# Daniel Landin

Daniel Landin is a British cinematographer known for his work on feature films, commercials, and music videos. A member of the British Society of Cinematographers, he has collaborated with directors such as Jonathan Glazer and worked on films including Under the Skin (2013). His cinematography has been recognized for its distinctive visual style and atmospheric composition.

## Career

Landin started working with super 8 and VHS video in 1978, collaborating with the industrial music group Throbbing Gristle, documenting live performances and art events.
In 1979, he formed the experimental militant classicist group ‘Last Few Days’ with Simon Joyce and Keir Fraser, a highly conceptual collective whose primary aim was live performance in unconventional venues (chapels, cinemas, burger bars, silos, tunnels, etc.). Recording was a secondary priority and was mainly live, apart from the ‘Polavision’ soundtrack produced by Cabaret Voltaire at their Western Works in Sheffield 1982.
As the performances became more ambitious, visual imagery became intrinsic to the events. Working on super 8 and 16mm, Landin created films that were projected during performances. Confrontational events were staged in which synchronized films were simultaneously projected onto multiple screens to accompany challenging and provocative live music. This work continued and led to performing with William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin at *The Final Academy* (Brixton Ritzy, 1982).
Further collaborations led to ‘The Occupied Europe Tour,’ a collaboration between Last Few Days and Yugoslavia’s Laibach in 1983 (11 countries in Eastern and Western Europe). This experience of working extensively in the Socialist Bloc and the study of Hungarian Language subsequently led to a commission co-writing *The Rough Guide to Eastern Europe* (Routledge and Keegan Paul, 1985), which was the first guide for the independent traveler in what was then a relatively unknown and misunderstood region.
Returning to the UK in 1985, Landin studied Fine Art Film and Video at St Martins School of Art, while working as a camera assistant and film extra (including a 3-month stretch in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket). After graduating, Landin directed several short films, including *A Broken Spine*, *Ring of Fire* (with Kate Cragg), *Thou Pluckest Me Out Screaming*, and *The Child and the Saw* (with Richard Heslop), which won 1st Prize ‘Golden Dancer’ at the Huesca International Film Festival in 1987. His films were exhibited at numerous festivals, including the Berlin Film Festival (Panorama) in 1986, 1989, and 1990, as well as the Edinburgh and London film festivals.
In 1986, Landin directed the film *Procar* in collaboration with Richard Heslop and Herbert Verhey for live performances in Amsterdam with the Car Ensemble of the Netherlands. The film later appeared at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1987, featuring a remastered audio recording of the Car Ensemble as a soundtrack.
That same year, Landin directed the short film for Laibach’s *Država*, a filmed performance of Laibach and Michael Clark at Sadler’s Wells, London, based on Clark's *No Fire Escape in Hell*.
In 1994, he co-directed *Laibach, A Film from Slovenia* with Peter Vezjak, featuring Chris Bohn. The documentary explored Laibach’s complex polemic and included insights from radical philosopher Slavoj Žižek.
Landin began working as a cinematographer in 1991, initially shooting short films and music videos for artists including The Verve, Oasis, Blur, Pulp, Massive Attack, Björk, Franz Ferdinand, The Rolling Stones, PJ Harvey, David Bowie, Madonna, and Cher. He has also shot numerous television and cinema commercials for brands such as Stella Artois, Giorgio Armani, Sony, BMW, Guinness, Nintendo, Levi's, Wrangler, PlayStation, and Nike.
Following a commission as Director of Photography for Alexander McQueen on his only directing venture (*Alarm Call* - Björk, 1996), Landin worked in a highly collaborative role with McQueen as a lighting designer, contributing to McQueen's conceptual fashion shows in London, Paris, and New York until 2009.
Using cinema in live events has remained a key interest. In 2012, Landin collaborated with Danny Boyle on the “Isles of Wonder” segment of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, shooting staged components for projection and simultaneous broadcast.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 2003 | Keen Eddie | Simon West | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2006 | Sixty Six | Paul Weiland | |
| 2009 | The Uninvited | Guard Brothers | |
| 2009 | 44 Inch Chest | Malcolm Venville | |
| 2012 | 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony | Danny Boyle | Pre-filmed sections broadcast within the TV Show |
| 2013 | Under the Skin | Jonathan Glazer | Dublin International Film Festival - Best Cinematography Nominated - American Society of Cinematographers - Spotlight Award Nominated - Central Ohio Film Critics Association - Best Cinematography Nominated - Chlotrudis Award for Best Cinematography Nominated - Denver Film Critics Society - Best Cinematography Nominated - Fright Meter Award for Best Cinematography Nominated - Indiewire Critics' Poll - Best Cinematography Nominated - International Cinephile Society Award - Best Cinematography Nominated - International Online Cinema Award - Best Cinematography Nominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography Nominated - San Francisco Film Critics Circle - Best Cinematography Nominated - Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography Nominated - Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association - Best Cinematography |
| 2015 | Tom Cruise: Show Me the Movies | Tim Postins | Documentary |
| 2017 | The Yellow Birds | Alexandre Moors | Sundance Film Festival - U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography |
| 2019 | Ray & Liz | Richard Billingham | Buenos Aires International Film Festival - Best Cinematography Award |

### Short films

| Year | Title | Director |
| 1998 | The Loved | Nichola Bruce |
| 2001 | Baby | W.I.Z. |
| 2002 | Shell | Kate Cragg |
| 2005 | Starry Night | Ben Miller |
| 2011 | The Organ Grinder's Monkey | Dinos Chapman |
| 2013 | Kismet Diner | Mark Nunneley |
| 2016 | We're the Superhumans | Dougal Wilson |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1986 | "Država" | Himself | Videoclip for Laibach |
| 1987 | "Life is Life" | Himself | Videoclip for Laibach |
| 1987 | "Geburt Einer Nation" | Himself | Videoclip for Laibach |
| 1993 | Devotional | Anton Corbijn | Videoclip for Depeche Mode |
| 1993 | Paul Is Live | Aubrey Powell | Videoclip for Paul McCartney |
| 1995 | "Loose" | W.I.Z. | Videoclip for Therapy? |
| 1996 | "The 13th" | Sophie Muller | Videoclip for The Cure |
| 1996 | "Marblehead Johnson" | Dom and Nic | Videoclip for The Bluetones |
| 1996 | "Possibly Maybe" | Stéphane Sednaoui | Videoclip for Björk |
| 1996 | "Milk" | Stéphane Sednaoui | Videoclip for Garbage |
| 1997 | "She Makes My Nose Bleed" | John Hillcoat | Videoclip for Mansun |
| 1997 | "Taxloss" | Roman Coppola | Videoclip for Mansun |
| 1997 | "Spin Spin Sugar" | Toby Tremlett | Videoclip for Sneaker Pimps |
| 1997 | "Bitter Sweet Symphony" | Walter Stern | Videoclip for The Verve |
| 1997 | "I'm Afraid of Americans" | Dom and Nic | Videoclip for David Bowie |
| 1997 | Live in the Tragic Kingdom | Sophie Muller | Videoclip for No Doubt |
| 1997 | "No Surprises" | Grant Gee | Videoclip for Radiohead |
| 1998 | "Teardrop" | Walter Stern | Videoclip for Massive Attack |
| 1998 | "Ava Adore" | Dom and Nic | Videoclip for The Smashing Pumpkins |
| 1998 | "The Flipside" | Hammer & Tongs | Videoclip for Moloko |
| 1998 | "Hunter" | Paul White | Videoclip for Björk |
| 1998 | "Alarm Call" | Alexander McQueen | Videoclip for Björk |
| 1998 | "Believe" | Nigel Dick | Videoclip for Cher |
| 1999 | "When I Grow Up" | Sophie Muller | Videoclip for Garbage |
| 1999 | "She's the One" | Dom and Nic | Videoclip for Robbie Williams |
| 1999 | "It's Only Us" | Simon Hilton | Videoclip for Robbie Williams |
| 2001 | "Hidden Place" | Inez and Vinoodh | Videoclip for Björk |
| 2002 | "The Test" | Dom and Nic | Videoclip for The Chemical Brothers |
| 2003 | "Butterfly Caught" | Daniel Lévi | Videoclip for Massive Attack |
| 2004 | "Caught in a Moment" | Howard Greenhalgh | Videoclip for Sugababes |
| 2005 | "Refugees" | AlexandLiane | Videoclip for The Tears |
| 2005 | "Walk Away" | Scott Lyon | Videoclip for Franz Ferdinand |
| 2006 | "Music Is Power" | John Hillcoat | Videoclip for Richard Ashcroft |
| 2006 | "Valerie" | Scott Lyon | Videoclip for The Zutons |
| 2006 | "Me Plus One" | Scott Lyon | Videoclip for Kasabian |
| 2008 | "4 Minutes" | Jonas & François | Videoclip for Madonna |
| 2009 | "Falling Down" | W.I.Z. | Videoclip for Oasis |
| 2010 | "Follow Me Down" | Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones | Videoclip for Unkle Nominated - Camerimage Best Cinematography in a Music Video |
| 2013 | "Young and Beautiful" | Sophie Muller and Chris Sweeney | Videoclip for Lana Del Rey |
| 2013 | "Supersoaker" | W.I.Z. | Videoclip for Kings of Leon |
| 2013 | "Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat" | Mark Waites | Videoclip for Fatboy Slim |
| 2014 | "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" | Paul Gore | Videoclip for Paloma Faith |
| 2014 | "Trouble with My Baby" | Paul Gore | Videoclip for Paloma Faith |
| 2015 | "Like a River" | W.I.Z. | Videoclip for Will Young |

### Other credits

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1995 | A Feast at Midnight | Justin Hardy | 2nd Unit Photography |
| 2000 | Sexy Beast | Jonathan Glazer | Additional Photography |