John Schwartzman, ASC was born and raised in Los Angeles where his father was an entertainment law attorney representing an array of famous directors and producers. Schwartzman majored in economics and nurtured an interest in still photography, painting and sketching in undergraduate school. He continued his education at University of Southern California, where his focus shifted to cinematography.
Schwartzman’s early credits include an eclectic mix of music videos, commercials and about a half a dozen horror flicks. He earned his first mainstream narrative credit with Benny and Joon in 1993. His subsequent credits include The Rock, Conspiracy Theory, Armageddon, Edtv, Pearl Harbor, The Rookie and Seabiscuit.
Schwartzman estimates that he has filmed some 150 music videos and several hundred TV commercials. He is directing as well as shooting ad spots.