AL GIDDINGS

Director, Producer, Cinematographer

During the past three decades, Al Giddings has earned a reputation as one of the most creative and talented director-producer-cinematographers in the entertainment industry. Never settling for off-the-shelf technology, Giddings is constantly designing innovative cameras, lighting and optical systems in all film and video formats, from IMAX to high definition.

Giddings is well known in the entertainment industry for his creative directing and undersea camera work, demonstrated in such classic films as THE DEEP and the James Bond classics FOR YOUR EYES ONLY and NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. Giddings pushed underwater film techniques and technology to the edge as director of underwater photography for 20th Century Fox’s blockbuster THE ABYSS, which captured an Academy Award nomination for outstanding cinematography. He also served as Co-producer/Director of Underwater Photography on James Cameron’s 1997 Fox spectacular TITANIC, the highest grossing film in movie history. In addition, Giddings directed and filmed the heart-stopping under-ice sequences in DAMIEN: OMEN II, and Disney’s NEVER CRY WOLF.

Giddings has directed and filmed dozens of films for television, including specials on the Andrea Doria, the North Pole, deep-sea volcanoes, the great whales and great white sharks. Earning Emmy® Awards for his work on four television specials – BLUE WHALE, SHARK CHRONICLES, MYSTERIES OF THE SEA, and THE LIVING EDENS: PALAU, Giddings also co-produced and co-directed GALAPAGOS: BEYOND DARWIN in 1996 for the Discovery Channel and BLUE WHALE: LARGEST ANIMAL ON EARTH for ABC World of Discovery.

Giddings’ topside cinematography produced spectacular white-water sequences for the CBS miniseries DREAM WEST. He produced and directed OCEANQUEST, a five-part NBC ocean adventure series which captured the number one slot in prime-time ratings. Giddings and his company produced four highly acclaimed one-hour specials, WATER GIFT OF LIFE (hosted by Gregory Peck), IN CELEBRATION OF TREES (Discovery Channel), TITANIC: TREASURE OF THE DEEP (CBS, hosted by Walter Cronkite) and Giddings’ music video, OCEAN SYMPHONY, which won the American Film Institute’s highest award. His most recent work in IMAX Productions, WHALES and GALAPAGOS 3-D, are garnering national attention and setting attendance records around the world.

Currently, Giddings serves as the Director/President of Al Giddings Images, Inc., Founding Partner of Mandalay Media Arts, and Research Associate at California Academy of Sciences. The Giddings Natural history image library is one of the most extensive in the industry and has been supplying both film and still photographs internationally for three decades. Now retired from underwater diving, Giddings resides on his 3,000-acre ranch in Pray, Montana, frequently attending to his newfound passion – restoring vintage cars.

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • Emmy ®, THE LIVING EDENS: PALAU, ABC
  • Emmy ®, BLUE WHALE: LARGEST ANIMAL ON EARTH, ABC
  • Emmy ®, SHARK CHRONICLES, ABC
  • Emmy ®, MYSTERIES OF THE SEA, NBC
  • Emmy ® finalist, SEARCH OF THE SHINOHARA
  • GALAPAGOS: BEYOND DARWIN, Gold Medal, New York Film Festivals
  • WATER, GIFT OF LIFE, six Gold Medals
  • OCEAN SYMPHONY, American Film Institute, Best Video of the Year, Nature and Science
  • SMPTE Fellowship
  • GRIERSON AWARD, Photographic Excellence

THEATRICAL FEATURES

  • TITANIC (Fox) Co-producer, Director of Underwater Photography
  • STRIKING DISTANCE (Columbia) Director of Underwater Photography
  • THE RIVER WILD (Universal) Director of Underwater Photography
  • THE ABYSS (Fox) Director of Underwater Photography
  • BLACK WIDOW (Fox) Director of Underwater Photography
  • DAMIEN: OMEN II (Fox) Director of Underwater Photography
  • NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN (Warner) Director of Underwater Photography
  • BOYS (PF Productions) Director of Underwater Photography
  • GALAPAGOS (IMAX) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • WHALES (IMAX) Director, Cinematographer
  • DREAM WEST (CBS) Director, Cinematographer
  • ON THE EDGE (Alliance Films) Director of Underwater Photography
  • THE DEEP (Columbia) Director of Underwater Photography
  • NEVER CRY WOLF (Disney) Cinematographer, under ice scenes
  • LOVE IS FOREVER (Landon/Hall) Director of Underwater Photography
  • FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (EON Productions) Director and Cinematographer, underwater scenes
  • THE END (Burt Reynolds) Cinematographer, underwater sequences
  • SHARKS TREASURE (United Artists) Cinematographer

DOCUMENTARIES

  • LIVE FROM A SHARK CAGE (Discovery) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • CUBA’S FORBIDDEN DEPTHS (Discovery) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • SECRETS OF THE HUMPBACK WHALE (Discovery) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • THE LIVING EDENS: PALAU (ABC/Kane) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • TRUK LAGOON: UNDERWATER ODYSSEY (Turner) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • GALAPAGOS: BEYOND DARWIN (Discovery) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • BLUE WHALE: LARGEST ANIMAL ON EARTH (ABC/KANE) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • THE SECRETS OF THE UNDERWATER VOLCANOES (Kurtis) Director of Underwater Photography
  • TITANIC: TREASURE OF THE DEEP (CBS – Walter Cronkite) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • IN CELEBRATION OF TREES (Discovery) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • WATER, GIFT OF LIFE (music video), Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • OCEAN SYMPHONY (MCA music video) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • SHARK CHRONICLES (ABC/KANE) Cinematographer
  • OCEANQUEST (NBC) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • JAWS: THE TRUE STORY (Nova/BBC) Cinematographer
  • VISIONS OF THE DEEP: THE UNDERWATER WORLD OF AL GIDDINGS (Nova/BBC) Cinematographer
  • THE ETERNAL SEA (Disney) Circlevision, Director and Director of Photography
  • MYSTERIES OF THE SEA (ABC) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • DIVE TO THE EDGE OF CREATION (National Geographic) Co-director, Cinematographer
  • LIFE ON EARTH (BBC), Director and Cinematographer, underwater sequences
  • GENTLE GIANTS OF THE PACIFIC (NBC) Director, Cinematographer
  • MYSTERY OF THE ANDREA DORIA (CBS) Cinematographer
  • SEARCH FOR THE SHINOHARA (NBC) Producer, Director, Cinematographer
  • THE FROZEN WORLD OF SEALS AND WALRUSES (CBS) Cinematographer