Oliver Stapleton
Biography
Oliver David Whiteside Stapleton (born 12 April 1948), BSC is an English cinematographer. He graduated from the University of Cape Town in 1970 with a degree in psychology and from the National Film and Television School (NFTS) UK while working in South Africa (from 1966 to 1974) and England. One of his first efforts was the student film Shadowplay, a film about South African immigrants trying to adjust to life in London, which he wrote, directed, and edited. He progressed to filming music videos and commercials. He worked with many famous bands in the early-to-mid 80s, including a-ha, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Eddy Grant and The Human League.
Known For & Full Filmography6 Titles
Drama Series - 1982, 16 episodes • as himself
The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, who do parodies of films, literature and sometimes major events.
Movie - 1983, 2h 15m • as Himself
A documentary crew films heavy metal band Bad News as they have trouble starting their van, pick up a schoolgirl groupie, and meet up with rock journalist Sally at a motorway service station where they argue about the cost of sausage and chips.
Movie - 2019, 2h 15m • as Himself
A double offering of heavy metal madness from The Comic Strip and Bad News.
Movie - 2018, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
A brand new feature-length documentary on the film’s production, including new interviews with director Stephen Frears, director of photography Oliver Stapleton, editor Michael Audsley, executive producer Barbara Defina and co-producer Peggy Rajaki.
Movie - 2023, 2h 15m • as Self
Documentary about the beginnings and the Channel 4 years of the Comic Strip.
Movie - 2015, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
Laundrette was the first of seven collaborations between director Stephen Frears and cinematographer Oliver Stapleton. In this engaging interview, Stapleton discusses his experiences on set, including how he approached the film with a mixture of stylization left over from his experience on rock music videos and an attempt to be naturalistic and invisible.