Alan Hume began his career around the late 1940s as a camera operator for pioneering Technicolor cinematographer Georges Perinal [BSC]. It was here that he learned quality first hand from Perinal, a colourist who gave considerable influence to Hume's eventual style. 

From 1960 to the early 1970s Hume, now a fully fledged cinematographer worked on the infamous Carry On series of comedies, a film series where quality had to be retained inspite of punishing deadlines and tiny budgets. A regular on the series as much as the cast, retaining quality on a punishing schedule became Humes forte. In the 1970s he formed a close relationship with low-budget director Kevin Connor, collaborating on the films 'The Land That Time Forgot', 'At The Earth's Core', 'Warlords of Atlantis', 'The People That Time Forgot' and 'Arabian Adventure'. During the 1970s ex Bond director Peter hunt was making 'Shout At The Devil', and his 2nd unit director John Glen required a DOP for a tight one week shoot WITHOUT planning time. Alan Hume proved ideal and finished ahead of schedule.

John Glen took over the Bond series in 1980 with 'For Your Eyes Only', and brought Hume on to cover the film's photography. Hume brought more high action coverage than had previously been seen in the series, with cameras mounted on all vehicles and the set up in demanding location spaces completed on schedule. It was during this mid eighties period that Hume worked on 'Eye of The Needle', 'Return of The Jedi', 'Octopussy', 'Watcher in The Woods','Supergirl', 'Lifeforce', 'Runaway Train', 'A Fish Called Wanda' and 'Shirley Valentine'.

I'I try to get everything set up as quickly as possible' describes the now retired Hume of his work. And in the 1990s he helped to make possible numerous impossibly scheduled TV films and the experimental 'Space Precinct' TV series.

In my opinion, Supergirl is Alan Hume's greatest achievement.

In 1983 the Salkind producers had hired Jeannot Szwarc to direct Supergirl, the first time the director would have worked in England. Pre-production was over, the sets had been completed, and the budget was rolling. Alan Hume was brought in to help the director move through the enormous production giving a colour saturated, golden sunset hued unique visual experience to the picture, but also on deadlines that kept the director moving as quickly as possible.

When Supergirl lands on Earth and discovers her new powers, Hume lushly photographed the stunning wire work, hiding wires photographically as to avoid losing picture resolution with opticals. Long lenses and high colour saturation made the wires disappear through the camera.

The other great strength was Hume's ability to use reactive lighting, such as when Supergirl battles with an electrical beast in the Midvale girls school. When making 'Lifeforce' a year later, that films FX supervisor John Dykstra gave immediate credit to Hume for 'being very much involved in making reactive lighting look right'.

Even the brooding phantom zone, a dark and sinister world was lit effectively in saturated colours that help give the desired fantasy aesthetic.

Alan Hume is one of Great Britain's most prolific cameramen.The funny thing is that while he can co-ordinate a camera unit on the tightest of deadlines, it is his visual style and not his procedure that has made the films he has so colourfully photographed so memorable. It can be argued that he is not and never has been aware of this, but that has probably made him the unpretentious, utterly professional cameraman he is.