In memory of

Jacques’ friends who were also eminent Steadicam cameramen sent us warm messages. His friends Garrett Brown – the inventor of the Steadicam® –, Chris Fawcett, Dan Kneece, Ruben Sluijter, Alessandro Brambilla, as well as Jack Churchill (Ted Churchill’s brother), and, from France, Loïc Andrieu, Philippe Bordelais, and Jake Russell – a cameraman that Jacques trained over the last few years and who filmed Frédéric Ducomet-Boquier’s film Steadicam Paradox(e)– all paid tribute to a man who never stopped training, advising, and supporting Steadicam operators who are passionate about their profession, and who are today the world’s best in the field, including his own son, Valentin. Régis Prosper, of Cartoni France, the current importer of the Steadicam and an associate member of the AFC, also shared his memories with us.

Few days ago, we received from Kees Van Oostrum, President of the ASC, these kind words addressed to all the members of the AFC. “I was going to write you last week when I got the news that the great Raoul Coutard had passed away but then decided that I was going to write my upcoming Presidents desk article for the ASC magazine about him and my personal connection. I never had the privilege of meeting him but he was of great influence to me as a cinematographer. Anyway included is the article that will go out in the next issue but wanted to share it with you already.”

Raoul Coutard has passed away! The famous cinematographer and director left this world on Tuesday, 8 November 2016, near Bayonne, at the age of 92. With his passing, a major figure of the cinematography world of the last sixty years – from 1956 with Pierre Schoendoerffer’s La Passe du Diable to 2001 (Philippe Garrel’s Sauvage Innocence) – has taken his last bow.

Cinematographers Richard Andry, Jean-Jacques Bouhon, Céline Bozon, Jean-Noël Ferragut, Pierre-William Glenn, Pierre Lhomme, Baptiste Magnien, Gilles Porte, and Jean-François Robin, all AFC members, share what the memory of Raoul Coutard and his personality brings to their minds.

We were saddened to learn of the death of Bernard Château, “a camera car specialist” as he liked to call himself, on Monday, 15 August 2016, at the age of 83. His long career spanned feature-length and short films, television advertisements, second units, and much more. But the project of which he was proudest was his work on Gérard Oury’s cult classic, La Grande vadrouille. We will always remember his attendance at the Micro Salon in 2011 and 2014, his friendly nature, and his two last camera cars, which he took care of like the apples of his eye!

We were saddened to learn of the passing of British cinematographer Sue Gibson on 27 July 2016 as a result of her battle with cancer at the age of 64. In 1992, she was the first woman to be invited by her peers to join the BSC, of which she served as President from 2008 to 2010.

The AFC’s members are deeply saddened to announce the death of their colleague and friend Denys Clerval on 9 June 2016 following a prolonged illness, at the age of 82. Denys Clerval was a loyal and long-standing member of our association, and enjoyed taking part in our family of cinematographers. As a cinematographer, he was particularly proud of his work on François Truffaut’s films Stolen Kisses (1968) and Mississippi Mermaid (1969), on René Allio’s film The Shameless Old Lady (1965), and Ruy Guerra’s film Erendira (1983).

The announcement of the passing of a long-time friend often takes one by surprise: in reaction, one wishes that one had heard about the news earlier. The passing of Armand Marco, AFC Member, occurred on Saturday, 20 February 2016 at the age of 77 in Yerres. It was sad news for many of us. Armand was one of the pillars of our association for many years.

We were saddened to learn of the passing of our colleague Paul Bonis, cinematographer, on Thursday, 2 July 2015 at his residence in Bono (Morbihan, France). He was 76 years old. Having dedicated forty years of his life to the cinema, he said that his “master” was Claude Chabrol, who was almost a “surrogate father” to him.

We have heard with sorrow the news of the passing away, on Tuesday December 2^nd, of our colleague and dear friend the great british cinematographer Gerry Fisher, Honorary member of the BSC.

I first met Gerry Fisher in 1975 on the set of Joseph Losey’s Mr. Klein. At that time, I was 2^nd AC in Pierre-William Glenn’s team, who was operating on this film. I admired his work on Accident, Secret Ceremony, The Offence, A Doll’s House and Man in the Wilderness, and was shadowing him on the set, trying to learn his cinematography.

Gerry Fisher was one of the greatest men I met in my life. Joseph Losey asked me to be the Director of Photography on Monsieur Klein in the event Gerry didn’t obtain the special dispensation to work at this position in France (professional cards reigned supreme in those days…).

It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of our colleague, cinematographer Carlo Varini, AFC, due to a tragic accident that occured on Sunday, May 18, 2014. He was sixty-seven years old.

It is with great sadness that we learnt of the death of our British colleague Oswald Norman Morris, BSC, on Monday, 17 March 2014 at his home at Fontmell Magna, Dorset (UK) at the age of 98. Along with Freddie Young, Jack Cardiff, and Christopher Challis, “Ossie” Morris was a member of that generation of English directors of photography who learnt their trade while cinema itself was developing around them.

It is with deep sadness that we received news of the passing of our colleague, director of photography Jacques Loiseleux, AFC, on Monday, 17 March 2014. A founding member of our association and one of its pillars, one of its souls, Jacques served as its General Secretary for over ten years and was one of its Vice-Presidents. He was eighty-one years old.

A few weeks ago we announced the death of British cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, BSC, aged 99. Marc Salomon, a consulting member of the AFC, presents the biofilmography of this director of photography whose career began in 1929 and whose talented shadow is still visible in the more than sixty feature-length fictional films he shot.

We were saddened by the death of Gilles Galerne on 26 November 2012 as a result of a rare disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). He had founded the K5600 company in the early 90’s with his father Jean and his brother Marc. The AFC’s member directors of photography present their sincere condolences to his entire family, and especially Marc. Pascal Lebègue and Richard Andry, both members of the AFC, join his brother Marc in presenting their hommages to Gilles.

I always liked to think that we belonged to the same tribe…a tribe of “loudmouths”… accepting and open to the unknown… ready to face anything on earth!