Nigel Bluck is a New Zealand cinematographer known for his work in feature films and television across New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
He made his feature film debut as cinematographer with Stickmen (2001) and later worked as a second unit cinematographer on The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Early life and education Bluck completed his high school education at Dunedin's Logan Park High School.
He studied cinematography at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS).
Career Bluck's first feature film as director of photography was Stickmen (2001), directed by Hamish Rothwell. The two had previously collaborated on multiple television commercials. The film employed a bleach bypass technique during the interneg stage. Due to Bluck's relative inexperience, the New Zealand Film Commission appointed cinematographer Alun Bollinger MNZM as the A-camera operator and mentor on the project.
Early in his career, Bluck worked as a second unit cinematographer on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. At the time, he had recently completed Stickmen, in Wellington. His involvement with the project came through a connection with cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, whom he met via his partner, who was working as a camera assistant on the production. Lesnie attended the premiere of Stickmen and offered Bluck the position despite the film containing no visual effects. Bluck later described the experience as a significant learning opportunity, involving nine months of stage work focused on bluescreen lighting and early visual effects techniques.
Joyce King Heyraud reviewed Handsome Harry in Psychological Perspectives: A Quarterly Journal of Jungian Thought and stated that "The photography (Nigel Bluck) captures the light and mood reminiscent of American artist Edward Hopper".
Stephen Holden, in the opening paragraph of his New York Times review, wrote that "here, on the edge of the outback, the environment is so luminous that every outdoor shot has an aura of magical realism" in reference to The Tree (2010), a French-Australian co-production shot by Bluck.
Bluck has stated that his work on the Australian film Son of a Gun contributed to him being hired for True Detective. According to Bluck, his agent presented the film to executive producer Scott Stephens, who expressed interest after multiple viewings. He noted that the series marked his first experience working in television and within a multi-director format. His wife, Jac Fitzgerald, served as the second unit director of photography.
In Tigertail, Bluck shot the flashback sequences on 16mm to give them a hazy, half-remembered memory look.
Bluck was awarded Best Cinematography at the San Sebastian Film Festival for his work on Half Moon.
Personal life Bluck resides in Los Angeles with his wife, cinematographer Jac Fitzgerald, who is originally from Christchurch, and their son.
Filmography Film YearTitleDirector NotesRef(s) 2001 Stickmen Hamish Rothwell 2006 Like Minds Gregory J. Read Half Moon Bahman Ghobadi With Crighton Bone 2007 The Home Song Stories Tony AyresBest Cinematography - AFI Award,Kodak IF Award for Best Cinematography 2009 Handsome Harry Bette Gordon 2010 The Tree Julie Bertuccelli 2014 Son of a Gun Julius Avery 2015 Alain Choquart 2019 The Peanut Butter Falcon Tyler NilsonMichael Schwartz 2020 Tigertail Alan Yang 2022 The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Tom Gormican 2023 Americana Tony Tost 2025 Lilo & Stitch Dean Fleischer Camp Easy's Waltz Nic Pizzolatto With Jimmy Lindsey Anaconda Tom Gormican TBA Michael Schwartz Post-production
Television Year Title Director Notes 2015–2019 True Detective 10 episodes (Including Season 2 as a whole) 2017 S.W.A.T. Justin Lin Episode "Pilot" 2019 Prodigal Son Lee Toland Krieger Episode "Pilot"
Additional credits 2nd unit director of photography 2001 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2002 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Additional photographer 2004 - In My Father's Den 2016 - Deadpool
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