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 Film Year Title Director Notes 2006 Sixty Six Paul Weiland 2009 The Uninvited Guard Brothers 44 Inch Chest Malcolm Venville 2013 Under the Skin Jonathan Glazer 2017 The Yellow Birds Alexandre Moors 2019 Ray & Liz Richard Billingham 2022 Creature Asif Kapadia 2023 Atomen Kate Cragg Also producer
Documentary film Year Title Director 2025 Broken English Iain ForsythJane Pollard
Short film 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 2017 Aura Mugler Warren Du PreezNick Thornton Jones
Television Year Title Director Notes 2012 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony Danny Boyle Segments "Chariots" and "Thanks Tim" 2015 Tom Cruise: Show Me the Movies Tim Postins Documentary film
Music video Year Title Director Artist 1986 "Država"HimselfLaibach1987 "Life is Life" "Geburt Einer Nation"1993 Devotional Anton Corbijn Depeche Mode Paul Is Live Aubrey Powell Paul McCartney 1995 "Loose" W.I.Z. Therapy?1996 "The 13th" Sophie Muller The Cure "Marblehead Johnson" Dom and Nic The Bluetones "Possibly Maybe"Stéphane Sednaoui Björk "Milk" Garbage1997 "She Makes My Nose Bleed" John HillcoatMansun "Taxloss" Roman Coppola "Spin Spin Sugar" Toby Tremlett Sneaker Pimps "Bitter Sweet Symphony" Walter Stern The Verve "I'm Afraid of Americans" Dom and Nic David Bowie Live in the Tragic Kingdom Sophie Muller No Doubt "No Surprises" Grant Gee Radiohead1998 "Teardrop" Walter Stern Massive Attack "Ava Adore" Dom and Nic The Smashing Pumpkins "The Flipside" Hammer & Tongs Moloko "Hunter" Paul WhiteBjörk "Alarm Call" Alexander McQueen "Believe" Nigel Dick Cher1999 "When I Grow Up" Sophie Muller Garbage "She's the One" Dom and NicRobbie Williams "It's Only Us" Simon Hilton 2001 "Hidden Place" Inez and Vinoodh Björk 2002 "The Test" Dom and Nic The Chemical Brothers 2003 "Butterfly Caught" Daniel Lévi Massive Attack 2004 "Caught in a Moment" Howard Greenhalgh Sugababes2005 "Refugees" AlexandLiane The Tears "Walk Away" Scott Lyon Franz Ferdinand2006 "Music Is Power" John Hillcoat Richard Ashcroft "Valerie"Scott Lyon The Zutons "Me Plus One" Kasabian 2008 "4 Minutes" Jonas & François Madonna 2009 "Falling Down" W.I.Z. Oasis 2010 "Follow Me Down" Warren Du PreezNick Thornton Jones Unkle2013 "Young and Beautiful" Sophie MullerChris Sweeney Lana Del Rey "Supersoaker" W.I.Z. Kings of Leon "Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat" Mark Waites Fatboy Slim2014 "Only Love Can Hurt Like This"Paul GorePaloma Faith "Trouble with My Baby" 2015 "Like a River" W.I.Z. Will Young
Awards and nominations Year Title Awards/Nominations 2010 "Follow Me Down" Nominated - Camerimage Best Cinematography in a Music Video 2013 Under the Skin Dublin International Film Festival – Best CinematographyNominated – American Society of Cinematographers – Spotlight AwardNominated – Central Ohio Film Critics Association – Best CinematographyNominated – Chlotrudis Award for Best CinematographyNominated – Denver Film Critics Society – Best CinematographyNominated – Fright Meter Award for Best CinematographyNominated – Indiewire Critics' Poll – Best CinematographyNominated – International Cinephile Society Award – Best CinematographyNominated – International Online Cinema Award – Best CinematographyNominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best CinematographyNominated – San Francisco Film Critics Circle – Best CinematographyNominated – Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best CinematographyNominated – Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association – Best Cinematography 2017 The Yellow Birds Sundance Film Festival - U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography 2019 Ray & Liz Buenos Aires International Film Festival - Best Cinematography Award
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