back RICH LERNER - Director of Photography Moviemaking is a unique, collaborative process. But above all else, it is a visual process. And the one person who can have the biggest impact over the look of a motion picture is the Director of Photography. Without a doubt, it is the person behind the camera who can make or break a film. Descansos is fortunate to have found such a person in Award Winning Cinematographer Rich Lerner. By contributing his talents and his state of the art moviemaking equipment, Rich is taking our story to the next level. He will turn our heart touching drama into a bigger than life theatrical experience. His television and silver screen experience is impressive and spans three decades. From NBC to PBS to TOUCHSTONE to LUCAS FILMS, Lerner has worked on a broad base of projects with a variety of producers and directors. Rich began his career on the East Coast in the late '60s working as a camera operator for television and film projects. He took a road trip with a friend who was moving to Colorado in 1973 and never went back. He keeps a home in Denver to this day, though his travels take him to all parts of the world in pursuit of projects of significance he feels proud to work on. Seeking out meaningful works and recognizing a good story is what puts Lerner above the fray. When he purchased the film rights to the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, the resulting production propelled Lerner to a whole new level as Producer. In case you didn’t know it, Ishmael became the movie Instinct with Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding, Jr. Released in 2000 by Touchstone Pictures, the film enjoyed tremendous reviews. "Energy and tenacity, Rich has that combination of both," said Donna Dewey, president of Dewey-Obenchain films, who worked with Lerner on her Academy Award-winning documentary A Story of Healing. Dewey added, “It's realistic to think he'll make some headway after the release, but the challenge for all of us is educating potential investors on risk. Most of the time we're not talking about Jurassic Park proceeds. But we're certainly talking about proceeds that beat the Dow.” Rich Lerner is definitely making headway, doing what he has always done so well, doing what he loves -- telling stories, visually. Most recently Rich acted as DP on the feature action film E5 featuring Grayson McCouch (Dustin “Dusty” Donovan on As the World Turns) and Adrian Paul (ABC’s The Colby’s, Love Potion No. 9 with Sandra Bullock, and Highlander). E5 is already enjoying foreign distribution. Production Credits and Industry Awards: Instinct Touchstone Pictures The Manchurian Avenger Thorn EMI The Cottonwood Kid Beacon Films U2 At Red Rocks Music Video Til Tomorrow Don Mclean music video The Father Dowling Mysteries ABC TV Viacom Producers The Chase NBC Movie of the Week E5 Prosperctor Films 2004 Release Black Holes for “Nova” A Story of Healing Academy Award Winner Runaway Universe PBS “Nova” Lucas Films Ripples in Space Time National Science Foundation The Great Warming Airs on PBS fall 2004 Survivor All Stars Mark Burnett Productions Hunt For The Super Tornado “Nova” Test Pilot National Geographic Coast Guard Search and Rescue National Geographic Surviving MarsDiscovery Beyond Human PBS Arctic Oasis PBS Destination Space National Geographic The Planets BBC Fatal Flaws Discovery Mysteries of Deep Space Lucas Films The Roswell Incident TLC Alaskan Caravan The Nashville Network Jacques cousteau’s 75th Birthday Party Turner Broadcasting Producers