Dean Raymond Cundey, A.S.C. (born March 12, 1946) is an American cinematographer and film director.
A frequent collaborator with filmmakers such as John Carpenter, Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, Cundey's most notable credits include Halloween (1978), Escape from New York (1981), The Thing (1982), the Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Apollo 13 (1995), and Jack and Jill (2011).
Cundey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography, and has been nominated for numerous BAFTAs and BSC Awards.
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Early life
He was born in Alhambra, California, United States. As a child, he used to build model sets, suggesting an interest in films from an early age.
Career
Cundey already had several low-budget films when he met Debra Hill, who in 1978 recruited him to work on Halloween, a film she co-wrote with director John Carpenter.
Having Cundey work on a film brought considerable advantages. In addition to his considerable skill as a cinematographer and director of photography, he also had the advantage of owning most of his own equipment packed in a large van, referred to by Debra Hill as the "movie van".
Cundey's work on Halloween is cited by many fans as being among his best as director of photography. In addition to his lighting skills, particularly in the famous hallway scene where the hidden face of Michael Myers is slowly revealed by way of a blue light next to the mask, he was among the first cinematographers to make use of a recent invention called the steadicam, or panaglide.
The panaglide allowed the camera operator to "wear" the camera and obtain shots that were previously deemed too difficult or even impossible. In Halloween, the panaglide was used as a point of view reference for Michael Myers, allowing the audience to see what he saw.
Cundey would go on to work with Carpenter and Hill again on the films The Fog (1980), Escape from New York, Halloween II (both 1981), The Thing, and Halloween III: Season of the Witch (both 1982). He would also return to work with Carpenter for the last time on the 1986 big budget fantasy/comedy adventure Big Trouble in Little China.
He also was director of photography on the 4D film Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!, which ran in five Walt Disney theme parks around the world.
Later work
In addition to his work with Carpenter, Cundey would lend his talents to the films Psycho II (1983), Romancing the Stone (1984), the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Road House (1989), Jurassic Park (1993), Apollo 13 (1995), What Women Want (2000), and Garfield: The Movie (2004), among others. In 1997, he made his directorial debut with the direct-to-video sequel Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.
He recently worked in Canada on Camp Rock, one of several movies that he has filmed outside the United States, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit which was filmed primarily in England.
In 2011, Cundey shot the comedy film Jack and Jill, which involved extensive split-screen and motion control effects to create the illusion of actor Adam Sandler interacting with multiple on-screen personas.
Filmography
Other credits
Director
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997)
2nd unit director
Deep Rising (1998)
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006)
Cameos
Awards and recognition
Academy Awards
American Society of Cinematographers
BAFTA Awards
British Society of Cinematographers
Chicago Film Critics Association
Society of Camera Operators
Daytime Emmy Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards