Bruno Delbonnel

Bruno Delbonnel is a French cinematographer who has been active in the film community since the 1970s. He was born in Nancy France in 1957 and in 1978 graduated from Université Paris Sorbonne with a major in philosophy and then a degree from École supérieure d'études cinématographiques (ESEC) which translates to College of Cinematography in Paris. There is not much about him from his early life but in an interview, he confirmed that the movie Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal had the strongest impression on him as a child and piqued his interest in film. Over the years, he has been recognized for his talents in cinematography and his popularity has been growing. Delbonnel’s use of lighting, color, and format has given his work a more classical look and with his style and technique more recognition not only in Europe but around the world.

In 2001 Delbonnel was the cinematographer on the movie Amelie. The French movie is based around an Amelie Poulain who at a young age lost her mother in an accident causing her father to became reclusive and leaving her lonely. Growing up she leaves home and works in a café. Soon she takes on a personal mission of to positively impact of the people around her. She brings a lot of joy to many and in the end finds some joy for herself. This movie did phenomenally well. With a budget of 10 million dollars it brought in 173.9 million dollars and is the highest grossing French speaking film in the United States of America. He was also the cinematographer for one of the Harry Potter movies. Harry Potter is about a boy who faced evil as an infant and survived being claimed as “the boy who lived” years later the evil Lord Voldemort returns wanting to kill Harry and take over the wizarding world. In the movie Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince the characters are teenagers and having to make tough decisions with a war looming above them. Delbonnel mentioned in an interview that he thought the script was “awful”. Not being pleased with the script however he that he “loved” the set and to be working on it. This movie just like the others did well in the box office bringing in 934.1 million dollars. However, this movie is noted as being one of the most masterfully done in the series and that was mainly because of Delbonnel’s work on it. This cinematographer has worked on many projects with many people but one person who is a fan of his work is director Tim Burton. The two have worked together on a few movies and even though the movies are not big box office hits they continue to work together. Delbonnel worked on Tim Burton’s movie Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children that came out in 2016. The movie is based off a book series and was adapted to play on the big screen. The movie is about a boy named Jacob who follows clues to a mysterious island and finds Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children. Each child has a “peculiar” magical gift and though out the movie the school is in danger by outside forces and Jacob discovers his own “particular” gifts to save his new friends. The movie did not do very well. The budget being 110 million dollars and only making 295.1 million at the box office. These are some of Bruno Delbonnel’s most noted works and even though some may have done better than others many people have taken notice to his style and techniques.

Every cinematographer has something unique to them, a type of signature. Some use a certain camera lenses others like using different types of camera angles. Delbonnel uses lighting to get the types of hots he wants. Light is something he is known for but also different aspect ratios. In an interview, he said that he does not follow a standard formula and makes each film different because each story is different. He does not like to shine a light from the front but rather the side or top, sometimes both. He is also nicked named the King of Soft-Lighting because he will sometime use up to three diffusers at a time to get the soft glow he wants. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince lighting was key. He did not like the script was so excited with the scenery and all the possibilities. This movie is like the calm before the storm. Everybody knows the war is coming and this is their last chance to be kids but nobody can enjoy it with knowing what’s to come. Most of his shots are shot in shadow, ominous. Even the light-hearted moments have an overcast to them. Delbonnel likes to have one dark element in a shot but with this movie it seemed to be the other way around with dark backdrops and one light thing. His use of color also helps set the mood. To fit with the gloom and doom of this movie he used brownish black effects or overcasts of grey. In Amelie, he used blue backdrop lighting to make the character’s pop in some scenes. He likes to make each movie individual but he is strict with his tools. Most of the directors he works with also like the same style and tools he uses so it could be another reason he is in high demand and prefers to work with some directors specifically like Tim Burton. Delbonnel once said that there are about only 19 good directors in the world and the rest are wannabe. When filming he “uses the same film stock, camera, and lenses on nearly every picture he's ever shot—wide angle Cooke S4 prime lenses paired with an Arica and loaded with Kodak film.” even though he prefers shooting on film he has shot on digital before with Big Eyes and Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children. When doing reserch for his film he keeps it limited. He reads the script, scouts locations, and goes through swatches but does not keep anything tied down because he knows there will always be a change or disagreement that he will need to work around. Like in Big Eyes, it was supposed to be shot on film but there was an issue so it had to be shot on digital. So, he is known for his lighting and tools but also different aspect ratios he likes to use like in Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children he uses 1.85:1 because it is good for location and sets. He doesn’t like 2.40:1 or 1.66: one because they look odd and uninteresting. Delbonnel being a famous cinematographer means he is in high demand and has more than a few accomplishments.

Delbonnel has been nominated for 48 awards. Mainly in Europe because that I where he is from and mainly works. It can be hard to cross over from the European film industry to American. America is famous for its movies and blockbuster hit so he has been nominated for some but have won very few. He has won 10 not too many but also more than a lot of others. Some of his most popular works like Amelie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Across the Universe, and Inside Llewyn Davis have had many nominations and won some too. Amelie won a European Film award and Harry Potter was nominated for an Oscar in Cinematography. Inside Llewyn Davis won a NSFC and a NYFCC award. Though he has not won many awards he is still highly sought after and continues to do what he loves and brings something new to each of his movies.

I picked Bruno Delbonnel because my favorite Harry Potter movie is the Half-Blood Prince. I love the eerie feelings from the shadows and soft lighting. Even though Delbonnel did not like the script I did. So, I picked him because of his work on this film. looking into him I found out that he is also the cinematographer of Amelie another film I love. I love soft lighting so his work really stands out for me. I have worked with lighting in the theater before which is very different but I find his techniques interesting, and the use of diffuser something I myself want to try. His work in introducing more European techniques to the United States film industry. It gives people across the pond to also integrate into mainstream movies and show their talents and what they can teach us here. Delbonnel use of lighting, color, and format has given his work a more classical look and with his style and technique more recognition not only in Europe but around the world.

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