Paying tribute to Dick Pope BSC

The cinematographic community and beyond is deeply saddened by the passing of Dick Pope BSC, an extraordinary cinematographer whose work on documentaries, television and films was of the highest level earning him the Camerimage Golden Frog a record three times as well as the BSC’s highest honour, Cinematography in a Feature Film for Mr. Turner. 

Pope was born in Bromley, Kent in 1947. His early work was in the field of documentary, working on the series World In Action. This took him all over the world, allowing him to meet fellow filmmakers, tell stories and expose injustice. He moved into television drama in early ‘80s, earning acclaim and a BAFTA nomination for his work on Porterhouse Blue. He will widely be remembered for his work with director, Mike Leigh with whom he collaborated on films including Naked, Topsy-Turvey, Mr. Turner, Vera Drake, and Secrets & Lies - each of them unique and enriched by Pope’s cinematography. His latest film with Leigh, Hard Truths premiered this year and was recently shown at the London Film Festival. 

Among other directors Pope worked with was Baroness Beeban Kidron, Mike Newell, Christopher McQuarrie, Barry Levinson, Richard Linklater, Gurinder Chadha, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Edward Norton. Pope had a reputation for being a wonderful collaborator and someone who was passionate about the artform of cinematography. He was keen to embrace new technologies and ideas while ensuring the skills and crafts of those who came before him weren’t lost. To this end, he would guest tutor at schools such as the National Film and Television School. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and fellow cinematographers at this difficult time.