Oliver Wood (cinematographer)


Oliver Wood is an English cinematographer, known for his work on blockbuster action and comedy films such as Die Hard 2, Face/Off, Freaky Friday, , and the Bourne franchise. He has collaborated with directors like Paul Greengrass, John Woo, Renny Harlin, Ron Underwood, and Adam McKay, and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for The Bourne Ultimatum.

Life and career

Wood was born in London, England on April 2, 1950. At the age of 19, he moved to New York City. His first break came for director Leonard Kastle on cult crime film The Honeymoon Killers where he used available light to give the dark comedy a newsreel look. He shot numerous B-movies and independent films throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, frequently collaborating with cinematographers Joseph Mangine and Fred Murphy. He also worked as a camera operator on higher-profile projects including Body Rock and To Live and Die in L.A., both of which where shot by Robby Müller. He also became a prolific music video and commercial cinematographer, working for directors like Bob Giraldi and Rupert Wainwright.
His big break came when he was director of photography for 53 episodes of stylish crime drama Miami Vice, serving as the series primary DP between 1987 and 1989. His work on the series caught the attention of producers, enabling him to work on big-budget Hollywood films including Die Hard 2, Face/Off, U-571 Fantastic Four, and . He was the original director of photography on the swashbuckling action film Cutthroat Island, but suffered an on-set injury and was replaced by Peter Levy. He also shot the Bourne Trilogy, where he worked with director Paul Greengrass to produce a spontaneous, naturalistic effect, often using multiple cameras, frequently handheld, citing films such as The Battle of Algiers as an influence. He was nominated for a BAFTA for The Bourne Ultimatum.
In 2016, Wood shot the remake of Ben-Hur, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, utilizing GoPro cameras to film the movie's actions sequences.

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1967PopdownFred MarshallShort film
1969The White SlaveRene DaalderCo-cinematographer with Jan De Bont
1970The Honeymoon KillersLeonard Kastle
1977DannyGene Feldman
1978FeedbackBill Doukas
1980Don't Go in the HouseJoseph Ellison
1982MayaÁgúst Ágústsson
1982Q - The Winged SerpentLarry CohenCo-cinematographer with Fred Murphy
1983The ReturningJosh Bender
1983The Sex O'Clock NewsRomano Vanderbes
1983My HometownBob GiraldiShort film
1984In Our WordsRobert Richter
Stanley Warnow		Documentary
1984Alphabet CityAmos Poe
1986JoeyJoseph Ellison
1986Quiet CoolClay BorrisCo-cinematographer with Jacques Haitkin
1987-89Miami ViceVariousTelevision series;
53 episodes
1990Die Hard 2Renny Harlin
1990The Adventures of Ford FairlaneRenny Harlin
1991Mystery DateJonathan Wacks
1991Bill & Ted's Bogus JourneyPeter Hewitt
1993For Love or MoneyBarry Sonnenfeld
1993RudyDavid Anspaugh
1993'Bill Duke
1994Terminal VelocityDeran Sarafian
1995Mr. Holland's OpusStephen Herek
1996Celtic PrideTom DeCerchio
19962 Days in the ValleyJohn Herzfeld
1997Face/OffJohn Woo
1997SwitchbackJeb Stuart
1998Mighty Joe YoungRon UnderwoodCo-cinematographer with Donald Peterman
2000U-571Jonathan Mostow
2002The Adventures of Pluto NashRon Underwood
2002I SpyBetty Thomas
2002The Bourne IdentityDoug Liman
2003National SecurityDennis Dugan
2003Freaky FridayMark Waters
2004'Raja Gosnell
2004The Bourne SupremacyPaul Greengrass
2005Fantastic FourTim Story
2006'Adam McKay
2007The Bourne UltimatumPaul GreengrassNominated - BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography
2008Step BrothersAdam McKay
2009SurrogatesJonathan Mostow
2010The Other GuysAdam McKay
2012Safe HouseDaniel Espinosa
20132 GunsBaltasar Kormákur
2013'Adam McKay
2015Child 44Daniel Espinosa
2016GrimsbyLouis Leterrier
2016Ben-HurTimur Bekmambetov
2016Edward Zwick
2018The Equalizer 2Antoine Fuqua
2018Holmes & WatsonEtan Cohen
2021MorbiusDaniel EspinosaPost-production

Additional photography credits