Menu
James Laxton

James Laxton

Known For Camera
Birthday Feb 03, 1981 (44)
Birthplace San Francisco, California, USA
Popularity 0.2 (history)
Updated Dec 19, 2024 (Update)
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

James Laxton is an American cinematographer who is best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Barry Jenkins, specifically his work on Jenkins' 2016 film Moonlight, for which he won an Independent Spirit Award and received an Academy Award nomination. Laxton began at Florida State University, ... where he met Jenkins. They collaborated on numerous films, including the critically acclaimed 2016 film Moonlight. After graduating, Laxton entered the industry by assisting the camera department on features and shorts, including projects from directors such as David Nordstrom, David Parker, and Cole Schreiber. In childhood, Laxton accompanied his mother, a noted costume designer, to film sets. He reported being inspired by the rhythm of chaos and calm on the movie set, which played a significant role in his decision to enter the industry. Laxton's most critically acclaimed credit is the 2016 film Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins. The film explores themes of sexuality in a harsh urban environment. A relatively low budget of 1.5 million dollars forced Laxton to forgo equipment such as underwater camera gear and search for innovative cinematographic solutions. If Beale Street Could Talk was also a Jenkins collaboration. The film features a tragic love story set in 1970s New York City, between Clementine "Tish" Rivers (played by KiKi Layne) and wood artist Alonzo "Fonny" Hunt (played by Stephan James). The two struggle against racism, sexual harassment and assault, and a false rape accusation. The film is based on a novel by James Baldwin and uses a non-linear structure. In discussing the success of the movie, which has been described as "trading docu-realism for crafted visual poetry of the highest level," Laxton and Jenkins accredited their years-long process of conversation and collaboration. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Laxton, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Filmography

No data available

Mufasa: The Lion King

Mufasa: The Lion King

2024

Director of Photography

Reconnect

Reconnect

2021

Cinematography

Los Valientes

Los Valientes

2021

Director of Photography

The Gaze

The Gaze

2021

Director of Photography

If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk

2018

Director of Photography

Anything

Anything

2018

Director of Photography

Yoga Hosers

Yoga Hosers

2016

Director of Photography

Moonlight

Moonlight

2016

Director of Photography

Holidays

Holidays

2016

Director of Photography

Nightcrawler

Nightcrawler

2014

Additional Photography

Adult World

Adult World

2014

Director of Photography

Rubberhead

Rubberhead

2014

Cinematography

Lemonade War

Lemonade War

2014

Director of Photography

Tusk

Tusk

2014

Director of Photography

Camp X-Ray

Camp X-Ray

2014

Director of Photography

Bad Milo!

Bad Milo!

2013

Director of Photography

The Moment

The Moment

2013

Director of Photography

For a Good Time, Call...

For a Good Time, Call...

2012

Director of Photography

Leave Me Like You Found Me

Leave Me Like You Found Me

2012

Director of Photography

California Solo

California Solo

2012

Director of Photography

The Murder of Hi Good

The Murder of Hi Good

2012

Director of Photography

The Myth of the American Sleepover

The Myth of the American Sleepover

2011

Director of Photography

Remigration

Remigration

2011

Cinematography

The Violent Kind

The Violent Kind

2010

Director of Photography

Medicine for Melancholy

Medicine for Melancholy

2009

Director of Photography

A Young Couple

A Young Couple

2009

Director of Photography

Pig Hunt

Pig Hunt

2008

Camera Loader

My Josephine

My Josephine

2003

Director of Photography

Little Brown Boy

Little Brown Boy

2003

Cinematography

No data available

No data available

Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

No data available

No data available

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 6 1 2 1
2024 7 2 4 1
2024 8 1 4 1
2024 9 3 13 1
2024 10 1 1 1
2024 11 1 1 1
2024 12 1 3 1
2025 1 4 15 1
2025 2 2 3 1
2025 3 1 2 1
2025 5 1 2 1
2025 6 1 1 1
2025 7 0 0 0
2025 8 2 6 0

Trending Rank


Year Month Avg Rank Max Rank
No trending metrics available.

Return to Top