From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dean Semler, A.C.S., A.S.C. (born 1943) is an Academy
Award-winning Australian cinematographer. Over his career, he
has worked as a cinematographer, camera operator, director, second unit
director, and assistant director.
Life and
career
Early
years
Semler was born in Renmark, South
Australia, Australia. His first work in the production
industry was as a camera operator at a local television station.
Later, he began making documentary and educational films for an
organization called Film Australia. In the mid-1970s, he was
the cinematographer for A Steam Train Passes (1974);
Moving On (1974); and Let the Balloon Go (1976).
In the late 1970s, he was the cinematographer for A Good Thing
Going (1978). His first film was Stepping Out, in
1980. Allmovie praised his “stunning work” on the film
Hoodwink (1981) with a screen play by Ken Quinnell.
1980s
Semler was the cinematographer for Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981).
Semler’s vast panoramic shots of the Australian Outback’s deserts
“...convincingly conveyed a parched, dusty, post-apocalyptic
world”[1] and led
to international attention for his work. Semler also acted as
cinematographer for the follow-up film to Mad Max 2,
Mad Max Beyond
Thunderdome (1985). Semler was also a cinematographer for
the acclaimed Australian miniseries Bodyline (1984).[2] In the
late 1980s, Semler was the cinematographer for several popular
films, such as Cocktail (1988) and Young Guns
(1988).
1990s
In 1990, Semler was hired as cinematographer for Kevin Costner's
Dances
with Wolves, for which he won an Academy Award for
Best Cinematography. Semler lensed the comedy City Slickers
(1991) and the action film Last Action Hero (1993) in the
early 1990s. In 1995 Semler again worked with Costner for Costner's
expensive commercial flop Waterworld.
2000s
In the 2000s, Semler was the cinematographer for a range of
movies that included comedies (Nutty Professor II: The
Klumps from 2000, and Bruce Almighty from 2003), action
films (xXx from 2002 and
The Alamo from 2004). In the
mid-2000s, Semler was the cinematographer for the football comedy
The Longest Yard
(2005) and Just My
Luck (2006). In 2006, Semler worked with Mel Gibson again for the
film Apocalypto. Semler's camera work
conveyed the beauty of the lush Mayan jungle setting in
Apocalypto.
Selected
filmography
- 2012 -
( Director of Photography / 2009 / Sony Pictures Releasing )
- Appaloosa - ( Director of
Photography / 2008 / Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group )
- Get Smart -
( Director of Photography / 2008 / Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Group )
- I
Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry - ( Director of
Photography / 2007 / Universal Pictures Distribution )
- Apocalypto - ( Director of Photography
/ 2006 / Buena Vista Pictures Distribution )
- Click
- ( Director of Photography / 2006 / Sony Pictures Home
Entertainment )
- The Longest Yard - (
Director of Photography / 2005 / Paramount Home Entertainment
)
- The Alamo - ( Director of
Photography / 2004 / Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment
)
- Bruce
Almighty - ( Director of Photography / 2003 / Universal
Pictures Distribution )
- The Adventures of Pluto
Nash - (Director of Photography((Los Angeles)) / 2002 /
Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution )
- We
Were Soldiers - ( Director of Photography / 2002 /
Paramount Pictures )
- xXx - ( Director of
Photography / 2002 / Sony Pictures Releasing )
- Heartbreakers - (
Director of Photography / 2001 / MGM Distribution Company )
- The Bone Collector - ( Director
of Photography / 1999 / Universal Pictures )
- Firestorm - ( Director / 1998 /
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment )
- Trojan War - ( Director of
Photography / 1997 / Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group )
- Babe -
( Special Thanks / 1995 / Universal Pictures )
- Waterworld - ( Director of Photography
/ 1995 / United International Pictures )
- Last
Action Hero - ( Director of Photography / 1993 / Sony
Pictures Releasing )
- City
Slickers - ( Director of Photography / 1991 / Sony
Pictures Releasing )
- Dances with Wolves - ( Director
of Photography / 1990 / Orion Home Video )
- Young Guns
II - ( Director of Photography / 1990 / 20th Century Fox
)
- Dead
Calm - ( Director of Photography / 1989 / Warner Home
Video )
- Farewell to the King - (
Director of Photography and camera operator/ 1989 / Orion Home
Video )
- K-9 - (
Director of Photography / 1989 / United International Pictures
)
- Cocktail - ( Director of
Photography / 1988 / Touchstone Pictures Home Video ) )
- Young
Guns - ( Director of Photography / 1988 / Released / 20th
Century Fox )
- Going Sane - ( Director of Photography / 1986 /
Australian Films International )
- Mad Max Beyond
Thunderdome - ( Director of Photography / 1985 / Warner
Home Video )
- Razorback - ( Director of
Photography / 1984 / Warner Home Video )
- Undercover - ( Director of
Photography / 1984 / Roadshow Films )
- Bodyline ( Cinematographer /
1984 )
- In Memory of Malawan - ( Director of Photography /
1983 / Released / Australian Film Commission )
- Hoodwink - ( Director of Photography / 1981 )
- The Road Warrior - ( Director of
Photography / 1981 / Roadshow Films )
- Stepping Out - ( Director of Photography / 1980)
- The
Earthling - ( Camera Operator / 1980 / Roadshow Films
)
- Let the Balloon Go - ( Director of Photography / 1976
)
- A Steam Train Passes
(1974)
References
- ^
Allmovie biography by Hal Erickson
- ^
The Australian Film and Television Companion — Compiled by Tony
Harrison, Simon & Schuster, Australia (1994)
External
links
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