Legendary cinematographerRoger Deakinshas finally won a sorely-deserved Oscar for his work onBlade Runner 2049. Deakins has been one of the most respected talents working in the industry for a very long time now and has helped bring some of the greatest movies of the last few decades to life. At the 2018 Oscars, he finally won after having been nominated 13 times previously. 14th time’s a charm, apparently.
Roger Deakins was seen as the favorite at this year’sOscarsfor his stunning work onBlade Runner 2049, thelong-awaited to sequelto Ridley Scott’s original 1982 sci-fi classic. The movie may have been a bit of a financial flop, but it was critically beloved and a true visual achievement, which was in no small part thanks to Deakins' work.Blade Runner 2049also walked away with the Best Visual Effects Oscar last night. Here’s what Deakins had to say in his acceptance speech, joking about the jet ski host Jimmy Kimmel promised to the winner who gave the shortest speech.
“I guess I’d better say something, or else they’ll give me a jet ski, and I can’t see myself on a jet ski somehow. I really love my job. I’ve been doing it a long time, as you can see, but one of the reasons I really love it is the people I work with, both behind the camera and in front of the camera. This is for every one of them.”
There were some verycompetitive Oscar categorieslast night, and the Best Cinematography Oscar was certainly one of them. Though Roger Deakins was seen as the favorite, things got tight when Rachel Morrison, the first woman to ever be nominated in the category, scored a nod for her work on Netflix’sMudbound. Deakins also beat out Hoyte Van Hoytema (Dunkirk), Dan Laustsen (The Shape of Water) and Bruno Delbonnel (Darkest Hour).
Even if you’re not familiar with cinematography and how it affects the final movie, there’s no question Roger Deakins has enhanced some of the best movies that you’ve probably enjoyed from the 90s and 2000s. Deakins was previously nominated for his work on movies likeThe Shawshank Redemption(1994),Fargo(1996),O Brother, Where Art Thou?(2000),No Country for Old Men(2007),True Grit(2010) andSkyfall(2012). He also earned nominations for his previous collaborations withBlade Runner 2049director Denis Villeneuve,Prisoners(2013) andSicario(2015).
Roger Deakins' win snaps one of the longest losing strings by any living Oscar nominee. Some of the otherlong-running nomineeswho have never managed to pull off a win include composer Thomas Newman, who’s lost 14 times, and sound mixer Greg P. Russell, who’s pulled in 16 nominations without ever winning. Deakins' Oscar-worthy work can next be seen inThe Goldfinch, which is set to arrive in theaters in 2019. You can check out Deakins' acceptance speech, courtesy of the ABC Television Network YouTube channel, as well as his backstage comments, for yourself below.
