Jean de Segonzac
Encyclopedia
Jean R. B. de Segonzac is a director
, screenwriter
and cinematographer
who has worked in documentaries
and television program
s. Most of his work has been in gritty, cinéma vérité
-style law enforcement TV dramas.
journalist
who was the chief U.S. correspondent for France Soir
in Washington, D.C.
, for two decades as well as a former president of the Foreign Press Association. Jean de Segonzac graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design
in 1975.
(1989), followed by Crack USA: County Under Siege
, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
(his camera work was called "intrusive" by one reviewer). He next worked on the 1991 documentary Where Are We? Our Trip Through America (1992) which followed gay
filmmakers Rob Epstein
and Jeffrey Friedman
as they went from small town to small town, interviewing local people. Newsday
said, "The film owes much of its success to director of photography Jean De Segonzac, whose alert camera takes in such eccentric details as a copy of The New Sweden on the coffee table of a model mobile home and a kitten lapping water from a miniature kidney-shaped pool.
His breakthrough effort was Nick Gomez
's independent feature film
, Laws of Gravity (1992). One reviewer called his images for the film "exceptional cinema verite camera work", while another praised the cinematography as "jumpy, in-your-face". His cinematography for the film was a runner-up for the 1992 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
. De Segonzac not only provided the cinematography, but also refused his $5,000 salary in order to help complete the film. A reviewer for The Washington Post
said de Segonzac "fills the screen with beautifully framed scenes that need little verbal underpinning."
In 1994, de Segonzac was part of the team that won a Peabody Award
for the documentary Road Scholar. The film follows Romania
n-born poet, novelist and National Public Radio commentator Andrei Codrescu
around the United States as he attempts to define what it means to be an American (as seen through the eyes of a naturalized citizen
). The film was co-directed by Roger Weisberg and de Segonzac, with de Segonzac also providing the cinematography.
Since 1993, the majority of de Segonzac's work has been on television in law enforcement-themed dramas such as Homicide: Life on the Street
, Oz
, Brooklyn South
, Law & Order
, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
. He also worked for Michael Moore
's Emmy
-winning TV Nation
, and provided director and cinematographer duties for a number of made-for-television movies. With Barry Levinson, he is credited with having created the "loose, free-flowing visual style" of Homicide: Life on the Street "that built on the documentary-style affectations of Hill Street Blues
." Critic Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for Salon.com
, called it one of the 10 greatest television pilots of all time. In 2000, de Segonzac directed actress Adrienne Shelly
in the Law & Order episode "High & Low". Shelly was murdered on November 1, 2006. In February 2007, de Segonzac directed the Law & Order episode "Melting Pot", which was a thinly-veiled version of the Shelly murder.
In 1996, de Segonzac's cinematography for John McNaughton
's independent crime drama Normal Life (with Luke Perry
and Ashley Judd
) won him notice for his "hovering, purposefully untidy camerawork".
De Segonzac made his feature film directorial debut with Mimic 2
in 2001. He directed his second feature film, the low-budget science fiction thriller Lost City Raiders
, in 2008.
Most recently, de Segonzac was a co-director on the 2011 television series Lights Out
on the FX cable network, and directed the seventh episode of the first season of the Kelsey Grammer
2011 television series Boss
on the Starz cable network.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and 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...
who has worked in documentaries
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...
and television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s. Most of his work has been in gritty, cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
-style law enforcement TV dramas.
Early life
Jean de Segonzac was born to Adalbert and Madeleine de Segonzac, the last of four children (his siblings include Lionel de Segonzac, Catherine Shainberg, and Laurence de Segonzac). His father (whose nickname was "Ziggy") was a FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who was the chief U.S. correspondent for France Soir
France Soir
France Soir is a French daily newspaper that prospered during the 1950s and 1960s, but it has declined since then under various owners. It was re-launched as a populist tabloid in 2006.-History:...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, for two decades as well as a former president of the Foreign Press Association. Jean de Segonzac graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
in 1975.
Career
His first known credit was as cinematographer on the documentary film Born on the Fourth of July in 1985. His second major work was Common Threads: Stories from the QuiltCommon Threads: Stories from the Quilt
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt is a 1989 documentary film that tells the story of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Narrated by Dustin Hoffman with a musical score written and performed by Bobby McFerrin, the film focuses on several people who are represented by panels in the Quilt,...
(1989), followed by Crack USA: County Under Siege
Crack USA: County Under Siege
Crack USA: County Under Siege is a 1989 documentary film directed by Vince DiPersio and Bill Guttentag. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
(his camera work was called "intrusive" by one reviewer). He next worked on the 1991 documentary Where Are We? Our Trip Through America (1992) which followed gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
filmmakers Rob Epstein
Rob Epstein
Rob Epstein, also credited as Robert P. Epstein, is a director, producer, writer and editor. Epstein has won two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature for the films The Times of Harvey Milk and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt....
and Jeffrey Friedman
Jeffrey Friedman (filmmaker)
Jeffrey Friedman is a non-fiction filmmaker, director, producer, writer and editor. Friedman has won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for the film Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt....
as they went from small town to small town, interviewing local people. Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
said, "The film owes much of its success to director of photography Jean De Segonzac, whose alert camera takes in such eccentric details as a copy of The New Sweden on the coffee table of a model mobile home and a kitten lapping water from a miniature kidney-shaped pool.
His breakthrough effort was Nick Gomez
Nick Gomez
Nick Gomez is an American film director and actor. He has directed for a number of television and film studios. He has also acted in a few minor films...
's independent feature film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
, Laws of Gravity (1992). One reviewer called his images for the film "exceptional cinema verite camera work", while another praised the cinematography as "jumpy, in-your-face". His cinematography for the film was a runner-up for the 1992 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
New York Film Critics' Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. It is considered one of the most important precursors to the Academy Awards....
. De Segonzac not only provided the cinematography, but also refused his $5,000 salary in order to help complete the film. A reviewer for The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
said de Segonzac "fills the screen with beautifully framed scenes that need little verbal underpinning."
In 1994, de Segonzac was part of the team that won a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
for the documentary Road Scholar. The film follows Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n-born poet, novelist and National Public Radio commentator Andrei Codrescu
Andrei Codrescu
Andrei Codrescu is a Romanian-born American poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and commentator for National Public Radio. He was Mac Curdy Distinguished Professor of English at Louisiana State University from 1984 until his retirement in 2009....
around the United States as he attempts to define what it means to be an American (as seen through the eyes of a naturalized citizen
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
). The film was co-directed by Roger Weisberg and de Segonzac, with de Segonzac also providing the cinematography.
Since 1993, the majority of de Segonzac's work has been on television in law enforcement-themed dramas such as Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
, Oz
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
, Brooklyn South
Brooklyn South
Brooklyn South is an American ensemble police drama series that aired on CBS for only one season during the 1997-98 television season. The series was co-created by Steven Bochco, Bill Clark, David Milch and William M. Finkelstein. Bochco is the creator of many well-known police dramas such as Hill...
, Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
. He also worked for Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
's Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning TV Nation
TV Nation
Production on the pilot episode of TV Nation began in January 1993. Moore initially turned to friends and colleagues in many production areas, while also making a point to ensure the show's employees were unionized. For the show's title sequence, graphic designer Chris Harvey put together the...
, and provided director and cinematographer duties for a number of made-for-television movies. With Barry Levinson, he is credited with having created the "loose, free-flowing visual style" of Homicide: Life on the Street "that built on the documentary-style affectations of Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
." Critic Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, called it one of the 10 greatest television pilots of all time. In 2000, de Segonzac directed actress Adrienne Shelly
Adrienne Shelly
Adrienne Shelly , was an American actress, director and screenwriter. Making her name in independent films such as 1989's The Unbelievable Truth and 1990's Trust, Shelly transitioned to a writing and directing career in subsequent years...
in the Law & Order episode "High & Low". Shelly was murdered on November 1, 2006. In February 2007, de Segonzac directed the Law & Order episode "Melting Pot", which was a thinly-veiled version of the Shelly murder.
In 1996, de Segonzac's cinematography for John McNaughton
John McNaughton
John McNaughton is an American film and television director, originally from Chicago, Illinois.-Biography:His first feature film, made in 1986, was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a film McNaughton directed, co-wrote, and co-produced. Numerous complications plagued the controversial film,...
's independent crime drama Normal Life (with Luke Perry
Luke Perry
Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
and Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd is an American television and film actress, who has played lead roles in films including Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is and High Crimes...
) won him notice for his "hovering, purposefully untidy camerawork".
De Segonzac made his feature film directorial debut with Mimic 2
Mimic 2
Mimic 2 is a 2001 science fiction horror film, directed by Jean de Segonzac, with a script inspired by a short story of the same name by Donald A. Wollheim...
in 2001. He directed his second feature film, the low-budget science fiction thriller Lost City Raiders
Lost City Raiders
Lost City Raiders is a 2008 made-for-television science fiction film written and directed by Jean de Segonzac. It starred James Brolin, Ian Somerhalder, Ben Cross, Jamie King, Elodie Frenck, and Bettina Zimmermann.-Plot synopsis:...
, in 2008.
Most recently, de Segonzac was a co-director on the 2011 television series Lights Out
Lights Out (2011 TV series)
Lights Out is an American television boxing drama series from the FX network in the United States. It stars Holt McCallany as Patrick "Lights" Leary, a New Jersey native, and former heavyweight champion boxer who is considering a comeback. The series premiered on January 11, 2011 at 10 pm ET/PT. On...
on the FX cable network, and directed the seventh episode of the first season of the Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
2011 television series Boss
Boss (TV series)
Boss is an American-Canadian political drama television series created by Farhad Safinia. The series stars Kelsey Grammer as Tom Kane, the mayor of Chicago, who has recently been diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disorder....
on the Starz cable network.