Friday, August 19, 2011

Tom Mangravite


Tom Mangravite was an accomplished cinematographer, and while his credentials were not prominently displayed at the end of many Hollywood hits, he still had a very fruitful and none the less impressive career, having shot many classic and easily recognized commercials.

While all this is a relevant part of the laundry list of accomplishments that is this man's life, what I knew him as was a challenging, thorough teacher and a supportive and kind mentor. My Junior year of college I took Cinematography 1 with him, a class where he taught us much of the theory and science behind what goes on in a camera and then drilled that knowledge into us by recreating practical situations, his often taking on the role of cinematographer and ordering us as though we were working on a real set -- it was one of the most informative and valuable experiences I had in film school.

Often times, in class, he would take on the role of a hard ass, yelling at us for goofing off and constantly challenging. However, despite this gruff facade he donned during class, it was very clear his, as he put it, bark was much worse than his bite, often taking the time to provide assistance and support for students who sought it. His knowledge and passion will be greatly missed.

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