{{Short description|American cinematographer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}} {{Infobox person | name = Harris Savides | image = Harris Savides.jpg | caption = Savides in 2008 | birth_date = {{Birth date|1957|9|28}} | birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2012|10|9|1957|8|28|mf=y}} | death_place = New York City, New York, U.S. | occupation = Cinematographer | years_active = 1980–2012 | alma_mater = School of Visual Arts }}
'''Harris Savides''' ASC ({{IPAc-en|s|ə|ˈ|v|iː|d|ɪ|s}}; Greek: Χάρης Σαββίδης; September 28, 1957 – October 9, 2012)<ref name="NYT">Weber, Bruce [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/movies/harris-savides-visual-poet-dies-at-55.html Harris Savides, Visual Poet, Dies at 55] ''New York Times'', October 12, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012.</ref> was an American cinematographer.
He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for the Ridley Scott crime thriller ''American Gangster'' (2007).
==Early life== Savides was born in New York City, to parents of Greek Cypriot origin, Eleni, a clerical worker, and Savas Savides, a short-order cook.<ref name="NYT"/><ref>Joanna Varikos, Cinematographer Harris Savides, 55, Passes Away, http://hollywood.greekreporter.com/2012/10/11/cinematographer-harris-savides-55-passes-away/</ref>
He graduated with a degree in photography and film from the School of Visual Arts.<ref name="indiewire.com"/>
== Career == Savides started as a key grip in the documentary ''Fist of Fear, Touch of Death'' from the 1980.
On TV, Savides served as a cinematographer on a short film entitled ''The Investigator'' (1994) directed by Matthew Tabak and a TV movie ''Lake Consequence'' (1993) directed by Rafael Eisenman.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Harris Savides {{!}} Cinematographer, Camera and Electrical Department, Actor |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0767647/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref>
His first solo job as a cinematographer was on the thriller ''Heaven's Prisoners'' (1996).<ref name="indiewire.com">Jay A. Hernandez, 'Zodiac,' 'Milk' and 'American Gangster' Cinematographer Harris Savides Has Died at Age 55, http://www.indiewire.com/article/zodiac-milk-and-american-gangster-cinematographer-harris-savides-dies</ref>
Savides was a frequent collaborator of Gus Van Sant, working in six of his films.
After working in the opening title sequence of ''Seven'',<ref>The Essentials: The Works of Harris Savides, http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-essentials-our-favorite-work-by-cinematographer-harris-savides-20121011</ref> Savides worked two more times with David Fincher, in ''The Game'' and ''Zodiac'', which the latter was shot mostly with digital cameras.
Savides worked on a short film directed by Wong Kar Wai for BMW's "The Hire" film series, entitled ''The Follow''.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Follow (2001) - IMDb |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285104/fullcredits |access-date=2023-12-21}}</ref> Savides also worked on Martin Scorsese's commercial ''The Key to Reserva'', an homage to Alfred Hitchcock.<ref>The Key to Reserva, Official Film Page, http://www.scorsesefilmfreixenet.com/video_eng.htm{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
With director John Hillcoat, Savides worked in a series of Levi's commercials for their "To Work" advertising campaign.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Essentials:The Works Of Harris Savides {{!}} The Playlist |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-essentials-our-favorite-work-by-cinematographer-harris-savides-20121011?page=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014173302/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-essentials-our-favorite-work-by-cinematographer-harris-savides-20121011?page=2 |archive-date=2012-10-14 |website=blogs.indiewire.com}}</ref>
In 2010, Savides was attached to Stephen Daldry's ''Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'', but dropped out after the diagnosis of his brain cancer came out. He was then replaced by Chris Menges<ref>{{Cite web |title=Team Deakins: KK Barrett - Production Designer |url=https://teamdeakins.libsyn.com/kk-barrett-production-designer |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=teamdeakins.libsyn.com |language=en}}</ref>
Savides also worked on two films directed by Sofia Coppola, with ''The Bling Ring'' being his final project before his death.
=== Music videos === Savides was the cinematographer on a number of well-known music videos directed by Mark Romanek, including Michael Jackson's ''Scream'', Madonna's ''Rain'' and ''Bedtime Story'', Fiona Apple's ''Criminal'', and Nine Inch Nails' ''Closer.''
He has also served as cinematographer on the music videos for The Rolling Stones' "Like A Rolling Stone", Chris Isaak's ''Blue Spanish Sky'', and R.E.M.'s ''Everybody Hurts''.<ref name="imdb.com">{{Cite web |title=Harris Savides - Biography |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0767647/bio/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref>
Savides is the only person to date that has won three MTV Video Music Awards for Best Cinematography in a Music Video (for Madonna's "Rain", Fiona Apple's "Criminal" and R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts") and the only person to win two in a row (for "Rain" by Madonna and "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M.)
==Style== Savides was known for the very delicate images that he created for ''The Yards'' and ''Birth''. In both instances he underexposed the filmstock by several stops in order to break up the colors and give the blacks a purplish and brownish tint. This non-conventional approach leads to a look that resembles the paintings of Georges de La Tour and Caravaggio.<ref>Chiaroscuro – From Caravaggio to Harris Savides, http://cdn.halcyonrealms.com/film/chiaroscuro-from-carravagio-to-harris-savides/</ref>
For the visual style of ''Somewhere'', Sofia Coppola discussed Bruce Weber's Hollywood portraits and Helmut Newton's of models at the Chateau Marmont, and ''Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles'' (1975), the film by Chantal Akerman about the routine of a Belgian housewife, with Savides. Savides said, "The main thing was to tell the story really simply and let it play out in long beats and have the audience discover the moment."<ref name='Lim'>Lim, Dennis [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/movies/12sofia.html?_r=1&sq=Somewhere&st=cse&scp=3&pagewanted=all It’s What She Knows: The Luxe Life] ''New York Times'', December 10, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2011.</ref> Coppola used the lenses that her father had filmed ''Rumble Fish'' (1983) with in an effort to give the film a more period look, although it is set in the present.<ref name=TorStar>{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/917836--interview-sofia-coppola |title=Interview: Sofia Coppola|publisher= Toronto Star|access-date= 2011-01-08|date= 2011-01-08|author= Linda Barnard}}</ref>
==Personal life and death== Savides lived in Manhattan with his wife Medine, and daughter Sophie.
He died from brain cancer at age 55.<ref name="NYT"/>
==Filmography== '''TV movies''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Director |- | 1993 | ''Lake Consequence'' | Rafael Eisenman |- | 1994 | ''The Investigator'' | Matthew Tabak |}
'''Feature film''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Director |- | 1996 | ''Heaven's Prisoners'' | Phil Joanou |- | 1997 | ''The Game'' | David Fincher |- | 1998 | ''Illuminata'' | John Turturro |- |rowspan=2|2000 | ''The Yards'' | James Gray |- | ''Finding Forrester'' |rowspan=3|Gus Van Sant |- | 2002 | ''Gerry'' |- | 2003 | ''Elephant'' |- | 2004 | ''Birth'' | Jonathan Glazer |- | 2005 | ''Last Days'' | Gus Van Sant |- |rowspan=3|2007 | ''Zodiac'' | David Fincher |- | ''Margot at the Wedding'' | Noah Baumbach |- | ''American Gangster'' | Ridley Scott |- | 2008 | ''Milk'' | Gus Van Sant |- | 2009 | ''Whatever Works'' | Woody Allen |- |rowspan=2|2010 | ''Greenberg'' | Noah Baumbach |- | ''Somewhere'' | Sofia Coppola |- | 2011 | ''Restless'' | Gus Van Sant |- | 2013 | ''The Bling Ring''* | Sofia Coppola |} <small>* Posthumous release (Shared credit with Christopher Blauvelt)</small>
'''Short film''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Director ! Notes |- | 2001 | ''The Follow'' | Wong Kar-wai | Segment of ''The Hire'' |- | 2007 | ''The Key to Reserva'' | Martin Scorsese | |}
'''Music video''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Artist ! Director |- | 1990 | ''Something New'' | Grand Daddy I.U. | Barry Michael Cooper |- | 1991 | ''Blue Spanish Sky'' | Chris Isaak | Bruce Weber |- |rowspan=2|1993 | ''Everybody Hurts'' | R.E.M. | Jake Scott |- | ''Rain'' | Madonna |rowspan=2|Mark Romanek |- |rowspan=2|1994 | ''Closer'' | Nine Inch Nails |- | ''Take a Bow'' | Madonna | Michael Haussman |- |rowspan=5|1995 | ''Violet'' | Hole | Mark Seliger<br>Fred Woodward |- | ''Bedtime Story'' |rowspan=2|Madonna | Mark Romanek |- | ''Human Nature'' | Jean-Baptiste Mondino |- | ''Scream'' | Michael Jackson<br>Janet Jackson | Mark Romanek |- | ''Like a Rolling Stone'' | The Rolling Stones | Michel Gondry |- |rowspan=3|1996 | ''Little Trouble Girl'' | Sonic Youth | Mark Romanek |- | ''Twenty Foreplay'' | Janet Jackson | Keir McFarlane |- | ''Let It Flow'' | Toni Braxton | Herb Ritts |- | 1997 | ''Criminal'' | Fiona Apple | Mark Romanek |- |rowspan=2|1998 | ''Weird'' | Hanson | Gus Van Sant |- | ''If You Can't Say No'' | Lenny Kravitz |rowspan=2|Mark Romanek |- | 1999 | ''I Try'' | Macy Gray |- |rowspan=2|2001 | ''From a Lover to a Friend'' | Paul McCartney | Kate Miller |- | ''I Might Be Wrong'' | Radiohead | Sophie Muller |- | 2002 | ''Die Another Day'' | Madonna | Mats Lindberg<br>Pontus Löwenhielm<br>Ole Sanders |- |rowspan=2|2005 | ''Speed of Sound'' | Coldplay | Mark Romanek |- | ''Someday (I Will Understand)'' | Britney Spears | Michael Haussman |- | 2007 | ''Desecration Smile'' | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Gus Van Sant |- | 2011 | ''Otis'' | Jay-Z<br>Kanye West | Spike Jonze |}
== Awards and nominations == '''BAFTA Awards''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Category ! Title ! Result ! Ref. |- | 2007 | Best Cinematography | ''American Gangster'' | {{nom}} | <ref>{{cite web|url= https://awards.bafta.org/award/2008/film|title= Film in 2008|website= awards.bafta.org|accessdate= March 17, 2024}}</ref> |}
'''Independent Spirit Awards''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Category ! Title ! Result ! Ref. |- | 2002 |rowspan=5|Best Cinematography | ''Gerry'' |{{nom}} | <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/far-from-heaven-sweeps-2003-independent-spirit-awards-79858/|title= "Far From Heaven" Sweeps 2003 Independent Spirit Awards|website= IndieWire|date= March 22, 2003|accessdate= March 17, 2024}}</ref> |- | 2004 | ''Elephant'' | {{nom}} | <ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://ew.com/article/2003/12/03/here-are-independent-spirit-award-nominees/|title= American Beauties|magazine= Entertainment Weekly|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110607162151/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,555168,00.html|access-date= March 17, 2024|url-status= live|archive-date= June 7, 2011}}</ref> |- | 2005 | ''Last Days'' | {{nom}} |<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2005/film/awards/whale-of-a-day-at-spirits-1117933654/|title= 'Whale' of a day at Spirits|website= Variety|date= November 29, 2005|accessdate= March 17, 2024}}</ref> |- | 2008 | ''Milk'' | {{nom}} | <ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2008/film/awards/2009-spirit-award-nominations-list-1117996681/|title= 2009 Spirit Award nominations list|website= Variety|date= December 2, 2008|access-date= March 17, 2024}}</ref> |- | 2010 | ''Greenberg'' | {{nom}} |<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/winners-announced-for-2011-film-independent-spirit-awards/|title= Winners Announced For 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards|website= CBS News|date= February 26, 2011|accessdate= March 17, 2024}}</ref> |- | 2012 |colspan=2|Special Distinction Award | {{won}} |<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.indiewire.com/awards/industry/silver-linings-moonrise-kingdom-lead-spirit-award-nominations-43173/|title= 'Silver Linings,' 'Moonrise Kingdom' Lead Spirit Award Nominations|website= IndieWire|date= November 27, 2012|accessdate= March 17, 2024}}</ref> |}
'''New York Film Critics Circle''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Category ! Title ! Result ! Ref. |- | 2002 |rowspan=2|Best Cinematography | ''Gerry'' | {{won}} | <ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://ew.com/article/2002/12/17/far-heaven-tops-new-york-critics-awards/|title= ''Far From Heaven'' tops New York critics awards|magazine= Entertainment Weekly|accessdate= March 17, 2024|archive-date= March 17, 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240317151000/https://ew.com/article/2002/12/17/far-heaven-tops-new-york-critics-awards/|url-status= dead}}</ref> |- | 2003 | ''Elephant'' | {{won}} | |}
'''International Cinephile Society''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Category ! Title ! Result |- |rowspan=2|2004 |rowspan=2|Best Cinematography | ''Elephant'' | {{won}} |- | ''Birth'' | {{nom}} |}
'''National Society of Film Critics''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Category ! Title ! Result |- | 2004 |rowspan=2|Best Cinematography | ''Elephant'' | {{nom}} |- | 2010 | ''Somewhere'' | {{nom}} |}
'''Other awards''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Association ! Category ! Title ! Result ! Ref. |- | 2003 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Cinematography | ''Elephant'' | {{nom}} | |- |rowspan=2|2007 | Satellite Award | Best Cinematography | ''Zodiac'' | {{nom}} | |- | Clio Award | Beverages / Alcohol | ''The Key to Reserva'' | {{won}} | <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.openculture.com/2012/09/martin_scorsese_brings_lost_hitchcock_film_to_screen.html|title= Martin Scorsese Brings "Lost" Hitchcock Film to Screen in Short Faux Documentary|website= Open Culture|accessdate= March 17, 2024}}</ref> |- |rowspan=2|2008 | Houston Film Critics Society | Best Cinematography |rowspan=2|''Milk'' | {{nom}} | |- | St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association | Best Cinematography | {{nom}} | |- | 2011 | Camerimage |colspan=2|Cinematographer-Director Duo Award <small>(Shared with Gus Van Sant)</small> | {{won}} | |- |}
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0767647}} *[http://www.movingimagesource.us/articles/that-70s-look-20100326 Museum of the Moving Image interview] {{MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savides, Harris}} Category:1957 births Category:2012 deaths Category:American cinematographers Category:American people of Greek Cypriot descent Category:Deaths from brain cancer in New York (state) Category:People from Manhattan