The industry has lost a legend. Rodney Charters, ASC, CSC, NZSC, died suddenly on September 13th in Amsterdam. He was 80 years old.
Rodney was born in New Zealand in 1945, and he his best known for his work on the hit TV series 24, where he shot 184 episodes between 2001 and 2010. He also worked on Shameless, Dallas, and Magnum P.I., and the feature film Going in Style with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.
Like a lot of cinematographers, Rodney’s background was in documentaries, and he spent 20 years honing his craft.
He became a member of the ASC in 2004, and in 2013 he received a Lifetime Career Achievement in Television by the ASC. He was also a member of the Canadian and New Zealand cinematographer societies, as well as the DGA.
Rodney was a big proponent of new technology, and he was a constant presence at trade shows such as NAB and IBC. His passion and love for the industry were always on display. In recent years, he was always a staple at the NANLUX/NANLITE booth after becoming their Resident Film Lighting Consultant.
We were lucky enough to have him doing interviews for us at NAB 2015 and 2016 as part of the Newsshooter team. It was such a privilege to have someone of Rodney’s caliber helping out.
Rodney was also a staple on our Teradek Live Shows from as far back as 2013.
Rodney was always upbeat, always smiling, and always up for a chat. For someone so accomplished, he was humble and generous with his time. I enjoyed catching up with Rodney for long chats about the industry and listening to his stories from the past and present. I seemed to have a habit of always running into him at airports after trade shows, and we would chat before our respective flights.
I was talking to him with our founder, Dan Chung, the day before he passed. Little did I know that would be the last time I would ever get that chance again.
Rodney left me with a lot of good memories, and to see his enthusiasm and love for the craft after being in the industry for so long was inspiring. The team at Newsshooter sends its deepest condolences to his family and friends. The industry has lost a legend, and most importantly, a great human being. RIP Rodney.
