Rick Ray is an American

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

best known for his 2006

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

10 Questions for the Dalai Lama ''10 Questions For The Dalai Lama'' is a 2006 documentary film in which filmmaker Rick Ray meets with Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama at his monastery in Dharamsala, India. The film maker asks him ten questions during the course of the intervi ...

which he wrote, filmed and directed. In 2022, Ray headed to war torn Ukraine for a 5-week exploration of the traumatic effects of war on Ukraine’s people. He documents his experiences and the Ukrainian story in his soon to be released documentary “Be Safe, Stories From Ukraine”. His documentary ''Lynching Charlie Lynch'', about the trials of former medical

marijuana dispensary A cannabis shop, cannabis dispensary, or cannabis cooperative, is a location at which cannabis is sold for Cannabis (drug), recreational or Medical cannabis, medical use. In the Netherlands these are called Coffeeshop (Netherlands), coffeeshops. ...

owner

Charles C. Lynch Charles C. Lynch is the former owner of a city sanctioned medical marijuana dispensary in Morro Bay, California. Lynch obtained a medical marijuana dispensary business license, a medical marijuana nursery permit and was a member of the local cham ...

, premiered at the 2011 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival on March 9.

Career

Before

, Ray had traveled the world for several decades and produced eleven travel documentaries including ''The Soul of India'', ''Raise the Bamboo Curtain: Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma'' (narrated by

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

), ''Morocco'', ''Jerusalem: Sacred and Profane'' and ''Lost Worlds of the Middle East''.

Education

Rick Ray graduated with a degree in film from the

University of California at Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the Un ...

in 1981. He apprenticed on the television show ''

Ripley's Believe it or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' feat ...

'' for two years. At one time he served as chauffeur to

Jack Palance Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...

. He then spent several years traveling around the world with only a backpack, camera and notebook.

Business

In 2000, Ray founded DVArchive.com, an internet based

stock footage Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures, and file footage is film or video footage that can be used again in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material. A single piece of stock ...

library with the intent of making the imagery from his extensive travels available to a wide variety of film and media producers. Ray’s imagery of the world is now carried by most of the world’s major stock footage libraries including Shutterstock, Pond5 and Adobe Stock. Ray's footage has appeared in such films as ''

An Inconvenient Truth ''An Inconvenient Truth'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate people about global warming. The film features a slide show that, by Gore's own e ...

'', ''

Contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * ...

'', the television series ''

Curb Your Enthusiasm ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' is an American television sitcom produced and broadcast by HBO since October 15, 2000, and created by Larry David, who stars as a semi-fictionalized version of himself. It follows David's life as a semi-retired televisio ...

'', as well as the concert videos of

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...

and

Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...

, among others. From 2003 to 2007, Ray taught

making at

Brooks Institute of Photography Brooks may refer to: Places ;Antarctica *Cape Brooks ;Canada *Brooks, Alberta ;United States *Brooks, Alabama * Brooks, Arkansas *Brooks, California *Brooks, Georgia * Brooks, Iowa * Brooks, Kentucky * Brooks, Maine *Brooks Township, Michigan * ...

. He has been a guest lecturer at hundreds of universities and has made seven appearances at the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

Ray's most recent film ''The Road to Namibia'' was completed in 2020, just before the pandemic. In recent years Ray has become a noted professional commercial drone flier producing aerials used in series such as ''

Planet Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...

'' and hundreds of other documentaries and feature films. He has recently visited Iceland to film aerial images of the erupting Fagrafjall Volcano.

Personal life

Rick lives in Ventura, California where he is engaged in the community to preserve the hillsides, natural lands, and ocean environment.

Filmography

*
Be Safe, Stories From Ukraine
' (2022) *
Fagradalsfjall: A volcano in Iceland
' (2021) *
The Road To Namibia Part One
' (2020) *
The Road To Namibia Part Two
' (2020) *
Thirsty Elephants Of Namibia
' (2019) *
The Galapagos
' (2019) *
Meteora Flight
' (2019) *
CUBA
' (2018) *
An Island Of Special Treatment: Regent Properties and Ventura’s Hillside Management Program
' (2015) * ''The Promised Land : Adventures in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel'' (2014) *
East Africa Safari, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda
' (2012) * "Lynching Charlie Lynch" (2011) * ''Morocco'' (2008) *

(2006) * ''Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories'' (2004) * ''The Soul of India'' (2002) * ''Lost Worlds of the Middle East: Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel'' (2001) * ''Elvis: His Life and Times'' (1997) (TV) * ''Jerusalem: Sacred and Profane'' (1997) * ''Raise the Bamboo Curtain: Vietnam, Cambodia, and Burma'' (1996) * ''Bali: Life In The Balance'' (1995) * ''America Comes to Graceland'' (1993) (TV) * ''Letters Home From Iceland'' (1990) * ''Letters Home From The South China Seas: Adventures in Singapore & Borneo'' (1989)

External links

Rick Ray Films - YouTube

Rick Ray Films

DVarchive, Rick Ray's stock footage company
*
Minnesota Public Radio interview

Lynching Charlie Lynch
San Luis Obispo International Film Festival 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Rick American documentary film directors American documentary film producers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)