The Personal History of David Copperfield
There’s a Terry Gilliam-esque quality to several scenes, such as the capsized boat-house of honey-tinged youthful memories, shattered by a giant hand as fantasy gives way to reality. Cinematographer Zac Nicholson uses wide-angle lenses to capture a child’s-eye sense of wonder, stretching out single moments in dreamy slow-mo, evoking a netherworld that reminded me at times of Nicola Pecorini’s work on Gilliam’s oft-overlooked Tideland - Mark Kermode, The Guardian
Like some kind of long-lost Monty Python sketch, Iannucci’s revisionist “David Copperfield” alternates between intellect and absurdity, blending high- and lowbrow elements. Furthering that comparison is “Death of Stalin” DP Zac Nicholson’s vaguely carnivalesque, bulgy wide-angle way of immersing himself in the action and energetically covering scenes from within, whipping around to follow the comedy à la Terry Gilliam. - Variety
There’s a toned-down Wes Anderson-esque whimsy here, both in the outre supporting plays and the compositions and stylistic tics. Cinematographer Zac Nicholson brings a vibrancy to the frame, both in terms of the frequently wide-skied and sunny settings, and the sprightly camera moves that invigorate proceedings without overdosing on the gimmicks. The score, also by Christopher Willis, cleaves close to the classical style you’d expect from a Victorian era tale, but it’s given a buoyant boost of optimism. - Matt Maytum
Ditching the confined offices and winding interiors of his previous two films for wide-open meadows and beaches, Iannucci is able to indulge in more free-spirited camera coverage, allowing an at-times Malick-esque handheld camera to rove through fields and bathe in the light – beautifully lensed by DP Zac Nicholson no less. - Shaun Munro, Flickering Myth
Class, and dire economic straits, are at the heart of the matter of course and Zac Nicholson’s dizzy camera is too busy keeping step with the actors to lavish great regard for the traditional staid trappings of upholstery and production design. - Sight and Sound
All is True
It’s a pleasure to see our greatest Shakespearean actress playing the Bard’s wife, and indeed, All Is True contains many pleasures, not least of which is Zac Nicholson’s cinematography. He pounces like another 17th-century genius, Rembrandt, on the lighting opportunities afforded by all those candles, all those sunbeams streaming through mullioned windows. And outdoors, the panorama shots are ravishing. Warwickshire never looked prettier. - Daily Mail
James Merifield’s design and Zac Nicholson’s photography, steeped in candlelit chiaroscuro, eschew obvious Merrie England touches for a distinctive feel more redolent of the Dutch Golden Age. Together with acute visual use of the passing seasons, all this finds Branagh getting as close to art-cinema lyricism as he has since 1995’s In the Bleak Midwinter, to similarly melancholic effect. - Screen Daily
When it came to recreating this quieter, slower-paced world that Shakespeare inhabited in his last years, Branagh turned to some of British film's most seasoned technicians and craftsmen, including Zac Nicholson, the BAFTA-winning director of photography, who gives the film its lush, quietly bucolic look - Telegraph
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Lensing by DP Zac Nicholson (The Death of Stalin) is slickly expansive. soaring over island cliffs (actually Cornwall and Devon), while production designer James Merifield and costume designer Charlotte Walter are refreshingly unafraid of color in evoking the 40s - Hollywood Reporter
His (Mike Newell) warm, light touch, coupled with Zac Nicholson’s lush, evocative cinematography (with ruggedly gorgeous Devon and Cornwall filling in for Guernsey as a location), make this idyll a pleasure. It’s simply a movie that makes you feel welcome. - Time