Zbigniew Rybczyński

Zbigniew Rybczyński

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Zbigniew Rybczyński is a filmmaker who has won numerous prestigious industry awards internationally. He was also a teacher for cinematography, electronic filmmaking. He is currently a researcher for blue and greenscreen compositing technology at Ultimatte Corporation.

Rybczyński was born on January 27, 1949 in Łódź, Poland. He was studying cinematography in then world-famous Łódź Film School (PWSFTviT). Zbig was active in an avant-garde group "Warsztat Formy Filmowej", and had cooperated with "Se-Ma-For" Studios in Łódź, where his author movies were set, including: Plamuz 1973, Zupa 1974, Nowa książka 1975 and Tango 1980. Tango was his big success. Zbig won the Oscar Award for that film as Best Animated Short in 1983.

He was a pioneer in using HDTV technology. In 1990, he produced an HDTV program The Orchestra for the Japanese market which won many awards (the Emmy Award for special effects). The program was broadcast by PBS in their Great Performances series in the US in standard resolution for HDTV was not generally available to the consumers until a decade later. Footages of this decade old program are still being rerun on the Classic Arts Showcase Channel in the US regularly.

Rybczyński has created many outstanding music videos, for artists such as Art of Noise, Mick Jagger, Simple Minds, Pet Shop Boys, Chuck Mangione, The Alan Parsons Project, Yoko ono, Lou Reed, Supertramp, Rush, polish group Lady Pank and also for John Lennon's Imagine.

Filmography

Year	Film Title	Duration	Film Type	Shoot Location
1972	KWADRAT (Square)	4:40	35mm short film	PWSFTviT Łódź, Poland
	TAKE FIVE	3:36	35mm short film	PWSFTviT Łódź, Poland
1973	PLAMUZ (Music Art)	9:38	35mm short film	SMFF Se-Ma-For Łódź, Poland
1974	ZUPA (Soup)	8:22	35mm short film	SMFF Se-Ma-For Łódź, Poland
1975	NOWA KSIĄŻKA (New Book)	10:26	35mm short film	SMFF Se-Ma-For Łódź, Poland
	LOKOMOTYWA (Locomotive)	9:38	35mm short film	SMFF Se-Ma-For Łódź, Poland
	ŚWIĘTO (Holiday)	9:38	35mm short film	SMFF Se-Ma-For Łódź, Poland
1976	OJ! NIE MOGĘ SIĘ ZATRZYMAĆ! (Oh, I Can't Stop!)	10:07	35mm short film	SMFF Se-Ma-For Łódź, Poland
	WEG ZUM NACHBARN (Way To Your Neighbor)	2:30	35mm short film	SMFF Se-Ma-For Łódź, Poland
1977	PIĄTEK - SOBOTA (Friday - Saturday)	3:00	35mm short film	SMFF Se-Ma-For Łódź, Poland
1979	MEIN FENSTER (My Window)	2:26	35mm short film	Vienna
1980	TANGO	8:14	35mm short film	SMFF Se-Ma-For Łódź, Poland
	MEDIA	1:36	35mm short film	SMFF Se-Ma-For Łódź, Poland
	SCENY NARCIARSKIE Z FRANZEM KLAMMEREM (Ski Scenes with Franz Klammer)	9:38	35mm documental film	in collaboration with B. Dziworski, WFO Łódź, Poland and Signal Film, Vienna

• 1981 

• WDECH-WYDECH (Inhale-Exhale) - 35mm paradocumental film, 30 min, in collaboration with B. Dziworski, SMFF Se-Ma-For Łódź, for TVP, Poland

• 1984 

• SIGN OF THE TIMES - music video for GRANDMASTER FLASH, 4:25, Elektra/Asylum Records

• THE REAL END - music video for RICKIE LEE JONES, 4:47, Warner Bros.

• ALL THAT I WANTED - music video for BELFEGORE, 4:15, Elektra Records

• DIANA D - music video for CHUCK MANGIONE, 4 min, CBS Records

• CLOSE TO THE EDIT - music video for ART OF NOISE, 4:30, Island Records

• THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE DIPLOMACY - experimental short video, 2:56, The NEW SHOW NBC TV

• THE DAY BEFORE - experimental short video, 1:38, The NEW SHOW NBC TV

• 1985 

• LOSE YOUR LOVE - music video for BLANCMANGE, 3:54, Warner Bros.

• ALIVE AND KICKING - music video for SIMPLE MINDS, 5:25, A&M Records

• ULTIMA BALLO - music video for ANGEL AND MAIMONE, 4:50, Virgin Records

• MIDNIGHT MOVER - music video for ACCEPT, 3:10, Epic Records

• MINUS ZERO - music video for LADY PANK, 3:55, MCA Records

• SHE WENT POP - music video for I AM SIAM, 4:10, Columbia Records

• HOT SHOT - music video for JIMMY CLIFF, 3:55, CBS Records

• P-MACHINERY - music video for PROPAGANDA, 3:45, Island Records

• WHO DO YOU LOVE - music video for BERNARD WRIGHT, 4:15, Capitol Records

• 1986 

• IMAGINE - experimental HDTV film, 4:20, music by JOHN LENNON, Rebo/Rybczynski Production

• CANDY - HDTV music video for CAMEO, 4:20, Polygram Records, Rebo Production

• THE ORIGINAL WRAPPER - music video for LOU REED, 4:40, RCA Records

• I CANT THINK ABOUT DANCING - music video for MISSING PERSONS, 4 min, Capitol Records

• SEX MACHINE - music video for FAT BOYS, 4 min, Tin Pan Apple/Sutra Records

• ALL THE THINGS SHE SAID - music video for SIMPLE MINDS, 4:15, Virgin Records

• HELL IN PARADISE - music video for YOKO onO, 3:30, onoVideo/Polygram Records

• STEREOTOMY - music video for ALAN PARSON'S PROJECT, 4:10, Arista Records

• OPPORTUNITIES - music video for PET SHOP BOYS, 3:40, EMI Records

• 1987 

• LET'S WORK - HDTV music video for MICK JAGGER, 4:05, CBS Records

• WHY SHOULD I CRY? - HDTV music video for NONA HENDRYX, 4 min, EMI Records, Rebo Production

• KEEP YOUR EYE on ME - HDTV music video for HERB ALPERT, 5:15, A&M RECORDS, Rebo Production

• STEPS - experimental video/35mm film, 26 min, Zbig Vision, KCTA-TV(PBS), Channel Four

• I AM BEGGING YOU - music video for SUPERTRAMP, 4 min, A&M Records

• TIME STAND STILL - music video for RUSH, 3:30, Polygram Records

• SOMETHING REAL - music video for MISTER MISTER, 4:10, BMG Music

• DRAGNET 1987 - music video for ART OF NOISE, 3 min, Chrysalis Records

• 1988 

• FLUFF - opening sequence video, 1:47, HDTV, RAI-TV

• THE DUEL - a tribute to G.Melies, 4:08, HDTV, Telegraph,

• BLUE LIKE YOU - HDTV music video for ETIENNE DAHO, 3:41, Virgin Records

• THE FOURTH DIMENSION - experimental 35mm film/video, 27 min, Zbig Vision, RAI III, Canal+ and KTCA-TV(PBS)

• 1989 

• CAPRICCIO NO.24 - experimental HDTV film, 6:18, TVE's The Art of Video

• YOU BETTER DANCE - HDTV music video for THE JETS, 3:34, MCA Records

• COWBELL - HDTV music video for TAKESHI ITOH, 4 min, CBS Records

• GMF Groupe - promo, 2:03, HDTV, Zbig Vision and Ex Nihilo

• 1990 

• THE ORCHESTRA - HDTV long film, 57:11, Zbig Vision and Ex Nihilo, coproduced by NHK, Canal+ and PBS Great Performances.

• 1991 

• MANHATTAN - experimental HDTV film, 28 min, Zbig Vision and NHK Enterprises USA, Inc.

• WASHINGTON - experimental HDTV film, 28 min, Zbig Vision and NHK Enterprises USA, Inc.

• VH-1 JINGLES - promo, 0:46, HDTV for VH-1

• 1992 

• KAFKA - HDTV long film, 52:16, Telemax, Les Editions Audiovisuelles

• CURTAINS - opening sequence for Tonight Show, 0:34, HDTV, NBC TV

 

 

Zbigniew Rybczynski

 

Zbigniew Rybczynski (Rib-chin-ski) was born on January 27, 1949 in Lodz, Poland, but was raised in Warsaw, where he attended an art high school and was trained as a painter. Then he was studying cinematography in then world-famous Film School of Lodz, and he had began his experiments with film medium. His first realizations were: Kwadrat and Take Five, both in 1972, which, along with his other realizations, broke new ground in the use of pixelation, optical printing, animation and other compositional film devices.   Zbig was active in an avant-garde group "Warsztat Formy Filmowej", and had cooperated with "Se-Ma-For" Studios in Lodz, where his author movies were set, including: Plamuz 1973, Zupa 1974, Nowa ksiazka 1975 and Tango 1980.   Still, he was also working as the director of cinematography at several features, including shorts by Andrzej Baranski, Piotr Andrejew and the acclaimed Dancing Hawk by Grzegorz Krolikiewicz.
Between 1977-83 Rybczynski worked in Austria, where Weg Zum Nachbarn and Mein Fenster were made. In Vienna he also had set a trick studio for the Austrian TV. As a director of photography, co-writer and editor he contributed to the later cult horror feature Angst (also known as "Fear") directed by Gerald Kargl.   In between, Zbig was involved in "Solidarity" movement in Poland. When martial law was declared, he received political asylum in Austria and it was there, where he had learn of his Academy Award nomination for a Tango. After receiving an Oscar for that film as Best Animated Short in 1983, he and his family emigrated to USA, NYC. At his Manhattan, and later on- Hoboken studios, equipped with the hi-tech High Definition Video, Rybczynski had conceived and realized - as a first filmmaker ever, a pioneer video films using that technique.   In 1984 he was assigned by Lorne Michaels to create two short pieces The Discreet charm of Diplomacy and The Day Before (both produced by Alan Kleinberg) for NBC's "The New Show".   Zbig had created many outstanding music videos, for artists such as Art of Noise, Mick Jagger, Pet Shop Boys, Chuck Mangione, Lou Reed and also for John Lennon's Imagine.   In Zbig Vision Studios created were also Rybczynski's most important and acclaimed works: Steps 1987; The Fourth Dimension 1988 (produced by Robin O'Hara); The Orchestra 1990; and his favorite film Kafka in 1992.   For more than 30 music videos produced by Zbig the MTv station honored him with three MTv Music Video Awards (together with the MTv Video Vanguard Award for his role as a "visionary in the field of music video"). His work in film and video has earned him also other numerous awards including three American Video Awards, three Monitor Awards for Best Director, the 1986 Billboard Music Video Award for Most Innovative Video, the 1986 BPI Video of the Year Award, as well as grand prizes at the Festivals at Annecy, France 1981, the Oberhausen Film Festival in both 1979 and 1981 and the Rio International Film Festival in 1987.   In 1990, Zbig won the Emmy Award for special effects produced in his film The Orchestra, a one-hour classical music HDTV program for PBS. It was the first Emmy ever given to a High Definition production. Later that year, he was honored for all of his work in HD by the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications for his outstanding work advancing the uses of HD technology. In Italy, he was awarded the Premio Internazionale Leonardo for his overall contribution to video, and in France, the Paris Cite for "outstanding achievement" in HD.   In 1992, Zbig completed work on the HD piece Kafka . Produced for Telemax of Paris as a part of their Audio/Visual Encyclopedia series, it won the 1992 Special Festival Prize at the International Electronic Cinema Festival Tokyo/Montreux and the Special Jury Award at the San Francisco International Festival 1993.   In period of 1994-2001 Rybczynski worked in Germany. At first in Berlin (CBF Studios), he was developing new production techniques in the areas of image compositing and motion control photography (he's an author of several innovative patents in that matter, as well as computer programs). Later in Cologne, he continued his research and was a Professor of Experimental Film in the Academy of Media Arts.   After several years of being involved in movie technology (such as motion control, optics, computer software) and other instructive workings, Zbig has made the decision to return to his passion: making movies. This was what brought him back to Los Angeles, where he now resides. Thanks to many rewarding years of gaining knowledge and experience in the various artistic and technological aspects of filmmaking, Zbig firmly believes that the best is yet ahead of him. His dream is to collaborate with other filmmakers on creating attractive and ground-breaking films which - and he is convinced of this - will always be of interest to audiences worldwide.