Rob Bowman (director)
Rob Bowman | |
---|---|
Born | Rob Stanton Bowman May 15, 1960 Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S. |
Education | University of Utah |
Occupation(s) | Director, producer |
Known for | Star Trek: The Next Generation, The X-Files, The X-Files, Castle, Reign of Fire |
Spouse |
Dusty Dawn Bowman (m. 2006) |
Rob Stanton Bowman (
Bowman has directed four feature films: Airborne, The X-Files, Reign of Fire, and Elektra.
Early life and education
Bowman grew up around film and television production. His father,
In his late teens, he moved to Utah, where he became a "ski bum", and worked as a bartender. After writing, producing and directing a story for a film production class at the
Career
Star Trek: The Next Generation and early work
Bowman started directing for television while doing second unit work for Stephen Cannell Productions in 1982.
1988 was a busy year for Bowman. In addition to directing five more episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation that year, he also directed episodes for Werewolf, Sonny Spoon, The Highwayman, Probe, and 21 Jump Street.[4]
On the strength of his direction for the television series
The X-Files
After seeing a commercial for The X-Files pilot episode, Bowman called his agent and told him he wanted to direct for the series.[1] He was asked to direct the episode "Gender Bender" for The X-Files by executive producer R. W. Goodwin, who had previously worked with Bowman on the series Mancuso, F.B.I.. X-Files creator and executive producer Chris Carter invited Bowman to return and direct more episodes. Bowman was eventually made a producer on the series.[6]
Castle
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) hired Bowman to direct the pilot for Castle, a television series about a crime novelist who consults with the New York City Police Department (NYPD).[7] The series was created by Andrew Marlowe, who served as executive producer along with his wife Terri Miller. When Miller stepped down as executive producer, Bowman took on the role.[8]
Style
Bowman's signature visual style involves lighting contrasts within a scene, including framing actors as silhouettes.[3] The X-Files writer and producer Frank Spotnitz said that Bowman works very hard to make every "scene as beautiful and as complementary to the story as possible". He said that Bowman's camera movements were never gratuitous and were deliberately planned to aid viewers in understanding what was happening in a scene. Spotnitz complimented Bowman's attention to lighting for mood, saying "You would think that on a television schedule you don't have time to compose and think thoroughly about all these issues, but Rob really does."[6]
Filmography
Director
Television
- MacGyver (1985) - 1 episode
- Stingray (1986) - 3 episodes
- 21 Jump Street (1987) - 1 episode
- Werewolf (1987) - 2 episodes
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) - 13 episodes
- The Highwayman (1988) - 3 episodes
- Probe (1988) - 1 episode
- Midnight Caller (1988) - 1 episode
- Alien Nation(1989) - 1 episode
- Hardball (1989) - 2 episodes
- Baywatch (1989) (episode "The Reunion") - 1 episode
- Booker (1989) - 1 episode
- Mancuso, F.B.I. (1989) - 2 episodes
- Quantum Leap (1989) - 1 episode
- Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990) - 12 episodes
- DEA (1990) - 1 episode
- Dark Shadows (1991) - 2 episodes
- The Hat Squad (1992) - 2 episodes
- The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993) - 1 episode
- The X-Files (1993-2000) - 33 episodes
- Traps (1994) - 1 episode
- M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994) - 2 episodes
- VR.5 (1995) - 1 episode
- The Lone Gunmen (2001) (pilot)
- Castle (2009–2016) - 28 episodes
- The Crossing (2018)
- Quantico (2018) - 1 episode
- The Rookie (2019) - 1 episode
Film
- Airborne (1993)
- The X-Files (1998)
- Reign of Fire (2002)
- Elektra (2005)
Producer
- The A-Team (1985-1987) (associate producer) - 34 episodes
- Stingray (1985) (associate producer)
- Riptide (1985) (associate producer)
- The Last Precinct (1986) (associate producer) - 8 episodes
- The X Files (1995-2000) (producer) - 89 episodes
- The Lone Gunmen (2001) TV Series (co-executive producer) - 1 episode
- Day Break (2006-2007) TV Series (executive producer) - 13 episodes
- Castle (2009-2016) TV Series (executive producer) - 171 episodes
- The Crossing (2018) TV Series (executive producer) - 1 episode
- The Rookie (2019-2020) TV Series (executive producer) - 20 episodes
Other
- The Making of 'The X-Files: Fight the Future' (1998)
References
- ^ a b c d e f Fisher, Bob. "KODAK: OnFilm Interview with Rob Bowman". OnFilm Interviews. Kodak.
- ^ a b Kodak (August 20, 2010). "The Cinema History Behind ABC's Castle". InCamera Online. Kodak.
- ^ ISBN 1-903364-52-3.
- ^ a b c d Shapiro, Marc (November 1988). "On the Edge of the Universe". Starlog. 12 (136): 22–25, 43.
- ^ Altman, Mark A. (September 1990). "Rob Bowman: Directing Auteur". Cinefantastique. 21 (2): 32–34, 58.
- ^ a b Vitaris, Paula (October 1995). "X-files: Rob Bowman". Cinefantastique. 26/27 (6/1): 83.
- ^ Adalian, Josef (August 4, 2008). "'X-Files' vet is storming ABC 'Castle'". Daily Variety: N5.
- ^ Rizzo, Carita (May 8, 2011). "Primetime drivers: Across broadcast and cable, these exec producers steer their shows to ratings and critical glory. Here's how they do it ...". Daily Variety: 16.
External links
- Media related to Rob Bowman at Wikimedia Commons
- Rob Bowman at IMDb