On-Set Photo: Dale Robinette Clicks a Pic for ‘The Front Runner’

CHICAGO – When we first met photographer Dale Robinette (click here [21]) he had just taken one of the most iconic movie photos of the last ten years. Well, his work as “Unit Still Photographer” goes on, and he recently contacted HollywoodChicago.com to share one of his on-set photos from “The Front Runner,” which opened in Chicago last week.

Campaign Swag Takes on a Touch of Irony in ‘The Front Runner’
Photo credit: Dale Robinette for Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions/Columbia Pictures

“The Front Runner” features Hugh Jackman as Senator Gary Hart, a shoo-in presidential candidate (Democratic) as the 1988 campaign began. When whispers began that the Senator was having an extramarital affair, he challenged the press to “Follow me around, I don’t care…” That scenario played out as the Miami Herald sent reporters and a photographer to stake out Hart’s Washington D.C. town home, and they discovered Donna Rice (Sara Paxton) was there. Hart’s denials of impropriety and the media’s unrelenting coverage derailed his presidential campaign. “The Front Runner” is an extensive re-creation and deep dive into the story, and chronicles a significant moment in history, when the media changed the way they covered the private lives of the candidates.

“Uncle Dale” Robinette has been a friend of HollywoodChicago.com since 2013, when he contacted the site regarding a picture he took for “Lovelace.” Ever since then, he has checked in occasionally, sending image after image from the movie sets that he is “blessed” (his word) to work on. He has plied his skills in Hollywood as a Unit Still Photographer since 1988, after a career as a stage and television actor in New York and Los Angeles. Starting with a TV short called “The Big Five” (1988), he has worked his way up the ladder, and has built an impressive photo resume through familiar films like “Donnie Darko,” “Thank You for Smoking,” “Southland Tales,” “Red,” “W.,” “Up in the Air,” “The Help,” “Draft Day,” “Nocturnal Animals” “Battle of the Sexes” and of course, “La La Land.” The original camera image shown is from the set of “The Front Runner.”

For more insight into “The Front Runner,” click here [22] for a Podtalk with director Jason Reitman, by Patrick McDonald and Jon Lennon Espino of HollywoodChicago.com.

[23]	By PATRICK McDONALD [24] Editor and Film Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com [23]