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Greig Fraser

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Greig Fraser
Fraser in 2022
Born (1975-10-03) October 3, 1975 (age 50)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Alma materRMIT University
OccupationCinematographer
Years active2000–present
OrganizationsAustralian Cinematographers Society
American Society of Cinematographers
Spouse
Jodie Fried
​
(m. 2008)​
Children3
Websitegreigfraser.com

Greig Fraser (born October 3, 1975) is an Australian cinematographer, he's better known for his job in films like Dune (2021) and its sequel (2024), The Batman (2022), Lion (2016), The Mandalorian (2020), Rogue One (2016), The Creator (2023) and Project Hail Mary (2026). He received the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Dune (2021) and two other nominations for Lion (2016) and Dune: Part Two (2024).

Early life and education

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Greig Fraser graduated from Luther College in Croydon Hills in 1993.[1] He studied at the RMIT University in Melbourne. Despite forming an interest in photography at an early age, Fraser discovered that videography was perhaps a medium he felt more passion for as he started harnessing his skills along with his first feature documentary as Cinematographer, P.I.N.S., which released in 2000.[2][3]

Career

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For his short film Cracker Bag he was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2003 AFI Awards.[4]

For his work on Lion,[5] he won the American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases and AACTA Award for Best Cinematography and received Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominations.

Fraser shot Rogue One on the Arri Alexa 65 large format digital camera and Panavision lenses from the 1970s, making it the first feature film shot entirely with the Alexa 65. Fraser said of working with the Alexa 65, "The images are sharper and have more resolution, and those things are an advantage, but for me it is about the depth of the image -- there is a three-dimensionality to it. Often the beauty came from the texture; we found that the camera excelled when we were filming something with texture; it really enhanced the quality of picture."[6]

Fraser returned to the Star Wars franchise with the 2019 television series The Mandalorian. In 2020, for his work on the series, Fraser won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour).[citation needed]

For his work on Dune he won his first Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 2022. Fraser said a feature of his work in that film was intentionally using simple compositions, "We tried to simplify the frames as much as we could. By doing that, we've been able to give the viewers that absorption of story and experience" and colour palette: "We tried quite hard to make sure that it all sat within a certain tone."[7][8]

Style

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Starting on Dune, Fraser has utilized variations of the film-out process, whereby digitally-shot footage is first transferred to film, then re-scanned back into a digital format.[9][10][2][11] Speaking to Filmmaker in 2021, he explained, "What I found with this [film-out] process is that it allowed me to have a clear vision of something that should look more organic than digital, but less organic than film."[12]

Critical reception

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Film critic Glenn Kenny has praised Fraser's work in The Batman and Dune, saying they were a "sort of stunning magic trick".[citation needed] Writing for RogerEbert.com, Christy Lemire said of his cinematography in Dune: "There's both a gauziness and a heft to his imagery. His use of shadow and silhouette is masterful, and does so much to convey a sense of foreboding and tension."[13] Fellow cinematographer and Academy Award winner Roger Deakins praised Fraser's work on The Batman as "extraordinary", and called Fraser's and the film's omission from being nominated in the category at the 95th Academy Awards due to the Academy's tendency to avoid superhero films "snobbery."[14]

Critic Susan Wloszczyna praised his work on Lion, saying it was "visually poetic".[15]

Personal life

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Fraser met costume designer Jodie Fried in Sydney in 2004, while they were working on a short film. After moving to the United States in 2008, they were married in a helicopter above Las Vegas. They live in Los Angeles with their three children.[16]

Filmography

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Feature film

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Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Director Notes
2005 Jewboy Tony Krawitz
2006 The Caterpillar Wish Sandra Sciberras
Out of the Blue Robert Sarkies
2009 Bright Star Jane Campion
Last Ride Glendyn Ivin
The Boys Are Back Scott Hicks
2010 Let Me In Matt Reeves
2012 Killing Them Softly Andrew Dominik
Snow White and the Huntsman Rupert Sanders
Zero Dark Thirty Kathryn Bigelow
2014 Foxcatcher Bennett Miller
The Gambler Rupert Wyatt
2016 Lion Garth Davis
Rogue One Gareth Edwards
2018 Mary Magdalene Garth Davis
Vice Adam McKay
2021 Dune Denis Villeneuve
2022 The Batman Matt Reeves
2023 The Creator Gareth Edwards With Oren Soffer;
Also credited as co-producer
2024 Dune: Part Two Denis Villeneuve
2026 Project Hail Mary Phil Lord
Christopher Miller
2028 The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event[a] † Sam Mendes Filming

Short film

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Year Title Director Notes
2005 Lucky Nash Edgerton
Stranded Stuart McDonald
2006 Love This Time Rhys Graham
The Water Diary Jane Campion Segment of 8
2007 The Lady Bug Segment of To Each His Own Cinema
Crossbow David Michôd
Spider Nash Edgerton
2008 Netherland Dwarf David Michôd
Theo huong den ma di (The Fading Light) Thien Do
2009 The Life Rupert Sanders
2011 Scenes from the Suburbs Spike Jonze
2013 Greatness Awaits Rupert Sanders

Television

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Year Title Director Episodes Ref.
2019 The Mandalorian Dave Filoni
Deborah Chow 		"Chapter 1: The Mandalorian"
"Chapter 3: The Sin"
"Chapter 7: The Reckoning" (With Baz Idoine);
Also credited as co-producer on season 1 		[17]

Awards and nominations

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Year Association Category Title Result Ref.
2016 Academy Awards Best Cinematography Lion Nominated [18]
2021 Dune Won [19]
2024 Dune: Part Two Nominated [20]
2016 BAFTA Awards Best Cinematography Lion Nominated
2021 Dune Won
2022 The Batman Nominated
2024 Dune: Part Two Nominated
2016 American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Lion Won
2021 Dune Won
2022 The Batman Nominated
2024 Dune: Part Two Nominated

Other awards

Year Award Category Title Result
2009 Chicago Film Critics Association Best Cinematography Bright Star Nominated
2012 New York Film Critics Circle Best Cinematographer Zero Dark Thirty Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Cinematography Nominated
National Society of Film Critics Best Cinematography Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Cinematography Nominated
2016 AACTA Awards Best Cinematography Lion Won
2021 Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Cinematography Dune Won
Houston Film Critics Society Awards Best Cinematography Won
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Cinematography Won
Satellite Awards Best Cinematography Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Cinematography Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Cinematography Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Best Cinematography Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Cinematography Nominated
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Best Cinematography Nominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Best Cinematography Nominated
Critics Choice Association Best Cinematography Nominated
2022 British Society of Cinematographers Best Cinematography The Batman Nominated
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Cinematography Nominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Best Cinematography Nominated
2023 Seattle Film Critics Society Best Cinematography (Shared with Oren Soffer) The Creator Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Delibasic, Suzan (27 February 2017). "Oscars 2017: Former Melbourne man Greig Fraser nominated for Best Cinematography for Lion". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 1 May 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b Holben, Jay (25 May 2022). "Truth in the Image: Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS". American Cinematographer. American Society of Cinematographers. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  3. ^ Lochrie, Conor (28 March 2022). "The Dune cinematographer had a very Aussie reaction to getting an Oscar". The Brag. Vinyl Group. Archived from the original on 20 March 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  4. ^ "AACTA Awards: Winners & Nominees". AACTA Awards. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  5. ^ O'Falt, Chris (14 December 2016). "How 'Rogue One' and 'Lion' DP Greig Fraser Found Realism In the Earth and Stars". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 16 December 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Greig Fraser on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story". Arri. 11 October 2016. Archived from the original on 11 February 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  7. ^ Shachat, Sarah (26 March 2022). "Cinematographer Greig Fraser Looks Back on His Love for Dune". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  8. ^ Holub, Christian (27 March 2022). "Oscar-winning Dune cinematographer teases sequel: 'It's bigger and better'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  9. ^ Holben, Jay (6 December 2021). "Dune: Part One — Hybrid Finishing: Digital to Film (and Back)". American Cinematographer. American Society of Cinematographers. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  10. ^ Mulcahey, Matt (23 May 2024). "'Obviously, We Couldn't Get Three Sandworms for That Day': DP Greig Fraser on Dune: Part Two". Filmmaker. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  11. ^ Wiese, Jason; Drake, Grae (11 February 2026). "How a Filming Technique From The Batman and Dune Shaped Project Hail Mary". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 12 February 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  12. ^ Mulcahey, Matt (3 December 2021). "'We Used the Entire Sensor on the Alexa LF Every Single Time': DP Greig Fraser on Shooting Dune for IMAX". Filmmaker. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  13. ^ Lemire, Christy (28 February 2022). "The Batman movie review & film summary (2022)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  14. ^ Bamigboye, Baz (11 March 2023). "Breaking Baz: Oscar Winner Sir Roger Deakins Says, 'The Best Cinematography Hasn't Been Nominated' This Year, Thinks Oscars Are 'Snobby' About Cinematographers Of Popular Movies". Deadline. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  15. ^ Wloszczyna, Susan (24 November 2016). "Lion movie review & film summary (2016) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 25 November 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  16. ^ Idato, Michael (27 October 2017). "Greig Fraser and Jodie Fried on life after marrying in a Las Vegas helicopter". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  17. ^ Sarkisian, Jacob (18 September 2020). "The Mandalorian cinematographer said shooting baby Yoda was similar to shooting Christian Bale in Vice". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  18. ^ "The 89th Academy Awards". Oscars.org. 18 April 2017. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  19. ^ "The 94th Academy Awards". Oscars.org. 19 March 2024. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Oscar Nominations 2025 List: Nominees by Category". American Broadcasting Company. 23 January 2025. Archived from the original on 1 February 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.

Notes

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