Phedon Papamichael

American director Alexander Payne chose a futuristic science-fiction universe for his latest film in which humans are able to shrink themselves to conserve the planet’s resources. Downsizing narrates the experience of an average American (Matt Damon) who gets caught up despite himself in this social and physiological process that completely changes his life. Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC, shares with us the secrets behind the “making of” of this bittersweet and highly-awaited comedy.

Pour son nouveau film, le réalisateur américain Alexander Payne a choisi un univers de science fiction où les humains pourraient désormais se faire rapetisser pour économiser les ressources de la planète. Downsizing narre le trajet d’un Américain moyen (Matt Damon) pris un peu malgré lui dans ce processus social et physiologique qui bouleverse sa vie. Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC, nous fait partager les secrets de fabrication de cette comédie douce-amère sur fond d’anticipation.

Présidé par le directeur de la photographie Phedon Papamichael, GSC, ASC, le jury du 37^e Festival Manaki Brothers a dévoilé ses lauréats lors de la soirée de clôture qui s’est tenue samedi 17 septembre 2016, à Bitola (République de Macédoine). Le Finlandais Jani-Petteri "JP" Passi a reçu la Camera 300 d’or pour le film The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, réalisé par son compatriote Juho Kuosmanen.

Looking back at the beginnings of his career and his education, Phedon Papamichael admits that he didn’t attend a cinema school. “I was originally a photographer, and I learned to make movies on the job, by filming lots of short films using the Éclair 16 camera that I owned at the time.” Bit by bit, he went from short films to feature-length films under the guidance of Roger Corman of Concorde Pictures, for whom, beginning in 1989, he signed off on a number of low-budget B series films produced in a fortnight. At that time, he began to work with a number of his future colleagues, Raphel Sanchez, who was a key grip and later became a gaffer, Wally Pfister, who is one of his sparks, and Janusz Kaminski, who was also working as a gaffer at that time.

C’est autour de l’initiative " Advanced Filmaking ", dont il est l’initiateur avec Wally Pfister, ASC, et Janusz Kaminski, que Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC, est venu parler à un panel de jeunes chefs opérateurs.

Nous publions ci-dessous un entretien rédigé par Madelyn Most dans lequel le directeur de la photographie Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC, parle de son travail sur les films Nebraska, d’Alexander Payne, et Monuments Men, de George Clooney.

Lors du " BSC Summer Lunch " annuel, qui a eu lieu dimanche 27 juillet 2014 dans la Salle de bal des studios de Pinewood (Royaume-Uni), le directeur de la photographie Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC, s’est vu remettre le " BSC Best Photography Award " pour son travail sur le film Nebraska, d’Alexander Payne (Alexander Constantine Papadopoulos).

After Cannes in May and Camerimage in November, Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, photographed by Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC, was honored at the American Society of Cinematographers Awards in February where many attending delighted in the rumor that Nebraska would upset Gravity and steal the top prize. Afterall, cinematographers were voting for what they recognize to be the year’s greatest achievement in lighting and photography, not visual effects. The rich black and white imagery has a raw and simple beauty that is unique today ; it defiantly counterpoints the glossy, artificial, commercial-advertising look found in most other Hollywood Studio movies.