Bradford Young

Young spent his early years in Louisville, Kentucky,{{Cite news|url=http://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/movies/2017/02/22/oscar-nominated-bradford-young-am-louisville-kentucky/98049594/|title=Oscar-nominated Bradford Young: 'I am Louisville, Kentucky'|first=Kirby|last=Adams|newspaper=The Courier-Journal|date=February 22, 2017|access-date=February 22, 2017|language=en}} where he attended The Brown School and Central High School.{{Cite news|url=http://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/movies/2017/01/24/louisville-native-bradford-young-gets-oscar-nom/96940520/|title=Louisville native Bradford Young gets Oscar nom|first=Kirby|last=Adams|newspaper=The Courier-Journal|date=January 24, 2017|access-date=February 22, 2017|language=en}} He moved to Chicago at age 15 to live with his father.{{cite news |title=He's Just a 'Custodian of the Moment': Bradford Young, Cinematographer for 'Middle of Nowhere' |first=Amanda |last=Petrusich |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/movies/bradford-young-cinematographer-for-middle-of-nowhere.html |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York |date=May 16, 2012 |accessdate=August 31, 2013 |quote=Mr. Young has gathered considerable accolades from the indie community (as well as beyond it), but he continues to tussle personally with the insularity of the scene. }} He received early artistic inspiration by the works of Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, and Aaron Douglas. Although he intended to study writing, he studied film at Howard University, where he was influenced by Haile Gerima.{{cite web|url=http://www.btlnews.com/awards/contender-cinematographer-bradford-young-pariah/|title=Contender – Cinematographer Bradford Young, Pariah|first=Leslie|last=Lindeman|date=December 14, 2011|publisher=Below The Line|accessdate=August 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022060450/http://www.btlnews.com/awards/contender-cinematographer-bradford-young-pariah/|archive-date=October 22, 2014|url-status=dead}}{{cite news |title=Howard University has become incubator for cinematographers |first=Ann |last=Hornaday |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/howard-university-has-become-incubator-for-cinematographers/2013/01/28/39202f00-697f-11e2-ada3-d86a4806d5ee_story_1.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |location=Washington, DC |date=January 28, 2013 |accessdate=August 31, 2013 |quote=For his part, Young credits another film professor, Daniel Williams, and especially Gerima as the spiritual godfather of what may be, by now, fairly codified as a bona fide successor to the L.A. Rebellion — the Howard Continuum. }} His first film project at Howard was a group project, a black and white silent film shot on a Canon Super 8. Working on set with filmmaking colleagues at Howard was his introduction to film. Prior to moving to Washington, D.C. for college, Young says "the only reason I cared about movies was how most people cared about movies. I liked watching them." As a youth, he went to the theater to see Spike Lee films with his family.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/sponsored/9557261/onstar-the-ride-episode-8-bradford-young-cinematographer-selma|title='Selma' cinematographer Bradford Young accidentally fell into filmmaking, and fell in love with it|newspaper=The Verge|access-date=February 22, 2017|language=en-US}}

Young's early feature film credits as cinematographer include Mississippi Damned (2009), Pariah (2011), Restless City (2011), Middle of Nowhere (2012), Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013), and Mother of George (2013).{{cite web|url=http://www.sundance.org/festival/stories/award-winners/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817014635/http://www.sundance.org/festival/stories/award-winners/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 17, 2012|title=Sundance Festival Award Winners|publisher=Sundance Film Festival|accessdate=August 31, 2013}} He has won the Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival twice. In 2011, he won for his work on Pariah. Two years later, he won for his work on both Mother of George and Ain't Them Bodies Saints. He was the cinematographer for Selma (2014), which won the BET Award for Best Movie in 2015. That same year, Young was inducted into the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).{{cite web |url=http://www.theasc.com/site/news/young-joins-asc/ |title=Young Joins ASC - ASC News |publisher=Theasc.com |date=August 13, 2015 |accessdate=January 24, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816152227/http://www.theasc.com/site/news/young-joins-asc/ |archive-date=August 16, 2016 }}

In January 2017, Young became the first African-American cinematographer to be nominated for an Academy Award, for his work on Arrival.{{cite web|last=Merry |first=Stephanie |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/01/24/oscar-nominations-2017-complete-coverage/ |title=Oscar nominations 2017: Complete list of nominees; 'La La Land's' 14 ties all-time record |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 24, 2017 |accessdate=January 24, 2017}} His work on Arrival also earned him a Silver Frog award from Camerimage and nominations for BAFTA and American Society of Cinematographers awards.{{Cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/oscars-arrivals-bradford-young-first-black-cinematography-nominee-967895|title=Oscars: 'Arrival's' Bradford Young Gets Cinematography Nomination|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=February 22, 2017|language=en}}

Young was the cinematographer for Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), about space smuggler Han Solo.{{cite web|url=https://thefilmstage.com/news/emmanuel-lubezki-reteams-with-alfonso-cuaron-bradford-young-to-shoot-han-solo-film/|title=Emmanuel Lubezki Reteams With Alfonso Cuarón; Bradford Young to Shoot Han Solo Film|publisher=The Film Stage|last=Raup|first=Jordan|date=September 22, 2016}}

In 2019, Young re-teamed with director Ava DuVernay on the Netflix drama miniseries When They See Us, based on the 1989 Central Park jogger case, which earned critical acclaim.{{cite web|url=https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/03/20/bradford-young-film-cinematographer/|title=Oscar-nominated cinematographer visits Johns Hopkins film program|last=McCabe|first=Bret|work=Johns Hopkins University Hub|date=March 21, 2019|access-date=July 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a26588461/when-they-see-us-netflix-central-park-five-series-ava-duvernay/|title=Ava DuVernay's "When They See Us" Looks at the Central Park Five—Here's What to Know|last=Darrisaw|first=Michelle|work=The Oprah Magazine|date=May 14, 2019|access-date=July 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/reviews/ava-duvernay-when-they-see-us-1203220510/|title=TV Review: Ava DuVernay's 'When They See Us'|last=D'Addario|first=Daniel|work=Variety|date=May 21, 2019|access-date=July 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/when-they-see-us-2019|title=When They See Us Review|last=Henderson|first=Odie|work=Roger Ebert|date=May 30, 2019|access-date=July 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/they-see-us-review-1211524|title='When They See Us': TV Review|last=Fienberg|first=Daniel|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=May 31, 2019|access-date=July 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://collider.com/when-they-see-us-review-netflix/|title='When They See Us' Review: Ava DuVernay's Magnum Opus of a Broken America|last=Goldberg|first=Matt|work=Collider|date=May 31, 2019|access-date=July 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/31/when-they-see-us-review-netflix-ava-duvernay-central-park-five|title=When They See Us review – Netflix's gut-wrenching tale of the Central Park Five|last=Mangan|first=Lucy|work=The Guardian|date=May 31, 2019|access-date=July 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/when-they-see-us-netflix-review.html|title=When They See Us Is an Intimate, Sensitive Look at the Central Park Five Tragedy|last=Chaney|first=Jen|work=Vulture|date=May 30, 2019|access-date=July 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/culture/2019/05/when-they-see-us-central-park-five-netflix-review.html|title=When They See Us Is a New Kind of Must-See TV|last=Paskin|first=Willa|work=Slate|date=May 30, 2019|access-date=July 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-when-they-see-us-review-netflix-duvernay-20190529-story.html|title=Review: Ava DuVernay's 'When They See Us' gets to the human heart of the Central Park Five|last=Lloyd|first=Robert|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 30, 2019|access-date=July 16, 2019}}

In addition to his feature film work, Young has collaborated with directors Kathryn Bigelow, Derek Cianfrance, Todd Haynes, Spike Jonze, and Steve McQueen on numerous short films and commercials.{{cite web|url=https://luxartists.net/bradford-young/|title=Brandford Young, ASC - Lux Artists|work=Lux Artists (website)}} He has filmed music videos for artists Beck, Common, Kamasi Washington, MGMT, and Norah Jones. Young has also collaborated with artists Elissa Blount Moorhead and Leslie Hewitt on video installations that have been displayed in fine art museums around the world.{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cinematographer-bradford-young-dives-fine-arts-back-song-1242947|title='Arrival' Cinematographer Bradford Young Dives Into Fine Arts With 'Back and Song'|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter}}{{cite web|url=https://mcachicago.org/Exhibitions/2014/Leslie-Hewitt-In-Collaboration-With-Bradford-Young|title=Exhibitions: MCA Screens: Leslie Hewitt in Collaboration with Bradford Young|date=May 17, 2014}}

Young is married to Stephanie Etienne, who received special thanks in A Most Violent Year.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7163962/|title=Stephanie Etienne|website=IMDb|access-date=February 22, 2017}} They currently reside in Baltimore, Maryland with their two sons.

Young prefers shooting with available light. For example, in Pariah, for a nighttime bedroom scene, he shot using only Christmas lights and an IKEA lamp with a red lampshade. Amanda Petrusich in her 2012 article on Young for The New York Times states that he "favors raw light and has a penchant for shooting into it, but said he ultimately focuses on getting out of the way."

In a 2013 article from The Washington Post about cinematographers who were trained at Howard University, Hans Charles, a frequent camera assistant for Young said that he has developed a versatile but also consistently poetic, oblique visual style.

In a 2017 article from the Courier Journal, Young is quoted as acknowledging older black cinematographers such as Ernest Dickerson (Malcolm X), Arthur Jafa (Daughters of the Dust) and Malik Sayeed (Clockers) as artists who lay a foundation for black cinematographers like himself. He told the Courier Journal that he was "trying to find that balance between making sure I am present but also being that voice in the wilderness that says 'there has been great work by African-American cinematographers and it's a shame those people who came before me and who have been my teachers were not nominated for awards.'"

He also cited his childhood memory as a key source of inspiration: "Early on, when I came upon a technical difficulty (making a film), I would think back to my memories of growing up in Louisville and what the lighting was like in those moments. I still do that to this day. I think about my grandmother's house on Greenwood Avenue and scenes during her wonderful parties. Or I envision the light in my Aunt Marie's kitchen. When I am stuck on a technical issue making a film, I access those memories and I know I am doing the right thing." Young has spoken about his affinity for nonlinear storytelling and switching between overhead and handheld camera shots.{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2016/11/arrival-cinematographer-bradford-young-sci-fi-oscars-1201745522/|title=How 'Arrival' Cinematographer Bradford Young Makes Sci-Fi Poetic {{!}} IndieWire|last=Desowitz|first=Bill|website=www.indiewire.com|date=11 November 2016 |language=en|access-date=February 22, 2017}}

Film

Television

• NOMINATED - Renew Media Arts Fellowship (Rockefeller Foundation) (2008)
• 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker's Magazine (2009)
• Cinematography Award, U.S. Dramatic, Sundance Film Festival for Pariah (2011)
• Cinematography Award, U.S. Dramatic, Sundance Film Festival for Mother of George and Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)
• NOMINATED - Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Arrival (2016)
• NOMINATED - British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Award for Best Cinematography for Arrival (2016)
• NOMINATED - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series for When They See Us (2019)

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Category:1977 births

Category:American cinematographers

Category:Howard University alumni

Category:Living people

Category:Artists from Louisville, Kentucky

Category:African-American cinematographers

Category:Directors Guild of America Award winners

Category:Sundance Film Festival award winners

Category:21st-century African-American people

Category:20th-century African-American people