IEC
#1: © William Kallay [2007]
#2: From the doc "Cinematographer Style"
RUSS ALSOBROOK ASC
Born: 2 September 1946, Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA, as Russ Thomas Alsobrook. Raised in San Diego.
Education: Cal Western University, San Diego; San Diego State College; University of California, Santa Barbara [English & Philosophy].
Career: A chance encounter with a 'The Wonderful World of Disney' crew [dir by Frank Zuniga] on a California beach led to an opportunity to enter the film industry as a gofer in 1969. He spent the next three years working on 16mm nature films. From 1972-79, he was a staff cinematographer for a company that produced industrial films and commercials for Chrysler. In 1979, he started shooting doc's for PBS-tv, ABC-tv and the Ambassador Foundation. He transitioned into narrative storytelling in 1989, when he shot a low budget feature called 'Skeeter's Wings'.
Ph commercials dir by John McDonald, a.o.
Appeared in the doc 'Cinematographer Style' [2005, Jon Fauer; ph: J. Fauer, Jeff Laszlo, Brian Heller & David Morgan].
Russ
Alsobrook: 'I've always been an observer, so it was natural for me to
gravitate to cinematography. Shooting nature films and documentaries around the
world taught me to think on my feet and find the essence of the story.
Cinematographers use light the way a novelist uses words to describe how
sunshine on an autumn day paints the scene for his or her characters. Every
cinematic technique creates an emotional response that influences how the
audience embraces the story and characters. I believe film has a certain magic
that will never be replaced or duplicated. There is an alchemy that takes place
far beyond the technical and artistic elements that conjure up a movie. Film is
magical because it defies explanation. Perhaps this glorious 19th century
technology endures because no other medium can tell stories that connect so
directly to the human heart. This is the most amazing art form ever invented.'
[From the KODAK OnFilm website.]
| FILMS | |
|---|---|
|
1983 |
T-Lock - The American Solution [Kevin Biles] c; comm doc/?m; for Ameron, Inc. |
|
1988 |
Ask Any Dummy: Seat Belts Make Sense! [John E. McDonald] c; comm doc/18m; for Hyundai |
|
1988 |
Skeeter's Wings [D.J. Webster] c; short/60m |
|
1989 |
The Dark Side of the Moon [D.J. Webster] c |
|
1993 |
Mona Must Die [Donald Reiker] c |
|
2000 |
The Closet [Shawn Schepps] c; short/9m; cph: Shawn Schepps |
|
2004 |
Once in a Lifetime: 'Just Go for It!' [Randolph Hirsch] scheduled as doph, but prod was put on hold; ph in November 2006 by Patricia Van Over |
|
2004 |
The Good Daughter [Curtis Bradford] c; short/6m |
|
2004 |
Man About Town [Mike Binder] s35/c; 2uc: Donald McCuaig; aph: Dwayne McClintock |
|
2006 |
Reign Over Me/Empty City [Mike Binder] HD (Genesis)-to-35mm scope/c; 2uc New York (+ 2ud): Kyle C. Rudolph |
|
2006 |
Superbad [Greg Mottola] HD (Genesis)-to-35mm/c |
|
2007 |
Forgetting Sarah Marshall [Nicholas Stoller] 35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; ph marine unit Hawaii: Don King |
|
2007 |
Role Models/Little Big Men [David Wain (replaced Luke Greenfield)] c |
|
2008 |
Paul Blart: Mall Cop [Steve Carr] HD (Genesis)-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Patrick Capone |
|
2009 |
You May Not Kiss the Bride/Wedlocked [Rob Hedden] RED One/c |
|
2013 |
Tammy [Ben Falcone] s35-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Jerome Fauci; addph: Joe D'Alessandro; aph: Eric Dvorsky |
|
2013 |
Black or White [Mike Binder] HD (ARRI ALEXA)-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; uwph: Pete Romano |
|
2016 |
Status Update [Scott Speer] c |
|
2017 |
Blockers/The Pact [Kay Cannon] HD (ARRI ALEXA XT/p & Mini/p)-to-D-Cinema (scope)/c |
| TELEVISION & INTERNET | |
|---|---|
|
1972 |
Salty, the Hijacked Harbor Seal [Milas Hinshaw] tvm/16mm; ep ABC-tv series 'The Wonderful World of Disney' |
|
1972 |
Mustang [Frank Zuniga & Roy Edward Disney] 2-part tvm; 2uc (+ c.op 'b' cam); ph: Michael Lonzo; ep ABC-tv series 'The Wonderful World of Disney' |
|
1981 |
Women of Russia [Michael Carr & Peter Sova] 3-part doc series |
|
1992 |
The Ben Stiller Show [various] 13-part series, 1992-93; cph: Clyde Smith (pilot, ep #2 & #3) & Michael Franks (pilot) |
|
1994 |
The Shaggy Dog [Dennis Dugan] tvm; ep ABC-tv 'Disney Family Movies'; remake of film (1958, Charles Barton; ph: Edward Colman) |
|
1994 |
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes [Peyton Reed] tvm; remake of film (1969, Robert Butler; ph: Frank Phillips) |
|
1994 |
Freaky Friday [Melanie Mayron] tvm; ep ABC-tv 'Family Saturday Movie'; remake of film (1976, Gary Nelson; ph: Charles Wheeler) |
|
1994 |
Escape to Witch Mountain [Peter Rader] tvm; remake of film (1974, John Hough; ph: Frank Phillips) |
|
1995 |
The Barefoot Executive [Susan Seidelman] tvm; ep ABC-tv 'Saturday Night at the Movies'; remake of film (1970, Robert Butler; ph: Charles Wheeler) |
|
1995 |
The Love Bug [Peyton Reed] tvm; ep ABC-tv seriies 'The Wonderful World of Disney' |
|
1995 |
Encino Woman/California Woman [Shawn Schepps] tvm |
|
1997 |
Austin Stories [various] 13-part series/s16, 1997-98 |
|
1998 |
Daytrippers [Fran Drescher] pilot; for MTV |
|
1999 |
Freaks and Geeks [12 ep dir by various] 18-part series/s35, 1999-2000; other ph (pilot): Bill Pope |
|
2000 |
Grosse Pointe [16 ep dir by various] 17-part series/s16, 2000-01; other ph (pilot): Alexander Gruszynski |
|
2000 |
Undeclared [13 ep dir by various] 17-part (1 unaired) series, 2001-02; other ph: James L. Carter (4 ep) |
|
2001 |
The Mind of the Married Man [10 ep dir by various] 20-part series, 2001-02; 2nd season, 2002 |
|
2001 |
Lizzie McGuire [ep #32 'First Kiss' dir by Steve DeJarnatt (SDJ), #33 'El Oro de Montezuma' dir by Savage Steve Holland (SSH), #34 'Mom's Best Friend' dir by SDJ, #35 'The Rise and Fall of Kate' dir by Anson Williams (AW), #42 'Over the Hill' dir by SSH, #45 'Just Like Lizzie' dir by AW, #47 'Inner Beauty' dir by Mark Rosman (MR), #48 'Movin' on Up' dir by MR & #49 'Party Over Here' dir by SSH] 65-part series, 2001-04; 2nd season, 2002-04; other ph: John Newby |
|
2002 |
Romy and Michele: In the Beginning [Robin Schiff] tvm |
|
2002 |
Dragnet [ep #12 'The Little Guy' dir by Donna Deitch] 22-part (2 unaired) series, 2003-04; 1st season, 2003; cph: Bing Sokolsky; other ph: Johnny Jensen, Paul Maibaum & Bing Sokolsky; the 2nd season was called 'L.A. Dragnet' |
|
2003 |
L.A. Dragnet [all ep (#13-22) dir by various] 2nd season, 2003-04; see 2002 |
|
2003 |
Miss Match [ep #15 'Divorce Happens' dir by Michael Lange] 18-part (7 unaired) series, 2003; other ph: Steven Fierberg & Ron García |
|
2005 |
What About Brian [pilot dir by Dan Lerner] 24-part series, 2006-07; filmed March; unaired 1st pilot ph by Uta Briesewitz |
|
2005 |
Big Love [ep #4 'Eclipse' dir by Michael Spiller, #6 'Roberta's Funeral' dir by Mary Harron, #8 'Easter' dir by Steve Shill, #10 'The Baptism' dir by Michael Lehmann & #12 'The Ceremony' dir by Julian Farino] 53-part series, 2006-11; 1st season, 2006; other ph: James Glennon |
|
2005 |
What About Brian [ep #2 'Two in Twenty-Four' dir by Dan Lerner (DL), #3 'Moving Day' dir by Ron Lagomarsino, #4 'The Importance of Being Brian' dir by Gabe Sachs & Jeff Judah & #5 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' dir by DL] filmed Nov; see 2005 |
|
2011 |
Switched at Birth [ep #2-10 dir by various] series, 2011-present; 1st season, 2011-12 (30 ep); other ph: Daryn Okada (pilot) & Frank Byers (#11-30) |
|
2011 |
Friends with Benefits [13 ep dir by various] 13-part (1 unaired) series, 2011 |
|
2011 |
New Girl [23 ep dir by various] series/HD (ARRI ALEXA), 2011-present; 1st season, 2011-12 (24 ep); other ph (pilot): Tim Suhrstedt |
|
2012 |
New Girl [25 ep dir by various] 2nd season, 2012-13 (25 ep); see 2011 |
|
2013 |
New Girl [19 ep dir by various] 3rd season, 2013-14 (23 ep); see 2011 |
|
2014 |
Really [Jay Chandrasekhar] pilot/HD; for Amazon Studios |
|
2014 |
New Girl [18 ep dir by various] 4th season, 2014-15 (22 ep); see 2011 |
|
2015 |
New Girl [20 ep dir by various] 5th season, 2016 (22 ep); see 2011 |
|
2015 |
Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life [5 ep dir by various] 13-part series, 2016 |
|
2016 |
New Girl [12 ep dir by various] 6th season, 2016-17 (22 ep); see 2011 |
| MISCELLANEOUS [e.g. as director] | |
|---|---|
|
1970 |
Three Without Fear: Lost on the Baja Peninsula [Frank Zuniga; 2-part ep 'The Wonderful World of Disney'] gofer; ph: Milas Hinshaw |
|
1990 |
Never Forget [Joseph Sargent; tvm] c.op; ph: Kees van Oostrum |
|
2013 |
New Girl [dir ep #56 'Coach'] 3rd season, 2013-14; ph: Casey Hotchkiss; see Television (2011) |
|
2014 |
New Girl [dir ep #79 'Goldmine' & #88 'Oregon'] 4th season, 2014-15; ph: Casey Hotchkiss; see Television (2011) |
