Tobias A. Schliessler
Biography
Tobias A. Schliessler was born in Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, [West-]Germany, as son of ph, doc dir and sculptor Martin Schliessler [1929-2008]. Went to Vancouver, Canada, in 1979. Education: Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Career: 'I had done a little work as an assistant on documentaries and ski movies with my father, but I wanted to get into dramatic filmmaking, and the school [Simon Fraser University] had a good program. I really enjoyed the camaraderie between the faculty and other students, and learning about film history. We were required to study everything, including editing and sound. That was a great help later in my career. We had 20 to 25 students in my class. We worked, experimented, hung out and watched movies together. I'm still in contact with a lot of them. After graduation, I got my first job shooting a documentary for the National Film Board. Charles Wilkinson, one of my fellow students, directed it. [...] I bought a camera and started shooting documentaries and music videos, mainly with directors whom I met at school. MTV definitely changed the way people look at movies. After a while, I got opportunities to shoot independent movies in Canada. By the late 1980s, there were a lot of television movies being produced in Canada. I also began shooting commercials, which gave me opportunities to experiment, work with different directors and build my reel. [...] I moved to Los Angeles in 1997 after I got deeper into the commercial world.' [From interview by Bob Fisher on the KODAK OnFilm website.] Ph commercials dir by Andrew Becker [for New York Stock Exchange], Nico Beyer, Robert Logevall, Vic Armstrong [for Range Rover], Joseph Kahn [for Ford], Jake Scott [for Hummer], Lance Kelleher [for Hyundai], a.o. Ph music videos. Member of the ASC since 2008. His daughter Aisha [Aisha Jau] is an actress. His brother Jochen [1964-] is a painter; his sister Tina is a still ph, painter and film animator and is married to film dir Charles Wilkinson. Awards: AICP Show 'Cinematography Honoree' [2000] for Audi commercial 'Wake-Up' [d: Robert Logevall]; AICP Show 'Cinematography Honoree' [2001] for Lincoln Financial commercial 'Doctor' [d: Robert Logevall]. FILMS 1982 Tiers: A Story of the Penitentiary [Charles Wilkinson] c; doc/19m 1983 Die Badile-Nordostwand - Der Weg ist das Ziel [Martin Schliessler] 16mm/c; docudrama/50m; 2nd cam; ph: M. Schliessler; filmed 1983-84; also edited version 'Zwischen Fels und Eis - Wege in die Wildnis' (1994; 44m) 1984 Walls [Thomas Shandel] c; co-addph; ph: Doug McKay 1984 My Kind of Town [Charles Wilkinson] c; cph: David Geddes 1986 Close to Home [Ric Beairsto] ?; doc/95m 1987 Regeneration [Russell Stephens] 16mm/c; 2uc: Dan Nowak 1987 The Top of His Head [Peter Mettler] b&w-c; cph: Peter Mettler; 2uc: Gerald Packer 1988 Bombs Away [Peg Campbell] c; short/18m 1988 Quarantine [Charles Wilkinson] c 1988 Lighthouse/Stranded [Paul Tucker] c 1990 Angel Square/The Comic Book Christmas Caper [Anne Wheeler] c 1990 Chaindance/Common Bonds [Allan A. Goldstein] c 1990 South of Wawa [Robert Boyd] c; addph: Brian R.R. Hebb 1991 John Wyre - Drawing on Sound [Niv Fichman] c; doc/26m; cph: René Ohashi & David Geddes 1991 North of Pittsburgh [Richard Martin] c; Vancouver ph: William Waring 1992 Anything for Love/Just One of the Girls [Michael Keusch] c/V 1993 Max [Charles Wilkinson] c; + co-prod 1993 Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog [Phillip Borsos]c; co-addph; ph: James Gardner 1994 Bulletproof Heart/Killer/New York Killer [Mark Malone] c 1994 Double Cross [Michael Keusch] c; 2uc: Gregory Middleton & William Waring 1994 Dream Man [René Bonnière] c 1994 Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh [Bill Condon] c; vfx cam: Marcus Tate & Peter Juneau 1995 Bliss [Lance Young] c; addph; ph: Mike Molloy 1995 Just Looking [Tyler Bensinger] c 1996 Free Willy 3: The Rescue [Sam Pillsbury] c; 2uc: Brian Pearson; wildlife ph: Bob Talbot; uwph: Pete Romano 1997 Hoods/The Prince of Mulberry Street [Mark Malone] c 1998 The Fisherman and His Wife [Jochen A. Schliessler] b&w; short/11m 1999 The Guilty [Anthony Waller] c 1999 Bait/Piégé [Antoine Fuqua] s35/c; 2uc: Peter Lyons Collister; vfx ph & aph: Kurt E. Soderling 2002 The Rundown/Welcome to the Jungle [Peter Berg] s35/c; 2uc: Peter Lyons Collister; aph: Kurt E. Soderling 2004 Friday Night Lights [Peter Berg] s35/c; 2uc: Thom Owens; vfx ph: Jas. Shelton; aph: Kurt E. Soderling 2006 Dreamgirls [Bill Condon] s35/c; 2uc: Dino Parks 2006 All God's Children Can Dance [Robert Logevall] c; co-addph; ph: Giorgio Scali 2007 Hancock [Peter Berg] s35 (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Paul Hughen; aph: David B. Nowell 2008 The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 [Tony Scott] s35 (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Alexander Witt; aph: Richard Brooks Burton; remake of film (1973, Joseph Sargent; ph: Owen Roizman) 2008 "Battleship" - photo by Frank Masi 2010 Battleship [Peter Berg] p+s35-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Larry Blanford & (RIMPAC) Dino Parks; Hong Kong ph: Jason Kwan; aph: Kurt Soderling (uncred) & Hans Bjerno; uwph: Pete Romano 2012 Lone Survivor [Peter Berg] pre-production
