John A. Alonzo

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John A. Alonzo (born June 12, 1934 in Dallas , Texas - † March 13, 2001 in Brentwood, California) was the first American cameraman of Mexican descent to join the Hollywood and Hollywood Cinematographers' Union in the mid-1960s the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) was accepted. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of the hand-held camera in New Hollywood and one of the pioneers of high-definition cinematography.

Life

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

John Alonzo's career began as a cleaner at the WFAA television station in Dallas. After a short time he made himself indispensable, building decorations, hanging up lights, panning cameras and directing cooking shows and children's programs. Eventually he became a popular moderation duo along with actor Hank Williamson.

John Alonzo became a puppeteer and created Senor Turtle , who announced films with Williamson and cracked cheeky jokes. The show went to the television station KHJ in Los Angeles, California in 1956, where it was discontinued after 26 weeks. Alonzo made a living as an actor and photographer for a while, appearing on popular television series such as Twilight Zone , Combat! , 77 Sunset Strip or Alfred Hitchcock Presents . During the filming of the western The Magnificent Seven (1960), in which John Alonzo had a small role, he met the cameraman Charles Lang . This meeting, as well as a short collaboration with the cameraman James Wong Howe a few years later , gave Alonzo the final impetus to devote himself to camera work.

In the 1960s he made a number of documentaries for National Geographic and the David L. Wolper Company. His uncomplicated and minimalist style, coupled with his experience as an actor, made him one of America's most sought-after cameramen.

He was not only considered to be one of the best “hand-held” cameramen in Hollywood, his involvement in digital recording technology also made him a pioneer. In 1993/1994 he made the first HD film in US television history ( World War 2 - When Lions Roared , NBC ).

In 2001 John A. Alonzo died after a long illness in his house in Brentwood (California) . Alonzo, already regarded as a legend during his lifetime, was considered a source of inspiration for many cameramen. Perhaps John Alonzo's best-known student is cameraman and two-time Oscar winner John Toll , who worked with him for several years as his assistant on such films as Black Sunday , Norma Rae - A Woman Is Her Husband , Me, Tom Horn and Scarface .

estate

In 2007 auteur filmmaker Axel Schill released a documentary entitled The Man Who Shot Chinatown - The Cinematographer John A. Alonzo . The film deals with the life and work of John A. Alonzo and shows u. a. on how he became a victim of discrimination because of his Mexican ancestry . The 77-minute film offers a comprehensive homage to John A. Alonzo.

Awards

  • 1965 The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes : Oscar nomination for best short film
  • 1975 Chinatown : Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography; Nomination for the British Film Awards for Best Cinematography
  • 1994 World War 2 - When Lions Roared : Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for a Mini-Series or a Special"
  • 1999 Meyer Lansky - American Roulette ( Lansky ): 2001 Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Movie"
  • 2000 Fail Safe - Command with no way out ( Fail-Safe ): Emmy "Award Outstanding Lighting Direction shared with Kim Killingsworth"

Filmography

Film documentaries

  • 2007 The Man Who Shot Chinatown - The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo, Documentation Germany / England / USA 77 min
  • 2003 Scarface : Acting DVD Bonus (John Alonzo as himself)
  • 2003 Scarface: Creating DVD Bonus (John Alonzo as himself)
  • 2002 The 74th Annual Academy Awards TV Memorial Tribute
  • 2000 Guns for Hire - The Making of the Magnificant Seven, TV documentary (John Alonzo as himself)
  • 1998 The Making of Scarface documentary VIDEO (John Alonzo as himself)
  • 1992 Visions of Light , documentary USA / Japan 90 min (John Alonzo as himself)

literature

  • Dennis Schaefer, Larry Salvato: Masters of Light. Conversations with Contemporary Cinematographers. University of California Press, 1986. ISBN 0-520-05145-9

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ John A. Alonzo. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ↑ Find the cinema through the camera . In: taz , November 14, 2007
personal data
SURNAME Alonzo, John A.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Alonzo, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American cameraman
DATE OF BIRTH June 12, 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH Dallas , Texas, United States
DATE OF DEATH March 13, 2001
Place of death Brentwood (California) , California , United States