Chel White (born May 30, 1959) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...

artist. In his independent films and music videos, White is known for his stylized, often experimental use of images, animation and first-person narratives told from the perspective of the estranged individual. He often adopts darkly humorous and poetic sensibilities to depict the human experience, exploring topics of love, obsession, alienation and dreams. He describes his own work as “stories and images that reside on the brink of dreams, or linger on the periphery of distorted memories.” A

Rockefeller Fellow The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...

, Chel White has made three films based on the work of

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

-winning radio personality and writer

Joe Frank Joe Frank (August 19, 1938 – January 15, 2018) was a French-born American writer, teacher, and radio performer best known for his often philosophical, humorous, surrealist, and sometimes absurd monologues and radio dramas he recorded often i ...

(''Dirt'', ''Soulmate'', and ''Magda''). The

Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...

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." Chale Nafus of the

Austin Film Society The Austin Film Society (AFS) is a non-profit film society based in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1985 to exhibit independent, experimental, foreign and various other non-mainstream art films, the film society has grown from just film exhibition to fos ...

says, "I have been amazed at the stylistic and thematic diversity in (Chel White’s) films. Surreal, ethereal, wistful, and witty are some of the descriptions that come to mind. Mainly I just allow my imagination to be taken into his complex, mysterious worlds.” Chel White has directed music videos for Radiohead's lead singer

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been describe ...

The Melvins ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Tom Brosseau Thomas Anderson Brosseau is an American musical storyteller and guitarist, born and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. He was awarded Key to the City of Grand Forks by mayor Michael R. Brown in 2007, in part due to his original ...

, Chrystabell &

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

, and collaborated with the

Oregon Symphony The Oregon Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded as the 'Portland Symphony Society' in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States. I ...

. He has worked extensively with film director

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultur ...

, creating visual effects on several of Van Sant's projects. White began directing commercials in the early 1990s, and directing television programs in the early 2000s, including two parodies for

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

. Along with

Ray Di Carlo Ray Di Carlo is an American producer, executive producer, director, and co-founder (along with Chel White and David Daniels) of the Portland, Oregon based animation studio Bent Image Lab. History Since 2002, Di Carlo has acted as Executive Prod ...

and David Daniels, Chel White is a co-founder of the international production company

Bent Image Lab BENT IMAGE LAB (or BENT) is a production company and animation studio specializing in story development, television, commercials, visual effects, music videos, short films, experimental techniques and tech development in augmented reality (AR). Lo ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

Early life and education

Chel White was born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

and grew up in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, and

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

where his father was a

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

professor and his mother a schoolteacher. White cites his earliest influence as being the

Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

painting he was exposed to in grade school when visiting the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

. He began making films in high school where, studying under instructors Peter Kingsbury and Kevin Dole, he was introduced to the films of

Norman McLaren William Norman McLaren, LL. D. (11 April 1914 – 27 January 1987) was a Scottish Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).Rosenthal, Alan. ''The new documentary in action: a caseb ...

, Bruce Connor,

Maya Deren Maya Deren (born Eleonora Derenkowska, uk, Елеоно́ра Деренко́вська, links=no;

Kenneth Anger Kenneth Anger (born Kenneth Wilbur Anglemyer, February 3, 1927) is an American underground experimental filmmaker, actor, and author. Working exclusively in short films, he has produced almost 40 works since 1937, nine of which have been grouped ...

and

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...

. White went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Arts, with a central focus on experimental film, from

Antioch College Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its f ...

Yellow Springs, Ohio Yellow Springs is a village in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,697 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is home to Antioch College. History The area of the village had long b ...

Independent filmmaker

Chel White began making independent short films after college, starting with a

drawn-on-film animation Drawn-on-film animation, also known as direct animation or animation without camera, is an animation technique where footage is produced by creating the images directly on film stock, as opposed to any other form of animation where the images o ...

titled ''Metal Dogs of India'' (1985). In 1991, White completed '' Choreography for Copy Machine (Photocopy Cha Cha)'', an animated film created solely by using the unique photographic capabilities of a photocopier to generate sequential pictures of hands, faces, and other body parts. The film is widely considered the first noteworthy animated film using this technique. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' describes it as “(a) musical frolic which wittily builds on ghostly, distorted images crossing the plate glass of a copier.” The films that followed include ''

Dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a genera ...

'' (1998), ''Soulmate'' (2000), ''Passage'' (2001), ''Magda'' (2004), ''A Painful Glimpse Into My Writing Process in Less Than 60 Seconds'' (2005), ''Wind'' (2007), a Donald Trump horror film parody called ''Little Donnie'' (2017), and ''Dreams of a Fallen Astronaut'' (2020) part of the Gratzfilm omnibus ''The One Minute Memoir''. In 2002, as a poetic response to the tragedies of September 11, Chel White created ''New York'' to be part of the omnibus collection ''Underground Zero''. The

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

called White's film "an eerie paean to the city itself," and Bill Stamets of the

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...

said, “Chel White’s ''New York'' makes a ruined city enchanted again: jets ascend in twilight, framed by silhouetted rooftops and cranes, and droplets sparkle like tiny diamonds as kids delight in the spray of fire hydrants." White's 2007 short film, ''Wind,'' was commissioned by

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

’s creative director Dilly Gent and the climate change awareness group

Live Earth Live Earth was an event developed to increase environmental awareness through entertainment. Background Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, ''Live Earth'' was built upon the beli ...

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine Supplement (publishing), supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted man ...

describes it as “(a) beautiful film, very moving, set to a poem by Antonio Machado and narrated by Alec Baldwin.” Using a

Robert Bly Robert Elwood Bly (December 23, 1926 – November 21, 2021) was an American poet, essayist, activist and leader of the mythopoetic men's movement. His best-known prose book is '' Iron John: A Book About Men'' (1990), which spent 62 weeks on ' ...

translation of the poem, ''Wind'' creates a metaphor for humanity's lack of planet stewardship. Along with eight other Live Earth commissioned films, the film made its world premiere in the opening night program of the 2007

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

with keynote speaker

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

. The films of Chel White have screened in the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

IFFR The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

Ottawa International Animation Festival The Ottawa International Animation Festival is an annual animated film and media festival that takes place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The OIAF was founded in 1975, with the first festival held from August 10 to 15 in 1976. Initially organized by ...

Annecy Festival Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nickname ...

HKIFF The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), is one of Asia’s oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies, filmmakers from different countries in Hong Kong. HKIFF screens around 230 films ...

, SIFF,

Portland International Film Festival PAM CUT–Center for an Untold Tomorrow, formerly the ''Northwest Film Center'' is a regional media arts resource and service organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States that was founded to encourage the study, appreciation, and utilizat ...

and

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...

. 2012 saw the film festival release of ''Bucksville'', Chel White‘s directorial

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

debut. Written and produced well before the

Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge On January 2, 2016, an armed group of far-right extremists seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon, and continued to occupy it until law enforcement made a final arrest on February 11 ...

and the 2016 Trump presidential election, the film is a story about a young man who tries to sever ties to a disenfranchised, small town radical

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

started by his father. Distributed by

Phase 4 Films Phase 4 Films was a Canadian film distribution company based in Toronto. It had two branches in the United States: Los Angeles, California and Fort Mill, South Carolina. Its subsidiary kaboom! Entertainment markets children's entertainment. Histo ...

, ''Bucksville'' stars Thomas Stroppel,

Ted Rooney Ted Rooney (born September 22, 1960) is an American actor and educator, known for his role as Morey Dell on ''Gilmore Girls'', neonatologist Dr. Tabash on '' ER'', and John McGarrigle on the HBO series '' Boardwalk Empire''. Early life and edu ...

and Allen Nause, with a cameo role by

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

Nominated actor

Tom Berenger Tom Berenger (born Thomas Michael Moore; May 31, 1949) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in ''Platoon'' (1986). He is also known for playing Jake ...

as The Patron of Justice. Along with

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

winning photographer

David Hume Kennerly David Hume Kennerly (born March 9, 1947) is an American photographer. He won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for his portfolio of photographs of the Vietnam War, Cambodia, East Pakistani refugees near Calcutta, and the Fight of t ...

, Berenger is also an executive producer on the film. The

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

is by Laura McGie and Chel White, with music by

. Jamie S. Rich of

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

calls Bucksville, “An insightful portrayal of an extreme point of view without the expected self-righteous critique.” White's museum screenings include the

Van Gogh Museum The Van Gogh Museum () is a Dutch art museum dedicated to the works of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries in the Museum Square in Amsterdam South, close to the Stedelijk Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Concertgebouw. The museum opened on ...

The Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...

, The

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

and The

High Museum The High Museum of Art (colloquially the High) is the largest museum for visual art in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta, Georgia (on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district), the High is 312,000 square feet (28, ...

in Atlanta. His retrospective presentations include the

Ann Arbor Film Festival The Ann Arbor Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Ann Arbor in the U.S. state of Michigan. Established in 1963, it is the fourth-oldest film festival in North America (after the Yorkton Film Festival, 1947; Columbus International Film ...

(1999 and 2002), Southern Circuit (2002), the

(2003), a 20-year career retrospective at the

Northwest Film Center PAM CUT–Center for an Untold Tomorrow, formerly the ''Northwest Film Center'' is a Pacific Northwest, regional media arts resource and service organization based in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon, United States that was founded to encourage t ...

(Portland Art Museum) (2012), and a

retrospective and masterclass at the

(2018). Chel White is the recipient of media arts

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

ships from The

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...

The

Regional Arts & Culture Council The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is an organization that administers arts grants in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties that also do advocacy in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon, United States. It evolved from the city� ...

,https://racc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ArtNotesJanFeb05.pdf Portland Oregon, and project grants from

Creative Capital Creative Capital is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in New York City that supports artists across the United States through funding, counsel, gatherings, and career development services. Since its founding in 1999, Creative Capital has commi ...

, the Pacific Pioneer Fund and the

Oregon Arts Commission The Oregon Arts Commission is a governor-appointed body of nine commissioners who allocate grants for artists based in the U.S. state of Oregon. It receives the bulk of its funding through the National Endowment for the Arts, the state, and the Or ...

. ''Fever Dreams and Heavenly Nightmares'', a DVD compilation of Chel White's short

independent films An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in ...

, was released in 2006 by Microcinema International.

Professional career

Chel White started his professional career in 1986, working as an

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...

Jim Blashfield Jim Blashfield (born September 4, 1944, Seattle, Washington) is an American filmmaker and media artist, best known for his short films such as ''Suspicious Circumstances'' and ''The Mid-Torso of Inez'', and his music videos for musicians Talking He ...

and Associates (

) on music videos for

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wav ...

and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

. In 1991, he began creating visual effects for

, starting with ''

My Own Private Idaho ''My Own Private Idaho'' is a 1991 American independent adventure drama film written and directed by Gus Van Sant, loosely based on Shakespeare's ''Henry IV, Part 1'', '' Henry IV, Part 2'', and ''Henry V''. The story follows two friends, Mike ...

'' (1991). White went on to be

visual effects supervisor In the context of film and television production, a visual effects supervisor is responsible for achieving the creative aims of the director or producers through the use of visual effects. While it is a creative role, most supervisors possess a st ...

on Van Sant's '' Even Cowgirls Get The Blues'' (1993), '' Paranoid Park'' (2007), ''First Kiss'' (2007), ''

Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...

'' (2008) and '' Restless'' (2011), as well as title effects supervisor on

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

Todd Haynes Todd Haynes (; born January 2, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films span four decades with themes examining the personalities of well-known musicians, dysfunctional and dystopian societies, and blurred gender ...

' film, ''

I'm Not There ''I'm Not There'' is a 2007 musical drama film directed by Todd Haynes, and co-written by Haynes and Oren Moverman. It is an unconventional biographical film inspired by the life and music of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Six actors de ...

''. In 2020, Chel and his team created the animation sequences in

David Oyelowo David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

's feature film,

The Water Man The Water Man ( sl, Povodni mož) was the first Slovene ballad. It was written in the spring of 1826 by the Slovene Romantic poet France Prešeren and was a narration about Urška, a flirt from Ljubljana who ended up in the hands of a handsome ma ...

. White directed two shorts for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

for Robert Smigel's Saturday TV Funhouse, ''The Narrator That Ruined Christmas'' (season 27, episode 9) and ''Blue Christmas'' (season 30, episode 8). Both are parodies of the ''

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...

'' television special (1964). Airing first on December 15, 2001, ''The Narrator That Ruined Christmas'' was written by

Robert Smigel Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer, known for his ''Saturday Night Live'' " TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic D ...

, Michael Gordon,

Louis CK Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. C.K. won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a ...

and

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

, with the voices of SNL cast members

Chris Parnell Thomas Christopher Parnell (; born February 5, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1998 to 2006 and played the role of Dr. Leo Spaceman on ''30 Rock''. In animation, he voices Cyril Figgis ...

Maya Rudolph Maya Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''), and later played supporting roles in the films '' 50 First Dates'' ...

Amy Poehler Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy trou ...

Doug Dale Douglas Dale (born in Barrington, Illinois) is an American actor and comedian, best known for hosting the Comedy Central series ''TV Funhouse'' which was written and Directed by Robert Smigel. He originally met Robert Smigel when they were roommat ...

, and

. Airing first on December 18, 2004, ''Blue Christmas'' was written by

and Michelle Saks Smigel with additional material by

Rich Blomquist Rich Blomquist (born July 27, 1977) is an American writer, producer and occasional actor. He was a former staff writer for ''The Daily Show''. The show won six Emmy awards during his employment; in 2003–2006, 2009 and 2011. Career He has also ...

Scott Jacobson Scott Jacobson (born 1977) is an American comedy writer and winner of four Emmys for contributions to ''The Daily Show'' with Jon StewartSerota, Maggie (2010)The Oy of Sex, ''New York Press'', September 22, 2010, retrieved 2010-10-17 and two Emmys ...

, and Matt O'Brien, and voices by

, Erik Bergmann, and

. In 2011 and 2012, Chel White directed two

stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

animated children's television specials for

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and ...

. In reviewing the 2011 television holiday programs, Mike Hale of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called '' Jingle All the Way (TV special)'' "By far the best of the bunch. In addition to its charming art and pleasantly low-key storytelling, 'Jingle' stands apart from the other holiday programs by not focusing on the manufacturing or delivery of toys." In 2006, White directed the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for

's song ''

Harrowdown Hill "Harrowdown Hill" is a song by the singer Thom Yorke, released on 21 August 2006 as the first single from his debut solo album ''The Eraser''. Yorke wrote it about the death of David Kelly, a British weapons expert who told a reporter that the B ...

'' (Best Music Video, 2007

). Along with his team and co-founders at Bent Image Lab, he pioneered the Smallgantics technique that was used for the first time in the ''Harrowdown Hill'' video. In 2012, White directed a video for Chrysta Bell &

to the song ''Bird of Flames'' from the album ''This Train''. It has been described as "a haunting and surreal vision." The

commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

Chel White directed have been honored with Clio Awards, a

D&AD Design and Art Direction (D&AD), formerly known as British Design and Art Direction, is a British educational organisation that was created in 1962 to promote excellence in design and advertising. Its main offices are in Spitalfields in London. I ...

Award, a

The One Club The One Club is an American non-profit organization that recognizes and promotes excellence in advertising.Dougherty, Philip H. (May 11, 1981). One Club Honors Agencies. ''New York Times'' Founded in New York City as The One Club for Art & Copy ...

Award, two

Association of Independent Commercial Producers The Association of Independent Commercial Producers, or AICP, is an American not for profit organization that represents the interests of United States companies that specialize in commercial production. Its members work in various media—film, v ...

(AICP) Awards, and two are included in the permanent collection of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

in New York. His personal favorite ads he directed are for the

Washington State Department of Health The Washington State Department of Health is a state agency of Washington. It is headquartered in Olympia, Washington. The agency was created by the state legislature in May 1989 after splitting from the Washington State Department of Social and ...

in a campaign of surreal anti-smoking public service announcements aimed at children. Chel White's composer and sound designer credits include

Joan C. Gratz Joan Carol Gratz (born 1941) is an American artist, animator, and filmmaker who specializes in clay painting. Gratz is best known for her 1992 Oscar-winning animated short film ''Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase''. Early life In 1941, Gratz wa ...

winning animated short film ''

Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase ''Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase'' is a 1992 American animated short by Joan C. Gratz. Summary Consisting of 2-D claymation, it features famous paintings morphing into each other. List of artists featured The works of several artists are fea ...

'',

Joanna Priestley Joanna Priestley (born November 25, 1950) is an American contemporary film director, producer, animator and teacher. Her films are in the collections of the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Priestley ...

and Joan C. Gratz's animated short ''

Pro and Con ''Pro and Con'' is a 1993 9 minute 16mm short animated film produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley and Joan Gratz using drawings on paper, pixillated hands and object animation. The "Pro" section of the film was written by Barbara Car ...

'', '' Choreography for Copy Machine'' and the feature film ''Bucksville''. From 1981-82 he was a member of the techno music duo Process Blue (Dark Entries Records). 2019 saw the release of "Automaton", a vinyl record of White's experimental and soundtrack music from between 1985 to 1991 (Platform 23 Recordings). White's screenwriting credits include ''Bucksville'' (feature), ''Little Donnie'' (short), story development for '' Jingle All the Way (TV special)'', and the story adaptation based on the original ''

'' for the

SimEx-Iwerks SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment specializes in high-tech entertainment systems, films, film technologies, film-based software, Simulation Hardware Systems and services. The company has partnerships with various institutions, parks, and destinations. T ...

4D attraction film of the same title.As an actor, Chel White had a role in '' Even Cowgirls Get the Blues'' (1993), playing a

brain surgeon Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the Human ...

in a scene with

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...

Personal life

In December 2005, White and his then-girlfriend Laura Ivey were stranded in a mountain snowstorm for four days in the

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

, Oregon. They were found by

Marion County, Oregon Marion County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 345,920 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-most populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Salem, which is also the state capital of Oregon. The ...

Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

officers who traveled to the remote location by

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

. Since 1985, Chel White has lived in

Filmography

Compilations and feature-length film

*''The Retention Department of Perpetual Exhaustion'', segment: ''Mr. French's Secret'' (2022) *''The One Minute Memoir'', segment: ''Dreams of a Fallen Astronaut'' (2020) *''Filmmakers Unite (FU)'', ''Little Donnie'' (2017) *''Bucksville'' (2012) *''

The Animation Show The Animation Show is a touring festival of animated short films that was first held in fall 2003. It was sponsored by MTV, and was created by award-winning animators Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt. Due to its association with MTV, the showcase w ...

'', ''Magda'' (2007) *''Fever Dreams and Heavenly Nightmares: The Short Films of Chel White'' (2006) *''Underground Zero: Part II'', segment: ''New York'' (2002) *''23rd

Tournee of Animation ''Tournee'' is the eighth album and the second live album by the German jazz rock band Kraan. It was recorded in four venues between March and November 1979. Track listing # "Borgward" – 8:16 # "Almrausch" – 5:57 # "Peterchens Reise" – 7: ...

,'' '' Choreography for Copy Machine (Photocopy Cha Cha)'' (1991)

Short films

*''My One Minute Memoir: Dreams of a Fallen Astronaut'' (2020) *''Little Donnie'' (2017) *''Wind'' (2007) *''A Painful Glimpse Into My Writing Process (In Less Than 60 Seconds)'' (2005) *''Magda'' (2004) *''Eclipse'' (2003) *''New York'' (2002) *''Passage'' (2001) *''Soulmate'' (2000) *''The Beats, the Bomb and the 1950s'' (1999) *''

'' (1998) *'' Choreography for Copy Machine (Photocopy Cha Cha)'' (1991) *''Machine Song'' (1987) *''Metal Dogs of India'' (1985)

Videography

- ''Tami'' (2014) *Chrysta Bell and

- ''Bird of Flames'' (2012) *

- ''

'' (2006) *

Season to Risk Season to Risk are an American noise rock/alternative rock band hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, United States. History Season to Risk formed in late 1989 from the ashes of the Kansas City punk bands Nine Lives and Curious George. Although Se ...

- ''Blood Ugly'' (1994) *

Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appeare ...

- ''Hooch'' (1993) *

Candlebox Candlebox is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. Since its formation in 1990, the group has released seven studio albums, several charting singles, a compilation, and a CD+DVD. Candlebox found immediate success with the release of ...

- ''Change'' (1992)

Television

*'' Jingle All the Way (TV special)'' (2011) *

/ Saturday TV Funhouse ''Blue Christmas'' (a.k.a. "Santa and the States)" (2004) *

/ Saturday TV Funhouse ''The Narrator Who Ruined Christmas'' (2001) *

The PJs ''The PJs'' is an American adult animated stop-motion black sitcom created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Cabrini–Green housing projects in Chicago. Th ...

/ ''Ghetto Superstars'' (2000)

Commercials and Public Service Announcements

American Indian College Fund The American Indian College Fund is a nonprofit organization that helps Native American students, providing them with support through scholarships and funding toward higher education. The fund provides an average of 6,000 annual scholarships for ...

- ''One Percent'' (2015) *

Lux (soap) LUX is a global brand developed by Unilever. Lux is marketed primarily in Brazil, India, Thailand and South Africa. History Origins and history The brand was founded by the firm Lever Brothers, now known as Unilever Unilever plc is a ...

- ''Provocateur'' (2006) *

- ''Park'' and ''Rec Room'' (2005) *

OfficeMax OfficeMax is an American office supplies retailer founded in 1988. It is now a subsidiary of The ODP Corporation, which is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. As of December 2012, OfficeMax operated 941 stores in 47 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S ...

- ''Santa's Helper'' (2005) *

Reese's Pieces Reese's Pieces are a peanut butter candy manufactured by The Hershey Company; they are oblate spheroid in shape and covered in candy shells that are colored yellow, orange, or brown. They can be purchased in plastic packets, cardboard boxes, or c ...

- ''Center of Attention'' (2003) (co-directed with David Daniels) *

Fila Fila Holdings Corp. is a sportswear brand of shoes and apparel. The company was founded by Ettore and Giansevero Fila in 1911 in Coggiola, near Biella, Piedmont, Italy. In 2003, it was sold to United States-based Sports Brand International. Sub ...

- ''Mash'' (1994) * Memorial Blood Centers - ''Photocopy Jazz'' (1992)

Appearances

*''

Live Wire Radio ''Live Wire Radio'' is a radio variety show that was launched in 2004 in Portland, Oregon, United States. ''Live Wire'' was initially hosted by Rob Sample, followed by Courtenay Hameister, with current hosting duties covered by Luke Burbank.Hud ...

'', Episode #198, interviewee (November 12, 2012) *''Art In Context'', PBS / KLRU, interviewee (March 15, 2010) *''The American Avant Garde'', interviewee (2004) *''Exposure,

The Sci-Fi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

(

SyFy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

)'', interviewee (2000) *''

Oregon Art Beat Oregon Art Beat is a weekly television show that airs on Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). Oregon Art Beat features Oregon musicians, artists, and cultural events. Oregon Art Beat was created in 1999 by Jeff Douglas, a longtime radio broadcaster i ...

'', Season 2 Episode #219, interviewee (April 5, 2000) *'' Even Cowgirls Get The Blues'', acting role as brain surgeon (1993)

Other media

*''Animation Sketchbooks'', book, featured artist, Chronicle Books LLC, by Laura Heit (2013) *''Animation in Process'', book, featured artist, London: Laurence King, by Andrew Selby (2009)

Fellowships, grants and awards

*2008:

, Project Grant, feature film development, ''Stranded''. *2007:

, Media Artist Fellowship, feature film development, ''Stranded''. *2007:

, Best Music Video,

, ''

''. *2006: The AICP Show at

MoMA Moma may refer to: People * Moma Clarke (1869–1958), British journalist * Moma Marković (1912–1992), Serbian politician * Momčilo Rajin (born 1954), Serbian art and music critic, theorist and historian, artist and publisher Places ; Ang ...

, Office Max ''Santa's Helper'', included in ''The Art and Technique of the American Television Commercial'', permanent collection,

New York. *2006: Bend Film Festival, Best Short Film, ''A Painful Glimpse Into My Writing Process (In Less Than 60 Seconds)'' *2005:

, Media Artist Fellowship, feature film development. *2005:

, EMPA Work Life Award, ''Magda''. *2004:

Florida Film Festival The Florida Film Festival, produced by Enzian Theater in Maitland, Florida, is an annual international film festival. Overview The Festival includes narrative and documentary features and shorts, animation, midnight movies, and educational forum ...

, Grand Jury Award for Best Animated Short, ''Magda''. *2001:

, feature film screenplay development, ''Path of Bees''. *1998:

Stockholm International Film Festival The Stockholm International Film Festival ( sv, Stockholms filmfestival, italic=no) is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year since then during the second half of November. The w ...

, Best Short Film, ''Dirt''. *1994: The AICP Show at

, Fila ''Mash'', included in the program ''The Art and Technique of the American Television Commercial'', permanent collection,

New York. *1992:

, Best Animated Film, '' Choreography for Copy Machine (Photocopy Cha Cha)''. *1991:

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

, Nominated for Best Short Film, Winner Gold Plaque for Animation, '' Choreography for Copy Machine (Photocopy Cha Cha)''.

References

External links

* *
Bent Image Lab

Animation Show
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Chel Stop motion animators Living people American film directors American animated film directors American animated film producers American animators American music video directors American male screenwriters 1959 births