Ken Kelsch

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, including The Driller Killer (1979), Bad Lieutenant (1992), Dangerous Game (1993), The Addiction (1995), The Blackout (1997), and Welcome to New York (2014), as well as a segment of the HBO dark comedy drama anthology series Subway Stories (1997).

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). He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Abel 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

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]

He studied photography at Montclair State College and New York University's Film & Television program.^[5]

Military life

Kelsch attended Rutgers University for a year and enlisted in the army in 1966. 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.^[6] He was a first lieutenant within the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group.^[5]

Film career

Upon returning to the States, Kelsch attended Montclair State University and worked for Johnson & Johnson making gaffer tape. 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 Czech filmmaker Beda Batka.

Actors he filmed include Danny Aiello, Asia Argento, Patricia Arquette, Seymour Cassel, John Corbett, Gérard Depardieu, Willem Dafoe, Benicio Del Toro, Drea de Matteo, Gérard Depardieu, Minnie Driver, Edie Falco, Danny Glover, Isaac Hayes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michael Imperioli, Samuel L. Jackson, Allison Janney, Harvey Keitel, Madonna, Vincent Pastore, Chris Penn, Ron Perlman, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter, Isabella Rosellini, Annabella Sciorra, Kyra Sedgwick, Paul Sorvino, David Strathairn, Lili Taylor, Stanley Tucci, Christopher Walken, Sam Waterston and James Woods among others.

Between 1979 and 2019, Kelsch made thirteen films with director Abel Ferrara, including his first 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]

Kelsch taught cinematography at Montclair State University, Hofstra and Five Towns College in Long Island.^[9]

Personal life and death

Kelsch had four children, one of whom died before him.^[2] His second wife was his assistant at NYU. On December 11, 2023, he died of COVID-19 and pneumonia at a hospital in Hackettstown, New Jersey, at the age of 76.^[3][9]

Filmography

Film

Cinematographer

Other credits

Television

TV movies

• Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker (1994)
• Rear Window (1998)

Music video

See also

• List of film director and cinematographer collaborations

References

1. ^ "In Memoriam: Ken Kelsch, ASC (1947-2023)". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
2. ^ "Obituary of Kenneth A. Kelsch". Norman Dean Home for Services. Archived 2023-12-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
3. ^ Barnes, Mike (December 13, 2023). "Ken Kelsch, Cinematographer on 'Bad Lieutenant,' Dies at 76". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
4. ^ 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 May 26, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
5. ^ Williams, David E. (December 14, 2023). "In Memoriam: Ken Kelsch, ASC (1947-2023) - The American Society of Cinematographers (en-US)". theasc.com. Archived December 15, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
6. ^ Carannante, Tom (2013-07-23). "Ken Kelsch: Director of Photography". Ferro Productions. Archived 2015-11-07 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
7. ^ Mutter, Zoe (April 7, 2021). "Ken Kelsch ASC and Abel Ferrara: a lifelong collaboration". British Cinematographer. Archived February 13, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
8. ^ "Film Independent Spirit Awards - 34 Years of Nominees and Winners". s3.amazonaws.com. p. 47. Archived 2019-12-30 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
9. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (December 13, 2023). "Ken Kelsch, 'Bad Lieutenant' Cinematographer, Dies at 76". TheWrap. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
10. ^ McCrae, Scooter (Summer 2001). "FEST CIRCUIT". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-06.

External links

• Official YouTube