'Grand Budapest' Oscar nominee discovered love of film in suburbs

Robert Yeoman remembers the moment he found out he'd been named an Academy Award nominee for his cinematography on Wes Anderson's comedy "The Grand Budapest Hotel."

"I was shooting a commercial that day, I got up really early that morning to get to the set," Yeoman said. "After I took a shower, I was standing in the closet getting dressed and I received a text from a friend in New York congratulating me."

Then, Yeoman went to work.

"Nothing bothered me that day," recalled the first-time nominee. "I was walking on air for sure!"

He'll find out whether he wins tonight. ABC's Oscar coverage starts at 6 p.m.

Yeoman, now 63, grew up in the suburbs. He moved to Northbrook from Pennsylvania at the age of 3. Two years later, his family moved to Wilmette.

As a kid, Yeoman spent a lot of time at Wilmette's Teatro del Lago movie palace. (The theater, opened in 1927 to show silent movies, reportedly seated 1,300 and employed future U.S. Sen. Charles Percy, plus stars Ann-Margret and Rock Hudson during their teenage years.)

"I saw Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds,' there," Yeoman said. "Also, 'In the Heat of the Night.' All the Jerry Lewis comedies. Then it was on to Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. I loved Hollywood movies."

At that point, Yeoman didn't consider filmmaking a viable career option. At Duke University in North Carolina, however, the Wilmette kid experienced foreign films and experimental works, including Stanley Kubrick's X-rated political allegory "A Clockwork Orange."

"I realized it was just amazing what these guys could pull off," he remembered. "I really wanted to get involved with this."

So Yeoman went to film school at the University of Southern California.

After graduation, Yeoman spent a few years as a production assistant and honed his craft by shooting TV commercials. His big break came through a Chicago connection: William Friedkin.

He joined the crew of Friedkin's thriller "To Live and Die in L.A." as a second-unit cinematographer. When cinematography director Robby Mueller left the production, Friedkin, impressed with Yeoman's work, offered him the job.

"This was a huge break for me," Yeoman said. "It's hard to get your foot in the door in this job."

Yeoman shot a Talking Heads video that caught the attention of a producer making a feature titled "Drugstore Cowboy." Director Gus Van Sant liked Yeoman's work and hired him.

So who do you think saw "Drugstore Cowboy" and loved the camerawork? A new filmmaker named Wes Anderson.

"He looked like a high school kid when I first met him," Yeoman said. "We talked about movies we liked. Shots we liked. We pretty much hit it off from the start. We think alike visually.

"I've gotten to know his style so well that many times I can anticipate how Wes is going to want to shoot something. And we genuinely like each other.

"At least I hope he likes me."

Yeoman has photographed all seven of Anderson's live-action features, including "Rushmore" and "Moonrise Kingdom," so he probably likes him.

Yeoman shoots Anderson's movies in old-fashioned celluloid film, not digital. He has shot only one movie in digital, the upcoming comedy "Spy" starring Plainfield native Melissa McCarthy.

What's with the digital snobbery?

"I love film," Yeoman said. "It has a texture and a quality to it that can't be duplicated by digital cameras."

The conflict of film vs. digital may soon be moot as many film processing companies have closed down.

"So then you have to put your film on a plane and fly it to Los Angeles for processing," Yeoman said. "It becomes a logistical nightmare. So, I've come to accept digital. Begrudgingly. But I'm still a film guy."

Yeoman realizes that Emmanuel Lubezki is the front-runner to win the Best Cinematography Oscar for "Birdman" tonight.

"I'd be super happy if I win, but just to be nominated with these great cinematographers is a great, great honor," Yeoman said.

"I have a wonderful, interesting job and I travel to a lot of cool places. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Well, maybe being a star for the Cubs or the Bulls. But, that's probably not going to happen."

Suburban Oscar ties

• Robert Yeoman isn't the only Oscar nominee from the suburbs hoping to hear his name called tonight.

• Robert Lorenz, who grew up in Rolling Meadows and Palatine, is one of the producers of best picture nominee “American Sniper.”

• Former suburbanites have done well in the cinematography category in recent years. Elmhurst's Wally Pfister won the Oscar in 2011 for “Inception,” and Palatine High School graduate Mauro Fiore won the year before for “Avatar.”

• Perhaps the best-known Oscar winner with suburban ties is Marlon Brando, a one-time Libertyville resident who won best actor twice — first for “On the Waterfront” and later for “The Godfather.” He declined the second Oscar in 1973 as a protest to Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans.