Harris Savides facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harris Savides
Savides in 2008
Born	(1957-09-28)September 28, 1957 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	October 9, 2012(2012-10-09) (aged 55) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1993–2012

Harris Savides (born September 28, 1957 – died October 9, 2012) was an American cinematographer. A cinematographer is a person who is in charge of how a movie looks. They work closely with the director to decide on the cameras, lighting, and how each scene is filmed.

Savides was nominated for a BAFTA Award and five Independent Spirit Awards. He was especially known for working with director Gus Van Sant on many films. These include Finding Forrester (2000), Gerry (2002), Elephant (2003), Last Days (2005), Milk (2008), and Restless (2011).

He also worked on big movies like American Gangster (2007) by Ridley Scott. Other famous films he helped create include The Game (1997) and Zodiac (2007) for David Fincher. He also worked on Whatever Works (2009) by Woody Allen and Somewhere (2010) by Sofia Coppola. For his work on the short film The Key to Reserva (2007), he won a Clio Award.

Career in Film

Early Work

Harris Savides started his career working on different types of projects. His first main job as a cinematographer for a feature film was Heaven's Prisoners (1996). This movie was a thriller starring Alec Baldwin. Before that, he worked on a TV short film and a TV movie. One of his very first jobs was even being the director of photography for a workout video with Cindy Crawford.

Working with Famous Directors

Savides became well-known for his strong working relationships with several directors. He worked with Gus Van Sant on six films, helping to create their unique visual styles. These films included Gerry, Elephant, and Milk.

He also worked with David Fincher on movies like The Game and Zodiac. Zodiac was special because it used a lot of digital filming. Savides also helped film the opening scene for Fincher's movie Seven.

With director Noah Baumbach, Savides was the director of photography for Greenberg and Margot at the Wedding. He also worked on American Gangster for Ridley Scott and Whatever Works for Woody Allen.

Savides also filmed two movies for Sofia Coppola: Somewhere and The Bling Ring. For Somewhere, Coppola and Savides wanted a simple, natural look. They even used old lenses that Sofia's father, Francis Ford Coppola, had used for his film Rumble Fish. The Bling Ring was the last film Savides worked on before he passed away.

Savides was also known for creating very unique and delicate images in films like The Yards and Birth. He used special techniques with film to give these movies a distinct, artistic look, almost like old paintings.

Music Videos and Short Films

Besides movies, Savides was also a cinematographer for many famous music videos. He worked on Michael Jackson's Scream and Madonna's Rain. He also filmed Criminal for Fiona Apple and Closer for Nine Inch Nails.

He also worked on music videos for The Rolling Stones and R.E.M.'s Everybody Hurts. Savides was the only person to win three MTV Video Music Awards for Best Cinematography in a Music Video. He won for Madonna's "Rain," Fiona Apple's "Criminal," and R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts."

Savides also worked on short films. He was the director of photography for a short film called The Follow, which was part of BMW's "The Hire" series. He also worked on a short film directed by Martin Scorsese that honored Alfred Hitchcock.

Personal Life

Harris Savides was born in New York City, New York. His parents were from Greek Cypriot families. He studied photography and film at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

He lived in Manhattan with his wife, Medine, and their daughter, Sophie. Harris Savides passed away at the age of 55.

Filmography

*Released after his death

Awards and Nominations