Phedon Papamichael

Prolific director of photography who has been moving into directing on his own, Phedon Papamichael has been associated with the work of director Jon Turteltaub, especially applauded for his cinematography on "Phenomenon" (1996), and has also worked frequently with Katt Shea Rubin and on Diane Keaton's first feature as a director, "Unstrung Heroes". Papamichael's cinematography reflect a respect for the script and an understanding of its meanings, as well as an ability to bathe actors in light appropriate to the feel of the piece. The son of Phedon Papamichael the production designer who oft worked with John Cassavetes and Jules Dassin, Phedon Jr. (he does not use that designation professionally) was born in Greece and first came to the U.S. at age six when he father went to work for Cassavetes, a relative by marriage. Phedon, Jr. studied photography and art in Munich but never took a cinematography course, learning on the job. He was DP for his Uncle John Cassavetes on the short "Cold Chicken," and then was on the DP crew for "The Jogger" (1988), and "Deadly Dreams" (1988). In 1989, Papamichael moved to the DP role for director Katt Shea Rubin on "Stripped to Kill II" as well as "Dome of the Damned," and, also that year, was DP for Carl Franklin on "Nowhere to Run". He first worked with Jon Turteltaub on "Driving Me Crazy" (1991), then again on "Cool Runnings" (1993), in which the bright, omnipresent light combined to draw the audience to both the characters and the land. Papamichael's ability to wrap actors in light became apparent in "While You Were Sleeping" (1995), also directed by Turteltaub, in which the auras around Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman drew them together, as opposed to the almost static harshness of Peter Gallagher, despite the fact that Bullock pines for him. Keaton's "Unstrung Heroes" (1995), also offered a connective light between the young boy and his uncles along with bubbly muted colors. "Phenomenon" (1996) put Papamichael on the top of DP lists, but he followed it with working with his cousin, Nick Cassavetes, on the low-budget "Unhook the Stars". Papamichael has been heretofore less successful, at least at the box office, in his work as a director. He made his debut with Showtime's "Sketch Artist" (1992, also DP), in which a police artist frets that the composite he is drawing of a suspect is his wife. Papamichael was both DP and director of "The Dark Side of Genius" (1995), which told the story of a paroled convict. He has also worked a bit for TV, including the unsold the short-lived ABC sci-fi series "Wild Palms" (1993), and the "White Dwarf" pilot for Francis Ford Coppola and NBC in 1996. Papamichael was nominated for an ACE Award for the pilot. He was also nominated for an ACE for "Sketch Artist" (1992).