Chris was born in Wandsworth in 1976 and whilst growing up in south London spent his bus journeys to school reading books about cinema. His obsession with film continued throughout his teenage years and after graduating from the University of Nottingham in 1997, Chris returned to London and attempted to find a way into professional filmmaking. After working as a runner on a couple of low budget feature films, a clapper loader pointed him towards working at a rental house and gaining a thorough knowledge of motion picture cameras.

In August 1998, Chris joined Panavision London in the Shipping Department before being invited to join Jim Budd’s team in the camera and lens maintenance department. During his seven years at Panavision he made many friends and contacts including Jeff Allen, Hugh Whittaker, and Iain Mackay (now an Associate BSC Member), as well as learning the intricacies of the near-infinite selection of cameras and lenses within the company’s inventory.

Working as an on-set camera maintenance technician was an amazing opportunity to learn and led Chris on many adventures in various locations around the world. He was privileged to work in the camera departments of John Seale ASC ACS on “Cold Mountain” and of Robert Elswit ASC on “Syriana”, this proximity to such talented cinematographers gave Chris an enviable inside knowledge of their work.

Chris’s big break came whilst still at Panavision, with the opportunity to shoot the low budget feature film “London to Brighton” on glorious Super 16. The film gained critical reception and led to a second project with the film’s director Paul Andrew Williams, allowing Chris to break away from his day job and embark on life as a cinematographer.

A pivotal project for Chris was the television production “Blackout” for Dir Tom Green in 2012. The show was well received and resulted in Chris being nominated for the BAFTA for best photography as well as earning the RTS Award for best photography and the BSC Award for Cinematography in a Television Drama. This last award was followed by an invitation for Chris to join the BSC in December 2012.

Credits

Top Boy - Dir Jonathan Van Tulleken

Black Sea - Dir Kevin Macdonald                                                        

The Sense of an Ending - Dir Ritesh Batra

Terminal - Dir Vaughn Stein

Trust - Dir Danny Boyle

Yesterday - Dir Danny Boyle

Cats - Dir Tom Hooper

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie - Dir Jonathan Butterall