Michael Coulter

Michael Daley Coulter BSC (born August 29, 1952[1]) is a Scottish cinematographer. He achieved prominence for his collaborations with writer-director Bill Forsyth, and went on to work on high-profile films like Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Sense and Sensibility (1995), FairyTale: A True Story (1997), Notting Hill (1999), Mansfield Park (also 1999), Love Actually (2003), The Bank Job (2008), and The Hustle (2019). He was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for his work on Sense and Sensibility.[2] He is a member of the British Society of Cinematographers, and BAFTA Scotland.

Michael Coulter
Born
Michael Daley Coulter

(1952-08-29) 29 August 1952
Glasgow, U.K.
Other namesMike Coulter
OccupationCinematographer
Years active1972–present
RelativesCharles Gormley (brother-in-law)
AwardsBAFTA Scotland Craft Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film or Television (1997)
Websitewww.michael-coulter.com

Early life

Coulter was born in Glasgow in 1952. He was introduced to the local film business by his director brother-in-law, the Charles Gormley.[1] He started as a gopher for local production companies making industrial films, before moving on to load the black and white film stock into camera magazines at football matches. He went freelance in 1975.

Career

Coulter became acquainted with writer/director Bill Forsyth, shooting in his 1972 documentary short Islands of the West. He subsequently filmed Forsyth's first feature, That Sinking Feeling (1979). Coulter operated for Chris Menges on Forsyth's next pictures, Local Hero (1983) and Comfort and Joy (1984), which Coulter describes as "unmissable opportunities to work with a man I admired tremendously".

During the early 1980s he also worked on many documentaries. "Documentaries made you resourceful, inventive. You had to make things work somehow. Also the life-experience of 'travel broadening the mind' was important for me". He enjoyed a brief stint in France during the early 1980s, as an assistant to cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn, but it was back in the UK that he passed a watershed.

He was just about to start work as the camera operator on No Surrender (1985), when the original director of photography had to pull out.

He has shot numerous commercials directed by Charles Sturridge, Tom Hooper, Mark Mylod, David Jellison (for Kleenex), Gerard de Thame (for Nissan,  Rolex, and KIA), among others.

Coulter is represented by McKinney Macartney Management in the UK and Gersh in the US. [3]

Filmography
Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

As director of photography
Year Title Director Notes
1972 Islands of the West Bill Forsyth Short film
1st of 8 collaborations with Forsyth
1978 The Odd Man Charles Gormley
1979 That Sinking Feeling Bill Forsyth
1981 Gregory's Girl
1983 The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Murray Grigor Documentary
1985 No Surrender Peter Smith
The Good Father Mike Newell
1986 Heavenly Pursuits Charles Gormley
1987 Housekeeping Bill Forsyth
1988 The Dressmaker Jim O'Brien
1989 Geh Kinde Geh Crispin Reece Short film
1989 Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale Ann Guedes
Eduardo Guedes
Breaking In Bill Forsyth
Diamond Skulls Nick Broomfield
1991 Where Angels Fear to Tread Charles Sturridge
1992 Monster in a Box Nick Broomfield
The Long Day Closes Terence Davies
1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral Mike Newell
Being Human Bill Forsyth
1995 Sense and Sensibility Ang Lee
The Neon Bible Terence Davies
1997 FairyTale: A True Story Charles Sturridge
1998 My Giant Michael Lehmann
1999 Notting Hill Roger Michell
Mansfield Park Patricia Rozema
2002 Killing Me Softly Chen Kaige
2003 Love Actually Richard Curtis
2008 The Bank Job Roger Donaldson
2013 The Lovers Roland Joffé Co-cinematographer with Ben Nott
2015 Slaba plec? Krzysztof Lang
2017 The Escape Paul Franklin Short film
2019 The Hustle Chris Addison
2021 A Castle for Christmas Mary Lambert

As other
Year Title Director DoP. Notes
1980 Death Watch Bertrand Tavernier Pierre-William Glenn Camera assistant
A Week's Vacation
1981 Coup de Torchon
1982 Espion, lève-toi Yves Boisset Jean Boffety
1983 Local Hero Bill Forsyth Chris Menges Camera operator
1984 Comfort and Joy
1985 Restless Natives Michael Hoffman Oliver Stapleton
1987 The Dead John Huston Fred Murphy Camera operator: Dublin
2013 Rush Ron Howard Anthony Dod Mantle Pre-shoot photography: Nürburgring[1]
2014 Maleficent Robert Stromberg Dean Semler Additional photography[1]

Television
Year Title Notes
1990 4 Play Episode: "Madly in Love"
The Widowmaker Television film
1993 Foreign Affairs
1995 The Infiltrator
1996 Interview Day
2018 Shetland 3 episodes
2019 Wild Bill 2 episodes
2020 Breeders 5 episodes
2022 Outlander 3 episodes

Awards and nominations
Institution Year Category Work Outcome
Academy Awards 1996 Best Cinematography Sense and Sensibility Nominated
BAFTA Awards 1996 Best Cinematography Nominated
BAFTA Scotland Awards 1997 Craft Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film or Television — Won
British Society of Cinematographers 1994 Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film Four Weddings and a Funeral Nominated
1995 Sense and Sensibility Nominated
Chlotrudis Awards 1998 Best Cinematography FairyTale: A True Story Nominated
Valladolid International Film Festival 1995 Best Director of Photography The Neon Bible Won

References
  1. "MICHAEL COULTER". www.cinematographers.nl. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  2. "The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  3. "Michael Coulter BSC - Cinematographer". michael-coulter.com. Retrieved 29 April 2020.


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