Ernest Dickerson

Ernest Roscoe Dickerson (born June 25, 1951) is an American director, cinematographer, and screenwriter of film, television, and music videos.

As a cinematographer, Dickerson is known for his frequent collaborations with Spike Lee ever since they were classmates at the Tisch School of the Arts and worked together on Lee's 1983 master's degree thesis student film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, which ultimately won a Student Academy Award. Dickerson went on to shoot the Lee-directed films She's Gotta Have It (1986), School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), and Malcolm X (1992).

As a director, Dickerson is known for crime thriller and horror films such as Juice (1992), Demon Knight (1995), Bulletproof (1996), Bones (2001) and Never Die Alone (2004). He has also directed several episodes of acclaimed television series, including Once Upon a Time, The Wire, Bosch, The Walking Dead, and Godfather of Harlem.

Early life Dickerson, who is of African American heritage, was born in Newark, New Jersey. He graduated from Essex Catholic High School in 1969. Ernest studied architecture at Howard University, but also took a film class with Haile Gerima as he already was interested in movies. He later relocated to New York City to attend New York University's film program at the Tisch School of the Arts, where he met fellow student Spike Lee. His first feature film as director of photography was also Lee's first film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983), filmed while both of them were still students. Lee kept Dickerson in mind and he returned to work on a few more films as Spike Lee's cinematographer.

Career After graduating, Dickerson began his career as cinematographer on music videos for Bruce Springsteen, Anita Baker, and Miles Davis, and went on to film John Sayles' Brother from Another Planet (1984), his first professional film as a director of photography.

While working on the first two seasons of George A. Romero's television series Tales from the Darkside, Dickerson was a cameraman on John Jopson's concert film One Night with Blue Note (1985) and was later contacted by Spike Lee, who had found the budget to shoot his movie She's Gotta Have It (1986). Dickerson continued his collaboration with Lee on five more films, including Do the Right Thing (1989). Their last collaboration was on Malcolm X in 1992, the same year Dickerson made his directing debut with the crime drama Juice. He also served as second unit director, cinematographer, and camera operator on Lee's 2008 war film Miracle at St Anna (2008).

For television, Dickerson has directed several episodes of acclaimed shows such as Once Upon a Time, Dexter, The Walking Dead and Treme. A long time horror movie fan, he has also worked with Mick Garris on both Masters of Horror and Fear Itself and directed Demon Knight and Bones (2001).

Dickerson has always wanted to make films, and being a director himself has always been a dream of his. In an interview with The New York Times, he says: "I love to shoot, but directing is all about telling stories," he says. "And there are so many stories out there I want to tell."

The Wire

Dickerson joined the crew of the HBO drama The Wire as a director for the series' second season in 2003. He directed the episode "Bad Dreams". "Bad Dreams" was submitted to the American Film Institute for consideration in their TV programs of the year award and the show subsequently won the award. Following this success Dickerson returned as a director for the third season in 2004. He directed the episode "Hamsterdam" "Misgivings" Showrunner David Simon has said that Dickerson is the show's directorial work horse and that he knows the show as well as the producers; Simon has praised Dickerson's directing saying that he "delivers each time".

Dickerson returned for the series' fifth and final season in 2008 and directed the episode "Unconfirmed Reports".

Later work He would later work with David Simon again, directing several episodes of the New Orleans–based drama Treme, including the season 2 finale "Do Watcha Wanna", which won Dickerson an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series.

Dickerson also worked with Executive Producer and writer Eric Overmyer on both The Wire and Treme. Dickerson directed the episode "Fugazi" for Overmyer's series Bosch in 2014.

Filmography Cinematographer Film

TV movie Year Title Director Notes 2002 Our America Himself Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Single Camera Photography (Film or Electronic)".

TV series Year Title Director Episode 1984–1986 Tales from the Darkside Armand Mastroianni "Pain Killer" James Steven Sadwith "The Odds" Michael Gornick "Slippage" "The Word Processor of the Gods" Armand Mastroianni "If the Shoes Fit..." Warner Shook "Grandma's Last Wish" Richard Friedman "Parlour Floor Front " Gerald Cotts "A Choice of Dreams" 1990–1991 Law & Order John Whitesell "Prescription for Death" E. W. Swackhamer "Subterranean Homeboy Blues" Charles Correll "Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die" Martin Davidson "By Hooker, By Crook" Michael Fresco "Prisoner of Love" Gwen Arner "A Death in the Family"

Director Film Juice (1992) (Also writer) Surviving the Game (1994) Demon Knight (1995) Bulletproof (1996) Bones (2001) Never Die Alone (2004) Double Play (2017)

TV movies Ambushed (1998) Blind Faith (1998) Futuresport (1998) Strange Justice (1999) Our America (2002) Monday Night Mayhem (2002) Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie (2002) Good Fences (2004) For One Night (2006) Last Man Standing (2011)

TV series