As a child, photographers and pianists were my heroes.  I got kicked out of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music but found Theodora, a brilliant pianist/organist who became the love of my life.  I discovered Margaret Bourke-White’s stunning portraits of Gandhi at his spinning reel and then imagined filming Gandhi as I was flying around him like a bird.  Clearly, I needed to become a cinematographer.  

 

My fantasy film Jump Rope opened Hollywood’s doors for me and an interview with a pair of now-famous producers lying on the floor in torn-up jeans led to my shooting the first year of thirtysomething.   I shot commercials, documentaries, features and TV shows in the US, Canada, Mexico, Peru, China and Africa, flew airplanes, drove on race tracks, won a few Emmys and also got fired more than once.  

 

I was among  the first to embrace digital cinematography and after shooting 40+ years in Hollywood and teaching 8 years at AFI,  a whole new creative chapter began.  This site largely contains videos I made after retiring from the industry.  They were designed to be experienced full screen on big monitors with the sound cranked up.  They were made for fun and I hope they are fun to watch.  Send us a note if you enjoy them. Thanks! 

 

My Email is bobprimes@mac.com. 
More of Theo’s performances may be found at theoprimes.com. 
Her Email is theoprimes@roadrunner.com.