KEN BLAKEY

#1: "Conjurer" [2007]

#2: "CyberTracker" [1993]

#3: "The Prof" [1968] [Photos courtesy of Ken Blakey]

KEN BLAKEY

Born: 17 July 1947, Jackson, Mississippi, USA, as Kenneth T. Blakey.

Education: University of Southern Mississippi [USM] [Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications (major: Radio/TV/Film; minor: Journalism)].

Career: 'I have been a Director of Photography in Los Angeles since 1989 working almost exclusively in the independent feature world. I started my career in San Francisco shooting documentaries and commercials and then moved into fashion and glamour as both still photographer and cinematographer. I relocated to Los Angeles specifically to pursue a career in feature films. I have shot over sixty features and my greatest love continues to be working with people who recognize and respect artistry and have the same passion for movies and the process of making them that I do.'

Shot his first short feature 'The Prof' [1968] during his stay at USM.

Also active as still ph & composer/musician.

Awards: as photographer: Blue Ribbon honors, Ansel Adams Gallery, Monterey, Calif., for his large format fine art photography.

Website: Ken Blakey

Charles Fleischer & Rodney Dangerfield - "The 4th Tenor" [2001]

'The 4th Tenor' [2001]: At the Serenade Café, Ken Blakey lit the stage with a follow spot gelled to warm up skin tones slightly. By contrast, the street exteriors, also filmed on the Universal back lot, were kept slightly cooler in color temperature.

"In the café, I wanted a warm and inviting, natural look with true skin tones," says Blakey. "When we're out on the New York streets, I wanted the look a little cooler because you're down in the canyons between buildings and there's a lot of ultra-violet light. I shot the Italian scenes with a Tiffen #1 chocolate filter on the lens and timed it warm, so that it looks a little bit old world - very warm and inviting. There's a definite difference to the feel and the look."

Blakey photographed [Rodney] Dangerfield with wide lenses to accentuate his trademark bug-eyed look. He generally prefers wider lenses because they help to place the character in the environment. Blakey also chooses to create looks in the camera, using filtration and lighting.

His filter package usually included a #1 Ultracon and a 1/8 white Pro-Mist from Tiffen. Blakey shot the entire film on Kodak Vision 500T 5279 film. "I started using one film stock after seeing Dante Spinotti's work on 'Heat'," he says. "I read that he shot the whole movie on [Eastman EXR 500T] 5298 film. It's not something I do every time; different shows call for different approaches. But when you're shooting multiple cameras and multiple units in changing light, it solves a lot of problems."

Blakey generally overexposed the negative, shooting the 500 speed film at an E.I. of 320 and sometimes 250. "You want a bullet-proof negative," he says. "There's no reason for underexposure, which can bring graininess and lose contrast. Pushed a stop, the 5279 looks gorgeous." [From the KODAK OnFilm website, 2002.]

FILMS
1974	A Day in the Life of Bonnie Consolo [Barry Spinello] 16mm/c; doc/17m
1974	Massage Parlor Wife [Barry Spinello] c
1975	House of Kinky Pleasures/Kinky Perversion [Artaur Ego] c; 58m
1975	The Erotic Fortune Cookies/Chinatown Blue [Artaur Ego] c; 59m
1983	Not in Vain: A Portrait of Erika [Barry Spinello] c; doc/44m; prod for the Erika Lohse Foundation
1990	The Last Riders [Joseph Merhi] c; 2uc; ph: Richard Pepin
1990	The Art of Dying [Wings Hauser] c; 2uc (+ gaffer); ph: Richard Pepin
1991	Ring of Fire [Richard W. Munchkin] c; 2uc (+ gaffer); ph: Richard Pepin
1991	A Time to Die [Charles T. Kanganis] c
1991	Bikini Summer [Robert Veze] 16mm-35bu/c
1991	Sunset Strip [Paul G. Volk] 16mm-35bu/c
1991	Maximum Force [Joseph Merhi] c
1992	Intent to Kill [Charles T. Kanganis] c; 2uc: Richard Pepin
1992	Bikini Summer 2 [Jeff Conaway] 16mm-35bu/c
1992	C.I.A. Code Name: Alexa [Joseph Merhi] c; 2uc; ph: Richard Pepin
1992	Eye of the Stranger [David Heavener] c; co-2uc; ph: Paul A. Edwards
1992	Ring of Fire II: Blood and Steel/Rage: Ring of Fire II [Richard W. Munchkin] c; 2uc; ph: Richard Pepin
1992	Fist of Honor [Richard Pepin] c; 2uc: Garett (as Garret) Griffin
1992	Magic Kid/Ninja Dragons/Tiger Kid [Joseph Merhi] c/V; + ph Michigan crew (dir by Jerry Jacobs); 2uc: Garett (as Garret) Griffin
1992	To Be the Best [Joseph Merhi] c/V; 2uc; ph: Richard Pepin
1992	Alien Intruder [Ricardo Jacques Gale] c/V; 2uc; ph: Michael Pinkey
1993	Private Wars [John Weidner] c/V; 2uc; ph: Garett Griffin
1993	Firepower [Richard Pepin] c; 2uc: Garett Griffin; spec vfx: Frank Isaacs
1993	Magic Kid 2 [Stephen Furst] c; 2uc: Garett Griffin
1993	CIA II: Target Alexa [Lorenzo Lamas] c; 2uc (+ gaffer); ph: Richard Pepin
1993	Direct Hit [Joseph Merhi & (add dir) Paul G. Volk] c; 2uc: Richard Pepin
1993	Ice [Brook Yeaton] c; 2uc: Garett Griffin
1993	Guardian Angel/Beyond Justice [Richard W. Munchkin] c/V; co-2uc; ph: Garett Griffin
1993	CyberTracker [Richard Pepin] c; 2uc: Garett Griffin; spec vfx: Frank Isaacs; optical ph: Mark Corzine
1993	A Dangerous Place/No Surrender [Jerry P. Jacobs] c; 2uc: Garett Griffin
1993	Deadly Target/Fire Zone [Charla Driver] c; 2uc; ph: Richard Pepin
1993	Zero Tolerance [Joseph Merhi] c; 2uc: Garett Griffin
1994	T-Force [Richard Pepin] c; 2uc: Maurice McGuire & Joe Backes; spec vfx: Frank H. Isaacs
1994	Storybook/Adventure Land [Lorenzo Doumani] c; co-2uc; ph: Hanania Baer
1994	Lion Strike/Ring of Fire 3: Lion Strike [Rick Jacobson] c; co-2uc; ph: Garett Griffin
1994	Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter [Corey Michael Eubanks] c
1994	Steel Frontier [Jacobsen Hart & Paul G. Volk] c/V; 2uc; ph: Richard Pepin
1994	Last Man Standing [Joseph Merhi] c/V; 2uc: Jacques Haitkin & Maurice K. McGuire
1994	Hologram Man [Richard Pepin] c
1994	The Power Within/Power Man [Art Camacho] c; 2uc: Maurice K. McGuire
1995	CyberTracker 2 [Richard Pepin] c; 2uc: Maurice K. McGuire & William Tunnicliffe; vfx superv: Frank Isaacs
1995	Rage [Joseph Merhi] c; 2uc: Igor Meglic
1995	To the Limit [Raymond Martino] c; ph Los Angeles; ph: Henryk Cymerman
1995	Midnight Temptations 2/Devotion [Rob Spera] 16mm/c; 2u c.op: Jeffrey Orsa
1995	Tiger Heart [Georges Chamchoum] c; co-2uc; ph: Maurice K. McGuire
1995	The Silencers [Richard Pepin] c; 2uc: Maurice K. McGuire
1995	The Misery Brothers [Lorenzo Doumani] c; 2uc; ph: Hanania Baer
1995	The Sweeper [Joseph Merhi] c; 2uc: Igor Meglic
1995	Pure Danger [C. Thomas Howell] c; 2uc: Igor Meglic & Maurice K. McGuire
1995	Little Bigfoot [Art Camacho] c
1995	Dark Breed [Richard Pepin] c; 2uc: Maurice K. McGuire
1996	One Clean Move [D.W. Brown] 16mm/c; short/15m
1996	Riot [Joseph Merhi] c; 2uc: Igor Meglic
1996	The Assault [Jim Wynorski] c; 2uc; ph: Zoran Hochstätter
1996	Black Sea Raid/Special Forces [Jenö Hodi] c; cph: Valery Roko
1996	Freedom Strike [Jerry P. Jacobs] c; 2uc: Bill Tunnicliffe & David Kiang; c.op naval seq: Gary Graver & Mark Putnam
1996	Executive Target [Joseph Merhi] c; 2uc: Jürgen Baum
1996	The Underground [Cole S. McKay] c
1997	Whatever It Takes [Brady MacKenzie] c; 2uc; ph: Andrea V. Rossotto
1997	Dog Pie [Andrew Levy] c; short/5m
1997	Simple As a Dog [Andrew Levy] c; short/13m
1997	Recoil [Art Camacho] c; 2uc: Igor Meglic
1997	Land of the Free [Jerry Jameson] c
1997	Evasive Action/Steel Train [Jerry P. Jacobs] c; ph miniature efx: Chuy Elizondo
1997	The Cutoff [Art Camacho] c; 2uc: Brett Allen
1997	Love and War II [Sartaj Kahn (= James Tyler)] c
1998	Dirt Merchant [: Alternative Investigator] [B.J. Nelson] c
1998	Unconditional Love [Steven Rush] c
1998	Can't Stop Dancing [Steven Falick & Ben Zook] c; addph; ph: Mac Ahlberg
1998	Running Red [Jerry P. Jacobs] c/V; 2uc: Howard Wexler
1998	Psycho Too [Andrew Levy] b&w; short/5m
1998	Final Voyage [Jay Andrews (= Jim Wynorski)] c/V; + addph; 2u c.op: Maurice McGuire
1998	No Tomorrow [Master P (= Percy Miller)] c/V; 2uc (+ 2ud): Igor Meglic
1999	Epicenter [Richard Pepin] c; co-2uc; ph: Richard Leiterman
1999	Hot Boyz/Gang Law [Master P (= Percy Miller) & (action dir) Spiro Razatos] c/V; 2uc: Jacques Haitkin; 3uc: Paul Janossy
1999	The Stray [Kevin Mock] c/V; 2uc: Maurice McGuire
1999	Rangers [Jay Andrews (= Jim Wynorski)] c/V
1999	Terror Tract/House on Terror Tract [Lance W. Dreesen (seg 'Make Me An Offer' & 'Bobo') & Clint Hutchison (seg 'Nightmare' & 'Come to Granny')] c; 4 seg
1999	Running from the Shadows [Steven Rush] s16/c
1999	Agent Red [Damian Lee] c; 2uc (+ re-shoots ph dir by Jim Wynorski): Robin Melhuish; optical ph: James R. Kerrigan
2000	The Black Rose [Steven Rush] s16/c
2000	Savage Season [Mike Tristano] DVcam-to-35mm/c
2000	Extreme Honor/Last Line of Defence 2 [Steven Rush] c/V; 2uc: Maurice McGuire

With dir Harry Basil [left] - "The 4th Tenor"

2001	The 4th Tenor [Harry Basil] c; 2uc: Igor Meglic; see above
2002	Back by Midnight [Harry Basil] c
2002	El Padrino [Damian Chapa] c; 2uc; ph: Pierre Chemaly
2002	White Rush [Mark L. Lester] c
2003	Hatchetman [Robert Tiffi] s16/c; 2uc: Roberto Schein
2005	Back in Time [Ari Bass] HD/c
2005	The Legend of William Tell [Fred Olen Ray] HD/c
2006	Big Bad Wolf [Lance W. Dreesen] c; addph; ph: Stephen Crawford

[Right] with dir Joseph Merhi - "Game of Life/Oranges"

2006	Game of Life/Oranges [Joseph Merhi] HD/c
2006	Half Past Dead 2/Justified [Art Camacho] s16/c/V
2007	Conjurer [Clint Hutchison] HD/c
2008	Tommy and the Cool Mule/Jackie A. [Andrew Stevens] HD/c/V
2008	The Way Home/Our Child Is Missing [Lance W. Dreesen] HD/c
*2008*	Saint Seiya [Joseph Merhi] announced
2009	Breaking the Press [Andrew Stevens] HD/c
2012	Jessabelle [Kevin Greutert] HD (ARRI ALEXA)/c; 2uc; ph: Michael Fimognari
2013	Demonic/House of the Dead/House of Horror [Will Canon] c; 2uc; ph: Michael Fimognari

TELEVISION
1995	Beverly Hills Bordello [ep #1 'Reunion' dir by Robert Angelo & #2 'Inspiration' dir by Robert Davis] 27-part series/16mm, 1996-98; 1st season; other ph: Carl Oakwood, Keith L. Smith, a.o.
1996	L.A. Heat [ep #16 'Falcon' dir by Joseph Merhi] 48-part series/16mm, 1997 & 1999; 1st season (26 ep), 1997; 2uc (#16): Steve Jackman
1997	L.A. Heat [ep #29 'Burning Sanctuary' dir by Bill Tunnicliffe, #30 'Strip Show' dir by Jerry Jacobs & #33 'John Doe' dir by Paul G. Volk] 2nd season (22 ep), 1999; 2uc: Mike Weaver (#29), Bill Tunnicliffe (#30) & Charles Schner (#33); see 1996
1997	L.A. Heat [ep #31 'Eyewitness' dir by Kevin Mock & #32 'Little Saigon' dir by Richard W. Munchkin] 2nd season (22 ep), 1999; 2uc; ph: Bill Tunnicliffe (#31) & Charles Schner (#32); see 1996
1999	Sacrifice [Mark L. Lester] tvm; co-2uc; ph: Robert Steadman
2000	Role of a Lifetime [Antony Alda] tvm; 2uc; ph: Troy Smith
2002	Recipe for Disaster [Harvey Frost] tvm; 2uc; ph: Christopher C. Pearson
2005	A.I. Assault/Shockwave [Jay Andrews (= Jim Wynorski)] tvm
2005	Women on Death Row [Angie Brown & Philip Reeder] doc/60m/BetaSP; cph: George Feucht, a.o.
2006	Christmas Do-Over/Christmas Every Day [Catherine Cyran] tvm/HD; 2uc: Euripides Núñez
2007	Sands of Oblivion [David Flores] tvm; co-2uc; ph: Keith Duggan; for Sci-Fi Channel
2007	Fire from Below [J.R. Mandish (= Jim Wynorski)] tvm
2009	Mongolian Death Worm [Steven R. Monroe] tvm; 2uc; ph: Neil Lisk; for Syfy Channel (2010)
2009	Mandrake/Unearthed [Tripp Reed] tvm/35mm-to-HD; 2uc: David Blood; for Syfy Channel (2010)
2011	The Jadagrace Show [Joseph Merhi] sitcom series, 2012

MISCELLANEOUS
1971	The Brain Machine/Gray Matter/Mind Warp [- An Infinity of Terror] [Joy N. Houck, Jr.] uncred props; ph (+ ed): Robert A. Weaver
1979	Board and Care [Ron Ellis; short] gaffer; ph: Frederic Goodich
1979	Fear No Evil/Mark of the Beast/Lucifer [Frank LaLoggia] gaffer; ph: Fred Goodich
1990	The Killer's Edge/Blood Money [Joseph Merhi] gaffer; ph: Richard Pepin
1990	The Art of Dying [Wings Hauser] gaffer (+ 2uc); ph: Richard Pepin
1991	Ring of Fire [Richard W. Munchkin] gaffer (+ 2uc); ph: Richard Pepin
1991	Final Impact [Joseph Merhi & Steven Smoke] gaffer; ph: Richard Pepin
1992	Street Crimes/Dead Even [Steven Smoke] gaffer; ph: Richard Pepin
1992	Out for Blood [Richard W. Munchkin] gaffer; ph: Richard Pepin
1992	Deadly Bet [Richard W. Munchkin] gaffer; ph: Richard Pepin
2001	Earth vs. The Spider [Scott Ziehl; tvm] c.op 'b' cam; ph: Tom Callaway
2007	Cheerleader Massacre 2 [Brad Rushing] co-c.op 1st unit; ph: B. Rushing
2012	The Little Rascals Save the Day/The Little Rascals [Alex Zamm] c.op 2u; 2uc: Keith J. Duggan; ph: Levie Isaacks

FILMS & TELEVISION AS DIRECTOR
1996	L.A. Heat [ep #18 'Smash and Grab'] 1st season (26 ep), 1997; ph: Jürgen Baum; 2uc: Bill Tunnicliffe; see Television
1997	Bikini Summer III: South Beach Heat [feature; + prod] ph: Scott Mumford