Ben Smithard

Ben Smithard, B.S.C., is a British cinematographer known for his work on period pieces, such as the films The Damned United (2009), My Week with Marilyn (2011), Goodbye Christopher Robin, The Man Who Invented Christmas (both 2017), Blinded by the Light and Downton Abbey (both 2019).^[1]

Ben Smithard
Alma mater	Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1993–present

In television, Smithard served as cinematographer on the 2007 BBC One series Cranford (2007). He returned for the subsequent series Return to Cranford in 2009, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography.^[2] In 2012, Smithard received a nomination for Best Cinematography in a Television Drama by the British Society of Cinematographers for his work on the "Henry IV, Part I" and "Henry IV, Part II" episodes of the BBC Two series The Hollow Crown.^[1]

Selected filmography

Film

Year	Title	Ref(s)
2009	The Damned United	[3]
2011	My Week with Marilyn	[4][5]
2012	I, Anna	[6]
2013	Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa	[7]
	Belle	[8]
2015	The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel	[9][10]
2017	Viceroy's House	[11]
	Goodbye Christopher Robin	[12]
	The Man Who Invented Christmas	[13]
2019	Blinded by the Light	[1]
	Downton Abbey	[1]
2020	The Father	[14]
2022	The Son	[15][16]
2024	Lonely Planet

Television

Year	Title	Notes	Ref(s)
2005	Wire in the Blood	Episode: "Synchronicity"	[17]
	Spooks	2 episodes	[17]
2007	Cranford		[17]
2009	A Short Stay in Switzerland	Television film	[17]
	Return to Cranford	2 episodes	[2]
	The Day of the Triffids	2 episodes	[17]
2012	The Hollow Crown	Episodes: "Henry IV, Part I" and "Henry IV, Part II"	[1][18]
2017	Diana and I	Television film	[17]
2018	King Lear	Television film	[17]
2021–2023	The Nevers		[17]

References

1. Prince, Ron (September 2019). "Double Bill: Ben Smithard BSC / Blinded by the Light & Downton Abbey". British Cinematographer. No. 95. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
2. "2010 Creative Arts Emmy Winners (Live)". Deadline Hollywood. 21 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
3. Scott, A. O. (8 October 2009). "A Soccer Coach Divides and Doesn't Conquer". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
4. Block, Alex Ben (19 November 2011). "Hip Pads, Prosthetic Chins, Dips in Sub-Zero Lakes: The Making of 'My Week With Marilyn'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
5. Lumbard, Neil (14 March 2012). "My Week with Marilyn". DVD Talk. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
6. French, Philip (8 December 2012). "I, Anna – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
7. Dalton, Stephen (24 July 2013). "Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
8. Romanek, Neal (10 December 2012). "Ben Smithard: 'It's important that you give the DoP the choice of the camera to shoot with'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
9. Sragow, Michael (4 March 2015). "Deep Focus: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel". Film Comment. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
10. Fauer, Jon (12 March 2015). "Ben Smithard on "2nd Best Exotic..."". Film and Digital Times. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
11. "Ben Smithard BSC captures 'Viceroy's House' for director Gurinder Chadha on Kodak". Kodak. 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
12. Linden, Sheri (20 September 2017). "'Goodbye Christopher Robin': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
13. Valentini, Valentina (16 March 2018). "Lighting Ghosts: Ben Smithard BSC / The Man Who Invented Christmas". British Cinematographer. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
14. Marchant, Beth (2 March 2021). "Here are 4 key films — and 4 great moments within them — for this awards season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
15. Laman, Lisa (20 January 2023). "'The Son' Struggles Where 'The Father' Soared". Collider. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
16. Kuźma, Darek (March 2023). "Fathers and Sons". Cinematography World. No. 14. pp. 36–37. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
17. "BSC Members | Ben Smithard". BSCine.com. British Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
18. Wolf, Matt (8 July 2012). "The Hollow Crown: Henry IV Part 1, BBC Two". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 22 August 2023.

External links

• Ben Smithard at IMDb
• Ben Smithard at the British Society of Cinematographers' website