RENE OHASHI

RENE OHASHI ASC/CSC

Education: York University, Toronto [Filmmaking; BFA in 1976].

Career: 'I was raised in Toronto, but I also have a Japanese heritage. A friend who ran the high school camera club got me interested in still photography. I got a sales job in a photography store while I was still in high school. That gave me opportunities to play with all kinds of still cameras. I had a Canon 35mm system. Later, I switched to taking pictures with a Hasselblad camera. I became very fluent and comfortable with cameras, and built my own darkroom in my parent's basement. I had a neighbor, Jack van der May, who shot film for television documentaries. He had his own ARRI 16mm camera. I knocked on his door one day and asked if he would teach me the ins and outs of filmmaking. I said I would help him for free if I could go with him on jobs and observe him at work. He gave me an ARRI magazine, a changing bag and some short ends and told me to practice loading the film. Later that summer he took me on a job with him. After that, I was his assistant for about four years while I was at film school. I got my basic training in black and white and was still assisting Jack when he switched to shooting color film. We shot a lot of hockey games and other sports for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Because of my professional assisting experience, I got to shoot almost all of the student films while I was at York University. I virtually had one of the school's ARRI 16BL cameras to myself. After graduation, I bought an Aaton 16mm camera. I met a producer-director who was working for an educational network. She hired me to do second unit camera work. I got a really big break when she hired me as a cinematographer for a 26-part, half-hour educational series about aging. In 1982, I was with a Canadian mountain climbing expedition that went to the Southern Himalayas for around two months. Another time I went to Japan to film a National Geographic documentary about the Kodo drummers. That was the first time I was actually in Japan. I was basically working with a Japanese crew and needed an interpreter. That was a pretty strange feeling since my heritage is Japanese.' [From interview by Bob Fisher on the KODAK OnFilm website.]

Ph 100+ commercials dir by Boris Damast, Robert Quartly, Bill Scarlet, Larry August, Dan Hackett, Brian Belefant [for McDonald's], Geoff Ayres [for Kellogg's], Mitch Gabourie, a.o. Ph public-service announcements, e.g. 'The Disappearing' [2004, Keith Ross Leckie].

Awards: 'Gemini' Award [1986] for 'Anne of Green Gables'; 'Gemini' Award [1987; shared] for 'A Moving Picture'; CSC Award [1990] & 'Genie' Award nom [1990] for 'Millennium'; 'Gemini' Award [1994] for 'The Diviners'; 'Gemini' Award [1995] for 'Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad'; CSC Kodak New Century Award [1997] for Lifetime Achievement; CSC Award [1997] & 'Gemini' Award [1998] for 'The Arrow'; CSC Award nom [1999] for 'Jerzy Has a Dream'; ASC Award [2000] for 'The Crossing'; 'Gemini' Award [2001], ASC Award nom [2001] & CSC Award nom [2002] for 'Don Giovanni Unmasked'; CSC TV Award [2002] for 'Club Land'; CSC Award Theatrical Feature [2003] for 'They'; 'Gemini' Award [2004] & CSC TV Award nom [2004] for 'Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion'; CSC Award Theatrical Feature nom [2005] for 'Highwaymen'; CSC Award Theatrical Feature nom [2006] for 'Saint Ralph'; CSC TV Drama Award [2006] for 'Stone Cold'; CSC TV Series Award [2007] for 'Kidnapped' [ep 'Special Delivery']; 'Gemini' Award [2007] for 'Shades of Black: The Conrad Black Story'; ASC TV Award nom [2007] for 'Jesse Stone: Sea Change'; ASC TV Award nom [2009] for 'Jesse Stone: Thin Ice'.

Website: Rene Ohashi [agent's website]

Rene Ohashi: 'Cinematography is a way of seeing. It's like an interpretive visual journey that comes out of the written words. The story dictates to you how to present the images and how to make the aesthetic choices that will evoke an emotional response from the viewer. I've always been a believer of realism in photography, that is, heightened realism. Part of that is exploring the limits and thresholds of the photographic emulsion. Today's film stocks can capture the extremes of light and dark as well as the nuances. We cinematographers have a tremendous advantage with the current varied range of film stocks, which, in conjunction with computer imaging, can make almost anything visually and creatively possible. Once impossible shots are now conceivable. Your imagination can run completely free. It's like having an extended palette or an enhanced vocabulary. Filmmakers can find new ways of telling stories and new ways of expressing themselves.' [From the KODAK Canada website.]

FILMS
1978	Bakery/Boulangerie [Barbara Cochrane] c; doc/6m
1979	Illusions [James Orr] c; doc/25m; following dir Claude Jutra during the shooting of 'Surfacing'
1980	Reaching Out [Rebecca Yates & Glen Salzman] c; short/32m
1982	Bon Voyage, But.../Bon voyage, mais... [Cheryl Simard] c; doc/27m; cph: Robert Fresco, Vic Sarin & Michel Thomas-d'Hoste
1982	Jen's Place [Rebecca Yates & Glen Salzman] c; short/56m
1982	Prisoners of Debt: Inside the Global Banking Crisis [Robert Collison & Peter Raymont] c; doc/58m; cph: Mark Irwin
1982	And When They Shall Ask [John Morrow] 16mm/c
1982	Thanks for the Ride [John Kent Harrison] 16mm/c; short/28m
1983	Kodo: Heartbeat Drummers of Japan [Jacques Holender] 16mm/c; doc/60m
1983	Listen to the City [Ron Mann] 16mm/c
1984	Neon: An Electric Memoir [Rudy Buttignol & Ken Ketter] c; doc/26m; cph: R. Buttignol, Chris Terry, John Walker & Mark Irwin
1984	The Umpire/L'arbitre [Paul Shapiro] 16mm/c; short/17m
1985	Blindside [Paul Lynch] c
1986	The Trumpeter [Janice Platt] c; short/24m
1986	Sweet Lorraine [Steve Gomer] c
1987	Shadow Dancing/Stage Fright [Lewis Furey] c; filmed 1987-88
1988	Millennium [Michael Anderson] c; 2uc: John Harris & (Light and Motion crew) Sam Nicholson (+ co-2ud/dir vfx); cameraman (Light and Motion crew): Barry F. Peterson; uwph (Hawaii crew): Doug Phillips; optical ph: Tim Segulin
1988	Where the Spirit Lives [Bruce Pittman] c
1989	Deep Sleep [Patricia Gruben] c
1991	John Wyre - Drawing on Sound [Niv Fichman] c; doc/26m; cph: Tobias Schliessler & David Geddes
1992	La Florida [George Mihalka] c; addph: John Berrie
1994	The War Between Us/Hakujin [Anne Wheeler] c
1994	Rent-a-Kid [Fred Gerber] c/V
1997	Family Plan [Fred Gerber] c
1997	Gold Fever [David Lickley] IMAX-70mm/c; doc/41m; filmed 1997-98
1998	Water Damage [Murray Battle] c
1998	Jerzy Has a Dream [?] ?; short/?m
2001	They [Robert Harmon] s35/c; 2uc (+ 2ud): David Crone; supplemental ph: Karl Herrmann & (dir) Rick Bota; uwph: Pauline Heaton; vfx superv: Kyle Menzies
2002	Highwaymen [Robert Harmon] s35/c; 2uc: João Fernandes; aph: Douglas Holgate
2003	Saint Ralph [Michael McGowan] c
2010	Faces in the Crowd/Faces [Julien Magnat] c; 2uc: Lawrence Daufenbach
2013	Forsaken/Redemption [Jon Cassar] c
2014	Wait Till Helen Comes [Dominic James] HD/c

TELEVISION
1978	Dolls/Les poupées [Barbara Cochrane] doc/?m
1979	Head Start [Joan Reed-Olsen] 13-part doc series/16mm
1980	Clown White [Paul Shapiro] tvm/60m/16mm
1980	Introducing... Janet/Rubberface [Glen Salzman & Rebecca Yates] tvm/48m/16mm
1981	Visions [Don Thompson] 13-part doc series/16mm
1981	Rumours of Glory [Martin Lavut] doc/81m/16mm; cph: Barry Stone, Vic Sarin, Henri Fiks & Robert Fresco
1982	Gongga Shan: White Peaks Beyond the Clouds [Peter Walsh] doc/60m/16mm
1982	R.W. (Real World) [Paul Shapiro] tvm/30m/16mm
1983	The Edison Twins [13 ep dir by various] 78-part series/16mm, 1984-86; 1st season, 1984 (13 ep)
1984	Hockey Night [Paul Shapiro] tvm/16mm
1984	The Edison Twins [13 ep dir by various] 2nd season, 1984-85 (13 ep); see 1983
1984	Anne of Green Gables [Kevin Sullivan] 2-part tvm/16mm & 4-part miniseries/16mm
1985	The Edison Twins [13 ep dir by various] 3rd season, 1985 (13 ep); see 1983
1985	Miracle at Moreaux [Paul Shapiro] tvm/58m/16mm
1985	Philip Marlowe, Private Eye [ep #6 'Blackmailers Don't Shoot' dir by Allan King, #7 'Spanish Blood' dir by Robert Iscove (RI), #8 'Pickup on Noon Street' dir by RI, #9 'Guns at Cyrano's' dir by RI, # 10 'Trouble Is My Business' dir by RI & #11 'Red Wind' dir by Martin Lavut] 11-part series, 1983 (5 ep) & 1986 (6 ep); 2nd season, 1986
1986	As Is [Michael Lindsay-Hogg] tvm/16mm
1986	The Truth About Alex [Paul Shapiro] tvm/48m/16mm
1986	A Moving Picture [Jürgen Lutz] dance film/54m/16mm; cph: Emil Kolompar, Paul Mockler & Vic Sarin
1986	[The Lawrenceville Stories:] The Prodigious Hickey/The Prodigious Mr. William Hicks [Robert Iscove] tvm/60m/16mm; ep PBS-tv series 'American Playhouse'; see 1987 & 1988
1987	The Incredible Ida Early [Robert Iscove] tvm/60m
1987	Hot Paint [Sheldon Larry] tvm
1987	Taking Care of Terrific [Jim Purdy] tvm/60m/16mm
1987	[The Lawrenceville Stories:] The Return of Hickey [Allan A. Goldstein] tvm/60m/16mm; ep PBS-tv series 'American Playhouse'; see 1986 & 1988
1987	Almost Grown [pilot dir by David Chase] 13-part series, 1988-89
1987	Masterclass with Menuhin [Niv Fichman] mus doc/56m/16mm
1988	Men [6 ep dir by various] 6-part series, 1989; other ph: Neil Roach; for ABC-tv
1988	[The Lawrenceville Stories:] The Beginning of the Firm [Allan A. Goldstein] tvm/60m; ep PBS-tv series 'American Playhouse'; see 1986 & 1987
1989	Pray for Me, Paul Henderson [Brad Turner] tvm/60m/16mm; ep 'CBC's Magic Hour'
1989	Christmas in America: A Love Story [Eric Till] tvm/60m
1990	The Wonder Years [ep #47-59 & #69 dir by various] 115-part series/16mm, 1988-93; 4th season, 1990-91; other ph: Russell Carpenter & Tim Suhrstedt
1991	To Catch a Killer [Eric Till] 2-part tvm
1991	[Alexander Graham Bell:] The Sound and the Silence/The Sound and the Silence: The Alexander Graham Bell Story [John Kent Harrison] 2-part tvm
1992	The Diviners [Anne Wheeler] tvm/16mm
1993	[Thicker Than Blood:] The Larry McLinden Story [Michael Dinner] tvm
1993	Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad [Don McBrearty] tvm/16mm
1994	The Vacant Lot [ep #1 dir by Robert Quartly] 6-part series, 1994; loc ph
1994	Party of Five [pilot dir by Richard Pearce] 142-part series, 1994-2000; other ph: Joe Pennella (final 3 seasons) & Charlie Lieberman
1995	Kissinger and Nixon [- Peace at Hand] [Daniel Petrie] tvm
1996	Early Edition [pilot dir by Michael Dinner, ep #11 'Christmas' dir by Daniel Attias, #12 'Frostbit' dir by Lee Bonner & #13 'Mob Wife' dir by Rick Rosenthal] 90-part series, 1996-2000; 1st season, 1996-97; other ph: Arthur Albert, Gino Crededio, John S. Bartley, Neil Roach, Joe Pennella & John Thomas
1996	The Arrow/Projet Arrow [Don McBrearty] 2-part tvm/b&w-c; efx unit ph: Tom Turnbull
1999	The Crossing [Robert Harmon] tvm; 2uc: Maris Jansons
1999	Don Giovanni Unmasked [Barbara Willis Sweete] opera/60m/s16
2000	Club Land [Saul Rubinek] tvm
2000	Wild Iris [Daniel Petrie] tvm
2003	Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion [Bruce Pittman] 2-part tvm
2004	[Jesse Stone:] Stone Cold [Robert Harmon] tvm/s16-to-HD; 2uc: Christopher Ball
2005	Above and Beyond [Sturla Gunnarsson] 2-part tvm/s16
2005	Shades of Black: The Conrad Black Story [Alex Chapple] tvm/s16
2006	Kidnapped [ep #2 'Special Delivery' dir by Michael Dinner, #3 'Sorry, Wrong Number' dir by Michael W. Watkins, #4 'Number One with a Bullet' dir by Michael Pressman, #5 'Burn, Baby, Burn' dir by Oz Scott & (cph) #6 'My Heart Belongs to Daddy' dir by Nelson McCormick] 13-part series/s35, 2006-07; other ph: Edward J. Pei (pilot) & Roy H. Wagner (+ cph #6)
2006	Jesse Stone: Sea Change [Robert Harmon] tvm/s16-to-HD; 2uc: Christopher Ball
2007	Jesse Stone: Thin Ice [Robert Harmon] tvm/s16-to-HD
2008	Eleventh Hour [ep #3 'Agro' dir by Danny Cannon (DC), #4 'Savant' dir by Terry McDonough (TM), #5 'Containment' dir by DC, #9 'Flesh' dir by David Barrett, #10 'H2O' dir by TM & #12 'Eternal' dir by Jeffrey Hunt] 18-part series, 2008-09; other ph: David Stockton & Eagle Egilsson
2010	Nikita [20 ep dir by various] 73-part series, 2010-13; 1st season/HD (Sony F35), 2010-11 (22 ep); other ph: David Stockton (pilot) & David Herrington (ep #17)
2010	InSecurity [ep #7 'Spies on Ice' dir by Robert de Lint] pilot ('B Team'; ph in 2008 by Michael Storey & Mark Dobrescu [prep]; aired in 2010) + 23-part series, 2011; 1st season, 2011 (January/March) (13 ep)
2011	Nikita [12 ep dir by various] 2nd season/HD (ARRI ALEXA), 2011-12 (23 ep); see 2010
2012	Nikita [11 ep dir by various] 3rd season/HD (ARRI ALEXA), 2012-13 (22 ep); see 2010
2014	Clementine [Michael Dinner] pilot; 2uc (+ c.op 'a' cam & Steadicam op): Stefan von Bjorn; for ABC-tv

MISCELLANEOUS
1976	Starship Invasions/Alien Encounter/War of the Aliens/Project Genocide [Ed Hunt] co-c.asst; ph: Mark Irwin
1997	Too Close to Home [Bill Corcoran; tvm] add c.op; ph: Malcolm Cross