is a Japanese-American retired cinematographer.
Early life and education Narita was born to Japanese parents in 1941, in what is now Seoul, South Korea, then part of the Empire of Japan. In 1945, he and his family moved to Nara, Japan, and later to Tokyo. Following his father's early death and his mother's remarriage to a Japanese American, he immigrated in 1957 to Honolulu, Hawaii where he graduated from Kaimuki High School.
He went on to the San Francisco Art Institute where he received a BFA in Graphic Design in 1964. He quickly landed a position at a prominent local design firm, but the job lasted barely six months before he was drafted into the U.S. Army. For two years, he served as a designer and photographer at the Pentagon.
Career An avid movie fan since childhood, Narita decided to go into filmmaking rather than go back into graphic design upon his return to San Francisco in the mid-sixties. He was a still photographer on Michelangelo Antonioni's Zabriskie Point (1970). After an internship with John Korty and Victor J. Kemper on the Michael Ritchie movie The Candidate in 1971, he photographed the television movie Farewell to Manzanar in 1975, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination.
In 1976, he was one of the camera operators on Martin Scorsese's documentary The Last Waltz about the last concert of The Band. Later, he worked on projects like Apocalypse Now, More American Graffiti, and the Neil Young documentary Rust Never Sleeps. For his cinematography on the movie Never Cry Wolf he won the Boston Society of Film Critics Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award in 1983. In 1989, he photographed the Visual Effects in the Steven Spielberg film Always. In the following years, he was the Director of Photography on successful films like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Dirty Pictures, The Rocketeer, and James and the Giant Peach.
Narita served as director of photography on the 1997 Live Action Short Film Academy Award winning Visas and Virtue. He also directed the 1997 hour-long documentary film, Isamu Noguchi: Stones and Paper, for PBS' American Masters series.
He has taught at San Francisco Art Institute, lectured, and given master classes at many institutions including Golden Eye in the Republic of Georgia.
He is a member of American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Filmography Film Documentary film Year Title Director Notes 1979 Rust Never Sleeps Neil Young with Jon H. Else, Paul Goldsmith, Robbie Greenberg,L.A. Johnson, David Myers and Richard Pearce 1991 The Inland SeaLucille Carra 2000 Dvorak and America with Antonín Chundela and Allen Moore 2007 Strange CultureLynn Hershman Leeson 2015 Tania Libre with Shane King
Short film Year Title Director Notes 1982 listen.... Andy Aaron 1997 Visas and Virtue Chris Tashima 2008 A Perfect Place Derrick Scocchera 2020 Late Lunch Eleanor Coppola Segment of Love Is Love Is Love
Feature film Year Title Director 1983 Never Cry Wolf Carroll Ballard 1984 Prince Jack Bert Lovitt 1985 Sylvester Tim Hunter 1986 Fire with Fire Duncan Gibbins 1987 No Man's Land Peter Werner1989 Shuttlecock Jerry Barrish Honey, I Shrunk the KidsJoe Johnston1991 The Rocketeer Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Nicholas Meyer1993 Gunmen Deran Sarafian Hocus Pocus Kenny Ortega 1994 White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf Ken Olin1996 The Arrival David Twohy James and the Giant Peach Henry Selick 1997 Conceiving Ada Lynn Hershman Leeson1998 Shadrach Susanna Styron I'll Be Home for Christmas Arlene Sanford 2000 Fortress 2: Re-Entry Geoff Murphy 2002 Teknolust Lynn Hershman Leeson 2005 Night of Henna Hassan Zee2006 The Darwin Awards Finn Taylor Valley of the Heart's Delight Tim Boxell 2009 La Mission Peter Bratt 2015 Love & Taxes Jacob Kornbluth
Television TV movies Year Title Director Notes 1976 Farewell to Manzanar John Korty 1977 Nanette: An Aside Rik van Glintenkamp 1983 The Haunting Passion John Korty 1985 The Blue Yonder Mark Rosman 1989 Mothers, Daughters and Lovers Matthew Robbins1991 Plymouth Lee David Zlotoff Two-Fisted Tales Richard Donner Segment "Showdown" 1993 They John Korty 1994 Long Shadows Sheldon Larry 1997 Sub Down Gregg Champion 2000 Dirty Pictures Frank Pierson 2001 Other People Michael W. Watkins
TV series Year Title Director Notes 1984-88 American Playhouse Gordon ParksStan LathanSharron Miller Episodes: "Solomon Northup's Odyssey", "Go Tell It on the Mountain", "Pigeon Feathers" 1986 The Wonderful World of Disney Mark Rosman Episode: "Time Flyer" 1987 Amerika Donald Wrye Miniseries 1992 Tales from the Crypt Richard Donner Episode: "Showdown"1997American MastersHimselfEpisode: "Isamu Noguchi: Stones and Paper" 1999 Independent Lens Chris Tashima Episode: "Visas and Virtue" 2000 Gilmore Girls Lesli Linka Glatter Episode: "Pilot"
Notes
External links Hiro Narita at the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers
Gerry Guida A Cinematographer Career: Conversation with Hiro Narita, ASC Artdigiland