Dan Mindel

Dan Mindel, ASC, BSC is the cinematographer for  and  under the direction of J.J. Abrams. Mindel previously worked with Abrams (and many other members of the Star Trek production crew) as cinematographer on Paramount's 2006 film, Mission: Impossible III.

Born in South Africa and educated in Australia and Great Britain, Mindel began his career working as a camera loader for many years before he became an assistant cameraman on the 1985 British-made film The Emerald Forest, starring guest actress Meg Foster. He then moved to the United States and began working as a cameraman or photographer for director on several commercials and for the films Revenge (1990, featuring Miguel Ferrer), Crimson Tide (1995), and The Fan (1996). He also worked in the same capacities with Tony's brother,, for his films Thelma & Louise (1991, featuring Christopher McDonald) and White Squall (1996, starring John Savage), as well as a number of commercials.

In 1996, Ridley Scott selected Mindel to be Director of Photography for the second unit of the 1997 film G.I. Jane (featuring Jack Gwaltney). The following year, Tony Scott assigned Mindel as principal Director of Photography on the 1998 thriller Enemy of the State. Mindel later collaborated with Tony Scott as Director of Photography on the films Spy Game (2001) and Domino (2005). He was also cinematographer for such films as Shanghai Noon (2000), Stuck on You (2003, featuring Seymour Cassel), and The Skeleton Key (2005), and was an assistant photographer on The Bourne Identity (2002) and Lions for Lambs (2007).

Mindel has worked with Star Trek aerial photographer David Nowell on several other films. Most notably, Nowell was Mindell's Director of Aerial Photography on the films Enemy of the State, Domino, and Mission: Impossible III.

More recent projects as director of photography include 's crime thriller Savages (2012), the fantasy film John Carter (2012), and the superhero sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014, written and produced by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman). Mindel will also work as Director of Photography on J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII, set for a 2015 release.