Richard Welnowski

Awards and Recognition:

   ·       PRIMETIME EMMY AWARD Winner for “Outstanding Achievement in Special Effects” 1989-1990 for THE ORCHESTRA film produced by PBS,                        Canal Plus, NHK Tokyo.

   ·       2013 Mozilla Award and grant for concept BriefCase Health-portable teleconferencing system, with medical sensors, collaboration with Children’s Mercy Hospital

   ·       US-Ignite The Best APP 2014 at Silicon Valley Summit, collaboration with Children’s Mercy Hospital

   ·       Letter of recognition from Daniel Supulveda, US Ambassador for Communications

   ·       Two letters of recognition and Coin No.16 for best Kanas City technology,  from Sly James, Mayor of Kansas City

Film Producer - received following Awards

CIFEJ Jury Awards at the Kristiansand International Children’s Film Festival

GOLDEN SPROCKETS AWARDS at the SPROCETS International Film Festival for Children. TORONTO.

Golden Apple – The Spectator Prize for Most Successful Feature Film at ZLIN International Film Festival For Children and Youth. The Czech Republic

Special mention at the LUCAS Film Festival 2008, Frankfurt Germany

And a Special mention by the Don-Quijote-Preis der F.I.C.C.-Jury LUCAS Film Festival 2008, Frankfurt Germany

The best film in the competitive program of 5th Vilnius International film festival for children and youth by children jury Vilnius Lithuania

Special mention at the Nordic Film Days Lübeck, Germany

Best Feature Film No Network by the Children jury at 11th Olympia International Film Festival for Children & Young people, Greece.

The Film has also been shown at:

Taiwan International Children´s and TV & Film Festival

Festroia in Setubla Portugal

10th Seoul International Youth  Film Festival 16

Cinekid Amsterdam 2008

Oulu Intl. Children Film Festival Finland

Chicago International Film Festival  USA

Le Carrousel international du film de Rimouski, Canada

Calgary International Film Festival, Alberta,Canada

Buster, Children Film Festival Copenhagen Denmark

London International Film Festival, London. UK

London International Film Festival for Children, London, UK

Cinekid í Amsterdam, Netherlands

Kölner Kinderfilmfest CINEPÄNZ, Köln, Germany

Gimli Film Festival, Gilmi CANADA

6th edition of IndieLisboa – Lison, Portugal

26th International Young Audience Film Festival Ale Kino! POSNAN POLAND
PÖFF Children and Youth Film Festival “Just Film” in Tallinn ESTONIA.

Engineering and Technical Director

2016-present

Engineering and Arts lighting design for selected architectural projects:

Sky Stations and Pylons, Bartle Hall Convention Center, Kansas City, MO

60-foot SPIRE, Northgate Transfer Center, Public Art Project, El Paso, TX

City Hall, Kansas City, MO

Bartle Hall Convention Center Facades and 13th Street Underpass, Kansas City, MO

Mackay Hall, Park University, Parkville, MO

 

2012-present

CEO, SightDeckKC, LLC, 

Responsibility: Technical expertise in creating workflow, implementation and sales for US and worldwide market of high-end tele-presence systems, including  SightDeck. Creating visual sales pitch, presentations, technical expertise, and direct interface with customer. Areas include; business, medical, educational, architectural, military, government, etc.

 

First US SightDeck system: installation at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Technical evaluation, completed installation in 2013. System used for Grand Lecture, international interactive collaboration and medical education.

 

Architectural photography, video, archival printing for various National Register of Historic Places Nominations, Historic Preservation Certification Tax documents, Section 106 documentation and Historic American Buildings Survey for the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Significant projects include 19th Century Rotary Jail (Indiana, Iowa and Missouri), the historic Pratt and Whitney Plant, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of the Navy, Kansas City, MO., which included 170 large format images that are now housed in the Library of Congress. Required photography for various National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) projects. Ongoing.

 

2010-2012

Consulting and creating curriculums for new department, Digital Media for Kansas City Art Institute.  Assistant professor for Digital Media KCAI, lecture with students.

 

2009-2010

Technical Director initial phase for Wroclaw Studio for Visual Technology in Wroclaw Poland. Creating uncompressed HD (4444) workflow for Special Visual Effects film studios.

 

2005-2009

We The People. Technical Director for filming selected scenes for IMAX movie. The film portrays the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

 

Day Under Fire, Director of Photography for three 50-minute episodes for the National Geographic series. The Vietnam, Wilderness and Saipan-WW2, which was broadcasted on National Geographic HD channel.

 

No Network Executive Producer and Technical Director, filmed in Iceland.

 

Running for Life film-Director and Cinematography, filmed in USA and Germany

 

2003 -2005

Lazy Town, Engineer - real time compositing supervisor for LazyTown children’s show, filmed in Reykjavik, Iceland studios. Design film studio (uncompressed HD video) for real time compositing, 3D animation, virtual backgrounds with live and puppets characters. Supervising real time compositing during production for 56 episodes.

 

2002-2003

Creating technology, workflow, Director of Photography, technical supervision for several projects in Cologne, Germany, and Venice, Italy. Lecture digital film making at Animation Campus, Munich, Germany.

 

1998-2002

Technical Director, co-owner Zbig Vision Company, Cologne, Germany.

Responsibility: Supervising developing and sale software for visual application, motion control, spherical lens and image compositing.

Lecture with students at Media School Cologne.

 

1994-1998

Technical Director- co-owner Centrum for New Image, Berlin Germany

Responsibility: Design and building new visual technology, based on high definition video standard. Engineering projects of precision motion control system with a 2-ton rotating table. Supervising, developing, marketing and sales of software line.

 

1987-1994

Technical Director at Zbig’s Vision Studios, Hoboken NJ

Responsibility: Design and implementation of new High Definition visual technology for film and other applications. Designing and implementing motion control systems for film and technology application. Direct involvement with real- time compositing and creating visuals for award-winning films.

 

1980-1987

Engineer at Matrix Instruments, New Jersey, New York, San Jose, CA

Supervising production and quality control for visual imaging line of two departments. Video Imagers for medical and NASA standards. Assisting at engineering and prototyping new generation of Laser recorder.

 

Lifetime Member of ZPAF (Artist Photographer Union, Poland). Status similar as graduate art institute in photography.

Publishing as Subject (Selected: examples provided on request)

In USA, Germany, Poland, and Iceland

US Magazines, publications, books, catalogues: Wired, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Business Journal, Cinematographer and more.

 

Other Activity and Contributions

Visual Artist, photography, films, videos, audio, and other media

Exhibitions; USA, Germany, Poland

 

Selected Film works and productions:

 

2011

“Like Not Like About America” 12-minute documentary. Conceived, Directed, Cinematography, Editing. Produced by Richard Welnowski and Cydney Millstein. Film was selected and premiered at America: Now and Here, Kansas City, a cross-country journey of art and ideas. The film represented a sociological study of selected residents of Kansas City, MO. Each person answered two questions: What do you like about America and what do you not like about America. Production time was 5 days to avoid bias answers influenced by social, financial or political events.

 

2010

Lenticular Project Consultant. Consulting workflow for one of the world’s largest 3D, Lenticular Life-Sized Panorama of 2nd Battle of Kernstown. This panorama is being produced for the Virginia Historical Society. Project associated with Wide Awake Films. Picture size 36 ft. x 8 ft. with over 100 layers of compositing, illustrating Civil War battle.

 

“Pennhurst” Feature film. Director of Photography. Film, directed by Michael Rooker, includes actors Michael Rooker, Haylie Duff and Beverly Mitchell.

 

Consulting for Kansas City Arts Institute new Digital Media program. Filming and editing several videos including KCAI student project murals for new Kauffman Art Performing Center.

 

Architectural photography and archival printing. Architectural photography for various National Register of Historic Places nominations, Historic Preservation Certification Tax documents, Section 106 documentation and Historic American Buildings Survey for the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Projects include the 19th Century Rotary Jail (Indiana, Iowa and Missouri) and the historic Pratt and Whitney Plant, Department of the Navy, Kansas City, MO.

 

2009

Running For Life. Director and Cinematographer. Film and DVD project about marathon runners, including filming at Houston Marathon event, three-day interview with Billy Mills – gold medal marathon runner from Tokyo. Filming also in Germany and Austria with gold medal marathon runners.

 

Consulting for KCAI in new Digital Media program. Creating four promotional videos.

 

2008

We The People, IMAX film – technical director. Filming all scenes with Viper on green backing for compositing into 3D computer generated background.Footage will be resized to 4k and printed on 65mm film for presentation in I-Max theaters. The film portrays the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

 

Bernstein Arpeggio – (pre-production) director, concept, research and preparation: 56 min Visual Film, a presentation of the music and life of Leonard Bernstein. An imaginative fusion of musical performance, narration and striking visual imagery. Music by virtuoso classical guitarist Lucian Plessner to be featured in cooperation with Leonard Bernstein NYC Office, Unitel Germany, and others.

 

2007

Day Under Fire National Geographic, Director of Photography, Three pilot episodes shot with Wide Awake Films from Kansas City, MO.

Vietnam episode on National Geographic channel, aired in HD. X-Ray battle, filmed on location in Mississippi.

Wilderness Civil War battle scene filmed in Virginia Viper, Clipster mobile setup is used. Temperature 96 deg. explosions, smoke a lot of people as war can be seen. Recording to Clipster in uncompressed mode. All visualization on set fully uncompressed HD.

Saipan battle scene filmed on location in South Carolina

 

2006

No Network feature film, Executive Producer and Technical Director,

Filmed on locations in Iceland. The Digital FilmStream production, similar work- flow as 35mm (no cables to the recorder) using Viper Film Stream camera in wide mode, Venom FlashPak, Clipster uncompressed disc recorder, Cine-tal monitor for on set LUTs and picture evaluation. The test, transfer Film Stream files to 35 mm film proved, the highest quality result outperforming traditional film.

Lazy Town second season, 18 more episodes completed.  The successful children show, presented in 102 countries around the world. High-end shooting with the latest HD digital film technology, motion control, real time compositing into 3D computer generated backgrounds.

 

Commercial, artistic visualization for Detroit car show 2006, client Mercedes. Introduction for new Mercedes diesel, pollution free technology, BlueTek. A life artistic show include HD real time compositing; eight choreographed dancers dressed in blue and nature background composited on their bodies.

 

Backyardigans, Director of Photography for 30-sec spot for Nickelodeon, second promo, shoot in Kansas City, MO. HD shooting and compositing into 3D Computer generated background

 

2005

Nickelodeon, Director of Photography, Technical Director 30-second spot. This National spot was the first introduction for promoting Lazy Town merchandise. Technology live compositing with ultimatte HD digital, Viper camera, and DVS Clipster for uncompressed HD recording…Work flow for this Spot started with animatics, where camera position and Computer Graphic was predefined for many layers of compositing in each frame. Spot awarded with Tally Award 2006

 

Promo LazyTown for Nickjr TV, Technical Director. For the summer of 2005 created more than 100 jingles to interact with kids during the broadcasting program.

 

2004

Lazy Town, TV children’s show filmed in Iceland. Live compositing for 36 episodes Nickelodeon production. This show is rated as the top children’s show in USA and also 79+ other countries.

 

2003

Advertising spot for Italian circus Zucchero director

 

FC KOELN spots, ultimatte HD digital compositing for film, high end commercial shoot on blue screen, Viper camera directly to DF disk recorder.

 

Perspectives directing, cinematography, editing, for 40 minutes film. Filmed in Greece.

 

SunGun directed music video, CineAlta HD camera, shoot on blue screen with motion control system and motion tracking. Computer generated background and animated characters composited for super hyper surrealistic look.

 

2002

Special lectures-digital film making at Animation Campus Munich, Germany

Collective photo exhibition in Wroclaw, celebration of 50 years ZPAF

 

Directing, shooting short comic short films with Andrey Jigalov

 

Looking Inside ballet transformation, written for filmed by Richard Welnowski, Received First Prize in Prague at International Ballet Festival.

 

Mandana -directing and cinematography, short TV promo for new song, presented by SAT1, RTL

 

2001

“WAS TUN GEGEN STEIGENDE SPRITPREISE” - Bundesministerium Umwelt

HD 24P spot for movie theaters. This was the first commercial in Europe to shoot directly to Directors Friend capturing unit.

 

1992

KAFKA - Telemax, Les Editions Audiovisuelies, Visual effects, multi generation compositing technology, 55 minutes TV film.

 

CURTAINS - opening sequence for “Tonight Show” Jay Leno, for NBC.

 

1991

MANHATTAN - Zbig Vision and NHK Enterpreises USA, Inc. 55-minutes visual effects film.

 

WASHINGTON Zbig Vision and NHK Enterpreises USA, Inc. 55-minutes visual effects film.

 

VH-1 JINGLES for VH-1 promos.

 

1989

THE ORCHESTRA - Zbig Vision and EX Nihilo, co-produced. NHK, Canal+, PBS, 55 min visual effects TV film.

 

GMF GROUPE - Zbig Vision and EX Nihilo, commercial spot.

 

CAPRICCIO NO 24 - TVE’s “The Art of Video.”

 

YOU BETTER DANCE music video for “The Jets”, MCA Records.

 

COWBELL music video for Takeshi Itoh, CBS Records.

 

1988

FLUFF  for RAI-TV.

 

BLUE LIKE YOU - music video for Etienne Daho, Virgin Records.