Alan Light

David Lynch

Filmmaker

American·b. 1946

Known for:

Mulholland Drive (2001), Blue Velvet (1986)

Education:

School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; AFI Conservatory

David Lynch developed a filmmaking practice rooted in surrealism, industrial imagery, and the violence beneath American suburban surfaces. His films - Eraserhead (1977), Blue Velvet (1986), Mulholland Drive (2001) - alongside the television series Twin Peaks (1990–91, 2017) constitute one of the most singular bodies of work in American cinema. He died in January 2025.

Interviews:

David Lynch's Gear List(3)

Eclair NPR

Eclair

Connection Source

ShotonwhatWebsite

Connection note

Lynch used Arriflex cameras for "Eraserhead" (1977), shooting over five years at the AFI campus. His cinematographer Frederick Elmes has discussed the production's use of Arriflex equipment.

Product description

The Eclair NPR (Noiseless Portable Reflex) is a 16mm film camera introduced in 1963 by the French manufacturer Eclair. Its quiet operation and ergonomic design made it the camera of the French New Wave and of documentary filmmakers working with synchronized sound in the 1960s and 1970s.

Know something David Lynch uses that's not listed?

Related artists

Jonas Mekas

Filmmaker

Agnès Varda

Filmmaker

Last updated March 20, 2026

Bolex H16 Reflex

Bolex

Connection Source

SensesofcinemaWebsite

Connection note

Lynch used a Bolex H16 for his early experimental films, including "The Alphabet" (1968) and "The Grandmother" (1970), made while a student at the AFI. His use of the Bolex is documented in "Lynch on Lynch" (1997).

Product description

The Bolex H16 is a spring-wound 16mm film camera first produced in the 1930s and manufactured in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland for decades. Its mechanical simplicity, reliability, and optical quality made it the instrument of choice for avant-garde and experimental filmmakers. Jonas Mekas used one for decades of diary films; Stan Brakhage made most of his works with one.

Sony DSR-PD150

Sony

Connection Source

ShotonwhatWebsite

Connection note

Lynch was an early adopter of digital video, shooting "Inland Empire" (2006) on a consumer-grade Sony camera. He has described the freedom of digital video in multiple interviews about his later working methods.

Product description

Professional MiniDV camcorder used by David Lynch to shoot Inland Empire (2006)

Find on Adorama ↗