Steven Douglas Smith

from : 08/13/09
Until : 08/30/09

Throughout my career as the Director of Photography on thirty plus feature films and various television shows, I feel I have produced significant works, which combine a visceral immediacy with a conceptual richness. NO BUDGET TOO SMALL or LARGE. Dinosaur for Disney Studios combines 1300 visual fx shots and is considered one of the most expensive films ever made; the low budget Indie Joyride stars Tobey Mc Guire and Benicio Del Torro. On The Lot, a unique Reality Series produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett, rounds the diversity of my work and oeuvre.

My working methods have been highly creative and divergent having worked with high definition camera’s and veteran directors James Cameron's documentary: Expedition Bismarck. I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell’s Bob Gosse & American Carol ‘s infamous director David Zucker and Adam Sandler’s 51st Dates; Sometimes they Come Back stars Hillary Swank, Black Cadillac stars Randy Quaid & The Net 2.0 and Home of the Brave (Samuel Jackson) was shot in Turkey and Morocco with the Irwin Winkler Co. respectively; Akeelah and the Bee stars Lawrence Fishburn and Ripple Effect with Academy Award Winner and nominee Forest Whitaker and Virginia Madson. Nicolas was the very first feature shot with High Definition cameras using Panavision 24P digital. I've also experimented with large format film photography on Our Country and X-Games in IMAX format and lensed the documentary Icebound shot on location and underwater in Antarctica. Another film "78", produced by 20th Century Fox, was at Sundance & I spoke there on a High Definition cinematography panel.

My first serious art making was through still photography and I began to discover the aesthetic possibilities a visual medium could offer. I worked with this medium as a hobby for many years, always with a "design" approach. I continued these interests in the Boy Scouts and later attained it's highest rank--Eagle Scout.

Double majors in Media and Communication and minor in Economics from UC San Diego, significantly prepared me for graduate study in film production at the University of Southern California, where I received my Master's degree. Initially my work with NBC, ABC and Espn sports videography, along with my USC filmmaking experience, helped develop my skills as a cinematographer. I studied under renowned cinematographers such as Alan Daviau, ASC (E.T.), Vittori Storaro (The Last Emperor), and Conrad Hall (American Beauty). Initially, I tried to develop innovative means of expression using the motion picture camera to create contextually rich and powerfully symbolic works of art. Secondly, as a cinematographer I intended to develop and utilize technical advances to broaden the aesthetics of the visual medium.

I've enjoyed the collaboration of many talented people in the and on occasion, I have gone back to school as a guest lecturer to pass on the aesthetics of the cinematography to a new generation of filmmakers. Some recent quotes about my work: "A box office behemoth if there ever was one, "Dinosaur" is an eye popping visual spectacle that serves up a vivid picture of what the planet may have looked like when dinosaurs ruled the earth...nothing like you've ever seen before." Variety; "He's fantastic with the camera on his shoulder -- excellent instincts when it comes to diving in on a prop or an actor's reaction...a DP who has the goods and the personality to match -" Charles Winkler; "He's efficient with equipment and time, bringing back unique and spectacular imagery, while always concerned with the bottom line." - David Mackay, Producer/Director.

I’m represented by my agent as well as my wife and two children.

Director of Photography/Cam Op/Features/TV & Commercials - Hi Def Expert RED etc. Owner OP
Sports Videographer/DOP/OP

Short Resume:
Steven Douglas Smith

AMERICAN CAROL
Dir: David Zucker (comedy)
ON THE LOT
Spielberg/Burnett (Reality)
HOPE THE SERVE BEER IN HELL
NET 2.0 & HOME OF BRAVE- Winker Films(Turkey/Morocco)
AKEELAH AND THE BEE Prod: Sid & Nancy Ganis -w/Lawrence Fishburn
DINOSAUR:Walt Disney Co.
JOYRIDE -w/Tobey McGuire & Benicio Del Toro
50 FIRST DATES
Dir: Peter Segal, Prod: Adam Sandler
SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK w/Hilary Swank
ULTIMATE X (IMAX 8/70, 15/70, Anamorphic, Hi Def**) The Walt Disney Co. (Documentary)
OUR COUNTRY (IMAX, Add. Scenes) IMAX Corporation/Giant Screen Films (Musical)
Director: Keith Melton - Producer: Tom Neff - James Holcomb

TELEVISION/DOCUMENTARIES
ON THE LOT** (Reality Series) Prod: Steven Spielberg/Mark Burnett
EXPEDITION: BISMARK** Dir: James Cameron - Discovery Channel (Docu Drama)
THE TICK (Pilot) Sony Director: Barry Sonnenfeld - Producers: Vahan Moosekian
DOWNSTREAM: Babblegum Productions. Dir: Leslie Iwerks. Canada
MUSIC FOR YOUR EYES: Documentary Channel – 24P
ONE VISION Directors Guild of America
ICEBOUND: Antarctica , PBS
SWIMMING UPSTREAM** (MOW) Media Ent.
NICOLAS** 2929 Hi Def Channel (Sci-Fi)
Cannes Film Festival Entry- First Ever North American Hi Def Feature
LILLY’S LIGHT** (Pilot) PBS (Musical)(Film/Hi Def** Comparison Tests)
NEWS RADIO (Pilot) NBC/Columbia Tri-Star (Comedy, Title Sequence)
Producers: Brillstein/Gray
ROUGH CUT RILEY (Pilot) - Producer: Glen Gainor
MUSIC FOR YOUR EYES: HERB ALBERT** PBS (Documentary)
MAMA OF DADA PBS/Stonebridge Entertainment (Documentary)
Director: Tom Neff - Producer: Diandre Douglas

~Master of Fine Arts, U.S.C. School of Cinema-Television, Film Production (1991)
~Bachelor of Arts, U.C. San Diego, Media & Communications, Economics (1987)
~Member I.A.T.S.E. 600 & 669
** Shot in Hi Def

Complete Resume:
STEVEN DOUGLAS SMITH
Director of Photography
Film/Hi Def/IMAX

FEATURES

I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL Director: Bob Gosse, Producers: Sean McKitrick, Tucker Max; Darko Entertainment (Additional Scenes DP/ A operator)
UNREQUITED* Director: Jason Epperson – Prod: Chad Gunderson, Lucky Day Studios, KY
AN AMERICAN CAROL* Mpower Pictures, Vivendi (Comedy, LA) Director: David Zucker - Producers: Steve McEveety - D. Scott Easton (Additional Scenes D.P.)
NET 2.0 * Sony/Screen Gems/Winker Films (Thriller; Istanbul, Turkey)
Director: Charles Winkler - Producers: Irwin Winkler - Rob Cowan
HOME OF THE BRAVE* MGM/Millenium (Action; Morocco) Director: Irwin Winkler - Producers: Avi Lerner - Rob Cowan - Michael Flannigan (Anamorphic, 2nd Unit)
BLACK CADILLAC First Look Pictures/Showtime (Action Thriller; CA,VT)
Director: John Murlowski - Producer: Kenny Burke - w/Randy Quaid
AKEELAH AND THE BEE (Add. Scenes, Anamorphic) Lion’s Gate/Starbucks Ent./ 2929 Prod.
Dir: Doug Atchison - Producers: Sid & Nancy Ganis -w/Lawrence Fishburn &Angela Bassett
DINOSAUR (Vista Vision, VFX) Walt Disney Co./Buena Vista (Animation; CA, FL, HI, Somoa)
Directors: Ralph Zondag - Eric Leighton – Prod.: Baker Bloodworth - Pam Marsden
JOYRIDE Live Entertainment/Trillion Entertainment (Dramatic Thriller)
Director: Quinton Peeples - Producers: Laurent Zilber -w/Tobey McGuire - Benicio Del Toro
50 FIRST DATES (Add. Unit,VFX) Sony/Anonymous Content (Romantic Comedy)
Director: Peter Segal - Producers: Nancy Juvonen - Adam Sandler - Exec. Producer: Jay Roach
RIPPLE EFFECT* (Add. Scenes) Think Films/YGB Films (Drama)
Dir: Philipe Caland – Executive Prod.: Forest Witaker - Virginia Madsen - Minnie Driver
JENIFA* Toho Arthouse/Wilco Co. Ltd. (Fantasy; Japan)
Director: Kenki Saegusa - Executive Producers: Robbie Robertson - Peter Meech
LEELA Cinebella Entertainment/Lemon Tree Films (Dramatic Comedy; India)
Director: Somnath Sen - Producers: Kavita Sen - Anjalika & Anjul Mathur
HEAVEN OR VEGAS Cineville/Storm Entertainment (Romantic Drama; Utah)
Director: Greg Haynes - Producer: Carl Colpaert
NO EASY WAY PGFW/Redwood Communications (Drama)
Director: Jeff Fine - Producers: Marcia Lucas - Joe Manduke - Doug Ludwig
Kodak Visionary Award
SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK 2 Trimark Pictures (Horror Sci-Fi)
Director: Adam Grossman - Producer: Michael Meltzer - w/Hilary Swank
ULTIMATE X (IMAX 8/70, 15/70, Anamorphic, Hi Def**) The Walt Disney Co. (Documentary)
Director: Bruce Hendricks - Producers: Art Repola - Bruce Hendricks
SECRET AGENT CLUB Hit Entertainment (Kids Action)
Director: John Murlowski - Producers: James Rosenthal - David Silberg

OUR COUNTRY (IMAX, Add. Scenes) IMAX Corporation/Giant Screen Films (Musical)
Director: Keith Melton - Producer: Tom Neff - James Holcomb
CORONADO** (Anamophic) Unchartered Territory (Mexico)
Director: Claudio Faeh - Producer: Volker Engel
BASIC INSTINCT (C Cam Operator) Tri-Star Pictures/Carolco Pictures
Director: Paul Verhoven - Producer: Mario Kassar - Alan Marshall

TELEVISION/DOCUMENTARIES

ON THE LOT** (Series) Producers: Steven Spielberg/ Mark Burnett
EXPEDITION: BISMARK** (IMAX, Additional scenes) Discovery Channel (DocuDrama)
Director: James Cameron - Producer: Andrew Wight
SECRET, SECRET SERVICE: Dir: David Zucker, Prod: Robert Weiss ; Zuckervision
DOWNSTREAM: Babblegum Productions. Dir: Leslie Iwerks. Canada
MUSIC FOR YOUR EYES: Herb Alpert (Dir: Tom Neff, The Documentary Channel – 24P
ONE VISION Director: Rob Stone, Directors Guild of America
THE QUALITY OF LIFE Director: Joe Viszmeg, Canadian Film Board
BEATRICE WOOD: MAMA OF DADA Director: Tom Neff, Stonebridge Entertainment
ICEBOUND: Antarctica Producer: Tom Budinger, Polar High Corp. - Shot in ntarctica, Dachau, In Flight, PBS
SWIMMING UPSTREAM** (MOW) Media Entertainment/Newmark Ent.Group (Rhode Island)
Director: Robert Emery - Producer: Tom Busch - Paul Bernard
NICOLAS** 2929 Entertainment/Reef Point Pictures/Hi Def Channel (Sci-Fi)
Director: Pete Shaner - Producer: Keith Coene
Cannes Film Festival Entry- First Ever North American Hi Def Feature
INSIDE OUT** Shoreline Entertainment (Thriller)
Director: David Ogden - Producers: Timothy Linh Bui w/Eriq La Salle - Steven Weber
LILLY’S LIGHT** (Pilot) PBS (Musical)
Director: Daniel Carery - Producer: Sherry Hursey
THE TICK (Pilot) Sony Pictures/20th Century Fox (Film/Hi Def** Comparison Tests)
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld - Producers: Vahan Moosekian - Henry Tucker
NEWS RADIO (Pilot) NBC/Columbia Tri-Star (Comedy, Title Sequence)
Producers: Brillstein/Gray - Barbara Dorio - Rayna Saslove
ROUGH CUT RILEY (Pilot) Director: Michael Young - Producer: Glen Gainor
MUSIC FOR YOUR EYES: HERB ALBERT** PBS (Documentary)
Director: Tom Neff - Producer: James Holcomb
MAMA OF DADA PBS/Stonebridge Entertainment (Documentary)
Director: Tom Neff - Producer: Diandre Douglas


~Master of Fine Arts, U.S.C. School of Cinema-Television, Film Production (1991)
~Bachelor of Arts, U.C. San Diego, Media & Communications, Economics (1987)
~Member I.A.T.S.E. 600 & 669
** Shot in Hi Def

Hi Definition
Feature D.P. cinematographer and Operator
Commercials
Television
IATSE 600, 669
UNDERWATER cinematographer
IMAX
Extensive Film experienced
Operator
Videography

Kodak Visionary Award
Sundance Entry and Panelist
(Hi Definition cinematography)

~Master of Fine Arts, U.S.C. School of Cinema-Television, Film Production (1991)
~Bachelor of Arts, U.C. San Diego, Media & Communications, Economics (1987)
~Member I.A.T.S.E. 600 & 669
** Shot in Hi Def

RED camera Package (s)
Panasonic HVX 300
Canon 5d Mark II (Hi def)
Nikkor Lens Set
Arri Camera Package
Arri Lighting Package
35mm Camera Package
Wireless Microphones
Various Hi Def Package
200 + Filters

NO BUDGET TOO SMALL or LARGE - numerous credits
Indie or Studio Features
Commercials
Television
Reality Series experienced
Underwater Cinematography
Visual FX expert
Documentaries
Operator
Videographer ENG
Videographer Sports
Traveled all over world organizing shoots for TV and Feature Films or series
Love to Travel/Work - Passport Ready

Louisiana
California - Southern
California - Northern

IATSE
IFP

Work Permit (Canada)
PADI Diving license
Motorcycle
Motor Helmsman Cert
Basic Driving (PLG)
Underwater, Ice, Aerial