Louis De Ernsted - Bio

Four-time Gemini recipient Louis De Ernsted is passionate about many things in his life - but two hold pre-eminence. The first is filmmaking, and he has spent a career perfecting his skills as an award-winning Cinematographer. The second is sailing. For many years, De Ernsted has allowed his driving commitment to his art to overshadow his love of the Ocean. Now, he has made a lifestyle choice that allows him to indulge both equally - by moving to Canada's West Coast.

"You come to a stage in your career," comments De Ernsted, "where the challenge is all about the project, not about acquiring the skill set. I have been extremely fortunate. I have traveled the world, collaborated with outstanding artists, played a central creative role on prominent projects and enjoyed recognition by my peers and accolades from the critics. It was time to strike a different balance. Relocating to the West Coast offers me the opportunity to meet a vibrant entertainment community which I am just now discovering. It also opens up the pursuit of new avenues of production in Latin America with my partner, Perri Gorrara, plus I can go offshore to explore an extraordinarily diverse coastline while projects are in development.

Louis De Ernsted, CSC, has garnered over 30 years of experience in the Canadian, North American and European Film and Television Industry. A Director of Photography with impressive qualifications and a credit list that spans many of Canada's most noteworthy shows, he was born in Ottawa to a film-making family and has been on film sets since he was 10 years old. His father was a Gaffer with the National Film Board and De Ernsted cut his teeth in the Electrics Department. It was a time of explosive growth in the Industry and De Ernsted grasped every opportunity, amassing numerous 'firsts'. He was one of the first L.A.-trained Stedicam operators in Canada, was a member of the first IMAX movie team, and the first director he ever worked with was the legendary Donald Britten.

Since then, as a camera operator, director, 2nd unit director, and DOP, De Ernsted has racked up a world of experiences while tackling the whole gamut of entertainment genres. Narrative documentary, Cinema Verite, commercials, television series, small budget Indie feature films, and Hollywood blockbusters have taken him to far-flung locations from Tunisia to the High Arctic, Asia to the deserts of Africa, Paris to the slums of Latin America, and all points between.

Tri-lingual (French, English, Spanish,) De Ernsted has embraced each new and diverse opportunity as a way of keeping his creativity fresh and his skills current. He often takes Indie films and 2nd unit directing work just to keep his hand in operating the camera. He thoroughly enjoys tackling all the challenges of working in exotic locations with non English-speaking crews and he thrives on the creative collaboration that smaller projects offer. At every opportunity, he also guest lectures at colleges and film schools to ensure that his ideas are challenged by new generations of filmmakers, and his technical expertise remains at the industry forefront.

Based in Montreal for a good portion of his career, with five years living in France, De Ernsted's recent credits include the feature films: AURORE; LA NOUVELLE FRANCE (which netted De Ernsted a Genie and Jutra nomination); LAURA LAUR; ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13; DRIVEN; ISN'T SHE GREAT; JOHNNY MNEUMOMIC and SQUANTO. His most notable television credits include: BUNKER; BIG WOLF ON CAMPUS; T.A.G.; BLACK HARBOUR; BOMBARDIER and SCOOP.

De Ernsted (with partner Perri Gorrara) is a principal in the Bay Island Film Company Inc.; a venture that fully utilizes his huge experience in working with indigenous crews and challenging international locations. A full service film and video production house, they specialize in liaising with production companies to facilitate all aspects of entertainment projects shooting around the world, with special emphasis on Honduras, The Bay Islands, Cuba the Bahamas, and now B.C.'s Gulf Islands. This new adventure encompasses all of De Ernsted's passions into a seamless whole, while often allowing him to sail to the location, dive off the deck and catch, then cook, supper for a scouting crew.