Doug Pray
Encyclopedia
Doug Pray is an American documentary film
director, cinematographer
, and editor who often explores unique subcultures in his films. His work includes Surfwise
(2008) a portrait of the nomadic, 11-member Doc Paskowitz
family (often referred to as the "first family of surfing"); Big Rig
(2008), a documentary about truck driver
s; Infamy (2005), a documentary about graffiti
culture; Red Diaper Baby
(2004) a solo-performance film starring Josh Kornbluth; Scratch
(2001), a documentary about turntablism
and DJ culture; and his first feature, Hype!
(1996), a documentary about the explosion and exploitation of the Seattle grunge
scene of the early '90's. His most recent film Art & Copy
, premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
, is about advertising and creativity and was distributed by PBS.
In addition to his documentaries, Doug Pray has directed a number of non-fiction style commercials and commissioned short films. In 2006, he won an Emmy award in for an advocacy campaign about HIV-AIDS awareness. Doug Pray was born in Denver, Colorado
, he grew up in Madison, Wisconsin
, has a BA in sociology from Colorado College
, and an MFA from UCLA's School of Film and Television. He resides in Los Angeles and is a member of the Directors Guild of America
and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
director, cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
, and editor who often explores unique subcultures in his films. His work includes Surfwise
Surfwise
Surfwise is a 2008 American documentary film about the 11-member Doc Paskowitz family, which was directed by Doug Pray. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on 11 September 2007 and had its U.S. premiere on 9 May 2008...
(2008) a portrait of the nomadic, 11-member Doc Paskowitz
Doc Paskowitz
Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz is an American surfer and physician who gave up practicing medicine for a living and decided to become a professional surfer. In 1972, he founded a surf camp run by his family, where campers could live alongside and surf with members of the Paskowitz family...
family (often referred to as the "first family of surfing"); Big Rig
Big Rig (film)
Big Rig is a documentary film by Doug Pray about long-haul truck drivers. The film consists of a series of interviews with different drivers, focusing on both their personal life stories and also the life and culture of truck drivers in the United States.-Production:The film was shot with a crew...
(2008), a documentary about truck driver
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
s; Infamy (2005), a documentary about graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
culture; Red Diaper Baby
Red diaper baby
Red diaper baby describes a child of parents who were members of the United States Communist Party or were close to the party or sympathetic to its aims.-History:...
(2004) a solo-performance film starring Josh Kornbluth; Scratch
Scratch (film)
Scratch is a documentary film, directed and edited by Doug Pray. The film explores the world of the hip-hop DJ. From the birth of hip-hop, when pioneering DJ's began extending breaks on their party records , to the invention of scratching and beat-juggling vinyl, to its more recent explosion as a...
(2001), a documentary about turntablism
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
and DJ culture; and his first feature, Hype!
Hype!
Hype! is a documentary directed by Doug Pray about the popularity of grunge rock in the early to mid-1990s United States. It incorporates interviews and rare concert footage to trace the steps of grunge, from its subversive inception in neighborhood basements, to its explosion as a pop culture...
(1996), a documentary about the explosion and exploitation of the Seattle grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
scene of the early '90's. His most recent film Art & Copy
Art & Copy
Art & Copy is a 2009 documentary film directed by Doug Pray about the advertising industry in the U.S. The film follows the careers of people from "advertising's creative revolution of the 1960s", including Hal Riney, George Lois, Mary Wells Lawrence, Dan Wieden, and Lee Clow...
, premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, is about advertising and creativity and was distributed by PBS.
In addition to his documentaries, Doug Pray has directed a number of non-fiction style commercials and commissioned short films. In 2006, he won an Emmy award in for an advocacy campaign about HIV-AIDS awareness. Doug Pray was born in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, he grew up in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, has a BA in sociology from Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
, and an MFA from UCLA's School of Film and Television. He resides in Los Angeles and is a member of the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
.
Filmography (director)
- Hype!Hype!Hype! is a documentary directed by Doug Pray about the popularity of grunge rock in the early to mid-1990s United States. It incorporates interviews and rare concert footage to trace the steps of grunge, from its subversive inception in neighborhood basements, to its explosion as a pop culture...
(1996) - Scratch (2001)
- Sundance 20 (2002)
- VeerVeerThe Veer is an option running play often associated with option offenses in American football, made famous at the collegiate level by the Houston Cougars. It is currently run primarily on the high school level, with some usage at the collegiate and the professional level with varying degrees of...
(2004) - Red Diaper BabyRed diaper babyRed diaper baby describes a child of parents who were members of the United States Communist Party or were close to the party or sympathetic to its aims.-History:...
(2004) - Sidewalk Gallery (2005)
- Infamy (2005)
- Big RigBig Rig (film)Big Rig is a documentary film by Doug Pray about long-haul truck drivers. The film consists of a series of interviews with different drivers, focusing on both their personal life stories and also the life and culture of truck drivers in the United States.-Production:The film was shot with a crew...
(2008) - SurfwiseSurfwiseSurfwise is a 2008 American documentary film about the 11-member Doc Paskowitz family, which was directed by Doug Pray. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on 11 September 2007 and had its U.S. premiere on 9 May 2008...
(2008) - Art & CopyArt & CopyArt & Copy is a 2009 documentary film directed by Doug Pray about the advertising industry in the U.S. The film follows the careers of people from "advertising's creative revolution of the 1960s", including Hal Riney, George Lois, Mary Wells Lawrence, Dan Wieden, and Lee Clow...
(2009) - The Aerialist (2011)