November 24, 2023
On September 12, 2023, the spirit of Pete Kozachik ASC left this planet. (https://theasc.com/news/pete-kozachik-asc-tells-tales-in-new-memoir). I don’t know if there are enough cool and wonderful words to describe who Pete was. In reflecting on my short time working with him, the impact he made on my life and work is monumental. I do believe that, above and beyond his artistic achievements as a cinematographer and VFX supervisor, were his actions and interactions with just about anyone who was lucky enough to have had a moment with him. Kind, considerate, compassionate, and professional, Pete taught me professionalism and compassion in the creative arts, a mantra I have carried with me for the last 30-plus years since I first worked under his guidance on The Nightmare Before Christmas. Pete was also a true entrepreneur; he forged a path as a stop motion cinematographer when stop motion was just about dead as a narrative art form. His journey began at the ripe old age of 11, when he made his own stop motion/live action films, one of which he shared with our crew in 1993. I could easily say we walked out of the theater pondering what we were doing at 11. Pete is one of those people you could be jealous of, in that, ‘gosh, how did you even know how to do that at that age?’ But Pete would be the first to humbly blush and joke about his nerdiness. The thing is, though, Pete was cool, as cool as they come under pressure, and well-equipped with a witty sense of humor. He was also a bit of a genius, a boyish man who built motion control arms and rigs in his garage, programmed them with software he made or learned from others, and applied that all to the visual image with utmost care and creative challenge. He was a perfectionist who embraced the problems, maybe because he knew how to fix them; he could turn lemons into some fine lemonade.
Since those early days of my career, I had only worked with Pete one more time, and not even directly. The dialogue picked up where it left off, and had I known then, that would be one of the last conversations I would have held out for more wisdom. Luckily, when he and his wife Katy released Pete’s Book, ‘Tales from The Pumpkin Kings Camera Man’, I did have a brief interaction with him, sadly at that point he was being consumed by Aphasia, I thanked and praised him, probably to his embarrassment, and somehow I hoped that he understood. Sadly, this brilliant man’s mind was shut down by some unknown cruelty, for the rest of us to witness and wonder…WTF. I will most likely spend years pondering the why and what for? Perhaps it is that Pete used his mind so well and every corner of it that he exhausted it, who’s to say? Maybe Pete would find humor in that. I can see his Cheshire grin now. I’m just glad I was lucky enough to know him just enough so that he would impact my life for the rest of my life, and that is a legacy to be honored. GodSpeed my friend, mentor, and Sage.
With Pete’s everlasting guidance and inspiration I continue my own journey into the unknown, building devices in my closet shop and garage, following that invention through to 2nd and 3rd prototype, I just wish I could have shared it with him. I continue to explore my creative filmmaking mind, hopeful to share the story’s I have scribed on the silver screen. And mostly importantly I continue to treat my fellow humans as Pete would, with kindness, care, respect and an open ear.
Musings of a Film Entrepreneur
I am a freelance Cinematographer, who woke up one day to realize I am an entrepreneur!