Tributes have been paid to Leicester-born cinematographer Roger Pratt. Mr Pratt, who was 77, has been hailed as a major figure in cinema for his work on a number of classic and award-winning films, including those in the Harry Potter and Batman series.
The former Loughborough Grammar School pupil also worked with fellow Leicester lad Sir Richard Attenborough on films including Shadowlands. After taking on a relatively minor role in the production of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in 1975, Pratt developed a close working relationship with Terry Gilliam, leading to acclaimed work on Gilliam’s Brazil, in 1985, The Fisher King in 1991 and 12 Monkeys, in 1995.
His work on director Neil Jordan’s adaptation of Graham Greene’s The End of The Affair, starring Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore, earned him an Oscar nomination. The following year was was nominated for a BAFTA for his cinematography on Chocolat, directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Juliette Binoche.
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Younger audiences will be familiar with his work on the adaptation of two of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series of films, the first being the Chamber of Secrets in 2002. He was also cinematographer on 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire.
His death was announced this week by the British Society of Cinematographers. In its tribute, the society gave an insight into Pratt’s early life in Leicester.
It wrote: “Roger’s father was an Anglican vicar, himself a type of showman. Every year he brought a 16mm projector into the church to show ‘Fact and Faith’ Christian films produced by the Moody Institute of Science in Los Angeles. At nine-years-old, Roger found the mixture of the camera mechanics and the content of the films fascinating.
“He enrolled at the London Film School in the late-1960s and decided that he didn’t want to direct. He knew that he wanted to be involved with cameras, but worked on a number of sound and editing assignment to gain more all-round experience. During his final year, Roger got his first production as camera assistant on Bleak Moments (1971) directed by fellow student, Mike Leigh. It proved difficult to make and with very little money.
“He went back to film school and met Julian Doyle, who worked with the Monty Python team and was preparing to make a feature film with them. Roger became clapper loader on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, during which he formed, ‘a strange and close relationship’ with Gilliam.”
Roger said his work was the opposite of artistic
(Image: Richard Blanshard/Getty Images)
In a New Yorker interview, Roger said of his work: “Because my job is concerned with big lumps of lights, metal cameras and laboratories, it makes me very pragmatic – it’s the opposite of artistic. I look at myself as a technician. Photography relies on science. Photographs are just chemicals in labs – light on paper – images in silver halide – but they turn into live things.”
Mr Pratt was made a member of the BSC in 1986. It added: “Roger retired due to young onset Familial Alzheimer’s Disease, as he would most certainly wouldn’t have willingly retired at any point. Roger has donated his brain to the national brain bank to further research the disease.”
Roger enrolled at London Film School in the late 1960s. In its tribute to its former student, London Film School said: “Throughout his career, Pratt demonstrated remarkable versatility, contributing to a diverse array of films. He worked on four projects with Sir Richard Attenborough, including Shadowlands (1993), which won the BAFTA for Best British Film. His work on Neil Jordan’s The End of the Affair (1999) earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography.
“Pratt’s expertise also extended to mainstream cinema, where he was instrumental in shaping the visual aesthetics of Tim Burton’s Batman and two instalments of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to cinematography, Pratt was honoured with the British Society of Cinematographers’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
“His peers and collaborators remember him not only for his technical prowess but also for his dedication to the craft and his collaborative spirit. Roger Pratt’s legacy is immortalised through the indelible images he created, which continue to inspire audiences and filmmakers alike.”
In a social media post, BAFTA said: “We are saddened to hear that British cinematographer Roger Pratt, best known for his work on Tim Burton‘s Batman and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, has died aged 77. Pratt’s contribution to cinematography was recognised with a BAFTA Special Award in 2019.”
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