Dean Cundey

Dean Cundey
Born	Dean Raymond Cundey (1946-03-12) March 12, 1946 Alhambra, California
Occupation	Cinematographer

Dean Raymond Cundey, A.S.C. (born March 12, 1946) is an American cinematographer.

Life and career

Cundey was born in Alhambra, California, United States. As a child, he used to build model sets, suggesting an interest in films from an early age. Cundey already had several low-budget films when he met Debra Hill, who in 1978 recruited him to work on Halloween, a film she co-wrote with director John Carpenter.

Having Cundey work on a film brought considerable advantages. In addition to his considerable skill as a cinematographer and director of photography, he also had the advantage of owning most of his own equipment packed in a large van, referred to by Debra Hill as the "movie van".

Cundey's work on Halloween is cited by many fans as being among his best as director of photography. In addition to his lighting skills, particularly in the famous hallway scene where the hidden face of Michael Myers is slowly revealed by way of a blue light next to the mask, he was among the first cinematographers to make use of a recent invention called the steadicam, or panaglide.

The panaglide allowed the camera operator to "wear" the camera and obtain shots that were previously deemed too difficult or even impossible. In Halloween, the panaglide was used as a point of view reference for Michael Myers, allowing the audience to see what he saw.

Other noteworthy films

Cundey would go on to work with Carpenter and Hill again on the films The Fog, Escape From New York, The Thing, Halloween II, and Halloween III: Season of the Witch. He would also return to work with Carpenter for the last time on the 1986 big budget science fiction/comedy adventure Big Trouble in Little China. Cundey also served as Director of Photography on the 3D movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience" which ran in five Walt Disney theme parks around the world.

Later work

In addition to his work with Carpenter, Cundey would go on to lend his talents for the films Psycho II, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Back to the Future trilogy, What Women Want, Apollo 13, Jurassic Park, Romancing the Stone, Roadhouse, and Garfield to name a few. In 1997, he made his directorial debut with the direct-to-video sequel Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. He recently worked in Canada on Camp Rock, one of several movies that he has filmed outside the United States, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit which was filmed primarily in England.

Awards and recognition

Cundey is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers. His work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit earned him an Academy Award nomination. On February 2, 2014, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by The ASC; John Carpenter introduced him.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1973	The No Mercy Man		cinematographer
	Brother on the Run		cinematographer
1974	So Evil, My Sister		cinematographer
	Where the Red Fern Grows		cinematographer
1975	That Girl from Boston		cinematographer
1976	The Witch Who Came From the Sea		cinematographer
	Creature from Black Lake		cinematography
	Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks		cinematographer
1977	Satan's Cheerleaders		cinematographer
	Charge of the Model T's		cinematographer
	Bare Knuckles		cinematographer
1978	Hi-Riders		cinematographer
	Halloween		cinematographer
1979	Angels' Brigade		cinematographer
	Rock 'n' Roll High School		cinematographer
	Roller Boogie		cinematographer
1980	The Fog		cinematographer
	Galaxina		cinematographer
	Without Warning		cinematographer
1981	Escape from New York		cinematographer
	Separate Ways		cinematographer
	Jaws of Satan		cinematographer
	Halloween II		cinematographer
1982	The Thing		cinematographer
	Halloween III: Season of the Witch		cinematographer
1983	Psycho II		cinematographer
	D.C. Cab		cinematographer
1984	Romancing the Stone		cinematographer
1985	Back to the Future		cinematographer
	Warning Sign		cinematographer
1986	Big Trouble in Little China		cinematographer
1987	Project X		cinematographer
1988	Big Business		cinematographer
	Who Framed Roger Rabbit		cinematographer
1989	Road House		cinematographer
	Back to the Future Part II		cinematographer
1990	Back to the Future Part III	Photographer	cinematographer
1991	Nothing But Trouble		cinematographer
	Hook		cinematographer
1992	Death Becomes Her		cinematographer
1993	Jurassic Park	Mate	cinematographer
1994	The Flintstones	Technician	cinematographer
1995	Casper		cinematographer
	Apollo 13		cinematographer
1997	Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves		director
	Flubber		cinematographer
1998	Krippendorf's Tribe		cinematographer
	The Parent Trap		cinematographer
2000	What Women Want		cinematographer
2003	Looney Tunes: Back in Action		cinematographer
2004	Garfield		cinematographer
2006	The Holiday		cinematographer
2007	Whisper		cinematographer
2008	Camp Rock		cinematographer
2009	Shannon's Rainbow		cinematographer
2010	The Spy Next Door		cinematographer
2011	Jack and Jill		cinematographer
2013	Crazy Kind of Love		cinematographer
2014	Walking with the Enemy		cinematographer
	Sophia Grace & Rosie's Royal Adventure		cinematographer

External links

• Dean Cundey at the Internet Movie Database