The interview was made in sodankyla, lapland, finland, during the midnight sun film festival in june 2011. Legendary composer bernard herrmann finished conducting the score the day before he passed away, and michael chapman atmospherically photographed it on the mean streets of new york. To date, he has shot more than forty feature films. On over half of them, he has worked with only three different.
After college, he spent two years in the united states army one year on the thule airbase, greenland, and then two more as a freight brakeman on the railroad. Columbia university, new york city history and literature career. That led him to a camera crew job at mpo, a commercial company in new york, where he met gordon willis, owen roizman, director michael cimino and other narrative filmmakers. Michael chapman talks restoring taxi driver and the problem with. May 16, 2019 the masculine oversight of taxi driver martin scorsese crafted a mans world in his 1976 breakthrough only to expertly and importantly tear it down from within. The movie taxi driver, released in 1976 and directed by martin scorsese, was shot on film using arriflex 35 bl camera and zeiss super speed lenses with michael chapman as cinematographer and editing by tom rolf, melvin shapiro. Michael chapman nominated for the 1977 academy award for best picture. Michael chapman celebrity profile check out the latest michael chapman photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at rotten tomatoes. It is certainly one of the most visceral portraits of the american urban underbelly ever put on film, a movie bathed in blood as much as in light, and almost forty years later it still has the power sink the audience into the. Mar 27, 2015 the scene i will analyse this week is from the 1976 martin scorsese film taxi driver with cinematography by michael chapman. Mar 16, 2011 taxi driver is a vision of a world that already knows it is lost. Michael chapman and that legendary raging bull fight scene. The film is regularly cited by critics, film directors, and audiences.
The cinematography in this movie is as soothing as the smooth jazz. Michael chapman talks restoring taxi driver and the problem with modern cinematography. Martin scorsese camera techniques recently i have been watching some of the films i have spoken about so far, looking more closely at the cinematography. They chose the ones that they always do taxi driver and raging bull and all that and i think they asked me for some suggestions, but we talked over what films were available that they could actually get prints of and things.
Cinematographer michael chapman, bestknown for taxi driver and raging bull, and feted at camerimage with a lifetime achievement award, advises young. The renowned cinematographer michael chapman, invited to the festival as the. Scorsese admired the way michael chapman shot the urban environment of hal ashbys the last detail 1973 and together they created an almost hellish visual world for taxi driver. New york at night as seen through the eyes of selfappointed avenging angel, travis bickle. Cinematographer michael chapman has worked on iconic films such as raging bull, taxi driver, and the fugitive, and in this interview with cooke optics tv he offers some sage advice for image makers who want to take their visual storytelling to the next level. Stylistically, the film is a kinetic, cinematic experience as scorsese shows off his talents as a filmmaker and storyteller, creating stunning visuals with the help of cinematographer michael chapman. The movie rarely strays very far from the personal. Web of stories life stories of remarkable people 160 views. Martin scorseses taxi driver on netflix stream on demand. Michael chapman filmmaker how we shot taxi driver on.
In the earlier film scorsese uses varying speeds of slowmotion to suggest a level of heightened observation on the part of his characters, and here that technique is developed even more dramatically. Jul 06, 2016 michael chapman, the cameraman who shot martin scorseses classics raging bull and taxi driver, will receive this years lifetime achievement honor at the camerimage film festival, an event. The man is travis bickle, exmarine, veteran of vietnam, composer of dutiful anniversary notes to his parents, taxi driver, killer. Mean streets, taxi driver, and new york, new york scorsese then shocked filmgoers with taxi driver 1976, a hellish tour of a disturbed vietnam veterans peculiar madness. Taxi driver e uno di quei film che non dovrebbe mai mancare nella collezione di ogni amante del cinema. Youd have to ask marty, but i think we worked well together on taxi driver. Dec 06, 2016 we interviewed master cinematographer michael chapman at camerimage 2016. Michael chapman on taxi driver and cinema of today 2011 imdb. Michael chapman how we shot taxi driver on the streets of new. A mentally unstable viet nam war veteran who works as a nighttime taxi driver in new york city is driven to obsession when he attempts to save a 12year old prostitute, embarking on a violent shooting rampage against a world of filth and corruption.
Michael chapman, an american cinematographer, has had a huge influence on contemporary filmmaking, working on an impressive array of classic films including taxi driver, raging bull, the lost boys and the fugitive. I m not sure that i can say its my best cinematography it was. Feb 08, 2016 michael ochs archivegetty images its been 40 years since taxi driver first hit theaters, grabbing us by the throat and dragging us into travis bickles dark, twisted world. A third of a century later, the checker cabs are gone, as are the taxi garages at the end of 57th street and the allnight belmore. During his initiation into the new york filmmaking community, chapman met several cinematographers including boris kaufman. Steam rises out of the grates and manhole covers like some primordial. As a cinematographer, he became famous for his two collaborations with martin scorsese. He is best known for taxi driver 1976, raging bull 1980, the fugitive 1993, and primal fear 1996. Previous article flash gordon 1980 next article sanjuro 1962 related posts. This is expert film making from scorsese, cinematographer michael chapman, and the actors. Michael chapman, the cameraman who shot martin scorseses classics raging bull and taxi driver, will receive this years lifetime achievement honor at the camerimage film festival, an event. Taxi driver is a vision of a world that already knows it is lost. I think that taxi driver was the best movie i ever worked on. Columbia pictures corporation columbia tristar home video firm.
He has worked with a number of acclaimed directors including martin scorsese with whom he created his two best known films, taxi driver. Taxi driver 1976, martin scorseses incendiary masterpiece of alienation and anger and urban anxiety may be the most maverick vision of seventies american cinema. Michael chapman talks restoring taxi driver and the problem. For instance, the all the animals come out at night scene, the shots of the taxicab driving through the streets of. Taxi driver 1976 technical specifications shotonwhat. The veteran is best known for his camerawork on the godfather and jaws, and as the cinematographer of the groundbreaking. The masculine oversight of taxi driver martin scorsese crafted a mans world in his 1976 breakthrough only to expertly and importantly tear it down from within. Michael chapman talks restoring taxi driver and the.
Raging bull lenser michael chapman to receive camerimage. Cinematographer michael chapman discusses cinema of today, his work on taxi driver 1976, and other film related subjects. Theres no doubt that taxi driver paints an extremely disturbing portrait we find ourselves understanding travis mindset. Cinematography needs to serve the story michael chapman. Michael ochs archivegetty images its been 40 years since taxi driver first hit theaters, grabbing us by the throat and dragging us into travis bickles dark, twisted world. The scene i will analyse this week is from the 1976 martin scorsese film taxi driver with cinematography by michael chapman. Dec 07, 2016 cinematographer michael chapman has worked on iconic films such as raging bull, taxi driver, and the fugitive, and in this interview with cooke optics tv he offers some sage advice for image makers who want to take their visual storytelling to the next level. Oct 25, 2012 martin scorsese camera techniques recently i have been watching some of the films i have spoken about so far, looking more closely at the cinematography. He began his career as a camera operator, distinguishing himself on steven spielbergs jaws. The masculine oversight of taxi driver film school rejects.
As a cinematographer, he became famous for his two collaborations with martin scorsese, taxi driver. Alien 3 1992 mulholland drive 2001 shots in the database. With michael chapman, joonas ranta, terhi nieminen. We interviewed master cinematographer michael chapman at camerimage 2016.