MARK RAKER is a cinematographer who has been creating award-winning film and television programs, and national television spots since the 1980’s, including Peabody Award winning “A Letter to Elia” directed by Martin Scorsese and Kent Jones, Netflix’s “An Unreasonable Man”, Emmy Award winning “Moment of Impact”, and Rose d'Or winning “Michael Moore’s The Awful Truth”.

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His network clients include ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, IFC, TNT, ESPN, BBC, Discovery Channel, History Channel, National Geographic TV, Bravo, Sesame Workshops, The Weather Channel, Sundance Channel, and GNT (Brazil).

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In addition to his automotive expertise with a client list that includes Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Saturn and Subaru, Mark’s work with beauty and people has been in demand on many campaigns for Chanel, Vogue, L’Oréal Paris, IT Cosmetics, Lancôme, Lab Series, Procter & Gamble, Kodak, Victoria’s Secret, Estée Lauder, Splenda, J.Crew, Hello Kitty, Hanky Panky, Avon, Pepsi, Aetna, Bank Of America, Johnson & Johnson, Downy, and dozens more.

 

Mark currently has films exhibited in museums in New York, Chicago, Minnesota, and Seattle. He has served as a judge for film festivals, and for the Emmy Awards. He has been featured in the magazine InCamera and has been a featured speaker for the Film Society of Lincoln Center; Kodak; B&H Photo/Video; SMPTE; Unique Photo; Litepanels; and Nanlite.

 

Since 1986, Mark have been the professor of cinematography at the New York University School of Professional Studies where he received the NYU Award for Teaching Excellence, and the NYU Award for Outstanding Service. From 2006 to 2017 he served on the faculty of the Maine Media Workshops + College in Rockport, Maine. Since 2016 he has served on the faculty of the New York City College of Technology. In 2019 was on the faculty of Purchase College SUNY. And since 2022 he has also served on the faculty of Hofstra University in New York.

 

“I have watched movies with love ever since I saw ‘Mary Poppins’ as a kid. I would sneak downstairs after my parents were asleep and watch movies on PBS. It was like being in another world. I began my career as a Lighting Designer for theater but an accident with a drunk driver forced me to take a break. During this timeout I watched every single movie at the rental store, at least once, and when I was ready to work, I was ready for the movies. What a joy to be able to express emotions through images. A picture needs to communicate the character’s interior life to an audience even if the mute button is on, or they’re from another culture, or if they’re watching a hundred years from now. I love solving story problems with visual solutions with the director.”