Stephen Goldblatt Outland

Stephen Goldblatt (born 1945) is a British cinematographer who received the cinematography credit on Outland (1981), though the reality of his involvement was complicated.

Hyams hired Goldblatt but never intended to let him shoot

Goldblatt was hired by Peter Hyams as cinematographer on what was only his second feature. Hyams, who would go on to shoot all his own films from 2010 (1984) onward, intended to handle the cinematography himself. Goldblatt understood the situation plainly:

"Peter hired me to fire me." — Stephen Goldblatt, An Eye for Imagery (2017)

In a later interview for the Arrow Video 4K release, Goldblatt confirmed he was "hired on the production to be fired, by his own admission." The production used a new front-projection system called Introvision that involved glass plates and in-camera compositing — technically demanding and unproven. Goldblatt threw himself into learning the process to make himself indispensable:

"I realized if I didn't learn about front projection, rear projection, semi-silver mirrors and all that stuff, I would be fired." — Stephen Goldblatt, An Eye for Imagery (2017)

He was furious at being lied to and says he wouldn't have taken the job if he'd known Hyams's intentions, but as a young cinematographer with only one prior feature credit, quitting could have ended his career before it started. He credits visual-effects supervisor William Mesa with the training that kept him on the picture:

"Through the goodness of his Buddhist-inspired heart, Bill put me through a three-week intensive course on how to do all the tricks. The most important thing I learned was that you couldn't measure the light on the effects elements. You could take an incident-light reading of an actor's face or body, but then you'd have to balance it all up by eye." — Stephen Goldblatt, An Eye for Imagery (2017)

The working arrangement split along practical lines: Goldblatt handled Introvision and miniature effects, while Hyams shot the dramatic scenes with actors. He skipped the wrap party — the only time in his career he did so.

Goldblatt returned to the subject nearly forty-five years later in Outlandish, a 29-minute retrospective interview for the Arrow Video 4K release (2025). He again confirmed he was "hired on the production to be fired," and discussed how the high-pressure Introvision work forced him to develop skills — particularly lighting by eye rather than by meter — that he carried through the rest of his career. (arrow)

Goldblatt shot major studio films for three decades after Outland

Goldblatt's post-Outland credits include two Academy Award nominations:

• The Cotton Club (1984) — Academy Award nomination
• Lethal Weapon (1987)
• The Prince of Tides (1991)
• Batman Forever (1995) — Academy Award nomination
• Charlie Wilson's War (2007)