BPS 386: Lighting the Biggest Films of All-Time with Dean Cundey A.S.C

Today, my guest is a prolific cinematographer, accomplished
photographer, and member of the American Society of
Cinematographers, Dean Cundey A.S.C.Dean rose to fame for
extraordinary cinematography in the 1980s and 1990s. His early
start was working on the set of Halloween.  Dean is credited
as director of photography on five Back To The Future
films and Jurassic Park.The Halloween slasher franchise
consisted of eleven films and was initially released in 1978. The
films primarily focus on Michael Myers, who was committed to a
sanitarium as a child for the murder of his sister, Judith Myers.
Fifteen years later, he escapes to stalk and kill the people of the
fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Michael's killings occur
on the holiday of Halloween, on which all of the films primarily
take place.

The second film, one of which Cundey served as director of
photography, was based on Marty McFly, who had only just gotten
back from the past when he is once again picked up by Dr. Emmett
Brown and sent through time to the future. Marty's job in the
future is to pose as his son to prevent him from being thrown in
prison. Unfortunately, things get worse when the future changes the
present.The three Back To The Future films Dean worked on grossed
$388.8, $336, and $243 million globally, becoming all-time hits on
budgets of $19, $40, and $40 million.Cundey is cited as being
amongst some of the best directors of photography. In addition to
his lighting skills, particularly in the famous hallway scene where
the hidden face of Michael Myers, played by writer/director Nick
Castle, is slowly revealed by way of a blue light next to the
mask, he was among the first cinematographers to make use of a
recent invention called the Steadicam, or paraglide.

Some other shows and movies he's worked on include, Who Framed
Roger Rabbit, Tales of the Unexpected, Romancing the Stone,
Invitation To Hell, Big Trouble in Little China, etc.Who Framed
Roger Rabbit; A toon-hating detective is a cartoon rabbit’s only
hoping to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.
Basically, 'Toon star Roger is worried that his wife Jessica is
playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective
Eddie Valiant to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly raised
when Marvin Acme is found dead, and Roger is the prime suspect.
Groundbreaking interaction between the live and animated
characters, and lots of references to classic animation.Dean grew
up an avid reader of the American Cinematographer magazines he
would buy after school from a local camera shop close by. That was
how his inspiration to pursue filmmaking came about. He shifted his
focus to theater history while still taking some architectural
design classes at California State University before he ultimately
enrolled at the University of California Los Angeles film school.In
1993 Jurassic Park, Dean made a minor appearance as a boat crew
member (Mate) while also staffed as director of photography. The
film follows a pragmatic paleontologist visiting an almost complete
theme park tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power
failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose. Huge
advancements in scientific technology have enabled a mogul to
create an island full of living dinosaurs.

A park employee attempts to steal dinosaur embryos, critical
security systems are shut down, and it now becomes a race for
survival with dinosaurs roaming freely over the island.Cundey holds
over one hundred and fifty cinematography & photography credits
for movies, television, and short films. That is no small feat in
this business. The man has stayed busy and booked since graduation
from film school. That kind of consistency in Hollywood is only
doable by having extreme persistence and excellence. One of the
many things he did to stay prepared and on top of his craft was
investing into building himself a ‘super van’ or one couple call it
a cinematographer’s heaven that contained every equipment (cameras,
editing's tools, etc.) required to help him get work get and do
work easily.We talk more about Dean joining The Book of Boba Fett
and The Mandalorian crew as well. Check it all out in our
chat.

Enjoy my conversation with Dean Cundey.

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