PETER JAMES ACS/ASC

Born: 31 [or 7] March 1947, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Education: Marcellin College Randwick, Randwick, NSW, Australia.

Career: 'My cousin John Cleary, the author, got me a summer job at Supreme Sound Studios. When the time came to go back to school, the studio asked me to stay on, so I remained there for five years. I worked with terrific cameramen such as George Lowe, Graham Lind, John Leake and Andrew Fraser. After I left the studios, I was a focus puller on the series 'Riptide', which was my first real theatrical production. Carl Kayser was the doph. Carl was very good to me, from him I learnt a lot about color and lenses. After 'Riptide' I got a job on the 2nd unit, shooting the 'Barrier Reef' series.'

Ph a tv-doc for Seven Network on the filming of 'Don Quixote' [1973]. Ph doc's and numerous commercials.

Was inducted into the ACS 'Hall of Fame' in 1999 and became a life member of the society in 2008.

Also active as still ph with a number of exhibitions. His photo book 'Lifesaver/Down Under - To Glorify the Australian Lifesaver' was published in 1983.

Awards: ACS 'Milli' Award 'Australian Cinematographer of the Year' [1972] for 'Willi Willi'; ACS 'Milli' Award 'Australian Cinematographer of the Year' [1977] for 'Caddie'; AFI [Aus] Award [1985] for 'Rebel'; AFI [Aus] Award [1986] for 'The Right Hand Man'; 'Genie' Award [1991], AFI [Aus] Award [1992] and ACS 'Milli' Award 'Australian Cinematographer of the Year' [1992] for 'Black Robe'; ACS 'Milli' Award 'Australian Cinematographer of the Year' [1993] for 'Alive'; ACS 'Award of Distinction' [1997] for 'Diabolique'; ACS 'Golden Tripod' Award [1998] for 'Paradise Road'; 'Emmy' Award nom [2004] for 'And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself'.

FILMS

1969	The Games [Michael Winner] p/c; ?; ph: Robert Paynter
1970	A Calendar of Dreamings - Aboriginal Artists of Central Australia [Geoff Bardon] 16mm/c; doc/35m; cph: Jack Doyle
1970	Christmas Island [Shan Benson] 16mm/c; doc/26m
1971	Willy Willy [Anthony Buckley] ?; short/45m
1972	Avengers of the Reef [Chris McCullough] c
1973	Transition [Graham Shirley] b&w; short/17m
1974	Who Killed Jenny Langby? [Donald Crombie] 16mm/b&w-c; docudrama/49m
1974	The Climate's Right [Eric Fullilove] 16mm/c; doc/21m
1975	Prof. A.D. Hope [Keith Salvat] c; interview/38m
1975	Sister, If You Only Knew [Janet Isaac] 16mm/c; doc/49m
1975	Caddie [Donald Crombie] c
1976	White Rock [Tony Maylam] p/c; doc/76m; co-cameraman; ph: Arthur Wooster
1977	The Irishman [Donald Crombie] c; 2uc: George Lowe
1977	Mick and the Moon [Geoff Bardon] 16mm/c; doc/19m; cph: Jon Falkenmire
1978	Rate of Exchange [Edward Ogden] c; short/30m
1980	Blackhearted Barney Blackfoot [Yvonne Mackay] c; short/13m
1981	Koha. Poet Hone Tuwhare [Brent Leslie] c; doc/25m; cph: Chas Biggin & Graham Orbell
1981	The Killing of Angel Street [Donald Crombie] c
1981	The Battle of Broken Hill [Robin Levinson] c; doc/60m; or ph Raymond K. Bartram
1983	The Wild Duck [Henri Safran] c
1984	Palace of Dreams [Peter James] c; doc/25m
1984	Rebel [Michael Jenkins] p/c
1986	The Right Hand Man [Di Drew] c
1986	Total Recall [Bruce Beresford] unrealized (dir in 1989 by Paul Verhoeven and ph by Jost Vacano)
1987	Echoes of Paradise/Shadows of the Peacock [Phillip Noyce] c
1987	Celebrating Us [John Weiley] Showscan-70mm/c; doc/?m; cph: André Fleuren
1989	Driving Miss Daisy [Bruce Beresford] c
1990	Mister Johnson [Bruce Beresford] c
1990	Black Robe [Bruce Beresford] c; co-2uc: Jean Lépine
1991	Rich in Love [Bruce Beresford] p/c
1992	Alive [: The Miracle of the Andes] [Frank Marshall] c; 2uc: André Fleuren
1992	The Thing Called Love [Peter Bogdanovich] c
1993	My Life [Bruce Joel Rubin] c
1993	Silent Fall [Bruce Beresford] c
1994	Richie Rich [Donald Petrie] c; addph; ph: Don Burgess
1995	Last Dance [Bruce Beresford] c; 2uc: Erich Roland & Jerry Callaway
1995	Diabolique [Jeremiah Chechik] c; 2uc: Erich Roland; uwph: Jordan Klein
1996	Paradise Road [Bruce Beresford] p/c; 2uc: André Fleuren
1997	The Newton Boys [Richard Linklater] p/c
1998	Double Jeopardy [Bruce Beresford] p/c; 2uc: André Fleuren & Erich Roland
1999	Meet the Parents [Jay Roach] c; 2uc: Tom Houghton
2000	Bride of the Wind [Bruce Beresford] c
2001	The Man Who Sued God [Mark Joffe] p/c
2001	Boswell for the Defence [Bruce Beresford] prod was halted a week before start of principal ph
2004	The Pacifier [Adam Shankman] p/c; 2uc: Josh Bleibtreu; addph: Jorge Sánchez; aph: Hans Bjerno; uwph: Pete Romano; vfx ph: Martin Rosenberg
2004	The Big White [Mark Mylod] c; ph New Zealand; ph: James Glennon
2005	Cheaper by the Dozen 2 [Adam Shankman] p/c; aph: Mark Hryma
2007	27 Dresses [Anne Fletcher] p/c; 2uc: Thomas Lappin
2008	Mao's Last Dancer [Bruce Beresford] s35-to-35mm (1.85:1)/c; 2uc: André Fleuren
2009	Yogi Bear [Eric Brevig (replaced Ash Brannon)] HD (Sony F23, HDC-1500 & PMW-EX3)-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema [also 3-D])/c; live-action & CGI; 2uc: André Fleuren; filmed 2009-10

TELEVISION

1970	The British Empire: Echoes of Britannia's Rule [ep #9 'Beyond the Black Stump' & #11 'The Gift of Endless Dreams' dir by Tom Haydon] 13-part doc series (1972) for BBC-tv; cph: Ron Lowe (#9 & #11) & Geoff Burton (#9)
1974	Wake-Ups [Christoffer French] tvm/30m/16mm
1976	McManus M.P.B. [Max Varnel] pilot/90m
1981	The Monster's Christmas [Yvonne Mackay] tvm/47m
1985	Promises to Keep [Noel Black & Phillip Noyce] tvm; ?; ph: Dennis Dalzell
2002	And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself [Bruce Beresford] tvm; cph: André Fleuren; 2uc: André Feruben
2006	Orpheus [Bruce Beresford] pilot for CBS-tv

MISCELLANEOUS

1967	Riptide [various; 26-part tv-series] focus puller; ph: Carl Kayser
1969	Barrier Reef/Minus Five [Peter Maxwell, a.o.] 39-part tv-series (Network 10); 2u ?; ph: John J. Williams
1973	The Cars That Ate Paris [Peter Weir] co-c.op; ph: John McLean
1973	Inn of the Damned/Death Hunter [Terry Bourke] co-c.op; ph: Brian Probyn
1974	Sidecar Racers [Earl Bellamy] c.op; ph: Paul Onorato
1975	The Removalists [Tom Jeffrey] c.op; ph: Graham Lind