Louie Schwartzberg

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Louie Schwartzberg
Louie Schwartzberg (cropped).jpg
Louie Schwartzberg
Born (1950-02-21) February 21, 1950 (age 75)
Alma mater UCLA Film School
Occupation(s)Film director, cinematographer
Known forTime-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.

Contents

Schwartzberg is recognized as a pioneer of high-end time-lapse cinematography. [1] Schwartzberg is a visual artist who explores the connections between humans and the subtleties of nature and the environment. [2]

Early life and education

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

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:

Speaking engagements

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:

Filmography

YearMovie TitleRoleNotes
2022Gratitude RevealedDirector and Producer [14]
2019 Fantastic Fungi Director [15]
2019Moving ArtDirectorSeason 3
2015Moving Art: WaterfallsDirector
2015Moving Art: UnderwaterExecutive producerMostly focuses on sea animals
2014A World of SolutionsDirector
2014What's PossibleDirector
20144 original documentaries for Netflix: Moving Art
  • Flowers
  • Forests
  • Oceans
  • Deserts
Director
2013Mysteries of the Unseen WorldDirector
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
2000America! for Hallmark Channel
1999 Any Given Sunday additional cinematography
1992Oceans 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
1983The Jupiter Menacetime 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
1977Aliens from Spaceship Earth

Bibliography

YearTitlePublisher
2004 America's Heart and Soul Black Light Films
2013A Good Day: A Gift of Gratitude Sterling Ethos

Awards

YearAwardNominated work
2014 NASA Exploring Leadership Colloquium: Award of Honor
2014Jackson Hole Science Media AwardsIMMERSIVE IMAX 3D
2014Dimension 3 Festival: Best 4K Film
2014NAPPC Pollinator Protector Award
2013AwareGuide Editor's Choice for Top Transformational Film of the Year Wings of Life
2013AwareGuide Inspiration AwardWings of Life
2012Best Theatrical Program at the Jackson Hole Science Media AwardsWings of Life
2011Wild Talk Africa Roscar AwardWings of Life
2005Movieguide Awards Best Film Documentary America's Heart and Soul
2005Movieguide Awards 10 Best Movies of 2004 for FamiliesAmerica's Heart and Soul
2004Top 70 Cinematographers, On Film Kodak Salute Series
2001Hallmark Entertainment Telly AwardsAmerica!
1994ClioPublic Service Earth Communications Office “The Power of One”
1994ClioPublic Service Earth Communications Office “Connections”
1994The Mobius AwardThe Power of One
1992Emmy nominatedDiscovery Channel: Oceans of Air
1992Telly AwardWe’ll Amaze You
1990Gold Promax MedallionThe Spirit of Hampton Roads
1989International 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

  1. 1 2 "Getty Images Contributor Community". Archived from the original on 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
  2. Louie Schwartzberg at IMDb
  3. 1 2 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.
  4. "Oprah and Louie Schwartzberg: The World Beyond What We Can See" . Retrieved 2014-04-08.
  5. "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.
  6. "Gratitude Revealed Virtual Premiere". Films for the Planet. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  7. "CORE Festival Reveals Full Line-Up and Timetable". CORE Festival Press. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  8. "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.
  9. "Louie Schwartzberg : Speaker". TED. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
  10. "Louie Schwartzberg Biography". All American Speakers. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  11. "Louie Schwartzberg Speaking Engagements". All American Speakers. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  12. "CORE Festival Reveals Full Line-Up and Timetable". CORE Festival Press. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  13. "Public Art Projection Featuring Images of Humanity and Climate Change to Illuminate St. Peter's Basilica". World Bank. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  14. "Gratitude Revealed (2022) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  15. "Fantastic Fungi - Movie Trailers - iTunes". trailers.apple.com. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  16. America's Heart and Soul at IMDb