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James L. Carter

  • Cinematographer
  • Camera and Electrical Department
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: LASZLO AND VILMOS. The lifelong friendship of the great cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond and their impact on American cinema. As film students in Hungary, Laszlo and Vilmos took to the war-torn streets of Budapest to shoot footage of the Russian invasion, and subsequently volunteered to smuggle it out of the country. Barely escaping with their lives, the two friends fled to America and settled in Hollywood, eventually saving enough money to buy their own 16mm camera. After working on a string of low-budget horror and biker movies, both men soon rose to prominence in the late 60's and 70's, shooting the films that defined what came to be known as the American New Wave: Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Deliverance, Paper Moon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and more. Working with directors including Robert Altman, Bob Rafelson, Peter Bogdanovich, and Martin Scorsese, they helped create a new American film aesthetic, and pioneered innovative, fearless ways to tell stories. “When it comes to Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond, it's clear that the American New Wave of the late 1960's and early '70s wouldn't have flowered as it did without them." – Leonard Maltin Told through interviews with Laszlo (who died in 2007) and Vilmos, as well as directors including Rafelson, Bogdanovich, John Boorman, Graeme Clifford, Richard Donner, William Richert, Mark Rydell, composer John Williams and actors such as Jon Voight, Peter Fonda, Sandra Bullock, Karen Black, Dennis Hopper and Sharon Stone, NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY is an intimate portrait of two giants of modern imagemaking and their deep bond of brotherhood that transcended every imaginable boundary. Two heroes. One road.
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No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
  • More at IMDbPro
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James L. Carter was born in Van Nuys, California, USA. He is known for Ladder 49 (2004), The Hitcher (1986) and Children of the Corn (1984).
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels
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    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 1 win & 3 nominations total

    Known for

    John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix in Ladder 49 (2004)
    Ladder 49
    6.5
    • Cinematographer
    • 2004
    Rutger Hauer and C. Thomas Howell in The Hitcher (1986)
    The Hitcher
    7.2
    • Camera and Electrical Department(as Jim Carter, second unit)
    • 1986
    Children of the Corn (1984)
    Children of the Corn
    5.6
    • Camera and Electrical Department(second camera)
    • 1984
    Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron in Sweet November (2001)
    Sweet November
    6.7
    • Camera and Electrical Department(as James Carter, splinter unit)
    • 2001

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Cinematographer

    • Lucas Till in MacGyver (2016)
      MacGyver
      5.5
      TV Series
      • director of photography
      • 2016–2019
    • Station 19 (2018)
      Station 19
      7.1
      TV Series
      • director of photography
      • 2018
    • Doomsday (2017)
      Doomsday
      6.0
      TV Movie
      • Cinematographer
      • 2017
    • Daniel Sunjata and Aaron Tveit in Graceland (2013)
      Graceland
      7.6
      TV Series
      • Cinematographer
      • 2015
    • Away and Back (2015)
      Away and Back
      6.2
      TV Movie
      • director of photography
      • 2015
    • Anne Heche, Kevin Daniels, Carlos Gómez, Brian Tee, Ali Skovbye, and Griffin Kane in One Christmas Eve (2014)
      One Christmas Eve
      6.1
      TV Movie
      • Cinematographer
      • 2014
    • Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic in Castle (2009)
      Castle
      8.1
      TV Series
      • director of photography
      • 2013–2014
    • Maggie Grace, Stephen Amell, and Poppy Drayton in When Calls the Heart (2013)
      When Calls the Heart
      6.5
      TV Movie
      • Cinematographer
      • 2013
    • Scott Caan, Chi McBride, Meaghan Rath, Ian Anthony Dale, Alex O'Loughlin, and Beulah Koale in Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
      Hawaii Five-0
      7.4
      TV Series
      • director of photography
      • 2010–2013
    • The Greening of Whitney Brown (2011)
      The Greening of Whitney Brown
      5.3
      • Cinematographer
      • 2011
    • Marg Helgenberger, George Eads, and William Petersen in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000)
      CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
      7.7
      TV Series
      • director of photography
      • 2007–2008
    • Anne Heche, Sean Astin, James Cromwell, John Hurt, Malcolm McDowell, Judy Davis, Brian Dennehy, Sam Waterston, Clifton Collins Jr., James Denton, Stephen Hawking, Terry O'Quinn, and Elisabeth Röhm in Masters of Science Fiction (2007)
      Masters of Science Fiction
      6.7
      TV Series
      • director of photography
      • 2007
    • Hank Azaria, Blythe Danner, Oliver Platt, Paget Brewster, and Anton Yelchin in Huff (2004)
      Huff
      7.9
      TV Series
      • Cinematographer
      • 2006
    • Commander in Chief (2005)
      Commander in Chief
      6.9
      TV Series
      • Cinematographer
      • 2006
    • Jason Patric, Sam Shepard, and Drea de Matteo in Walker Payne (2006)
      Walker Payne
      6.0
      • Cinematographer
      • 2006

    Camera and Electrical Department

    • Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron in Sweet November (2001)
      Sweet November
      6.7
      • director of photography: splinter unit (as James Carter)
      • 2001
    • Jennifer Lopez in Selena (1997)
      Selena
      6.9
      • director of photography: second unit (as James Carter)
      • 1997
    • Edward James Olmos, Jimmy Smits, and Esai Morales in My Family (1995)
      My Family
      7.3
      • additional camera operator
      • 1995
    • Chris Rock in CB4 (1993)
      CB4
      6.2
      • additional director of photography
      • 1993
    • Penelope Ann Miller in The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992)
      The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag
      5.1
      • camera operator: second unit
      • 1992
    • Pierce Brosnan, Ben Cross, and Ron Silver in Live Wire (1992)
      Live Wire
      5.6
      • director of photography: second unit
      • 1992
    • Prey of the Chameleon (1992)
      Prey of the Chameleon
      5.0
      TV Movie
      • director of photography: second unit: title sequence (as James Carter)
      • 1992
    • Ken Wahl in The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991)
      The Taking of Beverly Hills
      5.1
      • additional director of photography
      • 1991
    • Robert Englund in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
      Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
      4.7
      • additional photographer
      • 1991
    • R.A. Mihailoff in Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)
      Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
      5.0
      • camera operator
      • 1990
    • Hider in the House (1989)
      Hider in the House
      5.9
      • camera operator
      • 1989
    • I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood (1989)
      I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood
      7.2
      TV Movie
      • camera operator (as Jim Carter)
      • 1989
    • Donna Dixon in Lucky Stiff (1988)
      Lucky Stiff
      4.7
      • additional photographer: second unit (as Jim Carter)
      • 1988
    • Frank Sinatra, Christopher Lloyd, Kathleen Turner, Joanna Cassidy, Bob Hoskins, Jim Cummings, and Charles Fleischer in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
      Who Framed Roger Rabbit
      7.7
      • camera operator: second unit, USA
      • 1988
    • Nobody's Fool (1986)
      Nobody's Fool
      5.4
      • director of photography: second unit
      • 1986

    Additional Crew

    • Sissy Spacek in Carrie (1976)
      Carrie
      7.4
      • production assistant
      • 1976

    Videos1

    No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
    Clip 7:00
    No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Official site
      • Official Site
    • Alternative names
      • James Carter
    • Born
      • Van Nuys, California, USA

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 2003.

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