Sandra "Sandi" Sue Sissel (born August 9, 1949) 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 ...

, director and producer. Her interest in photography was apparent as early as high school, where she was a

photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

for her school paper. She is best known for documentaries such as '' Chicken Ranch, The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition'' '', and'' ''Mother Teresa (1986)'' as well as TV shows like

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...

, and feature films like ''

Salaam Bombay! ''Salaam Bombay!'' is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language drama film, directed, co-written and co-produced by Mira Nair. The screenwriter was Nair's creative collaborator Sooni Taraporevala. This was the first feature film directed by Nair. The film ...

'', '' Master and Commander Far Side of the World'' and '' Mr. and Mrs. Smith''. She has been 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 ...

since 1994, the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...

since 2004, and the ''

Australian Cinematographers Society The Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1958 for the purpose of providing a forum for Australian cinematographers to further develop their skills through mutual co-operation. Location Its Nati ...

'' since 2017.

Biography

She started college in 1967. She pursued her interests and desire to become a reporter by studying journalism and television. While she still wanted to pursue journalism, she did contribute to a few small films during her time in college. After completing this degree, she moved to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

where she pursued a graduate degree and filmed for the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. After this she moved to New York City, where she soon got a job with both

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

and later

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. During this time, she contributed as

for ''"The Wobblies"'' and assisted in camera or electrical work for Best Boy, Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang, Free Voice of Labor: The Jewish Anarchists, '' Fame'', '' No Nukes'' and ''"Rush"''. After working for

for a few years, she eventually decided to pursue a career that focused primarily on

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

for documentaries and feature films in Los Angeles. In her pursuit of this career she has gained a great deal of respect from her colleagues as a female working behind the camera. She taught "Advanced Cinematography Techniques" and "Advanced Cinematography Practicum" at

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

. from 2001 until 2015. Sissel adopted Raju Barnad (now known as Bernard Chamblis Sissel), one of the real-life street children who was cast in ''

'' In 2005 she married Kelly Drummond Cawthon with whom she has two children Joshua Cawthon and Jack Thomas Cawthon.

Cinematography

Sandi is best known for her work as a

. She has a very impressive filmography that includes many well known, important documentaries. Her interest in being behind the camera may have originated from her father's career as a photographer during her childhood.

Credits

Teaching

Sandi has had experience teaching at the University of Wisconsin, and

. In both cases she has taught film related classes.

Awards

* Vision Award Nescens (1998) * Women in Film Crystal Awards (1998) * Television Award, nominated (2001) * Best photography, British Academy of Film and Television Awards (2001) *

Golden Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

, nomination (2004) * Best cinematographer,

International Press Academy The International Press Academy (IPA) is an American association of professional entertainment journalists, representing both domestic and foreign markets in print, television, radio, cable and new media outlets. Its members have annually been gi ...

(2004)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sissel, Sandi 1949 births American cinematographers American women academics American women cinematographers Living people University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty 21st-century American women