Ben Richardson
Born
Benjamin T. Richardson

(1975-09-21) 21 September 1975 (age 48)
England, United Kingdom
EducationRoyal Holloway, University of London
Occupations
Years active2007–present
PartnerAnna Kendrick (2014–2020)
Websitebenrichardson.com

Benjamin T. Richardson, ASC (born 21 September 1975) is an English cinematographer, television producer and director. He is best known for his work on the films Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), The Fault in Our Stars (2014), Wind River (2017), and Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021), as well as the limited series Mare of Easttown (2021), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Early life

Richardson was born in England and attended Bournemouth School succeeded by Royal Holloway, University of London's media arts degree programme.[1]

Career

Richardson is a director of photography. Three of his films, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Happy Christmas, and Wind River have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Beasts of the Southern Wild was also nominated for four Academy Awards at the 85th Academy Awards, including a nomination for Best Picture. His short film Seed won Best Animated Short at the 2010 Slamdance Film Festival.

In 2019, Richardson was invited to join the American Society of Cinematographers.[2]

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Richardson met director Benh Zeitlin in Prague in 2004[3] and subsequently collaborated on the short film Glory at Sea in 2008.[4] During pre-production on Beasts of the Southern Wild, Richardson shot a test reel which convinced the financiers to approve him as cinematographer for the film.[5]

Beasts of the Southern Wild debuted at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival where Richardson won the Excellence in Cinematography Award.[6] For his work on the film he also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography, and was nominated for multiple awards including a Camerimage award and a Satellite Award.[7]

Personal life

Richardson had been in a relationship with actress Anna Kendrick since 2014 after they met while filming Drinking Buddies. [8] That relationship ended on an unknown date.

Filmography

Cinematographer

Short film

Year Title Director Notes
2008 Glory at Sea Benh Zeitlin With Robert Leitzell
2009 Seed Himself
Daniel Bird
2010 The Drip Machine Himself
2011 The Hunter and the Swan Discuss Their Meeting Emily Carmichael
2013 Best Friends Lena Dunham

Film

Year Title Director
2012 Beasts of the Southern Wild Benh Zeitlin
2013 Drinking Buddies Joe Swanberg
2014 The Fault in Our Stars Josh Boone
Happy Christmas Joe Swanberg
Cut Bank Matt Shakman
2015 Digging for Fire Joe Swanberg
2017 Wind River Taylor Sheridan
Table 19 Jeffrey Blitz
Sand Castle Fernando Coimbra
1922 Zak Hilditch
2021 Those Who Wish Me Dead Taylor Sheridan

Television

Year Title Director Notes
2018 The Chi Rick Famuyiwa Episode "Pilot"
Yellowstone Taylor Sheridan Season 1
2021 Mare of Easttown Craig Zobel Miniseries
Mayor of Kingstown Taylor Sheridan Episodes "The Mayor of Kingstown" and "Simply Murder"
2021-2022 1883 Taylor Sheridan
Himself
Christina Alexandra Voros 		6 episodes
2022-2023 1923 Himself 6 episodes

Director

Short films

Year Title Notes
2009 Seed Also animator
2010 The Drip Machine Also writer

Television

Year Title Director Producer Notes
2019 Yellowstone Yes Co-producer Directed episodes "Resurrection Day" and "Behind Us Only Grey"
2021 Mayor of Kingstown Yes Co-executive Directed episodes "The End Begins" and "The Price"
2021-2022 1883 Yes Co-executive Directed 5 episodes
2022 Tulsa King Yes No Episode "Caprice"
2022-2023 1923 Yes Executive Directed 6 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year Award Nomination Title Result
2012 Independent Spirit Awards Best Cinematography Beasts of the Southern Wild Won
Satellite Awards Best Cinematogaphy Nominated
2018 American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
(For episode "Daybreak") 		Yellowstone Nominated
2021 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography (For Episode "Illusions") Mare of Easttown Nominated

References

  1. ^ "Conversation with cinematographer Ben Richardson about his work on "Beasts of the Southern Wild", by Benh Zeitlin". 20 September 2021.
  2. ^ Ben Richardson, ASC (12 October 2019). "With tremendous pride I can announce that I have been invited to membership in the American Society of Cinematographers". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  3. ^ Desowitz, Bill (14 December 2012). "Immersed in Movies: Cinematographer Ben Richardson Talks 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'". Indiewire. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  4. ^ Egan, Jack (15 November 2012). "Contender — Director of Photography Ben Richardson, Beasts of the Southern Wild". Below The Line. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  5. ^ Most, Madelyn. "Conversation with cinematographer Ben Richardson about his work on Beasts of the Southern Wild, by Benh Zeitlin". Association Française des directeurs de la photographie Cinématographique. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  6. ^ Desowitz, Bill (14 December 2012). "Immersed in Movies: Cinematographer Ben Richardson Talks 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'". Indiewire. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Ben Richardson: Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  8. ^ "Anna Kendrick Steps Out with Boyfriend Ben Richardson for a Coffee Run—See the Rare Pic!". 27 January 2015.

External links

Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography
Authority control databases
Categories