bio
Bob Aschmann was born in 1965 in Zürich, Switzerland. where he completed high school and some preliminary academic years at University of Zürich studying English Literature and Linguistics. Over time, his growing interest in the visual arts led him to work as an assistant to commercial/fashion photographer Günther Kathrein and, a year later, to enroll in the film program at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.
After graduating from SFU in 1993 Bob started working as a Director of Photography in both the drama- and the documentary world. His primary passion for cinematography is rooted in an ambition to capture the tone of a story and the emotions of its characters through images that are compelling and unique. Bob is drawn to the creative process that surrounds this mandate, the teamwork, the various layers of collaboration, and the novelty presented by so many projects, both visually and logistically. He appreciates the complexities and responsibilities that are part of his job and values clarity and levity in his interactions with others.
Furthermore, Bob has dual citizenship with Switzerland and Canada, he is bilingual in English and German, and somewhat proficient in French. As such, he is eligible to work in the EU, and he loves to combine travel with work!
More recently, Bob has produced several Photographic series which he hopes to exhibit in due time. For now, his work can be viewed at www.werneraugust.myportfolio.com
awards and publications
1991 winner of the Norman McLaren Award for Best Short Film “Round the Corner”
1997 publication in march issue of American Cinematographer: this article was written on the cinematography of the feature film “Kitchen Party”.
1999 nomination for a Golden Sheaf Award at Yorkton Film Festival for Best Cinematography in a short film “Keys to Kingdom”
1999 winner of the Best Cinematography Award at Broadway Theatre FilmCan Festival for the feature film “Rollercoaster”
2000 nomination for LEO Award for Best Cinematography in a feature film “Rollercoaster”
2000 nomination for LEO Award for Best Cinematography in a feature film “A Girl is a Girl”
2000 nomination for LEO Award for Best Cinematography in a short film “Liberato”
2002 nomination for LEO Award for Best Cinematography in a feature film “The Overcoat”
2002 nomination for Gemini Award for Best Cinematography for the feature film “The Overcoat”
2017 nomination for LEO Award for Best Cinematography for Series ICE, Season 1