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50-399: Frederick William Francis BSC (22 December 1917 – 17 March 2007) was an English cinematographer and film director whose filmmaking career spanned over 60 years, from the late 1930s until the late 2000s. One of the most celebrated British cinematographers of his time, he received numerous accolades for his photography, including two Academy Awards and five BAFTA Awards . As a director he

100-460: A Stanley Lupino picture made at Associated Talking Pictures (later Ealing Studios ). This led to his successively becoming a clapper boy , camera loader and focus puller. He began his career in films at British International Pictures , then moved to British and Dominions . His first film as a clapper boy was The Prisoner of Corbal (1936). In 1939, Francis joined the Army , where he would spend

150-400: A broad range of topics and were delivered in a wide variety of styles; from straightforward technical films on a subject such as a 6 pounder gun through to specialised medical films, "careless talk", street fighting, post-war jobs, food in the mess ( The Soldier's Food , 1942), and problems faced by new recruits. The last topic was dealt with in a film called The New Lot . Made in 1943 for

200-552: A co-opted member from the Associate Membership. The 2022–23 Board of Governors are: The BSC employs four members of staff. Audra Marshall serves as Secretary of the BSC, Frances Russell serves as Treasurer, Duncan Bruce serves as Membership Engagement and Social Media and Helen MacLean runs the BSC office. In the 1981 film The Great Muppet Caper , Kermit and Fozzie comment on the opening credits as they appear. When

250-598: A company that, like Hammer, specialised in horror pictures. Most of the films he made for Amicus were anthologies, including Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), Torture Garden (1967) and Tales from the Crypt (1972). He also did two films for the short-lived company Tyburn Films; these were The Ghoul and Legend of the Werewolf (both 1975). Francis was more than competent as a director, and his horror films possessed an undeniable visual flair. He regretted that he

300-511: A doorway. I suggested that we start the shot upside down, tight on his face, and then rotate the camera as we tracked backwards so the room would become upside-down. We did that shot with a Panatate remote head, and Marty just fell madly in love with the thing." Francis' final feature film as a director of photography was a reunion with David Lynch the small intimate drama The Straight Story (1999). Francis received many industry awards, including, in 1997, an international achievement award from

350-572: A few. The Directorate of Kinematography (DAK) started in April 1941 with only two branches. In October 1941, it moved to Curzon Street House, London W1 where it was based for the duration of World War II . In November 1941 it requisitioned the Curzon Cinema partly to meet its own screening needs, but also as a showpiece cinema for the services and for those of other government departments. By mid-1942 DAK had increased to five branches to deal with

400-411: A generator and a portable screen. The 35mm units used 3-ton Bedford trucks, as the equipment and film were much bulkier and heavier; additionally, the 35mm units had to carry their own collapsible fireproof projection box, owing to the high flammability of nitrate film . The two crew – a corporal and private – endured a nomadic life, going almost daily to different venues and being "in the field" for up to

450-681: A hundred mobile cinema units in the UK and approximately four hundred 16mm ones, but only one overseas, in North Africa. After the Allied landings in Italy and Normandy this expanded enormously, with a consequent demand on personnel and equipment. Projectionists were trained at the Regent Street and Northern Polytechnics in central and east London, males at the former and females (who were part of

500-498: A month at a time. During this period they not only had to make do with what they found to show their films – damaged buildings, barns and sometimes just the open air – but also depended on their location for food and billet. This sometimes meant going without and on occasions coming under fire. Always distinct from other filmmaking sections of the armed forces – the Directorate of Public Relations retained control over this area –

550-469: A realistic approach devoid of filtration or sepia tones, relying instead on the credibility of the locations and production design to simulate the era. Photographically, Francis rendered Glory simply and honestly, with much of the intimate drama revealed in the light and shadow playing upon soldiers’ faces". Francis said of the experience "I’m a great believer in the futility of war and I believe we captured that idea quite well in several parts of Glory . That

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600-506: A short period. For example, Freddie Francis entered as a camera assistant and subsequently covered everything from writing to directing, Roy Ward Baker entered as a production manager and spent most of his time directing, Peter Newbrook – a later president of the British Society of Cinematographers – began as a cameraman and became a director. This was all in the space of a little more than three years. The films produced covered

650-434: A small coal-mining town during the early 1900s. In the 1961 article of American Cinematographer , the magazine praised his work by stating that the film has "unusual visual beauty and is marked by photographic ingenuity throughout that easily makes it one of the finest monochrome photographic achievements to come along in some time." Cinematographer John Bailey also praised his work saying, "Then I saw Sons and Lovers , and I

700-478: A son; in 1963 he married Pamela Mann-Francis , with whom he had a daughter and a second son. Francis died, aged 89, from the lingering effects of a stroke. Film TV series TV movies Writer (Credited as "Ken Barnett") Academy Awards BAFTA Awards British Society of Cinematographers The British Society of Cinematographers (abbreviated B.S.C. or BSC ) is an organisation formed in 1949 by Bert Easey (23 August 1901 – 28 February 1973),

750-497: The ATS ) at the latter. The course was rigorous, lasting six weeks and ending with a trade test after which those qualifying had to undergo a further two weeks' training on petrol generators. Those who were deemed able were sent on a driving course and then on to a cine section. A mobile cine section typically comprised around seven 16mm units and two 35mm units. The 16mm units operated out of 15-cwt Bedford trucks, carrying two projectors,

800-607: The American Civil War film Glory (1989). He also earned acclaim for his work on Karel Reisz 's The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), and Martin Scorsese 's Cape Fear (1991). In addition to his Oscar and BAFTA wins, Francis received an international achievement award from the American Society of Cinematographers in 1997, a lifetime achievement award from the British Society of Cinematographers

850-422: The American Society of Cinematographers , and in 2004, BAFTA 's special achievement award. Francis is featured in the book Conversations with Cinematographers (2012) by David A Ellis and published by American publisher Scarecrow Press. Freddie's final film work was as cinematographer on the music video " Never Ever " by All Saints . It was directed by filmmaker Sean Ellis . The video won best British Video of

900-498: The 1960s and 1970s. These films included thrillers like Nightmare (1964) and Hysteria (1965), as well as monster films such as The Evil of Frankenstein (1964) and Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968). On his apparent typecasting as a director of these types of film, Francis said "Horror films have liked me more than I have liked horror films". Also in the mid-1960s, Francis began an association with Amicus Productions ,

950-645: The AKS continued to provide much-needed cinema and production facilities up to the end of the war and beyond. Post-war it went through several name and organisational changes: in 1946 it became the Army Kinema Corporation (AKC) - retaining the, by then, archaic spelling of Kinema to differentiate it from the ACC, the Army Catering Corps - though camp cinemas bore signs reading AKC Cinema; in 1969

1000-616: The Army at war, worldwide. With the establishment of the AKS and its much improved production resources, the Army's increased needs could be more efficiently met; production units could be ordered out on location, at home and abroad; there was greater security when making films on subjects that were deemed secret; high-priority films could be rushed through as necessary. What became an enormous output of films gave opportunities to young and relatively inexperienced film personnel which they were unlikely to have received in peacetime, at least over such

1050-501: The Army. In 1940 it was transferred to Wembley Studios (the 20th Century Fox Studios requisitioned for the war) to continue its activities. In August 1941 it was absorbed and expanded into the AKS. Thorold Dickinson was Head of Production (a role acquired partly through his involvement in the making of the highly successful The Next of Kin in early 1942, a film requested by the War Office and made at Ealing Studios ), and he

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1100-466: The British Society of Cinematographers are entitled to use BSC as postnominals in motion picture and television credits. BSC members have won 22 Academy Awards over the last 95 years. Below is a list of some of their most notable members. The current president of the British Society of Cinematographers is Christopher Ross BSC. The BSC Board of Governors is made up 18 Full Members and

1150-520: The Directorate of Army Psychiatry, directed by Carol Reed and scripted by Eric Ambler (who in 1944 became the Head of Production at the AKS) and Peter Ustinov – both of whom appear in the film – it detailed the many different problems facing new recruits and the way they coped. Though at the time it did not have the wider impact of something like The Next of Kin , it is now considered a minor classic. Its influence

1200-432: The Grave (1968). In the 1970s he worked mainly for Amicus Productions, for which he notably directed the horror anthology Tales from the Crypt (1972). After nearly two decades as a director, Francis returned to cinematography with The Elephant Man (1980). This established a collaboration with director David Lynch , for whom he also shot Dune (1984), and The Straight Story (1999). He won his second Oscar for

1250-559: The Year at the 1998 Brit Awards . As a cinematographer, Francis cited his three mentors as Freddie Young , John Huston , and Michael Powell . His main influences as director were Billy Wilder , William Wyler , and Tod Browning . Francis' photography favoured black-and-white, though he did work in colour for much of his latter career, and emphasized lighting and framing over colour schemes. In an interview with The Guardian , Francis said "I still photograph things in black and white, but

1300-403: The edge of the frame. Francis used deep focus and narrowly aimed the lighting towards the centre of the screen. Francis and Clayton framed the film in an unusually bold style, with characters prominent at the edge of the frame and their faces at the centre in profile in some sequences, which, again, created both a sense of intimacy and unease, based on the lack of balance in the image. For many of

1350-610: The fact that it's colour stock means they come out in colour. I know that sounds rather facetious ... but I prefer to think in terms of light and shade than in colour." Director Martin Scorsese , who worked with Francis on Cape Fear , cited Francis's use of a gothic atmosphere. "He understands the obligatory scene of a young maiden with a candle walking down a long hall towards a door. 'Don't go in that door!' you yell, and she goes in! Every time, she goes in! So I say to him, 'This has to look like The Hall,' and he understands that." Francis married Gladys Dorrell in 1940, with whom he had

1400-416: The frame for the psychopathic Max Cady played by Robert De Niro . Francis spoke fondly of his working relationship with Scorsese saying, "Scorsese is another director who has shot the film in his head before you’ve exposed a single frame of film. You can sometimes talk him into something, though. There was one scene with Bob De Niro where he’s talking on the phone, hanging upside-down from a bar strung across

1450-533: The growing demands of the war, covering such areas as policy, planning and production, finance, distribution and exhibition. In 1944 it assumed full responsibility for cinema facilities in North Africa, the Mediterranean area, the Far East and in 1945 it took over the cinema activities of NAAFI and ENSA. The centralisation of activities under DAK meant an increasingly efficient supply of cinema facilities to

1500-401: The interior night scenes, Francis painted the sides of the lenses with black paint to allow for a more intense, "elegiac" focus, and used candles custom-made with four to five wicks twined together to produce more light. The New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael praised Francis for his work, writing: "I don't know where this cinematographer Freddie Francis sprang from. You may recall that in

1550-517: The last year just about every time a British movie is something to look at, it turns out to be his". Following his Academy Award win for Sons and Lovers , Francis began his career as director of feature films. His first feature as director was Two and Two Make Six (1962). For the next 20-plus years, Francis worked continuously as a director of low-budget films, most of them in the genres of horror or psycho-thriller. Beginning with Paranoiac (1963), Francis made numerous films for Hammer throughout

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1600-621: The name of the film's cinematographer Oswald Morris with his post-nominal letters appears, Fozzie asks, "What does B.S.C. stand for?", to which Kermit perplexedly replies, "I don't know." Army Kinematograph Service Pre-1939, the Army Kinema Establishment, part of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps based at Aldershot in Surrey , had been responsible for making and exhibiting training films for

1650-541: The next seven years. Eventually, he was assigned as cameraman and director to the Army Kinematograph Service at Wembley Studios , where he worked on many training films. About this, Francis said, "Most of the time I was with various film units within the service, so I got quite a bit of experience in all sorts of jobs, including being a cameraman and editing and generally being a jack of all trades." Following his return to civilian life, Francis spent

1700-573: The next ten years working as a camera operator. He quickly became the regular cameraman of The Archers and their cinematographer, Christopher Challis . Francis served as a cameraman on six of The Archers' productions: The Small Back Room , The Elusive Pimpernel (1950), Gone to Earth , The Tales of Hoffmann (1951), Twice Upon a Time , and The Sorcerer's Apprentice . He served as Challis' cameraman on two other films as well: Angels One Five and Affair in Monte Carlo . Francis

1750-428: The only monochrome emulsion that met Francis's standards and was available in sufficient quantities. He earned great acclaim for his black-and-white cinematography earning a British Academy Film Award nomination. Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times dissected Francis's work on the film, writing: "Francis takes advantage of opportunities for high contrast, but note how more subtle elements of Francis’s shading affect

1800-626: The psychological horror film The Innocents (1961). He became well-known for his rich black-and-white CinemaScope framing, and was regarded as one of the top cameraman in the British film industry. He made his directorial debut with the romantic comedy Two and Two Make Six (1962), but gained the most attention for his horror films and thrillers. During the 1960s he was a house director for Hammer Productions, where he made Paranoiac (1963; an early starring vehicle for Oliver Reed ), The Evil of Frankenstein (1964), and Dracula Has Risen from

1850-716: The same year, and BAFTA 's special achievement award in 2004. Born in Islington in London, England, Francis originally planned to become an engineer. At school, a piece he wrote about films of the future won him a scholarship to the North West London Polytechnic in Kentish Town . He left school at the age of 16, becoming an apprentice to photographer Louis Prothero. Francis stayed with Prothero for six months. In this time they photographed stills for

1900-473: The science fiction film Dune (1984) and the drama The Straight Story (1999), which was shot on location in Iowa in 23 days. One of his favorite camera operators was Gordon Hayman. He worked on films such as The Executioner's Song (1982), Clara's Heart (1988). Francis's last film as director was 1987's Dark Tower (no relation to the 2004 book of the same name by Stephen King ). Francis thought it

1950-446: The storytelling. Lynch defers a full look at the deformed title character, John Merrick (John Hurt), to milk it for maximum impact. So Francis shows Merrick in varying degrees of shadow for the first half-hour — until a nurse stumbles upon him, at last fully illuminated by a skylight, and screams." Francis gained a new-found industry and critical respect as a cinematographer. During the 1980s he collaborated with Lynch two more times, with

2000-528: The then head of the Denham and Pinewood studio camera departments, to represent British cinematographers in the British film industry . The stated objectives at the formation of the BSC were: There were originally 55 members. Currently, there are 256 full, honorary and associate members. For a British cinematographer, membership of the BSC is an affirmation of the high standard of their craft. The members of

2050-507: Was a bad picture owing to poor special effects and had his name taken off it. His name was substituted with the name Ken Barnett. With his work on the Civil War drama Glory (1989) directed by Edward Zwick he earned his second Academy Award . David E. Williams of American Cinematographer wrote, "Francis and director Zwick studied period stills by famed photographer Matthew Brady and others. The stark black-and-white images suggested

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2100-581: Was also the regular cameraman of Oswald Morris . His first feature with Morris was Golden Salamander (1950). The two also worked together on Knave of Hearts and three films directed by John Huston : Moulin Rouge , Beat the Devil , and Moby Dick . Francis was given a chance to lead the second unit of Moby Dick and shortly after became a full director of photography on A Hill in Korea (1956), which

2150-464: Was always in the back of my mind." Francis provided the cinematography for the critical favorite The Man in the Moon as well as Martin Scorsese 's remake of Cape Fear (both 1991). Francis' suggested that he earned the job working with Scorsese was a recommendation that came from director Michael Powell . Francis again sought to utilize deep focus in order to keep the audience anxiously searching

2200-503: Was best known for his horror films , notably those made for production companies Amicus and Hammer in the 1960s and 1970s. Francis started his film career as a cameraman for John Huston and for the directing team of Powell and Pressburger before becoming a cinematographer for notable British films such as Jack Clayton 's drama Room at the Top (1959), Jack Cardiff 's Sons and Lovers (1960) – which earned him his first Oscar – and

2250-492: Was initially instrumental in recruiting many of those who had been involved in the film industry. The result has been described as "a roll call of many of the finest film technicians whose skills were reflected in the quality of AKS training films" and some fairly well-known names contributed, others developing skills that assisted their post-war eminence; Eric Ambler , Roy Ward Baker , Thorold Dickinson, Freddie Francis , Carol Reed , Peter Ustinov and Freddie Young to name but

2300-475: Was knocked out by the poetry and visual beauty of the film. The camerawork was unlike anything I had seen before in an English-language movie." He next collaborated with director Jack Clayton for the psychological drama film The Innocents starring Deborah Kerr . Francis worked with the CinemaScope aspect ratio . He used colour filters and used the lighting rig to create darkness consuming everything at

2350-548: Was not very well received by mainstream critics but has gone on to become a minor cult favorite among fans. In 1985, Francis directed The Doctor and the Devils , based on the crimes of Burke and Hare . In 1980 he returned to work as a director of photography, this time for David Lynch in the British drama The Elephant Man (1980). This was principally shot at Wembley Studios in Panavision , using Kodak's Plus X stock —

2400-495: Was seldom able to move beyond genre material as a director. He directed the little-seen Son of Dracula (1974), starring Harry Nilsson in the title role and Ringo Starr as Merlin the Magician. Of the films Francis directed, one of his favorites was Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny, and Girly (1970). Mumsy... is a black comedy about an isolated, upper-class family whose relationships and behaviours lead to deadly consequences. The film

2450-482: Was shot in Portugal. He subsequently worked on such prestige British dramas such as Room at the Top (1959), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), Sons and Lovers (1960), and The Innocents (1961), which he regarded as one of the best films he shot. For his work on Jack Cardiff 's Sons and Lovers he received his first Academy Award for Best Cinematography . The film depicts societal repression in

2500-434: Was sufficient for it to be used as the basis for the 1944 feature film The Way Ahead . Between 1944-1946 a series of morale-boosting films were made on location in the Far East called Calling Blighty . These were filmed messages home from members of the "Forgotten Army" and provided a much-needed link between the UK and personnel stationed (and fighting) in places such as Burma, India and Ceylon. By 1943 there were over

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