François Protat obit

Death of François Protat

Today we learned of the passing of François Protat, one of the great names in photography in Quebec.

 He was not on the list.

Today we learned of the passing of François Protat, one of the great names in Quebec cinematography. Born in France and graduated in 1966 from the Ecole de photographie de la rue de Vaugirard in Paris, François Protat moved to Quebec in 1969. He began his career in the early 1970s as an assistant cameraman and then directed the images for several cult films in Quebec cinema. These include the superb Les ordres by Michel Brault (with whom he co-directed the shots), several works by Gilles Carle, including Les Plouffe , Fantastica , La tête de Normande St-Onge , and Bingo by Jean-Claude Lord, Le crime d'Ovide Plouffe by Denys Arcand, or La guerre des tuques by André Melançon, to name just a few.

Among her long and rich filmography, composed of films in English and others shot in France, we should also mention her participation in television films, advertisements, and first feature films ( La jument vapeur by Joyce Bunuel, Chanson pour Julie by Jacques Vallée) or films about women ( Les amoureuses by Johanne Prégent or L'arrache-coeur by Mireille Dansereau).

Being a film buff and loving photography, not "beautiful photography" - because that expression means nothing - I really like directors of photography who are pioneers, who really invent things, who have a personal style, like Almendros.

François Protat won the Genie Award for Photography in 1986 for Ted Kotcheff's film Joshua Then and Now and the award for Best Artistic Contribution to Photography for Kabloonak (with Jacques Loiseleux) at the 1994 World Film Festival.

 

Cinematographer

La Passante

Short

Cinematographer

2013

 

La décapsuleuse

Short

Cinematographer

2009

 

Le marchand d'eau (2009)

Le marchand d'eau

Short

director of photography

2009

 

Mireille Thibault in Madame Bolduc (2008)

Madame Bolduc

Short

Cinematographer

2008

 

Catherine Jacob and Marie-Lyse Laberge-Forest in Louise (2005)

Louise

6.2

TV Movie

Cinematographer

2005

 

Là-haut, un roi au-dessus des nuages (2003)

Là-haut, un roi au-dessus des nuages

6.1

Cinematographer

2003

 

The Hunger (1997)

The Hunger

6.2

TV Series

director of photography

1997–2000

8 episodes

 

Cassidy Rae in The Return of Alex Kelly (1999)

The Return of Alex Kelly

5.4

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1999

 

Time at the Top (1999)

Time at the Top

5.8

TV Movie

director of photography

1999

 

Valentine's Day (1998)

Valentine's Day

4.4

Video

Cinematographer

1998

 

Corey Sevier in Lassie (1997)

Lassie

6.1

TV Series

Cinematographer

1997

2 episodes

 

Whiskers (1997)

Whiskers

4.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1997

 

Hostile Advances: The Kerry Ellison Story (1996)

Hostile Advances: The Kerry Ellison Story

5.7

TV Movie

director of photography (as Francois Protat)

1996

 

The Haunting of Lisa (1996)

The Haunting of Lisa

5.3

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1996

 

Charles Bronson in Family of Cops (1995)

Family of Cops

5.4

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1995

 

Meredith Henderson and Patti LuPone in The Song Spinner (1995)

The Song Spinner

6.7

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1995

 

Tails You Live, Heads You're Dead (1995)

Tails You Live, Heads You're Dead

5.2

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1995

 

National Lampoon's Senior Trip (1995)

National Lampoon's Senior Trip

5.6

Cinematographer

1995

 

Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic (1995)

Johnny Mnemonic

5.6

director of photography

1995

 

Richard Grieco and Julianne Phillips in A Vow to Kill (1995)

A Vow to Kill

4.6

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1995

 

Charles Dance and Adamie Quasiak Inukpuk in Kabloonak (1994)

Kabloonak

7.2

Cinematographer

1994

 

T. Ryder Smith in Brainscan (1994)

Brainscan

6.0

director of photography

1994

 

Les amoureuses (1993)

Les amoureuses

7.2

Cinematographer

1993

 

Ghost Mom (1993)

Ghost Mom

5.0

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1993

 

Alan David in Chris Cross (1993)

Chris Cross

7.6

TV Series

Cinematographer

1993

 

Michael Tucker in A Town Torn Apart (1992)

A Town Torn Apart

6.3

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1992

 

Brian Dennehy, Ben Cross, and Kate Nelligan in The Diamond Fleece (1992)

The Diamond Fleece

5.7

TV Movie

director of photography

1992

 

Last Wish (1992)

Last Wish

7.0

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1992

 

A Little Piece of Heaven (1991)

A Little Piece of Heaven

3.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1991

 

Jason Robards and Amy Stewart in Mark Twain and Me (1991)

Mark Twain and Me

6.8

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1991

 

Robert Stack in The Return of Eliot Ness (1991)

The Return of Eliot Ness

6.0

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1991

 

Graham Greene in Clearcut (1991)

Clearcut

6.9

director of photography (as Francois Protat)

1991

 

Judith Light in In Defense of a Married Man (1990)

In Defense of a Married Man

5.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1990

 

Beautiful Dreamers (1990)

Beautiful Dreamers

7.0

Cinematographer

1990

 

Speed Zone (1989)

Speed Zone

4.5

Cinematographer

1989

 

Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman in Weekend at Bernie's (1989)

Weekend at Bernie's

6.4

Cinematographer

1989

 

Kelly McGillis and Kurt Russell in Winter People (1989)

Winter People

6.2

Cinematographer

1989

 

The Kiss (1988)

The Kiss

5.4

Cinematographer

1988

 

Burt Reynolds, Kathleen Turner, and Christopher Reeve in Switching Channels (1988)

Switching Channels

5.9

director of photography (as Francois Protat)

1988

 

Flag (1987)

Flag

6.1

Cinematographer

1987

 

Separate Vacations (1986)

Separate Vacations

4.5

Cinematographer

1986

 

Joshua Then and Now (1985)

Joshua Then and Now

6.5

Cinematographer

1985

 

Gabriel Arcand and Anne Létourneau in The Crime of Ovide Plouffe (1984)

The Crime of Ovide Plouffe

7.2

TV Mini Series

Cinematographer

1984

6 episodes

 

Carole Laure in The Surrogate (1984)

The Surrogate

4.7

Cinematographer

1984

 

The Dog Who Stopped the War (1984)

The Dog Who Stopped the War

7.5

Cinematographer

1984

 

Page Fletcher in The Hitchhiker (1983)

The Hitchhiker

6.7

TV Series

director of photography (as Francois Protat)

1983–1990

3 episodes

 

Running Brave (1983)

Running Brave

6.7

director of photography

1983

 

Elizabeth Taylor and Carol Burnett in Between Friends (1983)

Between Friends

6.2

TV Movie

director of photography (as Francois Protat)

1983

 

Killing 'em Softly (1982)

Killing 'em Softly

5.1

director of photography

1982

 

Till Death Do Us Part (1982)

Till Death Do Us Part

4.9

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1982

 

Scandale (1982)

Scandale

5.4

Cinematographer

1982

 

Marie-France Pisier and Wayne Rogers in The Hot Touch (1981)

The Hot Touch

4.9

Cinematographer

1981

 

Tulips (1981)

Tulips

4.4

director of photography

1981

 

Heartbreak High (1981)

Heartbreak High

3.2

Cinematographer

1981

 

The Plouffe Family (1981)

The Plouffe Family

7.9

Cinematographer

1981

 

Lewis Furey and Carole Laure in Fantastica (1980)

Fantastica

5.2

Cinematographer

1980

 

Heart Break (1979)

Heart Break

7.3

Cinematographer

1979

 

Au revoir à lundi (1979)

Au revoir à lundi

5.6

Cinematographer (photography by)

1979

 

Éclair au chocolat (1979)

Éclair au chocolat

5.4

Cinematographer

1979

 

Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang (1978)

Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang

5.9

Cinematographer

1978

 

Carole Laure in Dirty Dishes (1978)

Dirty Dishes

6.8

Cinematographer

1978

 

Tomorrow Never Comes (1978)

Tomorrow Never Comes

5.0

director of photography (as Francois Protat)

1978

 

Panique (1977)

Panique

5.9

Cinematographer

1977

 

L'ange et la femme (1977)

L'ange et la femme

5.9

Cinematographer

1977

 

Chanson Pour Julie (1976)

Chanson Pour Julie

Cinematographer

1976

 

Jos Carbone (1976)

Jos Carbone

6.8

Cinematographer

1976

 

The French World Comes to Québec

Cinematographer

1975

 

Normande (1975)

Normande

6.2

Cinematographer

1975

 

Orderers (1974)

Orderers

8.0

Cinematographer

1974

 

René Simard au Japon (1974)

René Simard au Japon

Cinematographer

1974

 

Special Effects

Geneviève Bujold in Kamouraska (1973)

Kamouraska

7.4

special effects

1973

 

Camera and Electrical Department

Wild Thing (1987)

Wild Thing

5.2

director of photography: second unit (as Francois Protat)

1987

 

Let's Talk About Love (1976)

Let's Talk About Love

7.2

director of photography: second unit

1976

 

Bingo (1974)

Bingo

6.3

director of photography: second unit

1974

 

Il était une fois dans l'est (1974)

Il était une fois dans l'est

6.8

camera operator

1974

 

John Gavin and Adrienne Larussa in Keep It in the Family (1973)

Keep It in the Family

4.7

camera operator

1973

 

Geneviève Bujold in Kamouraska (1973)

Kamouraska

7.4

camera

1973

 

À cris perdus (1972)

À cris perdus

assistant camera

1972

 

Raymond Bussières and Annette Poivre in Ça vous arrivera demain (1970)

Ça vous arrivera demain

TV Series

camera operator

1970

26 episodes

 

Les oiseaux rares (1969)

Les oiseaux rares

7.7

TV Series

assistant camera

1969

34 episodes