Brian Bansgrove

Who was Brian Bansgrove?

Brian Bansgrove was a New Zealand gaffer best known for his work on Lord of the Rings, film trilogy. He was born on 18 July 1941 and died 29 December 2001.

Andrew Lesnie, who won the 2002 Academy Award for Cinematography for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring said that Bansgrove and his crew were the "key element" in helping him craft images for the three Lord of the Rings films during the 15-month shoot between mid-1999 and late 2000. At the nomination of the film for the 16th annual ASC awards, Lesnie called him "one of the true legends of the Australian film industry" saying further that "he was an extremely close collaborator" in the lighting design. Lesnie described Bansgrove not only as a friend and colleague but as the "main reason for winning" the Academy Award. Lesnie dedicated his Academy Award to Bansgrove in his acceptance speech at the 74th Academy Awards Ceremony.