During the waning days of production on one of the most famous and acclaimed films of all time \u2014 Stanley Kubrick\u2019<\/a>s sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/em><\/a> \u2014 Kubrick\u2019s director of photography Geoffrey Unsworth<\/a> had to leave the production early to begin work on another project.<\/p>\n John Alcott<\/a>, an aspiring cinematographer who’d made his way from clapper boy all the way to lighting cameraman, was given the chance of a lifetime. He was asked to fill in as DP and complete some of the final shots needed for the landmark film \u2014 including the iconic \u201cDawn of Man<\/a>\u201d opening sequence, which (oddly enough) was the final scene they needed for the production.<\/p>\n Clearly Kubrick was pleased with the results. The director made Alcott his go-to cinematographer for the majority of his career, tasking him with helping to bring some of the most famous and audacious shots and scenes in film history to life.<\/p>\n Over a period of twenty years, Alcott served as cinematographer on four of Kubrick\u2019s most recognizable classics: 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/em>, A Clockwork Orange<\/em><\/a>, Barry Lyndon<\/em><\/a>, and The Shining<\/em><\/a>. Along the way and under Kubrick\u2019s direction, Alcott mastered advanced cinematographic visual effects, beautiful compositions, new techniques, and was the man behind the lens for some of the most iconic moments in cinema history.<\/p>\n So, let\u2019s take a look into how John Alcott \u2014 Kubrick\u2019s right-hand man \u2014 was able to develop, and ultimately shape, the future of cinematography.<\/p>\n
\nAn Early Visual Effects Pioneer<\/h3>\n