|
|
|
|
|
|
STEVEN FIERBERG ASC |
Born: ?, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Education: Stanford University [as a National Merit Scholar]; American Film Institute [MFA in Directing, June 1997].
Career: 'I liked photography a lot, but never considered going to film school. My best friend in high school got a Super 8 camera. He showed me a short film that he made, and I thought it was really cool. After that, we made some short films together, including one while we were vacationing in New York. By then I was in college. I scripted and directed it. We both acted and shot parts of it. It was a black-and-white film that won a student award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in Michigan. [...] I went to Stanford University. I had to make a big decision about what I was going to major in. I didn't know anyone in the movie business or any of the arts. Thinking that I could become a filmmaker was like a fantasy. Everyone I knew in Detroit was in the automotive industry. Then, a miracle happened. I was trying to decide what I wanted to do when a student I knew got me a job as a P.A. on a graduate film project about the Chinese New Year. Basically, I carried the tripod. But, I was very excited to be a filmmaker, and everyone thought we were cool. One day, we were setting up to do some interviews, and I saw Francis Ford Coppola getting ready to shoot a scene with Gene Hackman. They were shooting a scene for 'The Conversation'. That was a moment of truth in my life. I remember thinking that if I didn't try to become a filmmaker I'd end up regretting it for the rest of my life. [...] During my senior year, I was in an exchange program in England that dealt with both British drama and documentaries. I saw four or five plays a week and wrote my final paper on Harold Pinter, a great English screenwriter. It was a great experience for me, because I was a guy from Detroit where I wasn't exposed to that much culture other than music. [...] I went to New York and looked for work. At first, I worked in a camera store and took a lighting course at NYU. Nick Smith gave me my first job as a janitor at Mother's Sound Stage in New York. He taught me how to build sets and use electricity without killing myself. After two years, he did me a favor by firing me so I could collect unemployment; this allowed me to survive while working on micro-budget films as a camera assistant. [...] My first job was working for Nancy Schreiber on a documentary about women comediennes. I made up for not knowing anything by working for free. [...] Someone else I knew at Stanford got me a job as an electrician on a Roger Corman film called 'Rock 'n' Roll High School'. The plane ticket to Los Angeles cost me $620. They paid me $150 a week, and it was a four-week shoot, so I actually lost money. But, it was the smartest thing I ever did because Dean Cundey was the cinematographer. I was pretty good with cables because I had worked on the stage in New York, but everything had a different name. At first, they thought I was the dumbest electrician there ever was, but I learned the lingo. I worked for free as a cinematographer on some low-budget films in New York and was paid for working as an electrician and eventually as a gaffer in Los Angeles. I always chose what I thought was the more creative experience over money. Dean Cundey once offered me a paid job as an electrician and I turned him down because I was going to shoot a movie for free. I lived on a very frugal budget for many years. I remember that it was a big deal the year that I earned $10,000.' [From a conversation with Bob Fisher on the KODAK OnFilm website and 'American Cinematographer' magazine, July 2006.]
Ph commercials. Ph music videos with a: Dr. Dre, Fab Five Freddy, Queen Latifah, David Lee Roth, F. Gary Grey, Snoop Dogg, a.o.
Taught workshops for almost a decade at the Maine Photographic Workshops [Maine Media Workshops; was instructor on a number of short films, e.g. 'Spotless' (dir: Rogier; ph: James, Dolly & John; dv/b&w-c/4m)], as well as guest classes at Idyllwild High School, NYU & the AFI.
Appeared in the doc 'Cinematographer Style' [2005, Jon Fauer; ph: J. Fauer, Jeff Laszlo, Brian Heller & David Morgan].
Awards: ASC TV Award [2002] for 'Attila'.
Website: Steven Fierberg
FILMS |
|
1978 |
Home Movies/The Maestro [Brian De Palma] c; addph; ph: James L. Carter |
|
|
1981 |
Forty Deuce [Paul Morrissey] c; cph: François Reichenbach & Stefan Zapasnik; + assoc prod |
|
|
1982 |
The First Time/Doin' It [Charlie Loventhal] c |
|
|
1982 |
In Our Hands [Robert Richter & Stanley Warnow] 16mm/c; doc/90m; cph: Ed Lachman, Oliver Wood, Thomas Sigel, Tom Hurwitz, Don Lenzer, Alicia Weber, a.o. |
|
|
1982 |
Vortex [Scott B. & Beth B.] 16mm-35bu/c |
|
|
1983 |
Storytelling [Kay Armatage] 16mm/c; doc/57m; cph: Mark Irwin & Christopher Lowry |
|
|
1983 |
Not for Publication [Paul Bartel] c; 2uc; ph: George Tirl |
|
|
1984 |
Cocaine/Mixed Blood [Paul Morrissey] c; addph (+ prod); ph: Stefan Zapasnik |
|
|
1984 |
Streetwalkin'/City Streets/Cookie [Joan Freeman] c; 2uc: Abe Schrager & Richard Brooks |
|
|
1985 |
Double Negative [Sam Irvin] c; short/17m; cph: Maryse Alberti |
|
|
1985 |
Seven Minutes in Heaven [Linda Feferman] c; 2uc: Oliver Wood & Robert Chappell; addph: Judy Irola |
|
|
1985 |
Sid and Nancy [: Love Kills] [Alex Cox] c; addph; ph: Roger Deakins |
|
|
1987 |
Spike of Bensonhurst/Throw Back! [Paul Morrissey] c |
|
|
1988 |
A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master [Renny Harlin] c; 2uc: Christopher Tufty; 3uc: Russell Carpenter |
|
|
1988 |
Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills [Paul Bartel] c; addph: Martin Schaer & Paul C. Babin |
|
|
1989 |
Hell High/Raging Fury [Douglas Grossman] c |
|
|
1989 |
Nightbreed [Clive Barker] c; ph Los Angeles; ph: Robin Vidgeon |
|
|
1990 |
29th Street [George Gallo] c |
|
|
1991 |
Diary of a Hitman [Roy London] c; addph; ph: Yuri Sokol |
|
|
1992 |
Aspen Extreme [Patrick Hasburgh] c; cph: Robert Primes; 2uc: Jan Kiesser & Edgar Boyles |
|
|
1992 |
Boxing Helena [Jennifer Chambers Lynch] c; addph; ph: Frank Byers & Bojan Bazelli |
|
|
1995 |
Blah, blah, blah [Julie Delpy] 16mm-35bu/c; short/12m |
|
|
1998 |
The Joyriders [Bradley Battersby] p/c; 2uc: Richard Benda & Yiannis Samaras |
|
|
1999 |
Red Letters [Bradley Battersby] c |
|
|
1999 |
Moulin Rouge! [Baz Luhrmann] c; co-addph; ph: Donald McAlpine |
|
|
2001 |
Secretary [Steven Shainberg] c; 2uc: Richard Benda, John Foster, Scott Kevan & Sonja Rom; + small part |
|
|
2003 |
Meet Market [Charlie Loventhal] HD/c; + small part; shown in January 2004 as a work-in-progress at the Sarasota FF; released on DVD in 2008 (78m) |
|
|
2003 |
Pray for Tucson [Bruce Ferber] c; doc (about Howard Dean's campaign for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination)/?m |
|
|
2003 |
The Californians [Jonathan Parker] c |
|
|
2005 |
Good Morning Baby [Lisa Leone] c; short/13m; ep 'Glamour Reel Moments'-series |
|
|
2005 |
Euthanasia [Adrian Grenier] c; short/17m |
|
|
2005 |
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus [Steven Shainberg] c; addph; ph: Bill Pope |
|
|
2006 |
Suburban Girl [Marc Klein] c |
|
|
2006 |
Waiting on Fountain [Evan Hoyt Wasserstrom] c; short/4m16s |
|
|
2007 |
Searchers 2.0 [Alex Cox] dv/b&w-c; + small part |
|
|
2007 |
Days of Wrath [Celia Fox] s35/c |
|
|
2007 |
The Wisdom of the Pretzel [Dani Menkin] USA adaptation of 'Hochmat HaBeygale' (2002, Ilan Heitner; ph: Oded Kirma); scheduled to start filming in Spring 2008; status unknown |
|
|
2008 |
Teenage Paparazzo [Adrian Grenier] b&w-c; doc/94m; cph: Bill Megalos, Jason Banker, David Serafin, a.o.; addph: Daniel Sharnoff |
|
|
2008 |
Rage [Sally Potter] HD (Panasonic)-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c |
|
|
2009 |
Repo Chick [Alex Cox] RED/c |
|
|
2009 |
Stone [John Curran] s35/c; interim doph; ph: Maryse Alberti |
|
|
2009 |
Twelve [Joel Schumacher] RED-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c |
|
|
2009 |
Love and Other Drugs [Edward Zwick] s35-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; aph: David B. Nowell & Dino Parks (add); plate unit ph: Jacek Laskus |
|
|
||
|
2010 |
The Oranges [Julian Farino] RED/c |
|
|
2010 |
10 Years/Ten Year [Jamie Linden] RED/c; addph: Keith Dunkerley |
|
|
2012 |
El cielo es azul [Andrew Fierberg] c |
|
|
2012 |
Land of the Free [Thomas Burstyn] pre-production |
|
TELEVISION |
|
1983 |
Hellfire [John David Coles] tvm/27m; for PBS-tv |
|
1983 |
Tales from the Darkside [pilot 'Trick or Treat' dir by Bob Balaban] pilot (1983) & 89-part series, 1984-88 |
|
1983 |
The Brass Ring [Bob Balaban] tvm; 2uc: Jonathan David |
|
1986 |
Little Miss Perfect [Marsha Mason] tvm/45m; a CBS-tv 'Schoolbreak Special' |
|
1986 |
Tonight's the Night/The Game of Love [Bobby Roth] tvm |
|
1986 |
The Gift of Amazing Grace [Thomas Schlamme] tvm/60m; an ABC-tv 'Afterschool Special' |
|
1987 |
Sharing Richard [Peter Bonerz] tvm |
|
1988 |
Original Sin [Ron Satlof] tvm |
|
1990 |
Criminal Justice [Andy Wolk] tvm |
|
1994 |
Texas Justice [Dick Lowry] 2-part tvm |
|
1994 |
A Horse for Danny [Dick Lowry] tvm |
|
1996 |
All Lies End in Murder/Behind Every Good Man [Andy Wolk] tvm |
|
1997 |
Two Came Back [Dick Lowry] tvm |
|
1998 |
Atomic Train [David Jackson & Dick Lowry] 2-part tvm/v; miniature ph: Betzy Bromberg |
|
2000 |
Attila [the Hun] [Dick Lowry] 2-part tvm; 2uc: Richard Benda |
|
2001 |
Follow the Stars Home/A Second Chance [Dick Lowry] tvm |
|
2002 |
Little John [Dick Lowry] tvm; ep #318 'Hallmark Hall of Fame'-series |
|
2002 |
Kingpin [5 ep dir by various] 6-part series, 2003; other ph (pilot): Tim Ives |
|
2002 |
The Lone Ranger [Jack Bender] tvm |
|
2003 |
Miss Match [pilot dir by Darren Star] 18-part (7 unaired) series, 2003; other ph: Ron García & Russ Alsobrook |
|
2004 |
Entourage [ep #2 'The Review' dir by Julian Farino (JF), #3 'Talk Show' dir by JF, #4 'Date Night' dir by Daniel Attias, #5 'The Script and the Sherpa' dir by Adam Bernstein, #6 'Busey and the Beach' dir by JF, #7 'The Scene' dir by David Frankel & #8 'New York' dir by JF] 96-part series, 2004-11; 1st season, 2004; other ph: Anghel Decca (pilot) |
|
2005 |
Entourage [13 ep dir by various] 2nd season, 2005; see 2004 |
|
2006 |
Entourage [ep #23 'Aquamom' dir by Julian Farino (JF), #24 'One Day in the Valley' dir by JF, #25 'Dominated' dir by JF, #27 'Crash and Burn' dir by Patty Jenkins & #29 'Strange Days' dir by Mark Mylod] 3rd season, 2006-07; see 2004 |
|
2007 |
Football Wives [Bryan Singer] pilot |
|
2008 |
How to Make It in America [pilot dir by Julian Farino] 16-part series, 2010-11; 1st season/s35-to-HD, 2010; other ph: Tim Ives |
|
2011 |
Once Upon a Time [pilot dir by Mark Mylod] series/HD (ARRI ALEXA), 2011-present; 1st season, 2011-12; other ph: Stephen Jackson |
|
2011 |
40 [Julian Farino] pilot/HD |
MISCELLANEOUS |
|
1978 |
Rock 'n' Roll High School/Girls' Gym [Allan Arkush & (uncred) Joe Dante & Jerry Zucker] electrician; ph: Dean Cundey |
|
1979 |
The Fog [John Carpenter] co-electrician; ph: Dean Cundey |
|
1979 |
Am I Normal?: A Film About Male Puberty [Debra Franco & David Shepard; comm short] c.asst; ph: Nancy Schreiber |
|
1980 |
Seed of Innocence/Teen Mothers [Boaz Davidson] best boy; ph: Adam Greenberg |
|
1981 |
Eating Raoul [Paul Bartel] add gaffer; ph: Gary Thieltges |
|
1983 |
China Lake [Robert Harmon; short] co-electrician; ph: R. Harmon |
|
1986 |
My Demon Lover [Charlie Loventhal] 2ud New York; 2u c.op: James McCalmont; ph: Jacques Haitkin |
|
1987 |
Walker [Alex Cox] co-add c.op; ph: David Bridges |
|
1988 |
Voices of Sarafina! [: Songs of Hope and Freedom] [Nigel Noble; mus doc/85m] co-c.op; ph doc unit: John Hazard & Gary Steele |
|
1997 |
The Alarmist/Life During Wartime [Evan Dunsky] 2ud; ph: Alex Nepomniaschy |
|
2004 |
Category 6: Day of Destruction [Dick Lowry; 2-part tvm] visual cons & 2ud; ph: Neil Roach; 2uc: Charles Konowal |
|
2008 |
Stand [Tavis Smiley] HD/c; doc/95m; co-c.op; ph: Jacek Laskus |
|
2009 |
Virgin Galactic [Scott B.] 4-part doc series (2010); co-c.op; ph: Scott B.; aph: Greg Harrington; for National Geographic Channel |
FILMS AS DIRECTOR |
|
1989 |
Voodoo Dawn/Strange Turf [feature] ph: James McCalmont |
|
1994 |
Sea Life [short/b&w/15m] ph: Bill Megalos |