IEC
TAMI REIKER ASC
Born: ?, Connecticut, USA.
Education: Film School of New York University [NYU] [graduated in 1987].
Career: Started as still ph. After her study at NYU, worked as a c.asst and loader. 'I did still photography since I was 10 or 12. I decided to go to NYU, initially for still photography. But once there, I decided I could do that on my own and went after film. I'd always loved movies and found it fascinating how they were made. In film school, I started shooting lots of student films. Working on feature films as an intern during the summer solidified my desire to be in the camera department. I loved the production of it and the scope was much bigger than still photography. [...] I'm always referring back to still photography. Besides the masters and the classics, I pore through the pages of 'Vogue' and 'Index'. Still photography leads to trends, especially in commercials. There are cinematographers whose work I love. Roger Deakins, for example - besides his lighting, every movie is completely different. I also worked as an assistant for Harris Savides for a while and what I learned from him was the power of experimenting. Another influence comes from living in New York City and going to museums and theater.' [From the studiodaily website.]
Ph numerous commercials dir by Craig Gillespie [for Fruit of the Loom], Wayne Holloway, Bob Giraldi [for Barbie Dolls], Dewey Nicks, Bennett Miller [for Rexall Sundown], Jamie Most, Mike Bigelow, a.o. Ph music videos [a: David Bowie, Sheryl Crow, Tracy Chapman, a.o.].
Member of the ASC since 2006.
Teaches cinematography, e.g. at the International Film & Television Workshops in Rockport, Maine [2004].
Awards: Independent Spirit Award nom [1999] for 'High Art'; ASC TV Cable Award [2003] & Kodak Vision Award [2005] for 'Carnivàle' [pilot 'Milfay'].
'High Art' [1997]: 'As an in-demand DP on commercials, Tami Reiker has not only traveled the world, she has discovered many of the tools of her craft, e.g. the jib-arm. "I've used the jib-arm on big videos and commercials," she says. "And I really wanted to do a movie with it. It's not like Steadicam, it's not like regular handheld; it's like floating handheld." In 'High Art', the jib-arm comes to represent "Lucy's world," Reiker explains. "The scenes where they're passing drugs around the table, it just kind of floats from one person to the next, and the camera moves a little bit slower than the action." Using the jib-arm was also a time saver, a major boon to a $600,000 independent film. "It was so fast, and it made moves I never could have made otherwise - especially since I was operating the whole movie, without a dolly grip and focus grip to coordinate everything. Luckily, I had an amazing assistant, because a lot of the movie was shot either 2 or 2.8. So even when we were on a 35mm lens, there was no depth of field." The flat look was intentional; Cholodenko and Reiker envisioned a somewhat harsh visual style akin to urban realism, and went to several extremes to achieve it. "We flashed the film with the ARRI Varicon," says the DP, "which everybody was doing when we shot last summer. But they would flash and then go through the ENR process to bring back all the blacks rich and dark. We were just flashing." Shooting interiors with Kodak's 5277, the 320 ASA Vision stock, gave her the stop she needed. For an even rawer look, the lead actresses went without makeup.' [John Calhoun in Lighting Dimensions, June 1998.]
| FILMS | |
|---|---|
|
1990 |
Lifestyles of the Ramones [George Seminara] c; doc + music videos/57m; cph: Sam Henriquez, Vincent Giordano & Ben Speth |
|
199? |
Ring of Fire [Lisa Cholodenko] ?; student film/?m; prod Columbia University |
|
1992 |
Amnesia [Alex Sichel] b&w-c; short/14m; prod Columbia University |
|
1992 |
A Woman's Point of View During Sex [Ingrid Rudefors] c; short/5m; + small part |
|
1992 |
Catwalk [Robert Leacock & Milton Moses Ginsberg] b&w-c; doc/95m; 2uc; ph: Robert Leacock; released 1996 |
|
1993 |
Souvenir [Lisa Cholodenko] 16mm/c; short/13m; prod Columbia University |
|
1993 |
Hits! [William R. Greenblatt] c; 2uc; ph: Jon Kranhouse |
|
1994 |
Little Women in Transit [Barbara Heller] 16mm-35bu/b&w; short/7m; also seg of feature length program 'Girlfriends' (8 shorts; 1996) |
|
1994 |
Taken for Granite: A Short Amorous Tale of Frustration [Cheryl Miller] c; short/27m |
|
1994 |
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love [Maria Maggenti] 16mm-35bu/c; addph: Melissa Painter |
|
1994 |
Alchemy [Suzanne Myers] c |
|
1994 |
Urban Legend [Adrienne Shelly] 16mm/c; short/26m; edited into 'Four Tales of Two Cities' (1996) |
|
1994 |
Meats & Jesus [Robert Chemtob] 16mm/c; short/20m |
|
1995 |
Far Harbor/Mr. Spreckman's Boat [John Huddles] c |
|
1996 |
dinner party [Lisa Cholodenko] 16mm/c; short/9m; addph; ph: Horacio Marquínez; prod Columbia University |
|
1997 |
High Art [Lisa Cholodenko] c; see above |
|
1997 |
Girl/Cool Girl [Jonathan Kahn] c |
|
1998 |
The Love Letter [Peter Ho-Sun Chan] c |
|
1999 |
How Kids Grow in NYC Public Schools [Steve Buscemi, Nancy Savoca, a.o.] dv/c; doc/6 seg (x 5m); cph: Ellen Kuras, Walter Bell, Amy Rice, a.o. |
|
2002 |
Pieces of April [Peter Hedges] mdv (Sony PD150)-to-35mm/c |
|
2005 |
Mr. Woodcock [Craig Gillespie] s35/c; uwph: Pete Romano |
|
2008 |
It Might Get Loud [Davis Guggenheim] HD+35mm-to-35mm/b&w-c; mus doc/97m; co-addph; ph: Guillermo Navarro & Erich Roland |
|
2012 |
The Bronzer [Peyton Wilson] HD (Canon EOS 5D)/c; doc/11m; cph: David Giles; filmed off and on over a six months period |
|
2013 |
Beyond the Lights/Blackbird [Gina Prince-Bythewood] HD (ARRI ALEXA M)/c; addph: Cliff Charles |
|
2015 |
Second Thoughts [David Shane] c; short/9m |
|
2015 |
The Wake Up Call [Matt Smukler] HD/c; short/14m |
| TELEVISION | |
|---|---|
|
2000 |
Disappearing Acts [Gina Prince-Bythewood] tvm |
|
2002 |
Carnivàle [pilot 'Milfay' dir by Rodrigo García] 24-part series, 2003 & 2005; 1st season, 2003; cph (pilot): Jeffrey Jur & James Glennon |
|
2007 |
[Oprah Winfrey Presents:] Mitch Albom's For One More Day [Lloyd Kramer] tvm |
|
2010 |
30 for 30 [ep #21 'Unmatched' dir by Lisa Lax & Nancy Stern Winters] 30-part sports doc series, 2009-10 (Volume 1); cph: Christian Hoagland; for ESPN-tv |
|
2011 |
Five [seg #1 'Charlotte' dir by Demi Moore] tvm/87m/HD (ARRI ALEXA)+RED-to-HD; 5 seg; other ph: Christopher Popp (seg #2 'Cheyanne' dir by Penelope Spheeris), Jim Orr (seg #3 'Lili' dir by Alicia Keys), Eric Edwards (seg #4 'Mia' dir by Jennifer Aniston) & Guy Livneh (seg #5 'Pearl' dir by Patty Jenkins); for Lifetime-tv |
|
2012 |
Getting On [pilot 'Born on the Fourth of July' dir by Miguel Arteta] 18-part series/RED Scarlet, 2013-15; 1st season, 2013 (6 ep); other ph: Jim Denault |
|
2013 |
Blink [Peter Hedges] pilot/HD; for The CW Network |
|
2015 |
Shots Fired [pilot 'Hour One' dir by Gina Prince-Bythewood] series, 2017; for FOX-tv |
| MISCELLANEOUS | |
|---|---|
|
1986 |
Forever, Lulu/Crazy Streets/Für immer Lulu [Amos Kollek] co-prod intern; ph: Lisa Rinzler |
|
1986 |
I Love N.Y. [Gianni Bozzacchi] co-prod asst; ph: Armando Nannuzzi |
|
1987 |
How to Be Louise [Anne Flournoy] 2nd c.asst; ph: Vladimir Tukan |
|
1988 |
Homeboyz II: Crack City/Strong City [Daniel Matmor] 2nd c.asst; ph: Joey Forsyte; released in 1993 |
|
1988 |
The Unbelievable Truth [Hal Hartley] 2nd c.asst; ph: Michael Spiller |
|
1989 |
Imagining America [seg 'Tribe' dir by Matt Mahurin] co-c.asst; ph: M. Mahurin; comp (60m) of 4 shorts for PBS-tv series 'American Playhouse' |
|
1989 |
Bed & Breakfast [Robert Ellis Miller] 2nd c.asst; ph: Peter Sova |
|
1990 |
Q Listen Up [: The Lives of Quincy Jones] [Ellen Weissbrod; doc] co-2nd c.asst; ph: Stephen Kazmierski |
|
1990 |
Triple Bogey on a Par Five Hole [Amos Poe] 1st c.asst; ph: Joe DeSalvo |
|
1991 |
The Refrigerator [Nicholas Jacobs] co-add 2nd c.asst; ph: Paul Gibson |
|
1991 |
Ambition [Hal Hartley; short] c.asst; ph: Michael Spiller |
|
1992 |
Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson [Barbara Kopple; tv-doc] co-c.asst; ph: Alicia Weber, Phil Parmet, a.o. |
|
1992 |
Kenny Rogers - Keep Christmas with You [Jack Cole; mus special] co-2u c.op; ph: Marc Reshovsky |
|
1993 |
The Hurricane of '38 [Thomas Lennon & Michael Epstein] co-c.asst; ph: Tom Hurwitz, Jean de Segonzac & Greg Andracke; ep PBS-tv series 'American Experience' |
|
1993 |
Secrets of the Psychics [written/prod: Carl Charlson; tv-doc] co-c.asst; ph: Thomas Hurwitz; ep PBS-tv doc series 'Nova' |
