FAMU katedra kamery

Michael Baumbruck, Director/DOP

Michael Baumbruck is currently teaching the Studio Experiment Shoot and Film Language Essentials seminars at FAMU.

Michael Baumbruck is a graduate of the FAMU (Academy of Performing Arts) in Prague.

During his studies he shot several alternative films covering the unofficial art scene in Czechoslovakia. After his graduation, Michael Baumbruck worked as a director and director of photography on documentaries and produced multi-media programs in his native Czechoslovakia, Germany and the U.S.A.

He immigrated to the United States in 1985. In the U.S. Michael Baumbruck has worked as a director and cameraman on projects for the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress and the National Book Awards. In addition, he worked as a cameraman on various projects ranging from PBS specials to war zone reportage in the former Yugoslavia.

Since 1993 when he moved back to Prague, he has focused on shooting commercials for multinational companies and clients. He has got several hundred TV commercials in his portfolio, for clients as O2, T-Mobile, Skoda or Orange. Many of his commercials have received prestigious international awards. He loves to light and shoot his own spots but he also works with other DOP’s on number of projects.

At the same time, he has been working on long term documentary projects covering the changing visual art scene in Czech Republic.

Recently he has shot as a director of photography a feature film released in the fall of 2019.