Baker Artist Portfolios

I am incredibly grateful to be a Maryland filmmaker.

As a career documentary cinematographer, I typically shoot for and collaborate with others. I am now actively exploring the making of my own films. I recently completed Gun Show, a documentary on guns and gun violence as rendered by the interactive sculptures of David Hess who created a collection of (non-functional) assault rifles. We traveled to various locations, recording people's personal thoughts and feelings about guns while they handled the works. The film, released in 2020, is about the power and utility of art to advance a conversation about a complex issue.

A few years ago I directed and shot my first feature length documentary, Cafeteria Man, which gave me the opportunity to challenge my creative identity and risk making something I could legitimately call my own "personal creative work," something that would fit my definition of art, and might satisfy that of others. It is a film about school food and a visionary chef who aspires to radically improve it. I sank my heart and four years of hard work into making the film (with two wonderful co-producers), which is now completed and in circulation. The experience of making this kind of film, with no script or strings attached, was exhilarating. The film screened at 21 film festivals and has aired on PBS and the Documentary Channel. 

I firmly believe, now more than ever, that there is great purpose and artistic value in true documentary filmmaking. My aspiration is to engage viewers, inspire social change, and continue to pursue high quality and meaningful storytelling.

I wrote a short book that was released in 2023 (Routledge/Focus Books) entitled “Documentary Vision: Notes from Behind the Camera.” It is a series of essays about documentary ethics and etiquette derived from my 30+ years as a filmmaker and cinematographer. It is intended to creatively inspire filmmakers, film students, and discerning viewers of documentaries.

More at: www.richardchisolm.com