John Schwartzman

Biography

John Leonard Schwartzman is an American cinematographer, born on 18 October 1960, and a member of the American Society of Cinematographers. He is known for large-scale action, adventure and comedy films from the late 1990s onward, as well as for a handful of historical dramas.

The son of producer Jack Schwartzman and stepson of actress Talia Shire, he studied at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, graduating in 1985. Over his career he has worked most often with Michael Bay, John Lee Hancock, Colin Trevorrow, James Foley and Paul Feig. Among his best-known credits are Armageddon, The Rock, Seabiscuit, The Amazing Spider-Man and Jurassic World, and his work on Seabiscuit earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography.

Schwartzman is a strong advocate of shooting on film, specifically 35mm Panavision anamorphic, rather than digital. He has said that blind tests with filmmaking professionals produced a unanimous preference for that format. He remains active, and recent projects include Jurassic World: Dominion and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Key films

• Seabiscuit (2003): his work on this sports drama earned an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography.
• Armageddon (1998): cinematography for Michael Bay's blockbuster about a crew trying to stop an asteroid.
• The Rock (1996): Michael Bay action thriller and one of his early large-budget collaborations.
• The Amazing Spider-Man (2012): reboot of the Spider-Man series directed by Marc Webb.
• Jurassic World (2015): first film of the new Jurassic Park trilogy, directed by Colin Trevorrow.
• Saving Mr. Banks (2013): drama about the making of Mary Poppins, directed by John Lee Hancock.