Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

Dante Spinotti

Italian cinematographer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Remove ads

Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC is an Italian cinematographer.

Quick facts Born, Years active ...

He is known mostly for his collaborations with directors Michael Mann and Brett Ratner.

He received Academy Award nominations for L.A. Confidential (1997) and The Insider (1999), and won a BAFTA Award for The Last of the Mohicans (1992). He has also won two Italian David di Donatello Awards and two Nastro d'Argento Awards.

Remove ads

Biography

Summarize
Perspective

Spinotti was born in the commune of Tolmezzo, in Northern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, near the Austrian border. At the age of 11, he began experimenting with still photography with a camera inherited from his uncle, a cinematographer and director who specialized in documentaries and newsreels. He left high school early to work in the film industry in Kenya, driven by his skills in freehand drawing.[1]

His first work as a cinematographer was the 1972 television drama I Nicotera. His first film was Il minestrone (1981), directed by Sergio Citti. His early work included collaborations with noted Italian directors Lina Wertmüller (Softly, Softly) and Liliana Cavani (The Berlin Affair). He moved to the United States in 1986, entering a highly competitive Hollywood environment.

Among the more notable films he has worked on are The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, L.A. Confidential, The Insider, Public Enemies, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I Saw the Light, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Spinotti also was the cinematographer for many of Brett Ratner's films, such as Red Dragon (2002), After the Sunset (2004), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and Hercules (2014).

Spinotti was the cinematographer on both adaptations of the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris: Michael Mann's 1986 adaptation, Manhunter, and Brett Ratner's 2002 adaptation.[2]

Spinotti has highlighted the meticulous preparation and collaborative spirit essential to his work, particularly with director Michael Mann. He also discussed the process of remastering classics like Heat and adapting to new technologies, such as using digital cinematography[3][4] and even iPhones for certain shots to enhance storytelling.[5]

He is a member of the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[6] He won the Golden Camera 300 award at the Manaki Brothers Film Festival in North Macedonia for lifetime achievement. In 2012, he received the American Society of Cinematographers's Lifetime Achievement Award.[7]

Remove ads

Filmography

Summarize
Perspective

Film

Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released
More information Year, Title ...

Documentary film

More information Year, Title ...

Television

Miniseries

More information Year, Title ...

TV movies

More information Year, Title ...

TV series

More information Year, Title ...
Remove ads

Awards and nominations

Summarize
Perspective

Academy Awards

More information Year, Title ...

BAFTA Awards

More information Year, Title ...

American Society of Cinematographers

More information Year, Title ...

Los Angeles Film Critics Association

More information Year, Title ...

Satellite Awards

More information Year, Title ...

Chicago Film Critics Association

More information Year, Title ...

National Society of Film Critics

More information Year, Title ...

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads