The fact that commonly-known Hollywood blockbusters were influenced by the first Soviet sci-fi films, may sound surprising. But bear in mind that it took years for American viewers to realize that several movies they watched in the sixties had actually been made in the USSR.
Pioneer of Soviet sci-fi
It would be fair to start with the director who's sometimes considered the pioneer of not only the Soviet Union's but of the world’s sci-fi cinematography.
Pavel Klushantsev was born in 1910 in St Petersburg. In his memoirs, he recalled he'd wanted to be an engineer but it was easier to join a cinematographic college. “Specialists for any recently-emerged branch of industry are taught not only to use certain technology, but to design, build and repair new devices,” Klushantsev wrote in his book “Away from Big Roads.” “So it was in cinematography. In the 20s, a cameraman was supposed to be not only a man who shoots, but who repairs and upgrades his mechanisms.” This factor, acc...