about
Shai Levy is a Filmmaker, Born 1973 in Jerusalem. He has been primarily working as a Cinematographer in the last 12 years and recently resumed his activity in still-photography, his origins to image-production from earlier time. He went to high school at the Rubin Academy of Music and Dance, and got his Filmmaker Diploma, 1999 at the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Jerusalem. Berlin, Locally, his graduation documentary project (camera and directing), was filmed in Berlin 1997/8.
After working in Israel as a professional Cameraman from 1999 until 2001, filming mostly documentaries, Shai went back to Berlin and Since 2001 has been working there as a freelance cinematographer, experiencing everything between short and full-length films, small-to-big-screen documentaries, commercial / image films and video art.
In August 2004, Shai filmed his debut full-length as a Director of Photography, the critically acclaimed, radical and dark Berliner tale Fliegende Ratten (dir. David Jazay), He participated in the European Film Academy’s one-week master class with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle in January 2005 and shortly after had a chance to be an operator on Ulrich Mühe‘s last film appearance, Nemesis.
Shai’s cinematographic instincts have been primarily shaped by his extensive experience in documentary environments. This is where he learned to achieve high profile imagery while making creative use of available resources. Growing interest and making in the commercial and “image” domain becomes present in his recent work and results a natural development towards a rather meticulous style.
Among his most important influences: Cinema Verité; Richard Leacock; Godard, Coutard and French New-Wave, American 1970′s cinema, Ingmar Bergman, Sven Nykvist, Robby Müller, Harmony Koraine, Anthony Dod Mantle and Chris Doyle.
In the last years, Shai has extended his work to post-production (grading and editing), consultant and concept development services.
The search after new ways of visual expression inspires him the most.
