No black cinematographer has ever won an Oscar. Bradford Young crafted the visuals of Selma, but that still didn’t earn him a nomination.
Bradford Marcel Young (born July 6, 1977) is a black American cinematographer. Cinematography is not a field that has always been very open to black artists. In fact, only one black cinematographer has ever been nominated for an Academy Award.
Young is a New Yorker who works within a very raw and realistic sort of cinematography. He’s not a fan of flashy lighting schemes or lots of artificial light. He prefers to utilize the natural light or light that appears in the scenes, such as lamps, Christmas lights, and candles.
Bradford Young first received industry acclaim for his work on the 2011 film Pariah. For his camera work on that film, he won a Cinematography Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The following year, he worked with director Ava DuVernay on a film called Middle of Nowhere.
DuVernay and Young teamed up again in 2014 to make the film Selma, which is nominated for two Oscars, Best Picture and Best Original Song.
TL;DR
- Cinematography has been a historically hostile profession for black artists.
- Bradford Young crafted the artistic look of Selma.
What You Should Do Now:
- I think I’ve said it before this month: Go watch Selma.
- If you can get a hold of a copy, watch Middle of Nowhere.
28 Days of Inspirational Black People:
- Ed Brooke
- Blanche Bruce
- Andrew Young
- Denys Cowan
- Antoine Fuqua
- John Singleton
- Countee Cullen
- Dennis Kimetto
- Robert Hayden
- Lee Daniels
- Anthony Mackie/Falcon
- Val James
- Abebe Bikila
- Steve McQueen
- Ernest J. Gaines
- Charlie Sifford
- Matt Baker
- Black Panther
- A.G. Gaston