Roger Deakins is the Leonardo DiCaprio of DPs. Known as one of the best and most accomplished cinematographers in the world, Deakins has racked up a total of 13 Oscar nominations in his 42-year career and has taken home exactly zero gold statues. It took DiCaprio 6 nominations before he finally won for The Revenant, but Deakins is still over here being brilliant, wondering, "Hey, what gives?"

Fandor's Daniel Mcilwraith explores this travesty by putting all of the great DPs Oscar-nominated films side by side the films he lost to in this gut-wrenching video essay.

Back when I didn't follow celebrity news or know very much about actors and their accumulation of accolades, I had no idea that DiCaprio hadn't won an Oscar. In fact, I was corrected my first year working here at No Film School for referring to the actor as "Oscar-winning."

This is the phenomenon—or as I call it, curse—that Roger Deakins is experiencing now. The DP with a filmography fit for 9,000 kings hasn't taken home an Academy Award. Not for Sicario. Not for Shawshank. Not for Fargo. Not for No Country for Old Men. Not for O Brother, Where Art Thou. Not for Prisoners. It's just unbelievable.

Now, winning awards isn't as important as, say, consistently putting out genius-level work every time you show up on a set. But still. I can easily imagine Deakins winning a lifetime achievement Oscar before he receives one for Best Cinematography, and frankly, that makes me sad. It makes me even more sad knowing I can't even root for him this year, since Hail, Caesar wasn't even nominated. 

Another year, another snub. Sorry, Roger. Maybe next year, you damn genius.

What are some other world-renowned DPs who totally deserved an Oscar but never got one? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Fandor Keyframe

Roger Deakinsoscarsoscars 2017
Cinematography & Cameras