Oliver Stapleton

Oliver Stapleton is a prolific cinematographer of feature films and music videos who has conveyed a great range of moods and textures in the different genres in which he has worked. The late 1970s saw Stapleton work on several short films, several episodes of the satirical "The Comic Strip Presents...," and the concert film "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball." He also ignited a fruitful relationship with the director Stephen Frears when they collaborated on the comedy/drama "My Beautiful Laundrette." Over the years, the two worked on seven more features: the neo-kitchen sink dramas "Prick Up Your Ears" and "Sammie and Rosie Get Laid"; the neo-noir "The Grifters"; the biting satire "Hero"; the low-key Irish-set comedies "The Snapper" and "The Van"; and the contemporary western "The Hi-Lo Country." He has worked with Julien Temple numerous times as well - the pop musical "Absolute Beginners" and the comedy "Earth Girls Are Easy," among others - and with Lasse Hallström on the films "The Cider House Rules," "The Shipping News," "An Unfinished Life," "Casanova," and "The Hoax." Stapleton's work can also be seen in the fantasy film "The Waterhorse," marking the first time he has dealt with significant use of CGI effects, and the horror movie "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark." In the early to mid-1980s, his work in music videos resulted in some of the touchstones of the era, specifically his work on the inventive a-ha "Take On Me" video.