The film world lost one of its most versatile cinematographers this week, with the death of British veteran Oliver Wood, aged 80.
Wood, who moved to New York when he was just 19, was best known for his work on Die Hard 2 (1990), Face/Off (1997), Freaky Friday (2003), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), and The Bourne franchise (2002-2007).
Most recently, he teamed up with Daniel Espinoza on the Marvel film Morbius (2022), the pair having previously worked together on Safe House (2012) and Child 44 (2015).
Wood got his first professional break working for director Leonard Kastle on cult crime film The Honeymoon Killers (1969). He went on to shoot numerous B-movies and independent films throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, as well as music videos and commercial projects.
It was Wood’s work as director of photography on 53 episodes of TV crime drama Miami Vice, on which he served as primary DP between 1987-89, that brought him to the attention of big screen producers. Working on titles stretching from Face/Off (1997) to Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), ensured he became a craftsman always in demand.
Wood was nominated for a BAFTA for The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007. He collaborated with director Paul Greengrass on the entire Bourne Trilogy, where he used multiple cameras to create a distinctive, naturalistic effect, citing films such as The Battle of Algiers as an influence, and in turn introducing an era-defining style to Hollywood action films in the early 2000s.
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