Welcome to Login

Stephen H. Burum

Leading modern cinematographer who collaborated on some of the most visually striking films of the 1980s. Burum learned his craft at UCLA while working with two undisputed giants of the field: ace cinematographer James Wong Howe ("Body and Soul," "Sweet Smell of Success," "King's Row") and technological pioneer Charles Clarke. He developed a fruitful relationship with Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Studio, beginning with an assignment as director of second-unit photography for "Apocalypse Now" (1979). Burum would later shoot two of Coppola's most lyrically stylized films, "The Outsiders" (1983) and "Rumble Fish" (1983). The former featured such rich color photography that this elemental tale played like a "Gone With the Wind" for troubled teens. The even more stylish "Rumble Fish" reimagined a black-and-white 1950s juvenile delinquent flick as directed by Jean Cocteau. This unusual film has also been a significant influence on the look and feel of music videos.