Russell Boyd
Russell Boyd | |
|---|---|
| Born | Russell Stewart Boyd 21 April 1944 Victoria, Australia |
| Years active | 1966–2018 |
| Organization(s) | Australian Cinematographers Society American Society of Cinematographers |
Russell Stewart Boyd, AO, ACS, ASC, (born 21 April 1944) is an Australian cinematographer, known as a key figure in the Australian New Wave of the 1970s[1], with his work on Picnic at Hanging Rock helping to shape the visual aesthetic of Australian cinema[2].
Boyd also had won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 2003 for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World[3].
Early life
[edit]Born into a rural Victorian family, he spent his early years on a small farm near Geelong, where his father worked as a wool classer.[4]
Career
[edit]Boyd started his professional career at Cinesound in Melbourne as a general assistant.[5] Seeking broader opportunities, he moved to Sydney in the mid-1960s, where he worked on documentaries and commercials at Supreme Studios.[6]
Boyd's breakthrough into feature films came in 1973 with Between Wars, directed by Michael Thornhill, which earned him the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) Milli Award for Australian Cinematographer of the Year.[7]
Australian New Wave and collaboration with Peter Weir
[edit]Boyd played a pivotal role in the Australian New Wave cinema movement of the 1970s, which revitalized the country's film industry.[8] His collaboration with director Peter Weir began in 1975 with Picnic at Hanging Rock, a film that is widely credited with putting Australian cinema on the world map.[9] His work on the film also earned Boyd a BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography.[10]
Boyd would later work on five other movies with Weir, like The Last Wave (1977), Gallipoli (1981), The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), and The Way Back (2010).
Hollywood career
[edit]In the early 1980s, Boyd expanded his career to Hollywood, working with Australian directors who had also made the transition. He served as cinematographer on Bruce Beresford's Tender Mercies (1983) and Gillian Armstrong's Mrs. Soffel (1984).[11]
He also worked on mainstream productions like Liar Liar (1997) and Dr. Dolittle (1998).[12]
Filmography
[edit]Feature film
[edit]Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | The Spoiler | ||
| The Marty Feldman Show | Brian Trenchard-Smith | TV special | |
| 1975 | CBS Children's Film Festival | Bert Salzman | Episode "Me and You, Kangaroo" |
| 1981 | A Town Like Alice | David Stevens | Miniseries |
| 1986 | The Challenge | Chris Thomson | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Watch with Mother | Paul Bruty The Glue Society |
2 episodes |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Is There Anybody There? | Peter Maxwell |
| 1977 | The Alternative | Paul Eddey |
| Mama's Gone A-Hunting | Peter Maxwell | |
| Benny Hill Down Under | Rod Kinnear Richard McCarthy | |
| 1978 | Gone to Ground | Kevin James Dobson |
| The Night Nurse | Igor Auzins | |
| Plunge Into Darkness | Peter Maxwell | |
| 1985 | The Perfectionist | Chris Thomson |
Documentary film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | New South Wales Images | Himself | With John Seale |
Awards and recognition
[edit]Boyd has been a member of the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) since 1975, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1998.
In 2004, he became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).
In 1988, Boyd became the first of the only two cinematographers to receive the Australian Film Institute's Raymond Longford Award, recognizing his "unwavering commitment over many years to excellence in the film and television industries".[13]
In 2021, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for "distinguished service to the visual arts as a cinematographer of Australian feature films and television productions" in the Queen's Birthday Honours.[14]
Major awards
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Academy Awards | Best Cinematography | Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World |
Won | [15] |
| American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Nominated | [16] | ||
| BAFTA Awards | Best Cinematography | Nominated | |||
| 1975 | Picnic at Hanging Rock | Won | [17] |
Australian awards
[edit]Australian Film Institute Awards
| Year | Award | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Best Cinematography | Break of Day | Won | [18] |
| 1978 | The Last Wave | Won | ||
| 1980 | The Chain Reaction | Nominated | ||
| 1983 | The Year of Living Dangerously | Nominated | ||
| 1986 | Burke & Wills | Nominated | ||
| 1988 | Raymond Longford Award | Won | [19] | |
| 1990 | Best Cinematography | Blood Oath | Nominated | |
Australian Cinematographers Society
| Year | Award | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Cinematographer of the Year | Between Wars | Won |
| 1982 | Gallipoli | Won | |
| 1998 | Hall of Fame Award | Won | |
Other awards
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | British Society of Cinematographers | Best Cinematography | Picnic at Hanging Rock | Nominated | |
| 1979 | Saturn Awards | Best Cinematography | Won | [20] | |
| 2002 | FCCA Award | Special Achievement Award | Won | ||
| 2003 | Camerimage | Special Award for Duo Cinematographer-Director | Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World |
Won | |
| Golden Frog | Nominated | ||||
| Satellite Awards | Best Cinematography (shared with Sandi Sissel on second unit) |
Nominated | |||
| 2005 | Kodak Awards | Excellence in Cinematography | Won | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "Russell Boyd, ASC, ACS: Vision Accomplished". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd | Cinematographer, Camera and Electrical Department, Director". IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd". www.acmi.net.au. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd, ASC, ACS: Vision Accomplished". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd, ASC, ACS: Vision Accomplished". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd, ASC, ACS: Vision Accomplished". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd, ASC, ACS: Vision Accomplished". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "The Golden Age of The Australian New Wave Cinema (1970s - 1980s)". www.robertcmorton.com. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ elias, debbie lynn (25 January 2011). "Exclusive 1:1 with Peter Weir: Master and Commander of His Ship". Behind The Lens Online. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) - Awards - IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2025 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "Russell Boyd | Cinematographer, Camera and Electrical Department, Director". IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd | Cinematographer, Camera and Electrical Department, Director". IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ cinephiliabeyond (15 October 2024). "Australian Gothic: Peter Weir's 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' • Cinephilia & Beyond". Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd". www.acmi.net.au. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd | Cinematographer, Camera and Electrical Department, Director". IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Russell Boyd - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- McFarlane, Brian; Mayer, Geoff (1999). Bertrand, Ina (ed.). The Oxford companion to Australian film. Melbourne, Australia ; New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-553797-1.
External links
[edit]- Russell Boyd at IMDb
