Jody Lee Lipes (born January 18, 1982) is an American cinematographer and filmmaker.
A native of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Lipes attended New York University, where he studied film. He worked extensively on short films before serving as cinematographer on Afterschool, directed by Antonio Campos and Tiny Furniture, directed by Lena Dunham. Lipes would collaborate with Dunham again as cinematographer and director for several episodes of her HBO series Girls. Lipes would later work as cinematographer for Girls producer Judd Apatow's comedy Trainwreck, starring Amy Schumer. Lipes worked as cinematographer for Kenneth Lonergan's drama Manchester by the Sea, which he shot digitally. He also shot A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, directed by Mareille Heller, and The Good Nurse, directed by Tobias Lindholm. Lipes was also the cinematographer for Savanah Leaf's Earth Mama in 2023.
As a director, he helmed a documentary on the NY Export Opus Jazz ballet, which had a screening at the annual South by Southwest festival, and the documentary Ballet 422, which screened at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.
Lipes became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) in 2021.
Filmography
Director
Documentary films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be The Same | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2010 | N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2014 | Ballet 422 | Yes | No | No |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Girls | Episodes "Welcome to Bushwick a.k.a. The Crackcident" and "Weirdos Need Girlfriends Too" |
| 2017-2018 | The Sinner | Episodes "Part IV" and "Part VI" |
Cinematographer
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Afterschool | Antonio Campos | |
| 2010 | Tiny Furniture | Lena Dunham | |
| Two Gates of Sleep | Alistair Banks Griffin | ||
| 2011 | Martha Marcy May Marlene | Sean Durkin | |
| 2013 | Bluebird | Lance Edmands | Also credited as second unit director |
| 2015 | Trainwreck | Judd Apatow | |
| 2016 | Manchester by the Sea | Kenneth Lonergan | |
| 2019 | A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood | Marielle Heller | |
| 2022 | The Good Nurse | Tobias Lindholm | |
| 2023 | Earth Mama | Savanah Leaf |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | We Are Internet Millionaires | Dan Gregor Doug Mand Adam Pally |
TV shorts |
| Sell Outs | |||
| 2007-2008 | The Whitest Kids U' Know | Trevor Moore Zach Cregger Dave Diomedi |
20 episodes |
| 2012 | Girls | Lena Dunham Richard Shepard |
7 episodes |
| 2013 | The Sonnet Project | R Jameson Smith | Episode "Sonnet #14" |
| 2017 | The Sinner | Antonio Campos | Episode "Part I" |
| 2018 | Drew Michael | Jerrod Carmichael | TV special |
| 2020 | I Know This Much Is True | Derek Cianfrance | Miniseries |
| 2023 | Dead Ringers | Sean Durkin | 2 episodes |
Documentary works
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell | Matt Wolf | |
| 2009 | Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be The Same | Himself | |
| 2010 | N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz | ||
| 2012 | Brute Force | Ben Steinbauer | |
| 2014 | The Great Invisible | Magaret Brown | With Jeff Peixoto and Adam Stone |
| Ballet 422 | Himself | With Nick Bentgen |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | High Line Stories | Matt Wolf | |
| 2013 | Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film | Mark Romanek | TV short |
| 2015 | Independent Lens | Margaret Brown | Episode "The Great Invisible" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Cinematography | Tiny Furniture | Nominated |
| 2023 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series | Dead Ringers | Nominated |
Notes
References
- ’Manchester By the Sea” cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes tops list of area entertainers in 2016
- A SPIRITED Q & A WITH “TINY FURNITURE” CINEMATOGRAPHER JODY LEE LIPES
- “It’s Almost Impossible to Watch Something That was Shot on Film Projected on Film”: DP Jody Lee Lipes on Trainwreck
- ‘Manchester By the Sea’: How Kenneth Lonergan & Crew Made a Non-Linear Masterpiece
- Dillon, Mark (December 10, 2019). "Jody Lee Lipes on Shooting A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood". American Cinematographer. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- Ntim, Zac (September 12, 2022). "Jessica Chastain And Eddie Redmayne On Finding Humanity In Their Serial Killer Film 'The Good Nurse' — Toronto". Deadline. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- Debruge, Peter (January 20, 2023). "'Earth Mama' Review: Savanah Leaf's Feature Debut Offers Tough but Sensitive Look at Single Mother's Struggle". Variety. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- Ballet 422
- Dillard, Samantha (March 17, 2021). "Jody Lee Lipes Welcomed Into Society Membership". American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved April 1, 2021.