Biography
London-born Australian cinematographer David Eggby's career began with a credit that demands respect: he was the cinematographer who shot "Mad Max," the 1979 action extravaganza. The low-budget action thriller from Down Under galvanized audiences by getting so close to the road race action that one felt the cameramen narrowly escaped death in each scene. Eggby actually did hang off motorcycles to get such breath-taking footage, and the film's legend helped solidify Eggby's reputation as an action and fantasy cinematographer. His early experience in the Australian Navy helped forge his career; he spent six years on an aircraft carrier, filming each plane's landing and take-off, shot with a 16 millimeter camera. After his discharge, Eggby worked as a cameraman in Australian television before serving as cinematographer on "Mad Max." He remained in Australia, working on features until the late '80s, when he began working in the United States He continued to shoot mainly action and fantasy films, including three features with director Rob Cohen, including the '93 Bruce Lee biopic, "Dragon," and the '96 fantasy "Dragonheart." Eggby did radical work in the '06 sci-fi film "Pitch Black," creating a planet with three suns by using the risky process of bleaching the film's negative. Eggby also expanded into animation in the decade, working on two films featuring computer-animated main characters: '02's "Scooby-Doo" and '07's "Underdog." Whatever the subject matter, Eggby brings a special energy with his restless camera movement.
