(written from a Production point of view)
Joe Chess (born 24 November 1957; age 66) is a camera operator and director of photography who worked as "A" Camera Operator and second unit director of photography on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. He took over for Marvin V. Rush as director of photography on the episodes "The Host" and "Emanations" when Rush worked as director. Chess also worked as cinematographer on the video game Star Trek: Klingon. Chess-Wilson and Captain Joe Chess, seen on various artwork, were named after him. He left Voyager after shooting of its first season was complete, but returned to the franchise almost a decade later, acting as camera operator on the final five episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise.
Prior to his work on Star Trek, Chess worked as camera operator on Frank's Place (1987-1988), The Runnin' Kin d(1989), and Meet the Hollowheads (1989).
Further work as camera operator and steadicam operator include the television series The Client (1995-1996), Sliders (1996-1997), Moloney (1996-1997), Profiler (1998-1999), Ryan Caulfield: Year One (1999), The West Wing (2000), Crossing Jordan (2002), 10-8: Officers on Duty (2003-2004), Summerland Beach (2004), Desperate Housewives (2004), Supernatural (2005), and Moonlight (2007). He also worked on a number of films such as Jerry Maguire (1996), Deep Impact (1998), Six Days, Seven Nights (1998), Varsity Blues (1999), Love & Basketball (2000), Bedazzled (2000), I Spy (2002), the comedies National Security (2003) and Freaky Friday (2003), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Iron Man (2008), Surrogates (2009), Little Fockers (2010), and Battle: Los Angeles (2011).
His work as cinematographer can be seen on the television documentaries The Making of "Dances with Wolves" (1990), Getting the Goods on "As Good As It Gets" (1997), and The Making of "A Knight's Tale" (2001) and on David Livingston's short film Slice of Life (2000, with Robert Picardo, Patricia Tallman, editing by Peter Lefevre, makeup by Brad Look, assistant direction by Adele Simmons, on-line editing by John Carroll, and costume supervision by Damaris Cordelia).
Star Trek credits[]
- TNG:
- "The Ensigns of Command" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Evolution" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Survivors" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Who Watches The Watchers" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Bonding" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Booby Trap" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Enemy" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Price" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Vengeance Factor" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Defector" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Hunted" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The High Ground" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Deja Q" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "A Matter of Perspective" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Yesterday's Enterprise" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Offspring" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Sins of The Father" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Allegiance" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Captain's Holiday" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Tin Man" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Hollow Pursuits" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Most Toys" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Sarek" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Ménage à Troi" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Transfigurations" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Best of Both Worlds" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Suddenly Human" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Brothers" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Family" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Remember Me" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Legacy" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Reunion" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Future Imperfect" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Final Mission" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Loss" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Data's Day" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Wounded" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Devil's Due" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Clues" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "First Contact" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Galaxy's Child" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Night Terrors" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Identity Crisis" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Nth Degree" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Qpid" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Drumhead" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Half a Life" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Host" – Director of Photography
- "The Mind's Eye" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "In Theory" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Redemption" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Redemption II" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Darmok" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Ensign Ro" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Silicon Avatar" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Disaster" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Game" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Unification II" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Unification I" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "A Matter Of Time" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "New Ground" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Hero Worship" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Violations" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Masterpiece Society" – Camera Operator
- "Conundrum" – Camera Operator
- "Power Play" – Camera Operator
- "Ethics" – Camera Operator
- "The Outcast" – Camera Operator
- "Cause And Effect" – Camera Operator
- "The First Duty" – Camera Operator
- "Cost Of Living" – Camera Operator
- "The Perfect Mate" – Camera Operator
- "Imaginary Friend" – Camera Operator
- "I Borg" – Camera Operator
- "The Next Phase" – Camera Operator
- "The Inner Light" – Camera Operator
- "Time's Arrow" – Camera Operator
- "Time's Arrow, Part II" – Camera Operator
- "Realm Of Fear" – Camera Operator
- DS9:
- "Emissary" – Camera Operator, Second Unit Director of Photography
- "A Man Alone" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Past Prologue" – Camera Operator
- "Babel" – Camera Operator
- "Captive Pursuit" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Q-Less" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Dax" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Passenger" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Move Along Home" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Nagus" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Vortex" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Battle Lines" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Storyteller" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Progress" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "If Wishes Were Horses" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Forsaken" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Dramatis Personae" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Duet" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "In the Hands of the Prophets" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Homecoming" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Circle" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Siege" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Invasive Procedures" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Cardassians" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Melora" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Rules of Acquisition" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Necessary Evil" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Second Sight" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Sanctuary" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Rivals" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Alternate" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Armageddon Game" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Whispers" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Paradise" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Shadowplay" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Playing God" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Profit and Loss" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Blood Oath" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Maquis, Part I" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Maquis, Part II" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Wire" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Crossover" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Collaborator" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "Tribunal" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- "The Jem'Hadar" – Camera Operator: "A" camera
- VOY:
- "Caretaker" – Camera Operator
- "Parallax" – Camera Operator
- "Time and Again" – Camera Operator
- "Phage" – Camera Operator
- "The Cloud" – Camera Operator
- "Eye of the Needle" – Camera Operator
- "Ex Post Facto" – Camera Operator
- "Emanations" – Director of Photography
- "Prime Factors" – Camera Operator
- "State of Flux" – Camera Operator
- "Heroes and Demons" – Camera Operator
- "Cathexis" – Camera Operator
- "Faces" – Camera Operator
- "Jetrel" – Camera Operator
- "Learning Curve" – Camera Operator
- "Projections" – Camera Operator
- "Elogium" – Camera Operator
- "Twisted" – Camera Operator
- "The 37's" – Camera Operator
- ENT:
- "In a Mirror, Darkly" – Camera Operator
- "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II" – Camera Operator
- "Demons" – Camera Operator
- "Terra Prime" – Camera Operator
- "These Are the Voyages..." – Camera Operator
- Star Trek: Klingon – Director of Photography
External link[]
- Joe Chess at the Internet Movie Database