Elliot Davis (cinematographer)

{{short description|American cinematographer and architect}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Elliot Davis

| image =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|05|23}}

| birth_place = USA

| occupation = Cinematographer

| years_active = 1976–present

}}

Elliot Davis (born May 23, 1948) is an American cinematographer.

Davis graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and a Master of Fine Arts in Film from UCLA.{{cite web|url=http://www.cinematographers.nl/PaginasDoPh/davis-elliot.htm |title=Elliot Davis |publisher=Cinematographers.nl |date=1948-05-23 |access-date=2017-02-07}} Davis feels his tenure as an architect carries over into his shooting style.{{cite web|author=Dana Harris |url=http://www.indiewire.com/2016/01/how-i-shot-that-dp-elliot-davis-on-the-rigor-and-speed-it-took-to-create-the-birth-of-a-nation-30555/ |title=How I Shot That: DP Elliot Davis on the Rigor and Speed it Took to Create 'The Birth of a Nation' |publisher=IndieWire |date=2016-01-26 |access-date=2017-02-07}}

Davis began his career in the mid 1970s, acting as cinematographer on the drama Harvest: 3,000 Years. He also would act as the camera operator for various films, including Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders and Joel Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire. Davis would collaborate frequently with several directors, including Steven Soderbergh (King of the Hill, The Underneath, Gray's Anatomy, Out of Sight), Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown, The Nativity Story, Twilight), and Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam, Love the Coopers).

Davis was the director of photography for Nate Parker's controversial directorial debut The Birth of a Nation. Davis was not familiar with Parker prior to receiving the script, but soon forged a creative connection with him, using films such as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford as influence for the look of Nation.{{cite web|url=https://www.shootonline.com/news/dp-elliot-davis-focuses-birth-nation |title=DP Elliot Davis Focuses on "The Birth of a Nation" |publisher=SHOOTonline.com |date=2016-11-17 |access-date=2017-02-07}}

Additional works include The Cutting Edge, Father of the Bride Part II, Equinox, Larger than Life, Forces of Nature, 40 Days and 40 Nights, White Oleander, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, A Love Song for Bobby Long, The Iron Lady, Man of Tai Chi and the upcoming Above Suspicion.

For his work on Equinox and The Underneath, Davis received two nominations for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.