JohnCavill
- Cinematographer
Cinematographer John Cavill was trained in the glory days of state television. After entering the industry at the age of 17, he went on to film everything from comedy to sports — then from the late 1990s, globally successful shows like Hercules, Xena and Spartacus. His CV reflects his experience in shooting action and visual effects. In 2018 Cavill won a Daytime Emmy for Chinese-American production Scars of Nanking.
Screenography
Biography
When cinematographer John Cavill was 15 he noticed something at a rugby league game. "I saw a cameraman doing his thing and thought 'wow, that looks like a cool job'".
Cavill was born in Christchurch. His family moved around a lot and he attended several primary schools. At Hillmorton High he loved physics, thanks to "an exceptional teacher" and an interest in all things mechanical. After that fateful rugby league match, encouraged by his parents, he went into the offices of the NZ Broadcasting Corporation and asked for a job. David Kay was the Operations Manager at the time; he told Cavill to "go away, get my University Entrance then get back to him".
Awards
2023 Children's and Family Emmy Awards (United States)
Cinematography for a Single Camera Live Action Programme (shared with Dave Garbett and Rob Marsh): for Sweet Tooth, Series 2
2018 Daytime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Cinematographer: for Scars of Nanking
“In my career I got to witness the demise of film...it didn’t take more than five years. Film disappeared and it all became digital. Now TV work is offering the same budget as films used to.”