Sam Levy (cinematographer)

Sam Levy is an American cinematographer.[1][2] He is best known for shooting the films Lady Bird for director Greta Gerwig,[3] [4] Frances Ha for director Noah Baumbach,[5] Wendy and Lucy for director Kelly Reichardt,[6][7] Rothaniel for director Bo Burnham,[8] and Mayday for director Karen Cinorre.[9][10]

Career

Levy began his career as an assistant to legendary cinematographer Harris Savides.[11][12] Harris later introduced Sam to Noah Baumbach, who hired him to be the cinematographer for his film Frances Ha.[13][14]

Levy first gained recognition as a cinematographer when he photographed Wendy and Lucy for director Kelly Reichardt[15][16] — voted “One of the Best 25 Films of the 21st Century” by The New York Times.[17]

After Frances Ha, Levy's collaboration with Noah Baumbach continued with the films While We're Young and Mistress America.[18][19][20]

Levy first met Greta Gerwig while filming Frances Ha. After doing three films together with Greta as an actor and writer, Levy was asked to shoot her directorial debut Lady Bird.[21] Their collaboration was very successful and the film was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture. It won The Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy.[22][23][24][25][26]

Mayday, a film which Levy photographed, was also his debut as producer. It was written and directed by Karen Cinorre and won Best Cinematography at The Raindance Film Festival in London.[9][27][28]

Other films as cinematographer include Green Porno for director Isabella Rossellini, His Three Daughters for director Azazel Jacobs,[29] Rothaniel for director Bo Burnham,[30] Confess, Fletch for director Greg Mottola[31] and She Came To Me for director Rebecca Miller.[32][33]

Selected Filmography

Music videos

  • Beck "Black Tambourine" – 2005 - cinematographer
  • Garbage "Sex Is Not The Enemy" – 2005 - cinematographer
  • Sonic Youth "Do You Believe in Rapture" - 2006 - cinematographer[46]
  • Kanye West and Lil Pump "I Love It" – 2018 - cinematographer
  • Vampire Weekend "Sunflower" – 2019 - cinematographer[47]

Awards and nominations

  • Emerging Cinematographer Award, 2003
  • Filmmaker Magazine’s Favorite Cinematography, Wendy and Lucy 2008[48]
  • Variety, voted one of Variety’s “Up Next 25”, 2013[49]
  • London Film Critics Circle, Technical Achievement of the Year (nominee), Frances Ha, 2014
  • Indiewire, 15 Cinematographers to watch, 2015[50]
  • Satellite Award, Best Cinematography (nominee), Lady Bird, 2017[51][52]
  • Raindance Film Festival, Won Best Cinematography, Mayday, 2022[53]

References

  1. ^ Feldmar, Jamie (2021-09-30). "The Married Couple Behind the Dreamy Feminist Action Film 'Mayday'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  2. ^ Silverman, Aleksia. "Lady Bird Cinematographer Visits Bowdoin". News. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  3. ^ Mulcahey, Matt (2018-01-17). ""If You Want That Melodramatic Shaft of Light, You'd Better Mean It": DP Sam Levy on Shooting Lady Bird | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine | Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  4. ^ Kohn, Eric (2017-09-02). "Saoirse Ronan Scores Her Greatest Role In Greta Gerwig's Winning Directorial Debut 'Lady Bird' — Review". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  5. ^ Cheshire, Godfrey. "Frances Ha movie review & film summary (2013) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  6. ^ Funk, Mia; Zhang, River (2022-12-07). "Sam Levy - Award-winning Cinematographer of "Lady Bird" "Frances Ha" "While We're Young"". The Creative Process. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  7. ^ "Camerimage Interview: Sam Levy". Film Comment. 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  8. ^ Tangalin, John Daniel (2022-04-02). "Jerrod Carmichael: 'Rothaniel' (HBO) Stand-Up Review – The Trouble Of Breaking Through Rock-Hard Truths Whilst Running On A Treadmill". The Cinema Spot. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  9. ^ a b Feldmar, Jamie (2021-09-30). "The Married Couple Behind the Dreamy Feminist Action Film 'Mayday'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  10. ^ Williams, Tom (2021-10-07). "Cooke lenses used for Mayday by director Karen Cinorre and DP Sam Levy". British Cinematographer. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  11. ^ Tran, Hannah (2021-02-04). "Sundance Interview with Sam Levy, Cinematographer of "Mayday" | Film Festival Today". Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  12. ^ Funk, Mia; Zhang, River (2022-12-07). "Sam Levy - Award-winning Cinematographer of "Lady Bird" "Frances Ha" "While We're Young"". The Creative Process. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  13. ^ Chitwood, Adam (2017-11-03). "Lady Bird DP Sam Levy on Greta Gerwig, Harris Savides & More". Collider. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  14. ^ oliverjlwebb (2020-08-01). "An Interview with Sam Levy". CloselyObservedFrame. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  15. ^ Ahi, Mehruss; Karaoghlanian, Armen. "Wendy and Lucy (2008) — Interiors : An Online Publication about Architecture and Film". Interiors. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  16. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Wendy and Lucy movie review & film summary (2009) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  17. ^ Dargis, Manohla; Scott, A.O. (2017-06-09). "The 25 Best Films of the 21st Century So Far". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  18. ^ Bernstein, Paula (2015-04-06). "How DP Sam Levy Got the 'Film' Look Digitally on Noah Baumbach's 'While We're Young'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  19. ^ Hogg, Trevor (2015-04-13). "Funny, with Restraint: How DP Sam Levy Shot While We're Young - MovieMaker Magazine". www.moviemaker.com. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  20. ^ Morgenstern, Joe (2015-08-13). "'Mistress America' Review: Older and Unwiser". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  21. ^ Hart, Hugh (2017-12-15). "Cinematographer Sam Levy's Shot List Pictured Lady Bird a Year in Advance". Motion Picture Association. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  22. ^ Mulcahey, Matt (2018-01-17). ""If You Want That Melodramatic Shaft of Light, You'd Better Mean It": DP Sam Levy on Shooting Lady Bird | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine | Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  23. ^ O'Falt, Chris (2017-12-13). "How Greta Gerwig's Brilliant Use of Colors Turned 'Lady Bird' Into an Emotional Nostalgia Trip". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  24. ^ Saito, Stephen (2017-11-03). "Interview: Sam Levy on Lighting the Way for "Lady Bird"". The Moveable Fest. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  25. ^ Girish, Devika (2017-12-20). "the ideology of kinko's: a conversation with lady bird cinematographer sam levy". DEVIKA GIRISH. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  26. ^ "Lady Bird: Nominations and awards - The Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  27. ^ Pillot, Dempsey (2021-09-17). "'Mayday' Cinematographer Sam Levy Explains How Dance Inspired The Film's Empowering Aesthetic". FilmSpeak. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  28. ^ oliverjlwebb (2021-10-06). "DP Sam Levy on Mayday". CloselyObservedFrame. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  29. ^ "'His Three Daughters' Review: Natasha Lyonne Is Riveting in Sibling Drama". theplaylist.net. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  30. ^ Fisher, Megan (2022-05-30). "Jerrod Carmichael Searches For the Truth In His New Comedy Special 'Rothaniel' - The Daily Utah Chronicle". Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  31. ^ Long, Kelle (2022-09-20). ""Confess, Fletch" Cinematographer Sam Levy Modernizes the Crime Caper". Motion Picture Association. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  32. ^ Shepherd, Robert (2023-12-20). "Sam Levy / She Came to Me". British Cinematographer. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  33. ^ Goldrich, Robert (6 October 2023). "DP Sam Levy Reunites With Writer-Director Rebecca Miller On "She Came to Me"". SHOOTonline. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  34. ^ Yumpu.com. "Wendy and Lucy: A sweet tale simply told - Kodak". yumpu.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  35. ^ Thompson, Caitlin (2009-04-09). "Isabella Rossellini's Green Porno". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  36. ^ Van Hove, Micah. "Cinematographer Sam Levy on Motivation: 'It's Just a Feeling'". nofilmschool.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  37. ^ Bernstein, Paula (2015-04-06). "How DP Sam Levy Got the 'Film' Look Digitally on Noah Baumbach's 'While We're Young'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  38. ^ O'Connor, Kerry (2015-08-13). ""You Always Need a Buddy on a Movie:" Noah Baumbach on Mistress America and Trust in Moviemaking - MovieMaker Magazine". www.moviemaker.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  39. ^ Harvey, Dennis (2015-09-13). "Sundance Film Review: 'Maggie's Plan'". Variety. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  40. ^ Raup, Jordan (2017-11-01). "'Lady Bird' Cinematographer Sam Levy on Greta Gerwig, Frank Ocean, and Éric Rohmer". Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  41. ^ Korpan, Andrew (2022-09-26). "Confess, Fletch Cinematographer Sam Levy on Working With Jon Hamm and Which Classic Hitchcock Movie Inspired His Work | Below the Line". Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  42. ^ Hereford, André (2022-04-19). "TV Review: Jerrod Carmichael's Rothaniel Is A Boldly Queer Affirmation". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  43. ^ Goldrich, Robert (6 October 2023). "DP Sam Levy Reunites With Writer-Director Rebecca Miller On "She Came to Me"". SHOOTonline. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  44. ^ Hemphill, Jim (6 September 2024). "'Film Has a Mind of Its Own': 'His Three Daughters' Cinematographer Sam Levy on Shooting in 35mm". Indiewire. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  45. ^ Shachat, Sarah (24 June 2024). "Julio Torres' 'Fantasmas' Throws Dim Cinema in the Toilet". IndieWire. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  46. ^ "SONIC YOUTH: DO YOU BELIEVE IN RAPTURE? | Viennale". www.viennale.at. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  47. ^ "Jonah Hill Directs Dizzying Video for Latest Vampire Weekend Single | LBBOnline". lbbonline.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  48. ^ Macaulay, Scott (2008-12-23). "FILMMAKER YEAR IN REVIEW: JAMES PONSOLDT | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine | Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  49. ^ Blair, Iain (2013-08-14). "PHOTOS: Below-the-Line Impact Report – Up Next". Variety. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  50. ^ Lyttelton, Oliver (2015-08-27). "On The Rise 2015: 15 Cinematographers To Watch". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  51. ^ "FilmAffinity". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  52. ^ "2017 Winners | International Press Academy". Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  53. ^ "Nominations 2021". Raindance. Retrieved 2023-12-16.