Rodney Charters, ASC cinematographer behind 24, dies at 80

Rodney Charters ASC, CSC, NZSC, the cinematographer who gave 24 its jittery pulse, has died suddenly at 80.

The ASC has announced that one of its leading lights, Rodney Charters ASC, CSC, NZSC, died suddenly in Amsterdam on September 13 at the age of 80.

Born in New Zealand in 1945, Charter originally started in sound, booming on a Merchant Ivory feature at London’s Ealing Studios, before moving to Toronto and working as a documentary recordist.

Pictures were his real love though. While studying at the University of Aukland, a short he shot on his father’s Bolex got shown at the Sydney Film Festival, and it was this that got him into the Royal College of Art in London, where classmates included Ridley and Tony Scott.

In 1986, Mark Irwin added him to the crew of the hockey film Youngblood as second unit cinematographer, and his skill and natural talent took him from there. As well as the distinctive visual style of 24 (184 episodes and three directing credits), he also worked on The Pretender, Roswell, Shameless, and the Dallas and Magnum P.I. reboots.

The ASC, which he joined in 2004, gave him its Career Achievement in Television Award in 2013. “I thought, ‘Is it over?! I’m not done yet!” he commented at the time. “I’m flabbergasted that people feel I have that kind of body of work. I’ve been lucky to get some interesting projects.”