MARC E. RESHOVSKY

Born: 6 November 1957, Los Angeles, Calif., USA, as son of still ph Ernest E. Reshovsky [1921-75], who ph Marcel Marceau [1952], Salvador Dali [1953], Elvis Presley [1956], and many others.

Died: 20 November 2009, Seattle, WA, USA.

Education: Nursery School [Los Feliz Jewish Community Center]; University of California, Los Angeles [UCLA] [graduated in 1980].

Career: After his study he moved to New Zealand [1982-84] and ph doc's. Went back to the USA in 1984.

Ph commercials dir by John O'Hagan, Jeff Bednarz, Paul Holahan, Jim Manera, Matthew Rolston, Neil Pollock [for Gateway Computers], Marcus Nispel [for Fidelity Investments], Herb Ritts [for Revlon], David Kellogg [for Coca Cola], Bob Giraldi [for Audi], Brent Thomas, Pierlucca DeCarlo [for Canadian Airlines], a.o.

Directed music videos: 'Nothing But a Good Time' [1988; a: Poison], 'Eyes of a Stranger' [1989; a: Queensrÿche], 'Just a Little Bit' [a: Steve Miller], 'I Remember You' [1990; a: Skid Row], a.o.

Was also active as still ph. Was a member of the ASC since 2000.

Awards: CableACE Award nom [1992] for 'Red Shoe Diaries'; MVPA Cinematography Award [1992] & MTV Video Music Award nom [1992] for 'Free Your Mind'; ASC Award [1998] for '3rd Rock from the Sun' [ep 'A Nightmare on Dick Street’]; Kodak Vision Lifetime Achievement Award [2000] for his music video career.

Website: Marc Reshovsky [his still photography]

Obituary: ASC member Marc E. Reshovsky, an award-winning cinematographer and still photographer, died on Nov. 20 at the age of 52. The cause of death was complications resulting from influenza.

Reshovsky was born on Nov. 6, 1957, in Los Angeles, Calif. His mother, Zora [1923-96], was a magazine writer, and his father, Ernest, was a freelance photojournalist. Young Reshovsky would often accompany his father on assignments. When Reshovsky was in his early teens, a local arts program introduced him to filmmaking, and one of his Super 8mm films went on to earn accolades in National Educational Television's 1971 National Young Filmmakers' Competition, airing nationwide on public television.

In 1975, with an eye on law school, Reshovsky began studying political science at the UCLA. Before long, though, his passion for crafting images led him to transfer into the university's film department, where he concentrated on cinematography. After graduating with a BA. in 1980, Reshovsky was accepted into UCLA's graduate film program, but he chose instead to begin his professional career. His first jobs were as an assistant, but he soon found work as a cinematographer on travel and adventure documentaries, shooting in Europe, New Zealand, Indonesia and Alaska.

From 1982-84, Reshovsky lived and worked in New Zealand, where he worked first as a still photographer and printer, and then as a staff cinematographer for a small production company that created commercials, industrials and documentaries. He returned to Los Angeles in 1984 and quickly carved a niche in the emerging field of music videos. By 1990, he had shot some 300 music videos, plus numerous long-form concerts for such acts as Fleetwood Mac, Bon Jovi and Pink Floyd.

During this time, Reshovsky also took his first steps into feature films, shooting low-budget features such as 'Sorority House Massacre' and 'Teen Witch' and doing second-unit cinematography for Robert Richardson and Oliver Stapleton.

In 1986, Reshovsky married Sandra Matsumoto. They had two sons, Zachary and Rory, and settled in Pasadena, Calif. Matsumoto died in 2004, and Reshovsky relocated to Lopez Island [San Juan Islands], WA. In 2007, he collaborated with viola da gamba player Vittorio Ghielmi on the concert piece 'The Spectacle', based on Dietrich Buxtehude's 'Membra Jesu Nostri' cantatas.

A decade ago, while participating in a seminar on music videos' impact on feature filmmaking, Reshovsky was asked about the effects of then-new digital technologies, and his answer still rings true: "We are not going to evolve because of technology. Cinematography is a language and a form of artistic expression which comes from the soul."

Reshovsky is survived by his sons; his partner, Taylor Bruce; and his faithful dog, Mochi. [From obituary by Jon D. Witmer in 'American Cinematographer', February 2010]

With his family

FILMS

1986

Sorority House Massacre [Carol Frank] c; 2uc: Ken Wiatrak

1986

Dudes [Penelope Spheeris] c; 2uc; ph: Robert Richardson

1987

Eight Men Out [John Sayles] c; 2uc; ph: Robert Richardson

1987

Teen Witch [Dorian Walker] c; 2uc: David Rudd

1988

Pink Floyd: Delicate Sound of Thunder [Wayne Isham] c/V; concert film/100m

1989

The Grifters [Stephen Frears] c; 2uc; ph: Oliver Stapleton

1990

[Madonna:] Truth or Dare/In Bed with Madonna [Alek Keshishian] b&w-c; doc/114m; Japan ph; other ph: Robert Leacock, Daniel Pearl, Toby Phillips, a.o.

1990

Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue/Wild Orchid 2: Blue Movie Blue [Zalman King] c; addph: David Rudd & Peter Lyons Collister

1992

Red Rock West [John Dahl] c; addph: Ronn Schmidt; 2uc: Beth-Jana Friedberg

1993

Trevor [Peggy Rajski] c; short/23m; also seg of comp film 'Boys Life 2' (1994)

1995

Lieberman In Love [Christine Lahti] c; short/39m

1995

Set It Off [F. Gary Gray] s35/c; 2uc: David Rudd; aph: Jon Kranhouse

1996

Most Wanted [David Hogan] s35/c; 2uc: Rick Bota (+ addph) & Steven Finestone

TELEVISION

1987	Billy Joel from Leningrad, USSR [Wayne Isham] mus special/60m for HBO-tv
1987	Fleetwood Mac: Tango in the Night [Wayne Isham] concert film/60m for Showtime-tv
1991	[Zalman King's] Red Shoe Diaries/Wild Orchid III: Red Shoe Diaries/Red Shoe Diaries the Movie [Zalman King] tvm; served as pilot for 66-part series, 1992-99
1992	Mom Knows Best/Sitcom Moms [Peyton Reed] special/60m; ph host seq; ph interview seq: Mark Zavad
1992	This Is Michael Bolton [Bud Schaetzle] concert film/60m; concert ph; doc ph: David Conley, Daryn Okada & Jeff Zimmerman
1992	Kenny Rogers: Keep Christmas with You [Jack Cole] mus special/60m; 2uc: Tami Reiker, Brett Webster, a.o.
1996	3rd Rock from the Sun/Life As We Know It [3D dream seq ep #45 & 46 'A Nightmare on Dick Street' dir by Terry Hughes (#45) & Phil Joanou (#46)] 139-part series, 1996-2001; 2nd season, 1996-97; ph: Ronald W. Browne
1998	14 Up in America [Phil Joanou] doc special/90m; ph 'Age 7 in America' seq: Peter Gilbert

MISCELLANEOUS

1986	Fragrance [Gay Abel-Bey; short/40m] gaffer (+ 2nd c.asst); ph: Steven S. Poitras
1987	Stand and Deliver [Ramón Menéndez] add c.op; ph: Tom Richmond
1987	U2 Rattle and Hum [Phil Joanou; rock doc] co-c.op Denver seq; color ph: Jordan Cronenweth; b&w ph: Robert Brinkmann
1987	[Michael Jackson:] Moonwalker [anthology seg dir by Jerry Kramer] co-c.op; ph: Fred Elmes, Thomas Ackerman, a.o.; filmed February 1987-May 1988
2002	Dave Matthews Band: The Gorge [Jeff Richter & Fenton Williams; concert film/HD] co-c.op; ph: David Rudd
2009	The Birth of Rock Theater [David Rudd; mus tv-special] co-c.op + techno crane op; ph: D. Rudd; released in 2011

MUSIC VIDEOS [Selection]

1986	Living On a Prayer [a: Bon Jovi; d: Wayne Isham]
1987	In the Heat of the Night [a: Bryan Adams; d: Wayne Isham]
1987	Wanted Dead or Alive [a: Bon Jovi; d: Wayne Isham]
1988	Pour Some Sugar On Me [a: Def Leppard; d: Wayne Isham]
1988	Crazy Train [a: Ozzy Osbourne; d: Wayne Isham] also seg of comp 'Ozzy Osbourne: Wicked Videos' (1988)
1988	She's a Mystery to Me [a: Roy Orbison; d: David Fincher]
1988	Long Way to Love [a: Britny Fox; d: Nigel Dick]
1989	Batdance [a: Prince; d: Albert Magnoli]
1989	Lay Your Hands On Me [a: Bon Jovi; d: Wayne Isham] also seg of comp 'Bon Jovi: New Jersey, the Videos' (1989)
1989	Opposites Attract [a: Paula Abdul; d: Michael Patterson & Candace Reckinger] also seg of comp 'Video Hits: Paula Abdul' (2005)
1989	Thing Called Love [a: Bonnie Raitt; d: David Hogan]
1989	Free Falling [a: Tom Petty; d: Julien Temple]
1989	In the Valley of the Kings [a: Blue Murder; d: Mary Lambert]
1990	18 and Life [a: Skid Row; d: Wayne Isham]
1992	Free Your Mind [a: En Vogue; d: Mark Romanek] also seg of comp 'The Work of Director Mark Romanek' (2005)
1993	Demolition Man [a: Sting; d: Marcus Raboy] also seg of comp 'The Best of Sting: Fields of Gold 1984-1994' (1994)
1994	You Know How We Do It, Part 1 [a: Ice Cube; d: Marcus Raboy] also seg of comp 'Ice Cube: The Videos, Volume 1' (2003)
1994	Lullaby/Goodnight My Angel [a: Billy Joel; d: Marcus Nispel] also seg of comp 'Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume III' (1997)
1997	If God Will Send His Angels [a: U2; d: Phil Joanou] also seg of comp 'U2: The Best of 1990-2000' (2002)
1998	Human Beings [a: Seal; d: Francis Lawrence]
1998	Every Time [a: Janet Jackson; d: Matthew Rolston] also seg of comp 'From Janet. To Damita Jo: The Videos' (2004)
1999	Back 2 Good [a: Matchbox 20; d: Paul Hunter]
1999	Bailamos [a: Enrique Iglesias; d: Paul Hunter]
1999	My Love Is Your Love [a: Whitney Houston; d: Kevin Bray] also seg of comp 'Whitney Houston: The Greatest Hits' (2000)
1999	Smooth [a: Santana; d: Marcus Raboy]
1999	How Does It Feel [a: D'Angelo; d: Paul Hunter & Dominique Trenier]
2000	Maria, Maria [a: Santana; d: Marcus Raboy]