2005

CHARLES MINSKY ASC

Born: ?, as Charles 'Chuck' D. Minsky.

Education: University of California, Los Angeles [Political Science].

Career: 'I graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, but didn't pay attention to film until my first job, three years after I graduated. After working as a social worker and a waiter, I went back to school to study psychology. Out of boredom, I got a job on a low-budget project in San Diego - my father knew someone who knew someone who wanted to make a movie. On that first job in the business, I was told to carry camera cases and help the camera assistant. I spent three months doing everything that was asked of me, and before I finished, I fell in love with the camera. I hadn't taken so much as a Polaroid before, but suddenly I was fascinated by cinematography. My life changed in a matter of months. I got a Nikon F2 and took as many pictures as I could afford. [...] As a camera assistant, I worked steadily for five years with a commercial director/cameraman named Melvin Sokolsky. I watched him and learned how to conceptualize a project. I also watched and learned about lighting. I also worked for years as an assistant in the camera departments at Universal and Warner Bros. I worked with Matt Leonetti, Joe Biroc and John Alonzo, and with Ray Villalobos.' [From the ASC website.]

Ph 200+ commercials [dir by Robert Black, Greg Wilson, a.o.] since 1988.

Member of the ASC [since 2001] and associate member of the SOC.

Appeared in the doc's 'Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography' [1991] & 'Cinematographer Style' [2005, Jon Fauer; ph: J. Fauer, Jeff Laszlo, Brian Heller & David Morgan].

Website: Charles D. Minsky

FILMS

1984	Radioactive Dreams [Albert Pyun] c; cph: Thomas Mauch
1985	The Hitcher [Robert Harmon] p/c; 2uc; ph: John Seale
1985	April Fool's Day/Slaughter High [Fred Walton] p/c
1985	Dangerously Close/Choice Kill/Campus '86 [Albert Pyun] c; 2uc; ph: Walt Lloyd
1986	Weekend Warriors/Hollywood Air Force [Bert Convy] c
1987	Off Limits/Saigon [Christopher Crowe] c; addph; ph: David Gribble
1987	Bull Durham [Ron Shelton] c; addph; ph: Bobby Byrne
1989	Pretty Woman [Garry Marshall] c; + small part
1990	Dutch/Driving Me Crazy [Peter Faiman] c; 2uc: Paul Pollard
1992	The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag [Allan Moyle] c; 2uc: James L. Carter
1992	Amazing Stories: Book Four [seg 'Blue Man Down' dir by Paul Michael Glaser] c/V; collection of 3 ep of tv-series; + seg 'Mr. Magic' (d: Donald Petrie; ph: John McPherson) & 'Mirror, Mirror' (d: Martin Scorsese; ph: Robert M. Stevens); see Television (1986)
1993	Terminal Velocity [Deran Sarafian] p/c; addph; ph: Oliver Wood
1994	A Little Princess [Alfonso Cuaron] c; 2uc; ph: Emmanuel Lubezki
1994	Congo [Frank Marshall] c; 2uc; ph: Allen Daviau
1995	Kazaam [Paul Michael Glaser] c; 2uc: John Fante
1996	Dear God [Garry Marshall] c
1998	Looking for an Echo [Martin Davidson] c
1998	Guinevere [Audrey Wells] c; sfx ph: Chuck Shuman
1999	Almost Famous/Untitled: Almost Famous the Bootleg Cut [Cameron Crowe] c; 2uc; ph: John Toll
2000	Tomcats [Gregory Poirier] c
2000	Slap Her... She's French/She Gets What She Wants [Melanie Mayron (replaced Evan Dunsky)] c; addph: Brown Cooper; replaced ph Roberto Schaefer
2001	Welcome to Collinwood [Anthony & Joe Russo] s35/c; cph: Lisa Rinzler
2003	Raising Helen [Garry Marshall] c; 2uc: Michael Stone
2003	The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement [Garry Marshall] c; 2uc: Ian Fox
2004	Keeping Up with the Steins/Lucky 13 [Scott Marshall] c
2005	The Producers [Susan Stroman] p/c; cph: John Bailey (replaced by C. Minsky 2 months into shooting)
2005	You, Me and Dupree [Anthony & Joe Russo] c; 2uc: Igor Meglic
2007	Alternate Endings [Elisabeth Fry] c; short/14m
2007	Brooklyn to Manhattan [Jessy Terrero] c
2007	Post Grad [Vicky Jenson] c; 2uc: John M. Stephens; addph: Eric Steelberg; filmed 2007-08
2009	Valentine's Day [Garry Marshall] c; 2uc: Mark Irwin; aph: Dylan Goss
2010	Something Borrowed [Luke Greenfield] s35-to-35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: William Rexer II, Steve Koster & Patrick Capone
2011	New Year's Eve [Garry Marshall] HD (ARRI ALEXA)/c; 2uc: Patrick Capone; aph: David B. Nowell & Steve Koster

TELEVISION

1983	Testament [Lynne Littman] tvm for PBS-tv series 'American Playhouse'; addph; ph: Steven Poster; also in theatres
1986	Amazing Stories [ep #26 'Miscalculation' dir by Tom Holland, #28 'Welcome to My Nightmare' dir by Todd Holland (TH), #33 'Thanksgiving' dir by TH, #38 'Blue Man Down' dir by Paul Michael Glaser, #42 'Such Interesting Neighbors' dir by Graham Baker & #45 'Miss Stardust' dir by Tobe Hooper] 45-part series, 1985-87; 2nd season, 1986-87; other ph: Vincent A. Martinelli, Allen Daviau, John McPherson & Robert M. Stevens; see Films (1992)
1987	The Silence at Bethany [Joel Oliansky] tvm; ep PBS-tv series 'American Playhouse'
1988	China Beach [pilot dir by Rod Holcomb] 62-part series, 1988-91; 1st season, 1988; other ph: John J. Connor, Francis Grumman & Richard Thorpe
1989	Capital News [pilot dir by Mark Tinker] 4-part series, 1990; other ph: Gerald Perry Finnerman
1990	Hull High [pilot dir by Kenny Ortega & 5 ep dir by various] 8-part (2 unaired) series
1992	A House of Secrets and Lies [Paul Schneider] tvm
1993	Lois & Clark [: The New Adventures of Superman] [pilot dir by Robert Butler] 88-part series, 1993-97; 1st season, 1993-94; other ph: Robert Seaman & James R. Bagdonas
1994	Past Tense [Graeme Clifford] tvm
1994	Keys/Keys to Her Past [John Sacret Young] pilot/120m
2001	The Beast [e.g. ep #2 'The Damage Done' dir by Jeff Bleckner] 6-part series; other ph: Anette Haellmigk (pilot)
2002	John Doe [pilot dir by Mimi Leder] 21-part series, 2002-03; other ph: David Geddes
2002	Lucky [pilot dir by Anthony & Joe Russo, #2 'Calling Dr. Con' dir by Peter Lauer (PL), #3 'Up the Steaks' dir by Anthony & Joe Russo, #4 'Come Lie with Me' dir by Stephen Gyllenhaal, #5 'The Tell' dir by Michael Lessac & #9 'Lie, Cheat, and Deal' dir by PL] 13-part series, 2003; other ph: Paul Maibaum (4 ep) & James L. Carter (3 ep)
2005	Related [pilot (unaired) 'Sisters' dir by Mimi Leder & ep #1 'Moving Out, Moving In, Moving On' dir by James Frawley] 18-part series, 2005-06; other ph: Paul Maibaum
2006	Vanished [pilot dir by Mimi Leder (replaced Antoine Fuqua)] 13-part series, 2006-07
2007	Manchild [Stephen Gyllenhaal] pilot/30m/HD
2007	The Russell Girl [Jeff Bleckner] tvm; ep #232 'Hallmark Hall of Fame'-series
2007	My Boys [ep #20 'The Estates of Hoffman' dir by Rob Greenberg] 49-part series, 2006-10; 1st season, 2006-07; other ph: Paul Maibaum
2008	Loving Leah [Jeff Bleckner] tvm/s35; ep #235 'Hallmark Hall of Fame'-series

MISCELLANEOUS

1970	Wacky Taxi/Pepper and His Wacky Taxi [Alex Grasshoff & John Astin] 2nd c.asst; ph: Fritz Roland
1971	Chain Gang Women/Women in Chains [Lee Frost] co-c.asst; ph: Lee Frost; + small part
1971	Chrome and Hot Leather [Lee Frost] co-c.asst; ph: Lee Frost
1972	The Thing with Two Heads/The Man with Two Heads [Lee Frost] co-c.asst; ph: Jack Steely
1972	Stanley [William Grefé] asst to prod; ph: Cliff Poland
1972	Frogs [George McCowan] prod assoc; ph: Mario Tosi
1973	Dillinger [John Milius] loc assoc; ph: Jules Brenner
1977	The Choirboys [Robert Aldrich] c.asst; ph: Joseph Biroc
1979	Tom Horn [William Wiard] c.asst; ph: John Alonzo
1979	Urban Cowboy [James Bridges] c.asst; ph: Reynaldo Villalobos
1980	Nine to Five/9 to 5 [Colin Higgins] c.op; ph: Reynaldo Villalobos
1981	[An Act of Love:] The Patricia Neal Story [dir USA: Anthony Harvey; tvm] c.op USA; ph USA: Reynaldo Villalobos
1981	Prime Suspect/Cry of Innocence [Noel Black; tvm] c.op; ph: Reynaldo Villalobos
1982	Mike's Murder [James Bridges] c.op; ph: Reynaldo Villalobos
1984	Teen Wolf [Rod Daniel] co-c.op 2u; ph: Timothy Suhrstedt

TELEVISION AS DIRECTOR

2002

Lucky [ep #8 'The Method'] ph: James L. Carter; see Television