Stuart V. Jewell(1913-1997)
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Honolulu-born cinematographer, the son of an engineer who had
contributed to the building of Pearl Harbour. Jewell was trained as a
metallurgist and worked on the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge, helping
to produce weapons grade uranium for the atomic bomb. He changed career
paths by the end of World War II, becoming a pilot and specialist in
aerial and time-lapse photography. Under contract to
Walt Disney for seven years, he was one of
several cinematographers who worked on the iconic documentary
The Living Desert (1953),
filmed in the Sierra Madre. Jewell had a reputation for being
obsessively patient, when on his nature shoots, at times remaining for
days or even weeks in the same spot to capture the moment. After
leaving Disney, he became a free-lance photographer, selling stock
footage of animals, nature events and steam locomotives through an
agency.