Wally Pfister facts for kids

Walter C. Pfister (born July 8, 1961) is an American director and a former cinematographer. A cinematographer is the person in charge of the cameras and lighting on a film set. They help create the look and feel of a movie.

Walter Pfister is well-known for working closely with filmmaker Christopher Nolan. He was the cinematographer for all of Nolan's films from 2000 to 2012. His amazing work on the movie Inception (2010) earned him an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

After many years as a cinematographer, Pfister decided to become a director. He directed his first movie, Transcendence, in 2014. Since then, he has mostly worked on commercials and television shows. These include episodes of Flaked and The Tick.

Early Life and First Steps

Walter Pfister was born in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in a town called Irvington-on-Hudson in New York. His father, Walter J. Pfister, Jr., was a TV news producer. His grandfather was an editor for a newspaper in Wisconsin.

When Walter was about 11 years old, a film crew came to his neighborhood. They were shooting scenes for a movie called Shamus (1973). Walter was fascinated by how they set up the lights and cameras. This sparked his interest in filmmaking. Soon after, he started making his own short films using an 8mm camera. He also created slide shows with music for his family and friends.

Learning the Craft

After high school, Pfister got a job at a TV station in Maryland. Within a few months, he borrowed a camera and started filming on weekends. He made a visual story about an old Victorian house. He showed it to his manager, and they made him a cameraman. He filmed small public service announcements (PSAs) for the station.

Later, Pfister worked as a cameraman for a news service in Washington, D.C. He covered important events like the United States Congress and the White House. From 1982 to 1985, he filmed breaking news stories for TV stations across the country. In 1985, he started working freelance. He shot documentaries for the PBS series Frontline.

Becoming a Cinematographer

In 1988, famous director Robert Altman came to Washington. He was directing a TV mini-series for HBO called Tanner '88. Altman needed a real news cameraman for a role in the show. They hired Pfister and also asked him to film some extra shots. When the producers saw his work, they made him the second unit cameraman. This was his first time working on a dramatic film.

Film School and Early Movies

After this experience, Pfister went to the American Film Institute (AFI). During his second year, he worked with classmates on a short film called "Senzeni Na?". This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1991. It was about a man caught in the apartheid struggle. Pfister used his documentary skills to light the film in a dark, striking way.

At AFI, Pfister met Janusz Kamiński, who had just graduated. Kamiński hired Pfister to work as a grip and electrician on various projects. A grip helps set up equipment, and an electrician handles the lighting. Pfister also got a chance to film some scenes for a movie by Roger Corman. This was his first time shooting a film using 35mm cameras.

In 1991, Pfister filmed The Unborn, his first full-length movie. After that, he worked on many independent films, often with very tight schedules.

Working with Christopher Nolan

In 1998, Pfister filmed a movie called The Hi-Line. It was shot in Montana during winter with a small budget. The film was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. There, he met Christopher Nolan, who also had a film at the festival.

Pfister and Nolan's first movie together was the thriller Memento (2000). After that, Pfister became Nolan's main cinematographer for all his movies.

Award-Winning Partnership

Pfister worked on seven movies directed by Nolan. He received four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. He won the award for his work on Inception in 2011.

Pfister once said that he "turned down many projects" to be available for Nolan. He also wanted to spend time with his family. Their work together ended in 2012 with The Dark Knight Rises. This was because Pfister got the chance to direct his own first film, Transcendence.

After Pfister stopped working as Nolan's cinematographer, Hoyte van Hoytema took over. Van Hoytema has worked with Nolan ever since, starting with Interstellar.

Directing Films and TV

Walter Pfister made his debut as a director with the science fiction thriller Transcendence in 2014. Christopher Nolan was an executive producer for the film.

Even though the movie received mixed reviews and didn't do as well as hoped at the box office, Pfister decided in 2015 that he would focus on directing. He no longer works as a cinematographer.

Since then, Pfister has mainly directed commercials and episodes for TV series. These include Flaked and The Tick.

Personal Life

Walter Pfister lives in Los Angeles, California. He lives with his partner Loan Chabanol. He has three children: Nick, Claire Julien (who is an actress), and Mia.

He is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC). These are groups for top cinematographers.

Filmography

Cinematographer

Direct-to-video

Feature film

TV movies

Director

Film

• Transcendence (2014)

Television

Commercials

Awards and Nominations

Walter Pfister has won many awards for his work as a cinematographer. Here are some of the most important ones:

Academy Awards

BAFTA Awards

American Society of Cinematographers

Other Awards

See also

In Spanish: Wally Pfister para niños