Stephen H. Burum
Encyclopedia
Stephen Henry Burum, A.S.C.
(born November 25, 1939) is an American
cinematographer
.
, a small Central Valley town near Visalia
. He graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in the 1960s, and became an instructor at the same school. He began his professional filmmaking career working on the Walt Disney anthology television series, and then was drafted into the U.S. Army and assigned to the Army Pictorial Center, for whom he shot army training films. Returning to California after his service was complete, he worked on commercials, television shows, and low-budget films; he won a technical Emmy for his special-effects work on the popular public television astronomy series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
. He began working on major feature films for Francis Ford Coppola
in 1976, shooting the second unit
of Apocalypse Now
and then The Black Stallion
. His first credit as the cinematographer of a major motion picture was for The Escape Artist
(1982).
In 2007, Burum returned to UCLA as the Kodak Cinematographer in Residence.
and The War of the Roses
, finally winning in 1993 for his work on Hoffa
.
He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Hoffa but did not win.
Burum was the 2008 recipient of the American Society of Cinematographers' Lifetime Achievement Award.
American Society of Cinematographers
The American Society of Cinematographers is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. It is not a labor union, and it is not a guild. Membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with distinguished credits in the film...
(born November 25, 1939) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
.
Biography
Burum was born in 1939 in Dinuba, CaliforniaDinuba, California
Dinuba is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 21,453 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Visalia Metropolitan Statistical Area according to the United States Census Bureau...
, a small Central Valley town near Visalia
Visalia
-California:* Visalia, California* Downtown Visalia* Greater Visalia Area** Tulare County, California* Visalia Municipal Airport-Fictional Places:* Visalia, California , a fictional version of Visalia where parts of Season 2 of 24 was set....
. He graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in the 1960s, and became an instructor at the same school. He began his professional filmmaking career working on the Walt Disney anthology television series, and then was drafted into the U.S. Army and assigned to the Army Pictorial Center, for whom he shot army training films. Returning to California after his service was complete, he worked on commercials, television shows, and low-budget films; he won a technical Emmy for his special-effects work on the popular public television astronomy series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage is a thirteen-part television series written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter, with Sagan as presenter. It was executive-produced by Adrian Malone, produced by David Kennard, Geoffrey Haines-Stiles and Gregory Andorfer, and directed by the producers, David...
. He began working on major feature films for Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
in 1976, shooting the second unit
Second unit
In film, the second unit is a team that shoots subsidiary footage for a motion picture. Its work is distinct from that of the first unit, which shoots all scenes involving principal actors...
of Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
and then The Black Stallion
The Black Stallion (film)
The Black Stallion is a 1979 American film based on the 1941 classic children's novel The Black Stallion by Walter Farley. It tells the story of Alec Ramsey, who is shipwrecked on a desert island, together with a wild Arabian stallion whom he befriends...
. His first credit as the cinematographer of a major motion picture was for The Escape Artist
The Escape Artist
The Escape Artist is a 1982 film starring Griffin O'Neal and Raúl Juliá. It was based on a book by David Wagoner, and was the directorial debut of Caleb Deschanel.-Plot:...
(1982).
In 2007, Burum returned to UCLA as the Kodak Cinematographer in Residence.
Awards and honors
Burum was nominated for the American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases in 1988 and 1990 for his work on the films The UntouchablesThe Untouchables (1987 film)
The Untouchables is a 1987 American crime-drama film directed by Brian De Palma and written by David Mamet. Based on the book The Untouchables, the film stars Kevin Costner as government agent Eliot Ness. It also stars Robert De Niro as gang leader Al Capone and Sean Connery as Irish-American...
and The War of the Roses
The War of the Roses (film)
The War of the Roses is a 1989 American comedy film based upon the 1981 novel The War of the Roses by Warren Adler. It is a black comedy about a wealthy couple with a seemingly perfect marriage. When their marriage begins to fall apart, material possessions become the center of an outrageous and...
, finally winning in 1993 for his work on Hoffa
Hoffa
Hoffa is a 1992 biographical film directed by Danny DeVito and written by David Mamet, based on the life of Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa. Jack Nicholson plays Hoffa, and Danny DeVito plays Hoffa's fictional longtime friend Robert "Bobby" Ciaro, an amalgamation of several Hoffa associates over...
.
He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Hoffa but did not win.
Burum was the 2008 recipient of the American Society of Cinematographers' Lifetime Achievement Award.
Filmography
Burum is credited as cinematographer or director of photography for 40 movies and TV movies, including:- Scream Bloody MurderScream Bloody Murder-Plot:Matthew , a deranged young man, mangles his father with a tractor. During his fun, he loses his own hand. Afterward, he is placed in a hospital for the criminally insane. During his time there, he learns from a letter that his mother has found a new husband, which angers Matthew. He also gets...
(1973) - The EntityThe EntityThe Entity is a horror film purportedly based on the paranormal events a woman and her family experienced circa 1976. It stars Barbara Hershey as a woman tormented by an unseen entity...
(1981) - Death ValleyDeath Valley (1982 film)Death Valley is a horror film starring Catherine Hicks, Edward Herrmann, Peter Billingsley, Stephen McHattie, Paul Le Mat, Mary Steelsmith and Earl W. Smith.It was directed by Dick Richards and written by Richard Rothstein....
(1982) - The Escape ArtistThe Escape ArtistThe Escape Artist is a 1982 film starring Griffin O'Neal and Raúl Juliá. It was based on a book by David Wagoner, and was the directorial debut of Caleb Deschanel.-Plot:...
(1982) - The OutsidersThe Outsiders (film)The Outsiders is a 1983 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, an adaptation of the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. The film was released in March 1983...
(1983) - Rumble FishRumble FishRumble Fish is a 1983 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It is based on the novel Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton, who also co-wrote the screenplay....
(1983) - Something Wicked This Way ComesSomething Wicked This Way Comes (1983 film)Something Wicked This Way Comes is a 1983 film based on the Ray Bradbury novel of the same name, starring Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce. Directed by Jack Clayton from a screenplay written by Bradbury himself, the movie suffered from offscreen conflicts of vision...
(1983) - Uncommon ValorUncommon ValorUncommon Valor is a 1983 action/war film written by Joe Gayton and directed by Ted Kotcheff, about a Marine officer who puts together a team to try to rescue his son, who he believes is among those still held in Laos after the Vietnam War...
(1983) - Body DoubleBody DoubleBody Double is a 1984 American thriller film directed by Brian De Palma starring Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, and Gregg Henry. The film is an homage to Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, Rear Window, and Dial M for Murder. The original musical score was composed by Pino Donaggio...
(1984) - The BrideThe Bride (film)The Bride is an adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, released in 1985 and directed by Franc Roddam. The film stars Sting as Baron Charles Frankenstein and Jennifer Beals as Eva, a woman he creates in the same fashion as his infamous monster....
(1985) - St. Elmo's FireSt. Elmo's Fire (film)St. Elmo's Fire is a 1985 American coming-of-age film directed by Joel Schumacher. The film, starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Mare Winningham, is a prominent movie of the Brat Pack genre, and revolves around a group of friends that have...
(1985) - 8 Million Ways to Die8 Million Ways to Die8 Million Ways to Die is a 1986 American crime film. This was the final film directed by Hal Ashby, and the first attempt to adapt the popular Matthew Scudder detective stories of Lawrence Block for the screen. The screenplay was written by Oliver Stone and David Lee Henry, with uncredited...
(1986) - Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker (1986)
- The UntouchablesThe Untouchables (1987 film)The Untouchables is a 1987 American crime-drama film directed by Brian De Palma and written by David Mamet. Based on the book The Untouchables, the film stars Kevin Costner as government agent Eliot Ness. It also stars Robert De Niro as gang leader Al Capone and Sean Connery as Irish-American...
(1987) - The War of the RosesThe War of the Roses (film)The War of the Roses is a 1989 American comedy film based upon the 1981 novel The War of the Roses by Warren Adler. It is a black comedy about a wealthy couple with a seemingly perfect marriage. When their marriage begins to fall apart, material possessions become the center of an outrageous and...
(1989) - HoffaHoffaHoffa is a 1992 biographical film directed by Danny DeVito and written by David Mamet, based on the life of Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa. Jack Nicholson plays Hoffa, and Danny DeVito plays Hoffa's fictional longtime friend Robert "Bobby" Ciaro, an amalgamation of several Hoffa associates over...
(1992) - Raising CainRaising CainRaising Cain is a 1992 psychological thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma, and starring John Lithgow, Lolita Davidovich and Steven Bauer.-Plot:Dr. Carter Nix is a respected child psychologist, the son of a giant in the field...
(1992) - Carlito's WayCarlito's WayCarlito's Way is a 1993 crime film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels Carlito's Way and After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo, Jorge Porcel, Joseph Siravo, and...
(1993) - The ShadowThe Shadow (1994 film)The Shadow is a 1994 American superhero film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, and based on the character of the same name created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931. Alec Baldwin starred in the title role...
(1994) - Snake EyesSnake Eyes (film)Snake Eyes is a conspiracy thriller film directed by Brian De Palma, one featuring his trademark use of long tracking shots and split screens. It starred Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise and Carla Gugino....
(1998) - Mystery MenMystery MenMystery Men is a 1999 comedy film based on a Dark Horse comic book series feature in Flaming Carrot Comics by Bob Burden, directed by TV commercial director Kinka Usher. It stars William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, and Hank Azaria as a trio of lesser superheroes with fairly unimpressive superpowers who...
(1999) - Mission to MarsMission to MarsMission to Mars is a 2000 science fiction film directed by Brian De Palma from an original screenplay written by Jim Thomas, John Thomas, and Graham Yost. The film's story details a fictional portrayal of a manned Mars exploration mission gone awry in the year 2020...
(2000) - Life or Something Like ItLife or Something Like ItLife or Something Like It is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Stephen Herek. The film focuses on television reporter Lanie Kerrigan and her quest to find meaning in her life. The original music score was composed by David Newman...
(2002) - Confessions of a Teenage Drama QueenConfessions of a Teenage Drama QueenConfessions of a Teenage Drama Queen is a 2004 American Teen musical comedy film directed by Sara Sugarman and produced by Robert Shapiro and Matthew Hart for Walt Disney Pictures...
(2004)