Frederick Elmes

Camera

Frederick Elmes

Born 1946-11-04 · Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, USA

Frederick Elmes, ASC (born November 4, 1946) is an American cinematographer, known for his association with the independent film movement. He is a long-time collaborator of directors David Lynch, Ang Lee, Charlie Kaufman, Jim Jarmusch, and Todd Solondz. He has won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography twice, for Wild at Heart (1990) and Night on Earth (1991), and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series for The Night Of (2016). Born in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, Elmes studied photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology and then attended the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, graduating in 1972. He enrolled in the Graduate Film Program at New York University's Department of Film and Television and graduated in 1975. At the American Film Institute, Elmes met aspiring film director David Lynch, who hired him for Eraserhead (1977). Since then the two have collaborated on Blue Velvet (1986) and Wild at Heart (1990). Elmes is also a frequent collaborator with directors Ang Lee and Jim Jarmusch. Elmes has been a member of the American Society of Cinematographers since 1993. Description above from the Wikipedia article Frederick Elmes, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

Edge of Outside poster
5.8

An hour-long documentary designed to celebrate the spirit of the independent filmmaker from D.W. Griffith to Quentin Tarantino. Interview footage and film clips are blended together to form a chronological approach to the subject matter.

Edge of Outside

2006

Mysteries of Love poster
7.1

Documentary featuring director David Lynch, stars Dennis Hopper, Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern and Isabella Rossellini, cinematographer Frederick Elmes, editor Duwayne Dunham, composer Angelo Badalamenti, and producer Fred Caruso. Produced for the "Blue Velvet" DVD.

Mysteries of Love

2002

I Know Catherine, the Log Lady poster
NR

An authorized feature documentary about Catherine E. Coulson, best known as the Log Lady in David Lynch & Mark Frost's "Twin Peaks".

I Know Catherine, the Log Lady

2026

Visions of Light poster
7.0

Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.

Visions of Light

1992

Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of Wild at Heart poster
NR

A documentary about the making of the movie Wild at Heart, produced for the DVD release of the film.

Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of Wild at Heart

2004

Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch poster
7.5

Hot off Wild at Heart (1990), winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes, Johnathan Ross interviews filmmaker David Lynch and his colleagues.

Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch

1990

Behind the camera