Stephen Ley
Lighting Cameraman
89 Lenthall Road London E8 3JN 07836 247406 (m) 020 7254 4567 (ph) [email protected] (e) www.filmcameraman.com
As a London‐based freelance Director of Photography, I can bring to your production the experience that comes from doing the job for nearly two decades. Along with my other interests and the wide variety of projects in which I am involved, my contribution is a unique and inventive approach that is much appreciated by my many clients. With a reputation for working fast, working well under pressure and getting on with even the most difficult clients (surely there aren't any) I feel that I can offer something new and exciting to any project on which I am invited to work. I began making films as an amateur and was fortunate enough to win several national and international awards while still in my teens. After gaining a BA degree in Photographic Arts, I spent three years working with an Oscar‐winning cameraman learning the ‘text book’ of 35mm shooting. Apart from a wide range of film and video experience, I have a long involvement in theatre lighting design, which allows me to bring to a project a vision beyond that of most video‐trained 'technicians'. It also means that after years of 'getting‐it‐
right' on stage as well as film, I can offer the skill and expertise to discuss and develop ideas and the confidence to get them onto the screen. Recent work Dreamdancer – Jana Josephina. Dir Hermann Vaske (music video) Borrowed ‐ Katherin De Boer. Dir Nicola Quilter (music video) Katy Perry ‐ Road to Prism – UK/Europe shoots for album launch doco. Dir Possum Hill (Capitol/Universal Music) Katy Perry ‐ Unconditionally ‐ behind‐the‐scenes doco for recent single. Dir Possum Hill (Capitol/Universal Music) Morecambe & Wise – studio links for compilation show. Dir Genevieve Dolittle (BBCEntertainment) Playing Blackpool – a major doco on Blackpool’s entertainment history. Dir Andy Humphries (Gogglebox/C4) Cambridge Folk Festival: Lighting Director – Presentation and live music space (Sky Arts 3x 4 hours live) John Cleese – various corporate projects. Dir Hermann Vaske Wireless Festival: Lighting Director – Presentation/interview studio. Dir Chloe Mason (Olympic Park) (MTV) Live Nation Studios (LA‐based production arm of international music promotion giant) ‐
DoP/lighting consultant for multi‐camera HD installations at Shepherd’s Bush Empire and Brixton Academy. Shoots include: 30 Seconds to Mars, Newton Faulkner, Bullet for My Valentine, Wildhearts, Plain White Ts. ‐
iTunes Festival 2010‐13 – 31 days of live music. DoP responsible for documentary and interview crews. ‐
Apple/iTunes – 'enhanced content' for iTunes products including Hay Literary Festival, Labrinth Live at Abbey Road Musion Eyeliner ‘a unique, dynamic approach to delivering 3‐dimensional hologram effects to new media content ’ www.musionevents.com Continuing work shooting live action content for this patented presentation system. Recent shoots include: Fifa (World Cup event – Nice), Lottery (National launch – Moscow), Max Mara (fashion launch for Japan), Speedo (Michael Phelps/Detroit), Disney channel launches (Los Angeles), Frank Sinatra (reincarnating the singer for Simon Cowell party) Seven Stars Project/Rose Theatre Shooting content for new visitor centre at preserved Elizabethan theatre. Cast included: Sir Ian McKellen, Frances Barbour, Anthony Sher, Alan Rickman, Sir Derek Jacobi. Celebrity Bites MTV’s flagship location‐based celebrity chat show (DoP on pilot and Series 1) Continuing work: Broadcast work includes work with Gogglebox Entertainment on Tommy Cooper and Frankie Howerd projects Live Nation – Press/promotion DoP for Rolling Stones, Genesis, Def Leppard + major corporate productions LD Communications (Bernard Doherty) – DoP various junkets including Keith Richards’ autobiography launch On‐going work as DoP on music festivals responsible for title sequences, interviews, documentary and feature packages: Hard Rock Calling (Live Nation/Hyde Park/Olympic Park) O2 Wireless (Live Nation/C4/Hyde Park/Olympic Park) Download Festival (Live Nation/MTV/Donington) Celtic Connections (Smooth Operations/Sky Arts/Glasgow) Stephen Ley CV 01.14v1
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A selection of other work: Drama BOXED IN A comedy‐drama short for theatrical release, starring Joe Duttine and Emily Mortimer. A bored couple plays murderous games on each other. IDIOT FILMS Dir:Jess Cleverley/ Jonah Weston 16mm/DigiBeta to 35mm NICK MURPHY FILMS Dir:NickMurphy Super16 The fantasy world of an eccentric couple WOT IMAGES begins to collapse. Starring David Soul Dir: David Soul/ Eugene O'Connor and Antonio Fargas, this is a full length DigiBeta screen version of the play presented in the West End and at The Fridge, Brixton. THE LAST HOURS OF JOCELYN HIDE DEAD MONKEY FATHERS & DAUGHTERS Three generations of Father/Daughter relationships based on Shakespeare's PERICLES. The production features Frances Barber and John McEnery. STARVING Music SEVEN STARS PROJECT Dir: Robert Pennant Jones DigiBeta Selen eats constantly, but does not LoftPROfilms realise the effect this has on her friends Dir: Gianluca Bonomo and lovers. A bizarre comedy‐drama Super 16 short. Documentary/Feature/EPK Aerosmith: VERVE The biggest band at the smallest venue (Hard Rock, London), DoP for 6 camera live shoot and Stylised dance‐based drama combining LoftPROfilms interview/documentary footage for DVD/EPK. HDCam. the visions of the director, Dir: Gianluca Bonomo Download 2004‐13: DoP responsible for 4 camera crews supplying interviews and documentaries for choreographer and cinematographer. DigiBeta LiveNation/Channel 4 programmes. Digibeta/HDCam/XDCamHD. Wireless 2006‐13: DoP with 3 crews providing documentary and interview segments for LiveNation/Channel 4 coverage. DigiBeta/HDCam/XDCamHD Cambridge Folk Festival 2001‐12: DoP with 3 crews. Interviews/documentaries/ off‐stage live performances for Smooth Operations/BBC programmes/Sky Arts. DigiBeta/HDCam/XDCamHD. First Final Farewell Tour Documenting Phil Collins directing some of the world's finest rock musicians as he prepares for his 'final' world tour. Live Nation. DigiBeta Barbra Streisand Europe/London behind‐the‐scenes documentary. HDCam Eric Clapton Anthology: UK and European interviews and documentary shooting for the definitive DVD story of Eric’s life (7 discs – so far). HDCam/XDCamHD Going Back DVD feature on Phil Collins' tribute to Motown shot at rehearsals in Switzerland Many other concerts/festivals including: Concert for Diana, Live8, LiveEarth, Ultravox, Classic Rock Awards… Documentaries LAB RATS Our two heros are put through a series of situations exposing them to genuine fear and stress while scientists show how their minds and bodies react. THE BRITISH A major documentary exploring the influence of INVASION British fashion and music on 1960's America. 1x 2 hour special(US) and 2x 1 hour (ITV‐1). BBCScotland for BBC3/ OPEN UNIVERSITY Dir: Steve Carroll/Nic Barraclough THE TEN An investigation into the relevance of these COMMAND‐ religious directives to our modern lifestyle and MENTS commercialism featuring the most influencial music, art and advertising practitioners. An internationally researched and shot film for presentation at Cannes. Stephen
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ARTE/eNETWORK Dir: Hermann Vaske DELILAH FILMS/ DISCOVERY CHANNEL Dir: Michael Collins/ Stephanie Bennett page2