Mike Valentine is a Welsh underwater cinematographer who built an international career filming underwater sequences for feature films, television and documentaries. He joined BBC Television in 1972, initially working on programmes including Fawlty Towers, Till Death Us Do Part and Monty Python’s Flying Circus. He later moved into outside broadcasts, working on drama, sport and live entertainment. During a diving holiday in the Seychelles in 1977, he became interested in underwater photography and began making his own films, including footage of the Red Sea that he presented to the BBC.
Valentine transitioned from his BBC career into freelance underwater filmmaking after director Nicolas Roeg hired him to shoot and direct underwater sequences for Castaway (1986), starring Oliver Reed and Amanda Donohoe. Filmed in the Seychelles, the project established his career as an underwater cinematographer and demonstrated his ability to plan and execute complex underwater sequences for narrative films.
His subsequent credits include The Abyss (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Basic Instinct (1992), Trainspotting (1996), The World Is Not Enough (1999), The Beach (2000), Die Another Day (2002), The Hours (2002), Casino Royale (2006), Atonement (2007), The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), Robin Hood (2010) and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). His work often involves designing underwater photography sequences around performers, specialist camera equipment, lighting, water conditions and production safety.
Over the course of his career, Valentine has contributed underwater cinematography to more than 80 feature films, working with international directors and production teams.