Jody Eldred

Producer, Director, Director of Photography, Writer, and Author Jody Eldred is a 35-year veteran of documentaries, TV news, features and episodic TV. Born in Shreveport, LA., he graduated from Captain Shreve High School in 1974 where he had been a highly-decorated company commander in Army JROTC. He also was singer/bass player for a 50's group "Flash Gordon and the Skyrockets", a rock cover band, "Mirage", and the Christian folk/rock groups "Cheerful Givers" and "Upward Bound" based out of the First United Methodist Church. He went to Centenary College, earning a B.A. in Sociology. During his time at Centenary he began work as a TV news reporter/photographer at KSLA and KTBS. There he produced, directed, wrote, shot, and edited 150 episodes of crime re-enactments for a weekly show, “Crimestoppers”, the success of which resulted in him being featured on ABC’s “That’s Incredible.” Shortly thereafter he moved to Los Angeles, CA and was honored as a nominee for Best Director of a Documentary by the Director’s Guild of America for, “The China Experience: Beyond the Wall”, which he also produced and shot with the Centenary College Choir.
He covered the 2003 IRaq Way, shootig all the stories for ABC's Peter Jennings, Diane Sawyer, and Robin Roberts. In 2004 he received a national Emmy for his work on the ABC News "Nightline" series, "The Iraq War: Fox 2/5".
He has shot and directed hundreds of documentaries and news stories around the world for ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, the BBC, Discovery, and National Geographic, including programs such as 20/20, PrimeTime Live, Good Morning America, Dateline NBC, 48 Hours, PBS’ Frontline, Oprah, and The Tonight Show. His work also includes high definition and video shoots for CBS' "JAG", "NCIS", “NCIS: Los Angeles”, and NBC's "Medium". In 2005, Harvest House Publishers printed his first book, "Changed Lives: Miracles of The Passion". The book was based on an internationally-broadcast TV special by the same name which he created, directed and executive produced on Mel Gibson’s, “The Passion of The Christ”.
Jody worked as director of photography on the CBS/Paramount TV primetime scripted comedy, “Dash 4 Cash”. Produced by Kelsey Grammer’s company and directed by Betty Thomas, this reality-show spoof inaugurated the first use of XDCAM HD into the rarified air of primetime network programming. He directed and shot the pilot for “Military Miracles” for The History Channel, and produced and directed four short documentaries for Sony using their new XDCAM EX at an airshow in Columbus, Ohio, with fifty legendary P-51 Mustang pilots. He recently DP’d a theatrical documentary in HD on the 36-hour “Hood To Coast” relay race, covering 17,000 runners over 197 miles from Mt. Hood to the Oregon coast (with about 20 crews.) Jody served as D.P. on the U.S. unit for the British smash hit comedy feature film, “Nativity!”. Its fall 2010 DVD release in the UK was outsold only by “Toy Story 3”.
Though he works primarily in secular TV and film, he also works extensively in the faith-based marketplace, producing video projects for WorldVision, The Foursquare Church, The Christian Research Institute, Jewish Voice Ministries, and Pastor Jack Hayford. He has also directed hundreds of hours of live and live-to-tape TV, from dance to fashion, specials, comedies, drama, and religious programs.
A frequent speaker and lecturer at conferences, workshops, and film and journalism schools across America including USC and UCLA, he has appeared on many national and international television programs, ranging from Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, and Scarborough Country, to The 700 Club with Pat Robertson and Hour of Power.
In Spring 2012, Dateline NBC hired him to train their new cadre of “digital journalists” at the Los Angeles Bureau on visual storytelling with the Sony EX1.
His expertise has also resulted in his selection as a judge in several well-known competitions, including the Directors Guild of America awards, the 168 Film Festival, and the Angelus Student Film Awards, which many agree is the most prestigious student film competition in the world.
Sony Electronics regularly sends Jody to the Sundance Film Festival and NAB where he makes presentations to tens of thousands of people on the latest high definition camera systems and workflow. His work has been featured in virtually every trade magazine in the marketplace. His documentary shoots in Israel, Italy, Spain, France, Hawaii, and Ethiopia have tested some of Sony's most popular cameras, the XDCAM HD and EX, and Sony’s latest entries into HD cinematography, the large-sensor F3, FS-100, and FS-700, and groundbreaking F5 and F55.
In 2012 he shot a US presidential campaign spot with Newt Gingrich, and directed/D.P.d acclaimed Golden Globe and Emmy-winner Martin Sheen in an HD spot, both with the F3. He recently was Sony’s tester for their new high-end, small-size PMW-200. He is one of the few individuals in the world to have worked with their new game-changing 4K digital cinema camera, the F-55.
He’s done presentations across the country and in Europe on his findings, in concert with Apple’s Final Cut Pro who hired him to direct and DP a video with legendary keyboardist Herbie Hancock for their new live performance software.
With the advent and popularity of high definition 3D filmmaking, Sony has also utilized Jody to test and demo two of their newest professional one-piece 3D cameras: the NX3D1 and the TD300. His 3D underwater footage from St. Lucia, West Indies, and stunning 3D wildlife in Grand Teton National Park was shown at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival in October 2011.
Experienced in multiple camera formats and working regularly in documentaries and dramatic films, he owns the Sony F900R CineAlta, the F350 XDCAM HD, the Z1U, A1U, the XDCAM EX1 and EX3, the Sony MC-1 HD POV camera, the NX3D1 with a custom underwater housing, and of course several GoPro Heroes.
An Eagle Scout, US Army-qualified expert marksman, SCUBA Divemaster, graduate of the Bob Bondurant Grand Prix Racing School, and a Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (under Ultimate Fighting champion Royce Gracie), Jody is currently developing several feature film and television projects. He and his wife Pam live in Los Angeles, CA.

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