Keith Gruchala
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
- Visual Effects
American born Cinematographer Keith Gruchala has shot feature films,
commercials and music videos all over the world. Raised in San
Francisco, California, he made his first film at the age of 12 years
old on a catamaran sailboat using an old super 8 camera. Now you'll
find him working mainly in Hollywood, though he has lensed projects in
Mexico, India, Canada, and all over Europe including the further
eastern countries of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine and
Russia. He's collaborated with companies such as American Zoetrope,
been featured in respected trade magazines like American
Cinematographer and Kodak's 'In Camera', and worked with nearly every
international ad agency from JW Thompson in Kiev to Lintas in Bombay to
Leo Burnett in Prague. As a freelancer he has worked with dozens of
independent producers around the world and prided himself on being able
to work successfully in even the most difficult situations, where the
infra-structure for production may leave something to be desired.
Having earned his degree from the greatly respected Brooks Institute of
Photography more than 15 years ago, he began his career with a bang
when his thesis project was a contender for the student academy award
in experimental short cinema. His early professional efforts focused on
special effects for which his technical background gave him a good
working knowledge. At one point he helped build a motion control system
and green screen stage in Eastern Europe to service foreign productions
coming into Prague for features. Two of his latest features will soon
be released; "Pomegranates" done in conjunction with American Zoetrope
and "Beyond the Soul" which was an unusual collaboration with the
Indian director Rajiv Anchal (a former foreign Academy Award contender)
which has just won Best Picture at the New York Independent Film and
Video Festival. This has led to him being currently in demand in
Bombay, shooting dozens of commercials for local agencies in what is
now known popularly as 'Bollywood'. Keith has just finished a feature
here in the US entitled "The Bridge to Nowhere" starring Ving Rhames,
Bijou Phillips, and Blair Underwood.
