Adam Arkapaw

Adam Arkapaw’s a bit of a legend in the cinematography game, even if you don’t see his face plastered everywhere. The guy’s fingerprints are all over some seriously stunning films—think Macbeth from 2015, which snagged the ASC Spotlight Award. Before that, he’d knocked out Animal Kingdom (2010), a gritty Aussie crime flick that landed him the Camerimage Cinematographer Debuts Competition win, and The Snowtown Murders (2011), which, honestly, is not for the faint-hearted. He’s also behind the lush, almost haunting visuals in The Light Between Oceans (2016), plus the moody German drama Lore (2011), and even the eye-popping action of Assassin’s Creed (2016). The man’s got range. TV folks know him best for his killer work on Top of the Lake (2013)—yeah, that one with Elisabeth Moss—and, of course, the first season of True Detective (2014). That show’s look? Absolutely iconic, and he bagged an Emmy for it. He’s got this eerie talent for making landscapes feel like characters themselves, which is probably why directors keep calling him up. Arkapaw’s roots are pure Aussie—born in Bowral, just south of Sydney, which is pretty much countryside. He didn’t just fall into the industry either; he studied at Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts. Like a lot of film folks, he cut his teeth shooting shorts and commercials, hustling before he hit the big leagues. Nowadays, if you’re watching anything with that moody, cinematic flair, there’s a solid chance Arkapaw had a hand in it.