Michael Slovis, ASC, DGA started taking pictures as a teenager and was a winner of the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival with a photograph that earned him admission to Rochester Institute of Technology's renowned photography program. There, one of his teachers said his pictures told stories like movies and advised him to look into filmmaking. Slovis studied cinematography at New York University and began working professionally as a gaffer on motion pictures, commercials and television. He started his career as a director of photography in independent films in New York. In 1995 Michael photographed the Sundance Film Festival favorite Party Girl, which opened the door to independent films, television films, theatrical films and pilots.Returning from Europe, following the traumatic events of 2001, Michael wanted to stay closer to family and was fortunate to transition to episodic television with the series, "ED" for Paramount/NBC. In 2007 Michael completed two and a half years as director of photography on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for which he won the 2006 Emmy award for outstanding cinematography and was nominated again in 2007. Since 2008, Michael has made AMC his part-time home shooting four seasons of the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad, for which he has earned three Emmy nominations.In recent years Michael has photographed the pilot for ABC's Castle, the episodic shows Fringe (Fox), Royal Pains (USA), Rubicon (AMC), Running Wilde (Fox) and 30 Rock (NBC). In 2010 Michael was honored to join the American Society of Cinematographers.
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Michael Slovis, ASC, DGA started taking pictures as a teenager and was a winner of the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival with a photograph that earned him admission to Rochester Institute of Technology's renowned photography program. There, one of his teachers said his pictures told stories like movies and advised him to look into filmmaking. Slovis studied cinematography at New York University and began working professionally as a gaffer on motion pictures, commercials and television. He started his career as a director of photography in independent films in New York. In 1995 Michael photographed the Sundance Film Festival favorite Party Girl, which opened the door to independent films, television films, theatrical films and pilots.Returning from Europe, following the traumatic events of 2001, Michael wanted to stay closer to family and was fortunate to transition to episodic television with the series, "ED" for Paramount/NBC. In 2007 Michael completed two and a half years as director of photography on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for which he won the 2006 Emmy award for outstanding cinematography and was nominated again in 2007. Since 2008, Michael has made AMC his part-time home shooting four seasons of the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad, for which he has earned three Emmy nominations.In recent years Michael has photographed the pilot for ABC's Castle, the episodic shows Fringe (Fox), Royal Pains (USA), Rubicon (AMC), Running Wilde (Fox) and 30 Rock (NBC). In 2010 Michael was honored to join the American Society of Cinematographers.
Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC photographed Bohemian Rhapsody, the exquisite portrait of Freddie Mercury, the rock band Queen, and their extraordinary appearance at the Live Aid concert of 1985.
Sigel went on to earn a Best Cinematography nomination for his work on the film at the 2019 EE British Academy Film Awards. Bohemian Rhapsody also took home the 2019 Golden Globe for Drama Motion Picture, along with Rami Malek nabbing a multitude of accolades -- including an Academy Award -- for his portrayal of Freddie.
Having completed Dhaka in early 2019, the action-packed Chris Hemsworth starrer produced by the Russo Brothers, Sigel also recently wrapped principal photography for director Spike Lee’s upcoming war drama, Da 5 Bloods.
Since the early days of his career, Sigel has earned a powerful position amongst visual storytellers starting with his work on cult classic The Usual Suspects for director Bryan Singer. The two went on to collaborate on nine more films, including the X-Men movies, Superman Returns and Valkyrie.
Sigel’s seminal use of exotic film stocks and innovative negative processing methods on Three Kings laid the foundation to new avenues of cinematography. In 2010, he photographed Nicolas Winding Refn’s Hollywood debut, Drive, which won the Best Director Award at Cannes and is universally praised for its dazzling look.
Other credits include: Bob Rafelson’s dark noir tale Blood & Wine starring Jack Nicholson and Gregory Hoblit’s Fallen, starring Denzel Washington. Sigel then went on to photograph Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Leatherheads with longtime collaborator George Clooney; Terry Gilliam’s The Brothers Grimm; Alan Ball’s directorial debut, Towelhead; and Reginald Hudlin’s Marshall, starring Chadwick Boseman as the United States’ first black Supreme Court Justice.
Notably, Sigel has also collaborated with Master Yuen Wo-Ping, the Grandmaster of Martial-Arts Cinema, on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; with Robert Redford on The Conspirator; and with Halle Berry on Frankie and Alice.
In addition to his cinematography credits, Sigel directed HBO’s Point of Origin, as well as co-directed The Big Empty, starring Selma Blair, with his wife J. Lisa Chang.
Sigel began his artistic career as a painter and experimental filmmaker while studying at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. He transitioned to documentaries while covering the Central American wars of the 1980s, which included working on the Academy Award-winning Witness to War: Dr. Charlie Clements and When the Mountains Tremble. Catching the eye of legendary filmmaker Haskell Wexler, Sigel got his first narrative opportunity on Latino, a film based on Sigel’s own experiences while photographing Nicaragua: Report From the Front. The documentary chronicled the front lines of the war in Nicaragua from both sides of the conflict, becoming the first film to ever capture the contras. This led to second-unit work with Oliver Stone on Platoon and Wall Street.
Sigel is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers, the Director’s Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is based in Los Angeles and is represented by UTA.
Art vs. Commerce
Michael Slovis, ASC, DGA started taking pictures as a teenager and was a winner of the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival with a photograph that earned him admission to Rochester Institute of Technology's renowned photography program. There, one of his teachers said his pictures told stories like movies and advised him to look into filmmaking. Slovis studied cinematography at New York University and began working professionally as a gaffer on motion pictures, commercials and television. He started his career as a director of photography in independent films in New York. In 1995 Michael photographed the Sundance Film Festival favorite Party Girl, which opened the door to independent films, television films, theatrical films and pilots.Returning from Europe, following the traumatic events of 2001, Michael wanted to stay closer to family and was fortunate to transition to episodic television with the series, "ED" for Paramount/NBC. In 2007 Michael completed two and a half years as director of photography on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for which he won the 2006 Emmy award for outstanding cinematography and was nominated again in 2007. Since 2008, Michael has made AMC his part-time home shooting four seasons of the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad, for which he has earned three Emmy nominations.In recent years Michael has photographed the pilot for ABC's Castle, the episodic shows Fringe (Fox), Royal Pains (USA), Rubicon (AMC), Running Wilde (Fox) and 30 Rock (NBC). In 2010 Michael was honored to join the American Society of Cinematographers.
