American Cinematographer - January 2011 - 92

In Memoriam
Emmy-nominated cinematographer Michel Hugo, ASC, an affiliate assistant professor in the film department at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, died Oct. 12 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 80 years old. Hugo was born on Jan. 13, 1930,in Paris, France. As a teenager, he aided the French Resistance during World War II. After the war, he attended the Vaugirard film school in Paris, where he focused on cinematography, following in his father’s footsteps behind the camera. Hugo graduated in 1951 and quickly found steady work as a camera assistant on numerous French productions. Before long, he climbed the ranks and began notching professional credits as a director of photography. In 1956, Hugo moved to Los Angeles, Calif., and essentially began again at the bottom of the ladder. “I don’t regret it,” he told AC in January 1990. “I just pushed ahead. I never looked behind. “I always had great admiration for the technology of American movies,” he added. “I was overwhelmed by the abundance of equipment, the size of the stages. Taking a golf cart to move from stage to stage in a big studio — this was paradise!” In 1960, Hugo became a U.S. citizen and was admitted into the camera union, then known as IATSE Local 659. By 1967, he was once again ranked as a director of photography, and he was working on the hit television series Mission: Impossible. Following Mission: Impossible, Hugo transitioned to features, where he worked with such directors as Bob Rafelson ( Head), Jacques Demy ( Model Shop), Stuart Rosenberg (April Fools) and Stanley Kramer (R.P.M. and Bless the Beasts & Children ). “Lighting for television is no different from lighting a
92

Michel Hugo, ASC, 1930-2010
feature,” he told AC. “Good lighting, in my opinion, is pure logic, pure common sense.” He also shot more than 30 telefilms over the course of his career, including The Forgotten Man , A Tattered Web , Thief, The Night Stalker and Climb an Angry Mountain. Hugo joined the ASC in 1972, after being recommended by Society fellow Ted Voigtlander. Through that decade, Hugo continued to juggle theatrical features and MOWs, and he also returned to episodic TV on the series The Streets of San Francisco and Tales of the Unexpected. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on the 1978 miniseries The Awakening Land. In the 1980s, Hugo enjoyed a long run as cinematographer on the popular series Dynasty, and he repeated the feat in the following decade on Melrose Place. Hugo was also a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. He retired from filmmaking after Melrose Place came to an end, but in 2000, he began a new career as a teacher at UNLV. He frequented his students’ sets and was often heard to say, “Always check the camera lens to make sure no one has left a Dagwood sandwich in there,” his own, unique way of encouraging students to take care of the tools of their craft. Hugo is survived by his wife, Gloria; a daughter; two sons; and two grandchildren. — Jon D. Witmer ●

Photo courtesy of Francisco Menendez.

http://www.theasc.com http://www.theasc.com

American Cinematographer - January 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 2011