Hollywood Cinematographer and CEO of Air Sea Land Productions - Anthony Lenzo
Episode 183, Anthony Lenzo
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Anthony Lenzo
Anthony S. Lenzo is the President and owner of Air Sea Land Productions (ASL) which was established in 1994. His primary focus in the production industry continues to be Digital Cinematography – both underwater and on land. He has worked in various capacities in the production industry as Director of Photography, Camera Operator, Underwater Camera Operator, Engineer, Inventor, Jib Operator and Equipment Manufacturer. Anthony is a five-time Emmy Award winner for Innovative Camera Systems, POV Technician, Electronic Cinematographer and Technical Team Remote.
Anthony’s career began in the late 80’s, working for All Mobile Video, where he gained extensive knowledge of all aspects of video production. Five years later, Anthony started operating camera cranes and invested in several Jimmy Jib cranes. Soon after, ASL housed the largest inventory of Jimmy Jibs on the east coast. In 1988, Anthony began scuba diving and shooting video with his first underwater housing, propelling his career in the direction of underwater cinematography. He later became a consultant in the design of the Amphibico Amphibicam HD underwater housing, and was one of the first to take the high definition format underwater. In 2004, Anthony used the housing on one of his more memorable shoots – Lakeshore Entertainment’s feature film “The Cave” – with his dear departed friend and colleague, Wes Skiles.
Anthony’s talent as a camera operator, along with his innovations in the field of videography, landed him his five Emmy’s. When ESPN launched the first X-Games in 1995, Anthony introduced several Point of View cameras to the world of extreme sports, one being the “Rope-Cam.” To implement this invention, Anthony imbedded a super small waterproof camera in the towline of wake boarders and water skiers. This concept and design won him his fifth Emmy Award for Innovative Camera System.
In 1999, Anthony combined his knowledge of both Jibs and underwater camera systems and built the Pelicam, the first underwater camera crane. Challenged by physics, Anthony broke the barrier of limitations he faced when attempting to submerge a jib system and the necessary counterweight balance, and designed a counterweight transfer system. This allowed a camera on a crane to start as high as 30 feet in the air and dive underwater in one clean shot. He used his underwater jib design to shoot for a variety of networks including MTV, ABC and CBS.
In June of 2000, Anthony designed and built a POV system into the eyewear of U2’s lead singer, Bono, for the U2 Elevation tour. He attached the camera to electronics in a vest worn by Bono, transmitting a signal from Bono’s POV camera to 40 foot overhead projection screens. The camera proved to be a success on the tour, and footage from the “Bono Cam” was also used in the DVD of the tour.
Anthony co-created, produced and shot two documentaries in 2004. His first documentary production was “On A Single Breath,” a story about the competition of freediving and his second, “Free-Flight,” a thrilling documentary on paragliding and ultralight aircraft flying. Anthony has created several original HD titles such as “Visions of the Seas: Encounters” and “Ocean Aquarium,” two of the top-selling Blu-Ray titles for DVD International(www.HDscape.com). He has also created an educational underwater children’s adventure DVD, “The Magic Pool.”
Anthony successfully designed the BLuFISH HD underwater housing for the Iconix, the first HD POV camera. He also assisted in the design of the Amphibicam HD underwater housing, designed products for the RED One such as the “RIP-Kit,” and designed the T-Bag camera splash bag. The T-bag allowed Anthony to easily capture the entire opening of Showtime’s “The Big C” and several shots of the opening of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” with the RED One used both in and near water.
One of Anthony’s passions is traveling to exotic locations and capturing spectacular underwater HD footage with a variety of cameras. Anthony’s other passion is inventing. His continual goal is to create and invent for a variety of markets and industries. His favorite quote is from Albert Einstein: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”
The skills and knowledge Anthony has acquired in the production industry have made Anthony S. Lenzo and his company Air Sea Land Productions successful and reputable names in the industry. His expertise continues to be sought after in the new era of Digital Cinema.