Chel White

Chel White
Chel White, Paris, 2013
Born (1959-05-30) May 30, 1959 (age 65)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Alma materAntioch University
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter, composer
Years active1985-present

Chel White (born May 30, 1959) is an American film director, composer, screenwriter and visual effects artist. In his independent films and music videos, White is known for his stylized, often experimental use of images, unusual animation and narratives depicting an outsider's perspective. He often adopts darkly humorous and poetic sensibilities to explore topics of love, obsession and alienation; with dreams and the subconscious being his greatest influences.[1] He describes his own work as “stories and images that reside on the brink of dreams, or linger on the periphery of distorted memories.”[2] A Rockefeller Fellow, Chel White has made three films based on the work of Peabody Award-winning writer and radio personality Joe Frank (Dirt, Soulmate, Magda ).[3]

Chale Nafus of the Austin Film Society says, "I have been amazed at the stylistic and thematic diversity in (Chel White’s) films. Surreal, ethereal, wistful, and witty, I just allow my imagination to be taken into his complex, mysterious worlds.”[4] The Austin Chronicle says, "(Chel White's) work seems to dispatch itself in some secret, subversive code, flashing messages amid animation, obscure stock footage, and actors with crazy eyes."[5]

Chel White has directed music videos for Radiohead's Thom Yorke,[6] The Melvins,[7] Tom Brosseau, Chrystabell & David Lynch, and collaborated with the Oregon Symphony.[8] He has worked extensively with film director Gus Van Sant, creating visual effects on several of Van Sant's projects.[9] White began directing commercials in 1992, and with a focus in stop motion, began directing television programs in 1999, including two parodies for Saturday Night Live. Along with Ray Di Carlo and David Daniels, Chel White is a co-founder of the international production company Bent Image Lab[10] in Portland, Oregon.

  1. ^ "Chel White".
  2. ^ "Chel White". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2024-06-22.[user-generated source]
  3. ^ Oppenheimer, Mark (19 January 2018). "The Last Days of Joe Frank, the Radio Legend Who Inspired Today's Audio Golden Age". Slate.
  4. ^ "AVANT CINEMA 4.2: FEVER DREAMS/HEAVENLY NIGHTMARES - Austin Film Society". Archived from the original on 2015-10-17.
  5. ^ "Here Come the Judges".
  6. ^ "NEW RELEASE: Thom Yorke "Harrowdown Hill"". VideoStatic.
  7. ^ "Hooch by Melvins - Songfacts".
  8. ^ "Northwest Film Center Archive: January/February 2001".
  9. ^ "Gus van Sant's Milk Gets Bent". 19 February 2009.
  10. ^ "Bent Image Lab in Good Shape". 17 September 2008. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2009.