Rob Hardy (cinematographer)

Rob Hardy B.S.C. (born 1972), is an English cinematographer. He frequently collaborates with director Alex Garland, working on the science fiction films, Ex Machina and Annihilation and the television show Devs. He has also worked with John Crowley on his films Boy A (2007) and Is Anybody There? (2008). His other works include The Invisible Woman, Testament of Youth and Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

Rob Hardy
Born
Robert Hardy

1972 (age 51–52)
NationalityEnglish
EducationNewport Film School
OccupationCinematographer

Life and career

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Born in Barking, London, Hardy attended Newport Film School and Northern Media School in Sheffield Hallam University where he specialised in cinematography.[1] Soon after, he started shooting music videos in the 90s in Sheffield, he also took on jobs for theatre companies experimenting with video art before transitioning as a DP for commercials. His major breakthrough would come when he served as director of photography for John Crowley's Boy A starring Andrew Garfield which won him the BAFTA Award for Best Photography and Lighting - Fiction/Entertainment.[2]

In 2015, Hardy served as director of photography for Ex Machina which marked his first collaboration with Alex Garland. In an interview with Mandy, Hardy stated that he immediately accepted the job after reading the script, and that Garland had liked his work in Red Riding.[3] Speaking of the collaboration, Hardy called the director a "great collaborator who takes a no nonsense approach which gets to the heart of it quickly." Early discussions with Garland mainly talked about propelling the film's small nature into a much larger scale as well as several inspirations such as Kazimir Malevich's abstracted art style and Saul Leiter's photographic portfolio.[4][5] Hardy later reunited with Garland for Annihilation in 2018. Talking about the aspects of the film, Hardy used plants and sculptures as reference points as well as experimenting with different cameras and lenses to create "trippy effects" which layered over several other methods.

Later that year, he photographed the sixth entry of the Mission: Impossible film series, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, directed by Christopher McQuarrie. According to an interview published by British Cinematographer, Hardy stated that the film was "a completely different kind of challenge" and that McQuarrie wanted the film to be practical, eyeing for a more gritty and realistic feel. This approach opted for Hardy to operate the camera on his own, allowing for him to be closer to the action.[6][3]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Director Notes
2004 Jelly Dolly Susannah Gent
2007 Boy A John Crowley
Exhibit A Dom Rotheroe
2008 Is Anybody There? John Crowley
2009 Public Sex Simon Ellis
2010 The First Grader Justin Chadwick
2011 The Forgiveness of Blood Joshua Marston
Blitz Elliott Lester
2012 Shadow Dancer James Marsh
Broken Rufus Norris
2013 The Invisible Woman Ralph Fiennes
2014 Every Secret Thing Amy J. Berg
Testament of Youth James Kent
2015 Ex Machina Alex Garland
2017 Euphoria Lisa Langseth
2018 Annihilation Alex Garland
Mission: Impossible – Fallout Christopher McQuarrie
2022 Men Alex Garland
The Man from Toronto Patrick Hughes
2023 The Book of Clarence Jeymes Samuel
2024 Civil War Alex Garland

Television

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Year Title Director Notes
1998 Hair of the Dog Susannah Gent TV special
1999 Acts of Passion Episode "Bed Head"
2020 Devs Alex Garland Miniseries
TBA Blade Runner 2099 Jeremy Podeswa 1 episode

TV movies

Year Title Director Notes
2009 Red Riding 1974 Julian Jarrold Segment of Red Riding
2010 Whistle and I'll Come to You Andy De Emmony
2011 Stolen Justin Chadwick

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Title Result Ref.
2007 British Academy Television Awards Best Photography & Lighting: Fiction Boy A Won [2]
2015 British Society of Cinematographers Best Cinematography Ex Machina Nominated [7]
2018 Seattle Film Critics Society Best Cinematography Mission: Impossible – Fallout Nominated [8]
2020 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography Devs Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Rob Hardy - Credits and Biography". IEC. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Television Craft - Photography And Lighting - Fiction in 2008". BAFTA. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b Collins, James (23 July 2018). "'Work Hard and listen' Mission: Impossible – Fallout DP Rob Hardy on shooting action movies and more". Mandy. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Rob Hardy BSC / Ex Machina". British Cinematographer. 6 June 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  5. ^ Mulcahey, Matt (19 May 2015). "Dancing in Tungsten Light: DP Rob Hardy on Ex Machina". Filmmaker Magazine. Independent Filmmaker Project. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Rob Hardy BSC / Mission: Impossible - Fallout". British Cinematographer. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  7. ^ "BSC Awards - Previous Winners" (PDF). British Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  8. ^ French, Alan (17 December 2018). "Seattle Film Critics Society Winners – Action Films Take Centerstage with Big Wins for 'Widows' and 'Black Panther'". Awards Circuit. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
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