Louie Schwartzberg
Louie Schwartzberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 21, 1950 |
| Alma mater | UCLA Film School |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, cinematographer |
| Known for | Time-lapse cinematography |
Louie Schwartzberg (born February 21, 1950) is an American director, producer, and cinematographer. Since 2004, Schwartzberg has worked as a director for films, including the 2019 film, Fantastic Fungi, and the 2014 Netflix series, Moving Art.
Schwartzberg is recognized as a pioneer in high-end time-lapse cinematography.[1] Schwartzberg is a visual artist who focuses on connections between humans and the subtleties of nature and environment.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Schwartzberg grew up in Brooklyn, and his parents were Jewish Holocaust survivors.[3] He graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in the early seventies.[1] Schwartzberg chaired and served as executive director of the Action! Vote Coalition and served on the board of the Earth Communications Office and the Environmental Media Association. He is a member of both the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.
Career
[edit]Schwartzberg is credited by many with pioneering the contemporary stock footage industry by founding Energy Film Library, a global company, which was acquired by Getty Images in 1997.
In 2012 completed Wings of Life, a documentary feature for Disneynature, narrated by Meryl Streep. It won Best Theatrical Program at the Jackson Hole Science Media Awards 2012, and also won a Best Cinematography Roscar Award. The film reveals the fragile relationship between flowers and their pollination partners.
In November, 2013 Mysteries of the Unseen World, a 3D-IMAX film with National Geographic was released in theaters worldwide. The film is a journey into invisible worlds that are too slow, too fast, too small and too vast for the human eye to see.[3]
In 2013, Schwartzberg founded the company Moving Art, which produces High Definition 2D and 3D movies featuring nature, cityscapes, and visual effects. He also founded the large format film company, BlackLight Films, featuring content such as documentaries and children's programming. Projects include America's Heart and Soul a story of Americans who are remarkable in their everyday lives, for Walt Disney Pictures; “America!”, a 26-episode half-hour series for The Hallmark Channel; and “Chasing the Light,” a one-hour documentary that aired on PBS.
On April 6, 2014, he appeared in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Super Soul Sunday (OWN TV) episode titled, The World Beyond What We Can See.[4] For Netflix, he also made the series called Moving Art with six topics; flowers, forests, oceans, deserts, underwater and waterfalls. The seventh topic, about mushrooms, is the film Fantastic Fungi, released in 2019. Netflix has an additional six topics lined up: Koh Samui, Iceland, Africa, Angkor Wat, whales and dolphins, Big Sur and the Galapagos.
His imagery was previously featured at the Vatican on December 8, 2015, when Pope Francis permitted art and nature projections on St. Peter’s Basilica for the Jubilee celebration, highlighting climate awareness.[5]
In 2022, Schwartzberg released Gratitude Revealed, a documentary 40 years in the making that explores how gratitude can reconnect us to ourselves, each other, and the planet.[6] The film has been featured in over 200 in-person events, more than 50 virtual screenings, and 200 nonprofit partnership showings. It received extensive social media engagement and curriculum downloads, expanding its educational impact.
In 2023, Schwartzberg’s visuals appeared at Tomorrowland and CORE Festival in Brussels. At Tomorrowland, mushroom visuals from Fantastic Fungi were displayed across a 130-foot-wide screen during performances. At CORE Festival, he gave a keynote in a 360° LED installation that immersed audiences in the world of fungi.[7]
In 2024, Schwartzberg’s nature imagery was projected on the 580,000 sq ft LED exterior of The Sphere in Las Vegas as part of a two-year Earth Day installation, using 16K resolution visuals viewed by thousands daily.[8]
Schwartzberg’s upcoming projects include:
- GAIA, a story of ecological rebirth through a journey into the mycelium network following a planetary cataclysm;
- Hidden Beauty, a consciousness-shifting project developed alongside psilocybin-based clinical trials;
- WONDER, a film examining unseen natural phenomena that provoke a sense of awe and exploration.
Speaking engagements
[edit]Schwartzberg is active in the TED community, having spoken in 2011 at the following: TEDxSoCal, TEDxSF and TEDxJacksonhole, TEDxSMU, and TED Vancouver in March 2014.[9] He has delivered speeches at NASA, Global Spa and Wellness Summit, The Nantucket Project and Bioneers. His YouTube videos have collected over 60 million views. Schwartzberg has also spoken at major international events and venues not currently listed in the article, including:
- United Nations Climate Summit (COP22 in Paris and COP26 in Glasgow)[10]
- The Emmy Awards, where he presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to David Attenborough[11]
- Mindvalley (Estonia)
- CORE Festival and Tomorrowland (Brussels), where he gave keynotes and immersive art experiences based on Fantastic Fungi[12]
- The Vatican (St. Peter’s Basilica, 2015), where his imagery was projected as part of the “Fiat Lux” climate awareness installation sanctioned by Pope Francis[13]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Movie Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Gratitude Revealed | Director and Producer[14] | |
| 2019 | Fantastic Fungi | Director[15] | |
| 2019 | Moving Art | Director | Season 3 |
| 2015 | Moving Art: Waterfalls | Director | |
| 2015 | Moving Art: Underwater | Executive producer | Mostly focuses on sea animals |
| 2014 | A World of Solutions | Director | |
| 2014 | What's Possible | Director | |
| 2014 | 4 original documentaries for Netflix: Moving Art
|
Director | |
| 2013 | Mysteries of the Unseen World | Director | |
| 2012 | DisneyNature: Wings of Life | Director | |
| 2006 | Chasing the Light | ||
| 2004 | Disney presents America's Heart and Soul | Director[16] | |
| 2002 | Men in Black II | additional cinematography | |
| 2002 | Stuart Little 2 | additional cinematography | |
| 2000 | Erin Brockovich | additional cinematography | |
| 2000 | America! for Hallmark Channel | ||
| 1999 | Any Given Sunday | additional cinematography | |
| 1992 | Oceans of Air for Discovery Channel | ||
| 1988 | Vice Versa | Visual Effects Supervisor | |
| 1985 | The Heavenly Kid | visual effects | |
| 1984 | The Ice Pirates | time lapse photography | |
| 1984 | The Glitter Dome | time lapse photography | |
| 1983 | The Jupiter Menace | time lapse photography | |
| 1982 | Koyaanisqatsi | time lapse photography | |
| 1980 | The Final Countdown | time lapse photography | |
| 1980 | Altered States | time lapse photography | |
| 1980 | Xanadu | time lapse photography | |
| 1977 | Aliens from Spaceship Earth |
Bibliography
[edit]| Year | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | America's Heart and Soul | Black Light Films |
| 2013 | A Good Day: A Gift of Gratitude | Sterling Ethos |
Awards
[edit]| Year | Award | Nominated work |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | NASA Exploring Leadership Colloquium: Award of Honor | |
| 2014 | Jackson Hole Science Media Awards | IMMERSIVE IMAX 3D |
| 2014 | Dimension 3 Festival: Best 4K Film | |
| 2014 | NAPPC Pollinator Protector Award | |
| 2013 | AwareGuide Editor's Choice for Top Transformational Film of the Year | Wings of Life |
| 2013 | AwareGuide Inspiration Award | Wings of Life |
| 2012 | Best Theatrical Program at the Jackson Hole Science Media Awards | Wings of Life |
| 2011 | Wild Talk Africa Roscar Award | Wings of Life |
| 2005 | Movieguide Awards Best Film Documentary | America's Heart and Soul |
| 2005 | Movieguide Awards 10 Best Movies of 2004 for Families | America's Heart and Soul |
| 2004 | Top 70 Cinematographers, On Film Kodak Salute Series | |
| 2001 | Hallmark Entertainment Telly Awards | America! |
| 1994 | Clio | Public Service Earth Communications Office “The Power of One” |
| 1994 | Clio | Public Service Earth Communications Office “Connections” |
| 1994 | The Mobius Award | The Power of One |
| 1992 | Emmy nominated | Discovery Channel: Oceans of Air |
| 1992 | Telly Award | We’ll Amaze You |
| 1990 | Gold Promax Medallion | The Spirit of Hampton Roads |
| 1989 | International Monitor Award for Best Paint Film Design | “America" for Baskin-Robbins |
Schwartzberg has won two Clio Awards for Best Environmental Public Service Spots, an Emmy nomination for Best Cinematography for the Discovery Channel special Oceans of Air, and the Heartland Film Festival's Truly Moving Picture Award for Walt Disney Pictures’ release, America’s Heart and Soul. Schwartzberg was recognized as one of the top 70 Cinematographers for the On Film Kodak Salute Series. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Getty Images Contributor Community". Archived from the original on 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ^ Louie Schwartzberg at IMDb
- ^ a b Sonia Harmon (April 5, 2014). "Viewing Nature's Beauty Through a New Lens". National Geographic, News Watch. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ^ "Oprah and Louie Schwartzberg: The World Beyond What We Can See". Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ^ "Public Art Projection Featuring Images of Humanity and Climate Change to Illuminate St. Peter's Basilica on the Opening of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy". World Bank. 2015-12-07. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ "Gratitude Revealed Virtual Premiere". Films for the Planet. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ "CORE Festival Reveals Full Line-Up and Timetable". CORE Festival Press. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ "Sphere Celebrates Earth Day with Special Exosphere Content Show Featuring Art from Mickey Hart and Louie Schwartzberg". Sphere Entertainment Co. 2024-04-22. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ "Louie Schwartzberg : Speaker". TED. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ^ "Louie Schwartzberg Biography". All American Speakers. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ "Louie Schwartzberg Speaking Engagements". All American Speakers. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ "CORE Festival Reveals Full Line-Up and Timetable". CORE Festival Press. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ "Public Art Projection Featuring Images of Humanity and Climate Change to Illuminate St. Peter's Basilica". World Bank. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ "Gratitude Revealed (2022) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ "Fantastic Fungi - Movie Trailers - iTunes". trailers.apple.com. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
- ^ America's Heart and Soul at IMDb
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
