Russell Boyd, ACS
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Russell Boyd, ACS was born in a small town in southern Australia, where his parents were farmers. He was a teenage photo hobbyist, and began his career painting sets and projecting dailies for a company that produced newsreels for cinema screens. That led to an opportunity for him to shoot newsfilm for cinema and television screens. Boyd's first narrative movies were produced on weekends with a borrowed camera. His first collaboration with director Peter Weir was Picnic at Hanging Rock. They have subsequently pooled their talents on The Last Wave, The Year of Living Dangerously, and Gallipoli. Boyd won the Cinematographer of the Year award from the Australian Film Society for both Between Wars and Gallipoli. In 1998, he was inducted into the Australian Cinematographer Society's Hall of Fame. His body of work includes more than 40 feature films, including American Outlaws, Doctor Doolittle, Liar, Liar, Tin Cup, Forever Young, White Men Can't Jump, In Country, Crocodile Dundee and A Soldier's Story.

Synopsis: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is set in the early 1800s during the Napoleonic Wars. The story follows British Navy Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey as he ignores daunting odds and pursues his adversary across two oceans.

Quote: "I think your own emotional response to the scene you are shooting at any given moment is what gives you the information and drive you need to paint with light to create a mood that is correct for that moment in the story ... I planned with my gaffer how we would do broad brush strokes, and filled in the details after the first rehearsal. The actors play a big part in choreographing how we filmed scenes."

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