Ken Kelsch
Ken Kelsch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Kenneth Arthur Kelsch July 8, 1947 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 11, 2023 (aged 76) Hackettstown, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Cinematographer |
| Years active | 1972–2019 |
| Children | 4 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
Branch |  United States Army |
Service years | 1965–69 |
Rank | First lieutenant |
| Unit | |
Conflicts | Vietnam War |
Kenneth Arthur Kelsch, ASC (July 8, 1947 – December 11, 2023)[1] was an American cinematographer. He was best known for his guerilla filmmaking style and his career-spanning partnership with filmmaker Abel Ferrara, with whom he made more than a dozen films. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Ferrara’s The Funeral (1996).
Prior to his filmmaking career, Kelsch served in the United States Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War, as a member of MACV-SOG.
Early life
[edit]Kenneth Arthur Kelsch was born in Brooklyn on July 8, 1947, and grew up in East Newark and North Arlington, New Jersey.[2] His mother was born in Scotland and his father was born in the Alsace region of France.[3] He was raised Catholic. He took an early interest in photography: he had his own darkroom at 12 years old and his father showed him how to develop black and white photographs. While still in high school, his father died while Kelsch had been attending his first week of seminary and his mother was two weeks pregnant.[4]
Military service
[edit]Kelsch enlisted in the United States Army in 1965. As a Green Beret, he was the executive officer of an A-team during the Vietnam War and participated in SLAM (Search, Locate, Annihilate, and Monitor) operations in Laos[3] and CIA led cross-border operations in Cambodia.[5] He was a first lieutenant within the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group.[6] He was discharged in 1969.[6]
Education
[edit]Kelsch studied photography at Montclair State College and New York University's Film & Television program, and attended Rutgers University.
After his discharge, Kelsch attended Montclair State University and worked for Johnson & Johnson making gaffer tape. He worked as a gaffer on Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left.[4] He attended film school at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with an M.F.A. in 1977.[7][2] His cinematography professor was Beda Batka. [6] He cited Conrad Hall, Gordon Willis, Michael Chapman, and John Cassavetes as influences.[1]
Film career
[edit]Between 1979 and 2019, Kelsch made 13 films with director Abel Ferrara, including his first mainstream film The Driller Killer, and the critically acclaimed feature films Bad Lieutenant (1992) and The Funeral (1996), for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.[8]
On television, Kelsch was the director of photography for the pilot episode of the CBS crime drama series Hack (2002) and the first and second seasons of the NBC supernatural procedural drama series Medium (2005–06).
Kelsch also taught cinematography at Montclair State University, Hofstra and Five Towns College on Long Island.[9]
Personal life
[edit]Kelsch had four children, one of whom died before him.[2] His second wife, Dale Denning, was his assistant at NYU.
Death
[edit]On December 11, 2023, he died of COVID-19-related pneumonia at a hospital in Hackettstown, New Jersey, at the age of 76.[3][9]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Now and Again | Episode: "Origins" |
| 2000 | The $treet | 3 episodes |
| 2002 | Hack | Pilot episode |
| 2005-06 | Medium | 33 episodes |
TV movies and miniseries
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker | Harry Moses | |
| 1996 | The Prosecutors | Rod Holcomb | Unsold pilot |
| Backroads to Vegas | Kirsten A. Bulmer | ||
| 1997 | Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground | Various | |
| Every 9 Seconds | Kenneth Fink | ||
| 1998 | Rear Window | Jeff Bleckner | |
| 1999 | Invisible Child | Joan Micklin Silver | |
| 2001 | Private Lies | Sherry Hormann |
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Title | Artist | Director | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Betcha She Don't Love You | Evelyn "Champagne" King | Steve Kahn | |
| 1990 | King of New York | Schoolly D | Abel Ferrara | |
| 1996 | Nigger Entertainment | |||
| 1995 | California | Mylène Farmer | [10] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "In Memoriam: Ken Kelsch, ASC (1947-2023)". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- 1 2 3 "Obituary of Kenneth A. Kelsch". Norman Dean Home for Services. Archived from the original on 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Barnes, Mike (December 13, 2023). "Ken Kelsch, Cinematographer on 'Bad Lieutenant,' Dies at 76". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- 1 2 Louison, Evan (May 22, 2019). ""Filmmaking is Like Combat — 90% Boredom, 5% Panic and 5% Terror": Ken Kelsch on Four Decades as a Cinematographer". Filmmaker Magazine. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ↑ Carannante, Tom (2013-07-23). "Ken Kelsch: Director of Photography". Ferro Productions. Archived from the original on 2015-11-07. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- 1 2 3 Williams, David E. (December 14, 2023). "In Memoriam: Ken Kelsch, ASC (1947-2023) - The American Society of Cinematographers (en-US)". theasc.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ↑ Mutter, Zoe (April 7, 2021). "Ken Kelsch ASC and Abel Ferrara: a lifelong collaboration". British Cinematographer. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Film Independent Spirit Awards - 34 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). s3.amazonaws.com. p. 47. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
- 1 2 Fuster, Jeremy (December 13, 2023). "Ken Kelsch, 'Bad Lieutenant' Cinematographer, Dies at 76". TheWrap. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ↑ McCrae, Scooter (Summer 2001). "FEST CIRCUIT". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1947 births
- 2023 deaths
- American cinematographers
- American people of French descent
- Deaths from pneumonia in New Jersey
- Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
- Members of the United States Army Special Forces
- People from Brooklyn
- People from East Newark, New Jersey
- People from Hackettstown, New Jersey
- United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
- People from North Arlington, New Jersey
- New York University Tisch School of the Arts alumni