Biography
Nicola Pecorini (born 10 August 1957) is an Italian-born cinematographer. Pecorini was born in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. He founded, with Garrett Brown, inventor of the steadicam, the Steadicam Operators Association, Inc. (SOA), in 1988. Pecorini moved to the United States in 1993. Since 1997, he has frequently collaborated with critically acclaimed director Terry Gilliam (together they have made Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Brothers Grimm, Tideland, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Th...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness
2024
Cinematography
A 72-hour whirlwind in the life of bohemian artist Amedeo Modigliani, known as Modi to his friends, follows a chaotic series of events through the str...

Erēmīta (Anthologies)
2021
as Self
An anthology of short documentaries composed during the 2020 pandemic by leading cinematographers curated and produced by Sam Abbas.

He Dreams of Giants
2019
as Himself
15 years after "Lost in la Mancha", Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe come back to follow Terry Gilliam's new (successful) attempt at filming "The Man Who K...

The Legend of the Christmas Witch
2018
Director of Photography
When six elementary school students suspect their missing teacher is Befana, a Christmas witch who delivers presents to good children, they set off on...

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
2018
Director of Photography
Toby, a cynical film director finds himself trapped in the outrageous delusions of an old Spanish shoe-maker who believes himself to be Don Quixote. I...

American Moon
2017
as Himself
Has man really been to the moon? It’s been 50 years, and the debate rages on. For the firs time, a film compiles in a single piece of work, all the be...

Misunderstood
2014
Director of Photography
Rome, 1984, Aria is nine-year-old girl. On the verge of divorce, Aria's infantile and selfish parents are too preoccupied with their careers and extra...

The Zero Theorem
2013
Director of Photography
A computer hacker's goal to discover the reason for human existence continually finds his work interrupted thanks to the Management; this time, they s...
Doubt
2013
Cinematography
Centers on Vincent, a former cop who's now a cunning but charming low-rent lawyer who uses his street smarts to work the system for his clients while ...

Ra.One
2011
Director of Photography
When the titular antagonist of an action game takes on physical form, it's up to the game's less powerful protagonist to save the world.

The Wholly Family
2011
Cinematography
An American family's magical adventure in Naples.

The First Beautiful Thing
2010
Director of Photography
The film tells the story of the Michelucci family, from the nineteen-seventies to the present day: the central character is the stunningly beautiful A...

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
2009
Director of Photography
A travelling theatre company has more to it than meets the eye.

A Whole Life Ahead
2008
Director of Photography
25-year-old philosophy major Marta faces the ugly truth for many young Italians — a complete lack of career opportunities. While babysitting for singl...

Best of Chris Isaak
2006
Director, Director of Photography
Chris Isaak begins his third decade as one of the most distinctive recording artists- and the epitome of modern cool-with his first career-spanning re...

Tideland
2005
Director of Photography
Because of the actions of her irresponsible parents, a young girl is left alone on a decrepit country estate and survives inside her fantastic imagina...

The Brothers Grimm
2005
Additional Photography
Folklore collectors and con artists, Jake and Will Grimm, travel from village to village pretending to protect townsfolk from enchanted creatures and ...

The Order
2003
Director of Photography
For centuries, a secret Order of priests has existed within the Church. A renegade priest, Father Alex Bernier, is sent to Rome to investigate the mys...

Lost in La Mancha
2002
as Self - Director of Photography
Fulton and Pepe's 2000 documentary captures Terry Gilliam's attempt to get The Man Who Killed Don Quixote off the ground. Back injuries, freakish stor...

Harrison's Flowers
2000
Steadicam Operator, Director of Photography
1991. Harrison Lloyd, a renowned photojournalist covering the war in Yugoslavia, is reported missing. Sarah, his wife, convinced that he is not dead, ...

Rules of Engagement
2000
Director of Photography
A Marine Colonel is brought to court-martial after ordering his men to fire on demonstrators surrounding the American embassy in Yemen.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
1998
Director of Photography, Steadicam Operator
Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a motorcycl...

Rhinoceros Hunting in Budapest
1997
Cinematography
A young man's odyssey from a small town in Colorado to Budapest, in search of his estranged girlfriend.

Beverly Hills Ninja
1997
Camera Operator
Haru, an orphaned American who washes ashore in Japan and is mistaken for the great White Ninja of legend. Raised among the finest Ninjas, Haru grows ...

Cutthroat Island
1995
Camera Operator
Morgan Adams and her slave, William Shaw, are on a quest to recover the three portions of a treasure map. Unfortunately, the final portion is held by ...

The American President
1995
Steadicam Operator
Widowed U.S. president Andrew Shepherd, one of the world's most powerful men, can have anything he wants -- and what he covets most is Sydney Ellen Wa...

Death and the Maiden
1994
Steadicam Operator
A political activist is convinced that her guest is a man who once tortured her for the government.

Fear City: A Family-Style Comedy
1994
Steadicam Operator
A second-class horror movie has to be shown at Cannes Film Festival, but, before each screening, the projectionist is killed by a mysterious fellow, w...

Only You
1994
Steadicam Operator
Two childhood paranormal incidents have convinced schoolteacher Faith Corvatch that her true love is a guy named "Damon Bradley," but she has yet to m...

Cliffhanger
1993
"A" Camera Operator, Steadicam Operator
A year after losing his friend in a tragic 4,000-foot fall, former ranger Gabe Walker and his partner, Hal, are called to return to the same peak to r...

Bitter Moon
1992
Steadicam Operator
A passenger on a cruise ship develops an irresistible infatuation with an eccentric paraplegic's wife.

Piedipiatti
1991
Steadicam Operator
The inmate Proietti, nicknamed "Er Soffia", getting out of prison. There is the Roman brigadier Vasco Sacchetti, an agent of the narcotics and his old...

The Sect
1991
Steadicam Operator
A spree of grisly murders is perpetrated in Frankfurt by a group of Satan worshippers. A lonely schoolteacher almost runs over an elderly man and take...

Towards Evening
1990
Steadicam Operator
Italy, 1977. Professor Bruschi is a retired widower who lives according to a strict routine he set for himself. An ardent old-style communist, he has ...

The Comfort of Strangers
1990
Steadicam Operator
An Italian diplomat's son follows and seduces English lovers in Venice.

The Church
1989
Steadicam Operator
In a Gothic cathedral built on the mass grave of a Teutonic purge, an ancient discovery by the new librarian will release an unholy maelstrom of madne...

The Gamble
1988
Steadicam Operator
When Francesco returns home with the assumption that his father's wealth will be there to keep him content, he discovers that his father has lost ever...

Provvisorio, quasi d'amore
1988
Steadicam Operator
Anthology of urban stories form seven Italian directors.

Opera
1987
Steadicam Operator
A young opera singer is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.