Richard Leacock

Richard Leacock July 18 1921 March 15 2011 was a pioneering Americanborn filmmaker widely regarded as one of the founding figures of the cinéma vérité movement He was a key influence on the development of observational documentary filmmaking known for his innovative use of handheld cameras and his emphasis on capturing spontaneous realtime events Leacocks most notable works include Primary 1960 which followed John F Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey during the 1960 Democratic primary campaign and Chronicle of a Summer 1961 codirected with Jean Rouch a landmark film in the cinéma vérité genre Throughout his career Leacock collaborated with other influential filmmakers including Robert Drew and DA Pennebaker and helped shape the way documentaries were made His legacy continues to influence contemporary documentary filmmakers