DCS is very sad to report the passing of renowned cinematographer and director Rodney Charters, ASC, CSC, NZCS. Perhaps best known for his work on the hit television series such as 24, Shameless, Dallas, and many more, Rodney was very active in the filmmaking community, frequently participating in industry events, workshops, and tech talks regarding modern cinematography technology. He generously volunteered his time to make several presentations for various DCS activities and was an active member of the ASC, CSC, and NZCS.
Rodney grew up as the son of a small town photographer on the coast of New Zealand, and inspired by his father’s love of movies, he picked up a motion picture camera at a young age. He made his first film at the University of Auckland which garnered acclaim at the Sydney Film Festival, leading to his acceptance to the prestigious Royal College of Art in London. Upon graduation, Charters worked briefly on commercials while living in London, then spent 15 years traveling the world — shooting on location in such exotic spots as 5 months in the jungles of South America and 4 months in the Soviet Union during the cold war.
Charters eventually moved into the world of drama and after several years of American TV work in Toronto and Vancouver, Charters made the move to the US for Don Johnson’s first season of Nash Bridges. Charters continued to work steadily on numerous TV Dramas and several Feature Films which he lensed during this period. He could be considered a pioneer in digital cinematography, adopting the DSLR for shooting high-end TV series.
He is survived by his wife Gillian and three children, May, Jasmin, and Robin, who all followed their father into various aspects of the entertainment industry.
He was a gem of a guy. Humble, generous with his time and with his gifts, always smiling, always learning and growing and helping others to learn and grow.
When I was an Adjunct Professor of Cinematography at Biola he drove all the way down one evening and spent several hours with my students, talking about how he achieved certain looks, the tools he used, and even demoed a new camera system. He stayed late and answered questions and hung out with the students. He knew that they all were too young to have seen most of his work and didn’t even know who he was, but that didn’t matter to him. He was there to give.
I could always call him with an idea or to hear his thoughts or insights on a project I was working on, and he always took my call. In Hollywood, that speaks volumes. I’m grateful to have known him.
Such a gentleman, always warm, friendly, and incredibly generous with his knowledge and contacts.
My most sincere condolences to his wonderful family.