Michael P. DiPaolo
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Michael DiPaolo has been in the room with more murderers than most
police ever will videotaping more than 2000 confessions over more than
fifteen years at the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
Simultaneously, he has written, produced and directed feature-length
dramatic videos based on fictionalized variations of those confessions,
including BRUTAL ARDOR(1986), BOUGHT & SOLD(1988)-Certificate of
Merit-1988 Chicago Film Festival and REQUIEM FOR A WHORE(1989), all
distributed by Chiaroscuro Video. His first 16mm feature,
TRANSGRESSION(1994) was at the NY Underground Film Fest, the Chicago
Underground Film Fest, Rome's FANTAFESTIVAL, Manchester's Kinofilm '95
and is distributed by SCREEN EDGE, a division of Visionary
Communications. In 1996, for a change of pace, he produced and directed
a dance program for European TV entitled BALLETS WITH A TWIST. Now in
post-production on his latest 16mm feature, SERPENT'S BREATH (1998),
which he hopes to have it ready for 1999. Born and raised in Niagara
Falls, NY, DiPaolo graduated from the University of Rochester with a
B.A. in Fine Arts and later received an M.A. in Fine Arts with a
concentration in Video, from Hunter College in NYC, studying with video
art pioneer, Juan Downey. His first job out of school was producing,
shooting and editing a feature-length, shot on video, improvised movie
called SOPHA by David Shepherd, "the guru of improv" and the Co-founder
of COMPASS, the forerunner of SECOND CITY in Chicago. A long working
relationship, that continues today. After a couple of years of
free-lancing he began producing and directing fashion videos from 1977
to 1985. During this time he also produced and directed numerous dance,
music and short dramatic videos. In 1987, he produced and directed a
hidden camera documentary that examined New York City's hustlers and
homeless after midnight in WHERE NO SUN SHINES.