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Matthew Frank Leonetti A.S.C. (born July 31, 1941) is an American cinematographer.[1][2][3]
Matthew F. Leonetti | |
|---|---|
| Born | Matthew Frank Leonetti July 31, 1941 Los Angeles, California, U.S |
| Alma mater | Loyola Marymount University |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Relatives | John R. Leonetti (brother) |
| Awards | ASC President's Award |
Accomplished and highly prolific,[1][4] he has worked on dozens of well-known and acclaimed films spanning numerous genres,[4][3] including Poltergeist, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Weird Science, Jagged Edge, Strange Days, and Star Trek: First Contact.[1][2]
Early life
editLeonetti was born in Los Angeles, California in 1941. His father Frank was a filmmaker and cinematographer who served as a gaffer and lighting technician on low-budget B-movies like The Violent Years, Frankenstein's Daughter, and Beyond the Time Barrier.[2]
Career
editLeonetti began his career working on a number of projects with his father, serving as a camera operator on films like Adam at 6 A.M. and The Organization.[2][3] He soon fell in with Jerry Jameson, a prolific television director who dabbled in feature films.[5][3]
His debut as cinematographer was The Bat People, a horror B-movie directed by Jameson and starring Stewart Moss and Michael Pataki, on which he also served as an executive producer.[6] Though the film came and went with little fanfare, it did gain a minor cult following years later after being featured on an episode Mystery Science Theater 3000.[7] Leonetti spent much of the 1970s shooting made-for-television films directed by Jameson.[3]
In 1979, Leonetti shot his first big-budget theatrical film in the form of the Academy Award-winning Breaking Away, directed by Peter Yates.[8] Three years later, he shot the Academy Award-nominated Poltergeist,[9] where he was responsible for creating many of the film's iconic images.[10] This proved to be his big break, and in the following years he quickly became one of the most prolific and accomplished DPs in the film industry, shooting films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Weird Science, Commando,[11] and Jagged Edge.[12] In 1987, he began a collaboration with director Walter Hill, which would continue of the course of several films into the 1990s. Throughout that decade, he would work with directors like Kenneth Branagh, Kathryn Bigelow, and William Dear. His work on the cult science fiction noir Strange Days[13] earned him a nomination for Best Cinematography from the Chicago Film Critics Association. He shot two entries in the Star Trek film franchise, and served as DP on his brother John R. Leonetti's directorial debut, Mortal Kombat Annihilation.[14]
In the early 2000s, Leonetti shot a string of blockbuster thriller and action films; including Along Came a Spider, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Rush Hour 2, and The Butterfly Effect. He shot the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, which served as the feature film debut of director Zack Snyder.[15] Since 2006, he has mostly worked on comedy films, many of which are directed by the Farrelly Brothers. In 2015, he was the recipient of a Special Honor Prize, the President's Award, from the American Society of Cinematographers.[4]
Personal life
editLeonetti has a younger brother, John, who is himself a prolific cinematographer and occasional film director. He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University.[1]
Filmography
editFilm
editShort film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Bear to the Right | Matthew F. Leonetti Jr. | |
| 2013 | The Pitch | Peter Farrelly | Segments of Movie 43 |
| Truth or Dare |
Television
editTV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Elevator | Jerry Jameson | |
| Hurricane | |||
| Terror on the 40th Floor | |||
| It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy | Cy Howard | ||
| 1975 | The Secret Night Caller | Jerry Jameson | |
| Search for the Gods | Jud Taylor | ||
| The Deadly Tower | Jerry Jameson | ||
| The Lives of Jenny Dolan | |||
| 1976 | High Risk | Sam O'Steen | |
| The Call of the Wild | Jerry Jameson | ||
| 1977 | The Spell | Lee Philips | |
| Flight to Holocaust | Bernard L. Kowalski | ||
| The Hostage Heart | Bernard McEveety | ||
| 1978 | Superdome | Jerry Jameson | |
| Ruby and Oswald | Mel Stuart | ||
| Special Olympics | Lee Philips | With John V. LaBarbera | |
| The Comedy Company | |||
| A Fire in the Sky | Jerry Jameson | ||
| 1979 | The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal | Mel Stuart | |
| Willa | Joan Darling Claudio Guzmán |
||
| Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love | Glenn Jordan | ||
| 1980 | Turnover Smith | Bernard L. Kowalski | |
| 1981 | Crazy Times | Lee Philips | |
| Stand By Your Man | Jerry Jameson | ||
| 1982 | Mae West | Lee Philips | |
| Hotline | Jerry Jameson | ||
| E.T. and Friends: Magical Movie Visitors | Malcolm Leo Andrew Solt |
Documentary film | |
| 1983 | Happy | Lee Philips | |
| 1986 | American Geisha | ||
| Under the Influence | Thomas Carter | ||
| 1988 | Secret Witness | Eric Laneuville |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Bronk | Richard Donner | Episode "Pilot" |
| 1976 | Jigsaw John | Allen Reisner Reza Badiyi Charles S. Dubin |
3 episodes |
| 1978 | The American Girls | Lee Philips | Episode "The Phoenix Connection" |
| 1982 | Tucker's Witch | Peter H. Hunt | Episode "The Good Witch of Laurel Canyon" |
| 1983 | Lottery! | Lee Philips | Episode "Being a Winner" |
| 1984 | Jessie | Richard Michaels | Episode "Pilot" |
| 2008 | Unhitched | The Farrelly Brothers | Episode "Pilot" |
Literature
edit- Kay Weniger: Das große Personenlexikon des Films, Band 4, Page 690, Berlin (2001) ISBN 3-89602-340-3
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Matthew Leonetti | Biography and Filmography | 1941". Hollywood.com. 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ a b c d "MATTHEW LEONETTI". www.cinematographers.nl. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ a b c d e "Camera Op to Cinematographer: Matt Leonetti & His Road to Hollywood Success". www.productionhub.com. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ a b c "ASC Announces Four Cinematogaphers To Receive Special Honors". Variety 411. 2014-09-27. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ Hart, Henry (2000-04-22). James Dickey: The World as a Lie. Macmillan. ISBN 9780312203207.
- ^ "The Bat People". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ "Episode guide: 1010- IT Lives By Night « Satellite News". www.mst3kinfo.com. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ "CINEMATOGRAPHER LEONETTI BREAKING AWAY FROM THE MOLD -". 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ Galluzzo, Rob (2017-07-14). "Confirmation? Who Really Directed Poltergesit?". Blumhouse.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-01. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ "Poltergeist (1982) / Matthew Leonetti, ASC, and Richard Edlund, ASC - The American Society of Cinematographers". theasc.com. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ "Commando". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ "Matthew F. Leonetti – One. Perfect. Shot". oneperfectshot.wordpress.com. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ "Strange Days". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ "Mortal Kombat Annihilation - About The Filmmakers". www.filmscouts.com. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ "DAWN OF THE DEAD - Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 2017-08-18.