Biographies of the Cinematography Team

Casey Alicino – Dolly Grip, “A” Camera

Dolly Grip Casey Alicino is a native of San Francisco where his mother was a still photographer. He did lighting for her while growing up and then essentially fell into the film business. He worked with some grips in San Francisco who were a great help in training him and showing him how to make a decent living in his career. In 1999 he moved to Los Angeles where he got involved as a grip in some independent films such as “Spin Cycle,” “Cabin Fever,” and “The Hollow.” While in Los Angeles, he got the offer to go to Hawaii and work on “Lost.”

John Bartley ASC.CSC – Director of Photography

John Bartley, director of photography, was born in New Zealand and spent his early career in theatre there and in Australia. He moved to Canada in the 1970s where he worked as a gaffer during the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1980s, he moved into being a director of photography and eventually stopped taking the calls for gaffer work and concentrated on D.P. work. He shot a number of commercials and music videos and then moved into TV series and movies. Among his cinematography credits are “The X-Files,” “ 21 Jump Street,” “Booker, P. I.,” “Who’ll Save Our Children?” and “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus.”

 

Michael Bonvillain ASC – Director of Photography

Director of photography Michael Bonvillain attended the University of Texas at Austin for seven years, graduating in 1984. He wasn’t particularly interested in film until he helped a friend with a video for the friend’s band. Also, while in college, he worked on some commercials for Steve Horn, who later hired him to do gaffer and focus puller work in New York. In 1993 he was the cinematographer for “Amongst Friends” that won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and received a lot of buzz. After moving from New York to Los Angeles he landed a job as director of photography on the TV show “Profiler.” Later he was the D.P. on several shows that J. J. Abrams created, mainly “Alias” and “Felicity.” It was J. J. who brought him to “Lost.”

Keith Davis – 1st Assistant, “B” Camera

Keith Davis, the 1st Assistant on the “B” camera, attended Virginia Commonwealth University where he studied graphic design and photography. He moved to Los Angles to become a cameraman because it was a career that was close to photography. Shortly after he got to Hollywood, he saw a lady loading film magazines into a pickup truck and he asked if she needed an intern. She said she did, so he started working with her, did a good job, and after a few weeks he got paid. He continued to work film jobs, sometimes for pay and sometimes for free, and after six years got into the cinematography union. Following that, he did a lot of work in TV, including “Lost.”

Paul Edwards – Camera Operator, “A” Camera

The “A” camera operator, Paul Edwards, has made the move from camera operator to director. He started his career in the 1980s as a camera assistant where his duties included loading film and driving the camera truck. He moved up to camera operator in the mid 1980s and worked on several projects with Jack Bender, an executive producer for “Lost.” When Paul came to “Lost” he requested that he be given a chance to direct and during the second season he directed several episodes while still operating camera for many other episodes. Now he is a full-time director.

Jim Grce – Gaffer

Gaffer Jim Grce started taking photographs and processing and printing them in the 6th grade and put himself through college doing photography work. He decided he wanted to make photos move and went to UCLA film school, graduating in 1980. Even before he graduated he worked on low budget horror films and worked his way up from there. His UCLA classmates have been helpful to his career and it was a friend who got him on to “Lost” by recommending him to the pilot cinematographer, Larry Fong.

Glenn Grimes – Dolly grip, “B” camera

“B” camera dolly grip Glen Grimes went to the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he was a communications major but also did work in psychology and photography. As part of his course work he did an internship and that led him to work. Most of the grip jobs he has undertaken have been in Hawaii on such projects as “Baywatch,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Hawaii,” and, of course, “Lost.”

Walrus Howard – Camera Loader

Camera loader Walrus Howard attended Leeward Community College in Hawaii where he had an influential teacher, Bob Hochstein, who helped him learn about the film business. Part of the Leeward program was that each student needed to work in the field, and this activity led to employment for Walrus. He obtained some industry experience and was about to go to Los Angeles when he got a call to be a loader on “Lost.” After working as a loader for season 2, he was promoted to 2nd assistant for season 3.

Tommy Lohmann – Camera Operator/Steadicam, “B” Camera

Tommy Lohmann’s father was a cinematographer so, as a child, he was on movie sets often and decided that’s where he wanted to make his career. He majored in English and Political Science at the University of California at Berkeley, then, after he graduated, started working at a film rental house, where one of his jobs was cleaning filters. Once he started working on film sets, he worked his way up from 2nd assistant to 1st assistant to the position of “B” camera operator on “Lost.” He considers Steadicam operation to be his specialty.

Tony Nagy – 1st Assistant, “A” Camera

Tony Nagy’s father was a Hungarian film producer and director who did mostly educational movies. He encouraged Tony to enter the movie business, telling him his personality fit that career. Tony started in Hungary as a production assistant when he was 17, went to film school in Hungary, and occasionally worked with the famous cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs. In the United States, he worked for Panavision for awhile in technical positions but wanted back out in the field so shot some movies and then got the “A” camera 1st assistant “Lost” position as his first TV job.

Paul Santori – 2nd Assistant, “B” Camera

Paul Santori, 2nd assistant on the “B” camera, went to a number of California community colleges but didn’t find his direction there so decided college wasn’t for him and went to work in his grandfather and uncle’s camera grip and electric rental house. There he put together HMI lights and did trouble shooting on various rental lights. He got the opportunity to be a camera loader on a shoot and there met some people who continue to keep him working. He got the job at “Lost” because a good friend of his from high school had the job but had to leave Hawaii and recommended Paul.

Chuck Smallwood – Key grip

Key grip Chuck Smallwood worked at his Georgia college radio station, although his major was in the sciences. After graduating, he moved to Aspen, Colorado where he worked at a radio station for a company that also had a TV station. He started doing P.A. jobs on commercials produced at the TV station and decided the job he really wanted was key grip. He moved to Los Angeles in 1988 to pursue this goal and got his union card from working on “The Mighty Ducks 2.” He then worked as key grip on many movies including “Dumb & Dumber” and “Kingpin.” Having lived in Hawaii briefly during the 1980s, he was happy to have the opportunity to work on “Lost.”

Mary Stankeiwicz – 1st Assistant, 2nd unit

Mary Stankeiwicz, who is 1st assistant camera on “Lost’s” second unit, had a relative who was a director of photography. As a teenager she didn’t know what type of job she wanted and he suggested she intern with him in the film business. She did manual work such as pushing cases around, proved herself to some burly men, and decided she liked the film industry environment. She has now been doing camera work for over 15 years.

Torry Tukuafu – 2nd Assistant, “A” Camera

Torry Tukuafu was a University of Hawaii volleyball star. He wanted to study film in school, but the university didn’t have a film department so he majored in business. He happened to meet a casting agent who got him a job as a stand-in. He didn’t like that job at all, but he became intrigued with the camera so hung out with the camera people. He bought books about cameras and taught himself and moved to Los Angeles. He had a hard time getting established but finally got in the cinematography union and has been working quite steadily for about six years.