Erik Messerschmidt,

ASC ASC may refer to: Educational institutions * Anglican Schools Commission, Australia * Andres Soriano Colleges of Bislig, located in Surigao del Sur, Philippines * Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia Organizations Australia * Australian Singing ...

, (born October 23, 1980) is an American

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

. He is best known for his collaborations with director

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...

on the films ''

Mank ''Mank'' is a 2020 American black-and-white Biographical film, biographical Drama (film and television), drama film about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his Screenplay for Citizen Kane, development of the screenplay for ''Citizen Kane' ...

'' (as director of photography) and '' Gone Girl'' (as gaffer), and on the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series '' Mindhunter''. He has also shot episodes of the TV series '' Fargo'', ''

Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

'', and '' Raised by Wolves''. His work has been nominated for an Emmy. In April 2021, he won the top ASC Award and the

Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture. History In its first film season, 1927–28, this award (like others such as the acting awards) ...

for ''Mank''.

Personal life

Messerschmidt grew up in

Cape Elizabeth, Maine Cape Elizabeth is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland, Maine, Portland–South Portland, Maine, South Portland–Biddeford, Maine, Biddeford, Mai ...

. He studied film production at

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, where he was a classmate of filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar and served as co-director of photography on Zagar's award winning indie documentary '' In a Dream'' (2008). In May 2020, he married Naiara Eizaguirre-Paulos.

Career

After relocating to Los Angeles, Messerschmidt served as gaffer on TV series such as ''

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...

'', ''

Everybody Hates Chris ''Everybody Hates Chris'' is an American television semi-autobiographical sitcom that is inspired by the memories of the teenage years of comedian Chris Rock. The show is set from 1982 to 1987, although Rock himself was actually a teenager from ...

'', and ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its fict ...

''. He also gained experience as a director of photography during this time, shooting commercials, short films, and documentaries. Messerschmidt had a working relationship with cinematographer

Jeff Cronenweth Jeffrey Scott Cronenweth, (born January 14, 1962) is an American cinematographer based in Los Angeles, California who is known for his role as the director of photography on the David Fincher films ''Fight Club'', ''The Social Network'', ''The Gi ...

, who recommended him to director

. Fincher hired Messerschmidt as gaffer on '' Gone Girl'' and, later, as director of photography for most episodes of '' Mindhunter'' and for ''

''. With ''Mindhunter'', Messerschmidt explained the color palette, "has a desaturated green-yellow look... thelps give the show its period feel". He stated the effect is achieved through production design, costumes and filming locations—not necessarily through lighting used on set.

Awards and recognition

In 2009, Messerschmidt and Mark Stetz were nominated for the Golden Frog Award at

Camerimage The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage () is a festival dedicated to the celebration of cinematography and recognition of its creators, cinematographers. The first seven events (1993–1999) were held in Toruń, ...

, The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, for their work on '' In a Dream''. On February 5, 2020, Messerschmidt was admitted as a member of the

American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinem ...

. On July 28, 2020, he was nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for his work on "Episode 6" of the

series '' Mindhunter''s second season, for the category Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour). The award went to

M. David Mullen M. David Mullen, A.S.C. (born Meritt David Mullen III; 26 June 1962) is a Japanese-born American cinematographer known for his photography on '' Twin Falls Idaho'', ''Northfork'', '' Akeelah and the Bee'', ''The Astronaut Farmer'', '' Jennifer's ...

for an episode of

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

's ''

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' is an American period comedy-drama television series, created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, that premiered on March 17, 2017, on Amazon Prime Video. Set in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it stars Rachel Brosnahan as M ...

''. On December 17, 2020, Messerschmidt's work on ''

'' was nominated for the

Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography The Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography is an award given by the Florida Film Critics Circle The Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) is a film critic organization founded in 1996. The FFCC comprises 30 film critics from Flo ...

. On December 21, it was announced that he had won the award. On April 18, 2021, he won the top award from the American Society of Cinematographers, Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases, for his work on ''Mank''. On April 25, 2021, he won the

for ''Mank''.

Filmography

Film Documentery Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Messerschmidt, Erik 1980 births American cinematographers Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners Emerson College alumni Living people People from Cape Elizabeth, Maine