Steven Barry Poster, A.S.C, I.C.G. (born 1 March 1944) is an American cinematographer[1] and photographer[2] who is the former President of the International Cinematographers Guild.[3][4][5] He is best known for his collaborations with Richard Kelly, including the director's 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko.

Career

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Poster began his career as a creative assistant at 'The Film Group,' a commercial film production company based in Chicago, Illinois. After being promoted to director of photography due to his skill at lighting, he met Herschell Gordon Lewis and worked with him in various crew positions on a total of three films.[1] Poster founded a production company with director Michael Mann and served as the cinematographer on numerous industrial and education films.[1] He served as the second-unit director of photography on Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Poster joined the American Society of Cinematographers in 1987, relocating to Hollywood in the process. He shot the iconic music video to Madonna's "Like a Prayer", as well as commercials directed by Ridley Scott and Kinka Usher. In 1988, he was nominated for the ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Releases for his work on Someone to Watch Over Me. Poster served as the President of the ASC between 2002-2003. In 2006, he received an Emmy nomination for Mrs. Harris.[6] That same year, he was elected as the National President of the International Cinematographers Guild, a position he held until 2019.[3]

Filmography

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Short film

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Year Title Director Notes
1973 Another Saturday Night Himself
Mik Derks
1994 Nunzio's Second Cousin Tom DeCerchio Segment of Boys Life 2
1995 Celluloid Heroes Gary A. Beaird
Tony Dow
With Billy Beaird
2004 Tap Heat Dean Hargrove
2011 Xelerate Bill Duke
2018 The Boor Jeannie Berlin

Feature film

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Year Title Director Notes
1980 Blood Beach Jeffrey Bloom
1981 Dead & Buried Gary Sherman
1983 Spring Break Sean S. Cunningham
Strange Brew Rick Moranis
Dave Thomas
Testament Lynne Littman
1985 The New Kids Sean S. Cunningham
The Heavenly Kid Cary Medoway
1986 Blue City Michelle Manning
The Boy Who Could Fly Nick Castle With Adam Holender
1987 Someone to Watch Over Me Ridley Scott
1988 Aloha Summer Tommy Lee Wallace
Big Top Pee-wee Randal Kleiser
1989 Next of Kin John Irvin
1990 Rocky V John G. Avildsen
1991 Life Stinks Mel Brooks
1993 The Cemetery Club Bill Duke
1997 RocketMan Stuart Gillard
1998 Une chance sur deux Patrice Leconte
2001 Donnie Darko Richard Kelly
2002 Stuart Little 2 Rob Minkoff
2003 Daddy Day Care Steve Carr
2006 Southland Tales Richard Kelly
2009 Spread David Mackenzie
The Box Richard Kelly
2010 Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore Brad Peyton
2011 Flypaper Rob Minkoff
2017 Amityville: The Awakening Franck Khalfoun
TBA Scared to Death Paul Boyd

Television

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Year Title Director Notes
1978 What Really Happened
to the Class of '65?
James Sheldon Episode "Mr. Potential"
1987 I'll Take Manhattan Richard Michaels
Douglas Hickox
2 episodes;
With Larry Pizer
1998 American Experience Richard P. Rogers Episode "A Midwife's Tale"
2006 The Loop Betty Thomas Episode "Pilot"
2007-2012 Craft in America Carol Sauvion
Daniel Seeger
Nigel Noble
Hilary Birmingham
8 episodes
2008 Raising the Bar Jesse Bochco Episode "Pilot"
2013 Hemlock Grove Eli Roth Episode "Jellyfish in the Sky"
2020 Cine Chalom Yossi Benavraham Episode "EXTRAIT DU FILM "INCASSABLE" DE M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN... 2000"

TV movies

Year Title Director
1978 The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank Robert Day
1979 The Night Rider Hy Averback
Beggarman, Thief Lawrence Doheny
1981 Coward of the County Dick Lowry
1982 Mysterious Two Gary Sherman
1983 The Cradle Will Fall John Llewellyn Moxey
1986 Courage Jeremy Kagan
1992 The Bat, the Cat and the Penguin Michael Meadows
John Pattyson
1994 Roswell Jeremy Kagan
1995 Present Tense, Past Perfect Richard Dreyfuss
1996 Once You Meet a Stranger Tommy Lee Wallace
1997 Color of Justice Jeremy Kagan
2005 Mrs. Harris Phyllis Nagy
2006 The Danny Comden Project Robert Duncan McNeill
2013 Gutsy Frog Mark A.Z. Dippé

Documentary works

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Film

Year Title Director Notes
2001 The Oscar Legacy David Haugland
2020 For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close Heather Ross With Simon Fanthorpe

Short film

Year Title Director
2013 Canon USA Commercial: Rhythm of Life Dean Hargrove

Television

Year Title Director Notes
1990 Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Special John Landis TV special
2021 The Miles Davis Documentary Christopher Wilkinson TV movie

Accolades

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Year Award Category Title Result
1973 Cannes Film Festival Short Film Palme d'Or Another Saturday Night
(Shared with Mik Derks)
Nominated
1987 American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Someone to Watch Over Me Nominated
1994 CableACE Award Best Cinematography Roswell Nominated
2005 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography Mrs. Harris Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c "STEVEN POSTER". www.cinematographers.nl. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  2. ^ "Photos". www.edgeofconsciousness.com. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  3. ^ a b "Local 600 - Home". www.icg600.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  4. ^ "Steven Poster Re-Elected President of International Cinematographers Guild". The Hollywood Reporter. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  5. ^ "Lewis Rothenberg Ousts Steven Poster as Cinematographers Guild President". Variety. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  6. ^ "Steve Poster, ASC on "The Box"". www.tiffen.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.