ASC Welcomes Jess Hall as a New Active Member

Jess Hall, ASC, BSC discovered photography at 15 years old, when he was mentored by photographer and curator David A. Bailey. “Through the darkroom, to a soundtrack of jazz, the magical power of the medium emerged to me. I realized that I could blend the two — sound and image — and that because of this, cinema was the most complete art form of the 20th Century. From that moment on, I had only one professional goal: To be a cinematographer,” Hall explains.

Hall studied film at Central Saint Martins in London and New York University. Prior to graduation, he collaborated with choreographer William Forsythe on a BBC short film, Solo, which was included in the 1997 Biennial Exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Hall’s thesis film, The Whites of Their Eyes, was acquired by the George Eastman Museum, where a 16mm film print is retained in their archive.

Hall photographed his first feature, Stander, in 2001, followed by the indie comedy Son of a Rambow and comedic action-movie homage Hot Fuzz. For his work on the romantic drama Brideshead Revisited, Hall received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Cinematography. In 2014, the cinematographer collaborated with Wally Pfister, ASC, BSC on Transcendence, Pfister’s directorial debut. 

During the production of the sci-fi drama Ghost in the Shell, Hall collaborated with Digital Air to develop the first “Videogrammatry” capture system to be used on a live-action feature film. The cinematographer joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in 2013 and is a member of its “The Future of Film” working group.

In addition to his work behind the camera, Hall is also an educator and he says he “participates actively in promoting diversity in education.” He has served as a lecturer at the American Film Institute and Goldsmiths, University of London as well as a mentor at the London Film School and ManifestWorks. He serves as a trustee at the Stuart Hall Foundation.  

Hall’s recent credits include the noir thriller Serenity. 

Complete details on the 15 founding members of the ASC can be found here.

A complete list of all active ASC members — since 1919 — can be downloaded here.