman)
Equlibrium (2002, Kurt Wimmer); 2nd unit director
Shanghai Knights (2003, David Dobkin)
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003, Jan de Bont)
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2003, Kevin Allen)
Troy (2004,Wolfgang Petersen)
Around the World in 80 Days (2004, Frank Coraci); 2nd unit director
Sahara (2005, Breck Eisner)
V for Vendetta (2005, James McTeigue)
The Nativity Story (2006, Catherine Hardwicke); 2nd unit director
Eragon (2006, Stefen Fangmeier)
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007, Tim Story)
Rambo (2008, Sylvester Stallone); 2nd unit director
Ninja Assassin (2009, James McTeigue)
The Wolfman (2010, Joe Johnston)
Tracker (2010, Ian Sharp)
Blitz (2011, Elliot Lester)
Wrath of the Titans (2012, Jonathan Liebesman)
The Expendables (2012, Simon West)
Red 2 (2013, Dean Parisot)
Awards
1976: Nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sports Programming. Primetime Emmy awards
1976: Games of the XXI Olympiad (1976). Sports Emmy Award
1977: Won. Individual Achievement in Sports Programming Cinematography, Montreal
1980: Won. Individual Achievement in Sports Programming Cinematography. 1980 XIII. Sports Emmy award
Olympic Winter Games, Lake Placid (1980). Sports Emmy award