Berner behind the camera
Bill Berner is a cinematographer and former lighting director/designer who served in the latter position on a number of Muppet and Henson productions, including nine seasons of Sesame Street (plus numerous home video productions), for which he won three Daytime Emmy Awards and was nominated for five more. Among his contributions to the show was pitching the idea for the second opening sequence (1992-1995) for the Monsterpiece Theater segment.[1]
Other credits as a lighting director/designer include Ghostwriter, Politically Incorrect, Cosby, Taina, and Blue's Clues and its spinoff Blue's Room. Berner later moved from lighting to cinematography, working as director of photography on programs such as Cosby, Between the Lions, Whoopi, Johnny and the Sprites, Sherri, the 2009 reboot of The Electric Company, A.N.T. Farm, Project Runway, Girl Meets World, and Kevin Can Wait. Berner also has a handful of directorial credits, including episodes of Between the Lions, Johnny and the Sprites, Crank Yankers, and Chappelle's Show.
Berner has won a total of six Daytime Emmys (three for Sesame Street, two for Between the Lions, and one for The Electric Company), and been nominated for a total of twelve more (for his work on the above three shows plus Johnny and the Sprites). Like many of his fellow Sesame lighting directors, Berner had previously worked for Imero Fiorentino Associates, Inc. Together with fellow lighting designer Steve Brill, Berner founded the New York-based company Berner & Brill Lighting Design; Berner left the company in 1997, and it was subsequently renamed The Lighting Design Group.[2]
Muppet/Henson credits[]
- Sesame Street: Lighting director (seasons 20-24); lighting designer (seasons 25-27, 30)
- Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Hospital: Lighting director, Sesame Street Studio
- Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Firehouse: Lighting director, Sesame Street Studio
- Shalom Sesame: Lighting director
- Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake: Lighting director
- Billy Bunny's Animal Songs: Lighting design
- Sesame Street Stays Up Late: Lighting designer
- Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!: Lighting designer
- Cookie Monster's Best Bites: Lighting director
- Aliens in the Family: Lighting design
- Imagine That!: Lighting designer
- Sing Yourself Sillier at the Movies: Lighting designer
- Elmo Says BOO!: Lighting designer
- Fiesta!: Lighting designer
- Big Bird Gets Lost: Lighting designer
- Elmopalooza: Lighting director
- The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street: Lighting designer
- Let's Eat!: Funny Food Songs: Lighting designer
- Kids' Favorite Songs: Lighting designer
- Sesame Street Goes to the Doctor: Lighting direction
- Let's Make Music: Lighting designer
- "We Are Family": Co-director
- Bert & Ernie's Word Play: Lighting director
- Zoe's Dance Moves: Lighting director
- A Magical Halloween Adventure: Lighting designer
- Happy Healthy Monsters: Lighting designer
- Sesame Beginnings: Lighting designer
- Elmo's Potty Time: Lighting designer
- A Sesame Street Christmas Carol: Lighting designer
- Abby in Wonderland: Lighting designer
- Julie's Greenroom: Cinematographer
Sources[]
- ↑ Casting Light Podcast (14:48-15:27)
- ↑ "Berner departs Berner & Brill." Live Design Online, November 1, 1997.
External links[]
- Official website (archived)
- IMDb
- Casting Light Podcast: Part 1, Part 2