#1: From interview [CSC Awards, 2015]

 

   


DOUGLAS KOCH   CSC

 

Born: 1960, Vancouver, Canada.

Education: Ryerson Polytechnic [since 2002: Ryerson University], Toronto [graduated in 1983].

Career: Ph numerous commercials dir by Jeremiah Chechik, Deepa Mehta, Patricia Rozema, Rupert Wainwright, Marco Brambilla, Mark Mainguy, a.o. Ph 100+ music videos with a: The Spoons, Sarah McLachlan, Svengali, a.o.

Awards: 'Genie' Award nom [1988] for 'I've Heard the Mermaids Singing'; 'Genie' Award [1993] for 'Battle of the Bulge'; Canadian Music Video Award [1994]; 'Genie' Award nom [1998] & CSC Award nom [1999] for 'Last Night'; Cannes Bronze Lion [2001] for ph commercials; CSC Fritz Spiess Award for Commercial Cinematography [2009]; CSC Award 'Theatrical Feature Cinematography' nom [2015] for 'The Grand Seduction'.

Website: Douglas Koch [website of his management agency]


Douglas Koch: 'I've always said if you want to learn the craft of cinematography, get into music videos as quick as you can. You will be very frequently forced to produce something from nothing, which is always a great training ground. You will have to go into strange places with a bunch of lights and some crazy smoke machine - although, that's very 1980s - with the minimum budget for the art department, and probably not much of an idea for the end result. It's incredible how much they rely on you, the DOP, to come with ideas to make the video work. And if you can actually make it work, then you will get more work and better pay. I really learnt so much from making these low-budget Canadian music videos. I was constantly being forced to pull a rabbit out of a hat.' [From the CSC website.]


 FILMS

1984

Snowscreen [: The Art of Michael Snow] [Robert Shoub] c; doc/50m; cph: R. Shoub

1987

I've Heard the Mermaids Singing/Le chant des sirènes [Patricia Rozema] 16mm+v-to-35mm/b&w-c

1987

Night Friend/A Cry from the Heart [Peter Gerretsen] c

1987

Martha, Ruth & Edie [Norma Bailey, Deepa Mehta & Danièle J. Suissa] c

1987

Dear John [Catherine Ord] c

1987

The Sexiest Animal [Stephen Withrow] c; doc/38m; cph: Rhett Morita

1988

Turnabout [Don Owen] c; cph: John Hertzog

1988

Friends, Lovers & Lunatics/Crazy Horse/She Drives Me Crazy [Stephen Withrow] c; 2u camera: Ludek Bogner, Rhett Morita, Attila Szalay & Edgar Egger

1989

Defy Gravity [Michael Gibson] c

1989

Geeks in Love [Mike Rohl] scheduled to start shooting Spring 1990, later March 1992; status unknown

1991

The Falls [Kevin McMahon] s16-35bu/b&w-c; doc/89m

1992

Heart Songs [Sue Clayton] c; short/12m

1994

When Night Is Falling [Patricia Rozema] c

1997

The Grace of God [Gérald L'Ecuyer] c; 75m; co-addph; ph: Jonathan Freeman; filmed over a 10 year period

1997

Last Night/La dernière nuit [Don McKellar] c; 69m; also ep of 10-part series '2000 vu par...'

1999

Rusty [Jeremy Hindle] c; short/16m

2000

A Word from the Management [Don McKellar] c; short/6m; prod for the Toronto International Film Festival (2000)

2001

Bollywood/Hollywood [Deepa Mehta] s35/c

2002

The Republic of Love [Deepa Mehta] c

2008

The Catsitter [Tim Hamilton] scope/c; short/11m

2012

The Grand Seduction [Don McKellar] HD (ARRI ALEXA Plus)-to-D-Cinema/b&w-c; 2uc: Daniel Jobin

2015

It's Not You [Don McKellar] HD/c; short/12m

2017

Through Black Spruce [Don McKellar] announced

 

 TELEVISION & INTERNET

1987

The Kidnapping of Baby John Doe [Peter Gerretsen] tvm/s16

1991

Battle of the Bulge [Arlene Hazzan Green] tvm/30m

1991

Nilus the Sandman: The Boy Who Dreamed Christmas [Chris Delaney & (live-action) Arnie Zipursky] special (anim + live-action)/30m; live-action ph; followed by 2 specials (1994 & 1995) and a 26-part live-action/animated series (1996-98)

1993

Fellini & Me [Michael DeCarlo] tvm/30m

1993

Collateral Damage [Leonard Farlinger] tvm/30m

2002

Secret Service [Rupert Wainwright] pilot; for FOX-tv

2004

Meltdown [Jeremiah Chechik] tvm

2006

Not This But This [Mark Mainguy] pilot; for CBC-tv

2006

The Bronx Is Burning [Jeremiah Chechik] 8-part series/HD, 2007; 2uc: David Stump; for ESPN-tv

2008

The Middleman [pilot 'Sanction' dir by Jeremiah Chechik] 12-part series; other ph: John Newby

2010

Getting Down [Tim Hamilton] 5-part web series; for funnyordie.com (2011)

2010

Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays (1st season title) [Don McKellar, Patricia Rozema & Alison Maclean] 18-part series/HD, 2011 & 2017; 1st season, 2011 (12 ep)

2013

Bodyslam [Robert Budreau] tvm/9m/HD; for bravoFACT (online)

2014

Sensitive Skin [6 ep dir by Don McKellar] series/HD, 2014-present; 1st season (6 ep)

2014

The Second City Project [Tim Hamilton] sketch comedy series (multi-platform), 2015; 2uc: Clement Lush

2015

Sensitive Skin [6 ep dir by Don McKellar] 2nd season, 2016 (6 ep); see 2014

2015

The New Yorker Presents [item 'Roy Spivey' (drama/13m) of ep #6 dir by Michael Slovis] drama/comedy/doc series, 2016-present; 1st season, 2016 (11 ep); for Amazon Studios (Amazon Prime Video)

2016

Michael: Every Day (2nd season title) [Don McKellar] 2nd season, 2017 (6 ep); see 2010

2016

Perverts Anonymous [Tim Hamilton] tvm/61m

 

 MISCELLANEOUS

1984

Next of Kin [Atom Egoyan] c.asst; ph: Peter Mettler

1984

A Trip Around Lake Ontario [Colin Brunton; short] c.asst; ph: Peter Mettler

1985

Passion: A Letter in 16mm [Patricia Rozema; short] co-c.asst (+ lighting tech); ph: Peter Mettler

1985

Knock! Knock! [Bruce McDonald; short] c.asst; ph: Peter Mettler

1986

Divine Solitude [Jean Marc Larivière; short] co-c.asst; ph: Kemp Archibald & Peter Mettler