Cinematographer Who Shot Almost Every Episode of ‘24’ and Pioneered Its Iconic Camera Style Dies

Rodney Charters, the cinematographer who shot nearly every episode of the first eight seasons of the hit TV show 24, has died at 80.

The New Zealand-born director of photography, who was nominated for two Emmys for his work on the high-stakes drama, died suddenly on September 13 in Amsterdam, the American Society of Cinematographers announced.

Charters shot 184 episodes of 24 between 2001 and 2010, covering all but eight episodes of the show’s first eight seasons. He also shot the 2008 telefilm 24: Redemption and directed three of the eight episodes he did not shoot.

The series followed federal agent Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, through increasingly catastrophic 24-hour periods. Each 24-episode season unfolded in real time, with a ticking clock helping drive the action of each instalment.

Charters helped establish the groundbreaking drama’s distinctive visual approach, which the American Society of Cinematographers described as an “aggressive camera style” incorporating handheld camerawork, whip pans and snap zooms.

His work became closely associated with the look of 24, particularly as the series developed its fast-moving approach to filming action and dialogue. Charters received two Emmy nominations for his work on 24, in 2005 and 2006.

“We’ve evolved to the point where we always shoot a scene in its entirety — it’s never broken into setups,” he told American Cinematographer magazine in February 2004, according to the American Society of Cinematographers. “We shoot two directions on every scene. We shoot one direction first, after it’s been blocked and staged by the cast privately, without even me present, which is a little uncommon in television.

Charters added: “When we’re brought in, we have an understanding of what the scene is, but sometimes there are pleasant surprises. [Executive producer-director] Stephen [Hopkins] was a great one for saying, ‘Look at the scene and imagine where the camera would never be, and that’s where I want it.’”

Charters’ approach to cinematography was shaped in part by his family background. His father was a portrait photographer and filmmaker, and Charters described his upbringing as being “raised in the darkroom.”

Before joining 24, Charters shot 57 episodes of NBC’s The Pretender during its 1997 to 2000 run. He also shot 19 episodes of the second season of science-fiction series Roswell. His television work continued after 24, with Charters serving director of photography on the first three seasons of Shameless from 2011 to 2013, among numerous other shows.