Ian Watts,Director of Photography

Ian Watts

Director of Photography, Cameraperson

About Ian Watts

Ian Watts is a BAFTA award-winning film and TV director of photography, and works on factual, entertainment, documentaries, history, music and arts programmes.

He has worked with all the main UK broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channels Four and Five, Sky and international broadcasters such as Disney, National Geographic, Oprah Winfrey Network, Paramount, Discovery and Smithsonian. He has also worked with NASA, (The National

Ian Watts is a BAFTA award-winning film and TV director of photography, and works on factual, entertainment, documentaries, history, music and arts programmes.

He has worked with all the main UK broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channels Four and Five, Sky and international broadcasters such as Disney, National Geographic, Oprah Winfrey Network, Paramount, Discovery and Smithsonian. He has also worked with NASA, (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

He has over 30 years wide-ranging experience of filming in more than 50 countries around the world, ranging from Ghana to Greenland, on many critically acclaimed and award-winning films. Ian is a British citizen, and has an American (I) work Visa for the USA, and is able to converse in French.

Ian has his own professional broadcast camera equipment and is a creative photographer. He is Disclosure and Barring Service, (DBS) approved, and is a full BAFTA member.

Credits

Bibaa & Nicole: Murder in the Park

( May 2024 - Dec 2024 )

True Vision TV / Sky Documentaries

Director of Photography

Tony Collins: Football's Forgotten Master Spy

( Apr 2024 - Aug 2024 )

Dark Matters TV / Sky Sports 1

Director of Photography

Erased: WWII's Heroes of Color

( Aug 2023 - Nov 2023 )

October Films & Green Door Pictures. / Disney Channel

Director of Photography

The Sound of Protest

( Mar 2023 - Nov 2023 )

Songbird TV

Director of Photography

The Battle for Black Music: Paid In Full

( May 2023 - Nov 2023 )

Disney/Nat Geographic / October Films / 22 Summers / BBC Two

Director of Photography

Lenny Henry: One of a Kind

( Nov 2022 - Mar 2023 )

Indigo Productions / ITV

Director of Photography

Get On Up: The Triumph of Black America

( Jun 2022 - Aug 2022 )

Milk and Honey Productions

Director of Photography

Jimmy Akingbola Handle with Care

( Apr 2022 - Jun 2022 )

Triforce Productions

Director of Photography

Lenny Henry's Caribbean Britain

( Jan 2022 - May 2022 )

Douglas Road Productions

Director of Photography

Judi Love: Black, Female and Invisible

( Feb 2022 - Apr 2022 )

Douglas Road Productions

Director of Photography

View more Credits

Equipment

I have my own professional broadcast camera equipment and lenses, and shoot on all camera systems.
I have other ancillary kit and lights.
I have a full driving licence, plus a custom-made fully equipped crew vehicle

Additional Information

Industries

Corporate, Film, Music, TV

Programme Types

Arts, Biography, Business, Childrens, Comedy, Comedy (Children's), Commercial, Corporate, Current Affairs, Daytime, Documentary, Docusoap, Drama Reconstruction, Drama: Feature Film, Drama: Short Film, Drama: Television Serial, Dramatised Documentary, Education, Entertainment, Events, Food, Game Show, Glamour (Adult), Health, Historical Documentary, Investigative, Leisure, Live Multi-cam OB, Live TV, Magazine, Motoring, Music, Music Promo, Natural History, New Media, News, Observational Documentary, Outside Broadcast, Pre-School, Property, Reality TV, Religion, Science, Science Fiction, Shopping, Sitcom, Sport, Studio Debate, Travel, Youth

Specialisms

Advertising, Africa, Afro-Caribbean culture, Anthropology, Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Art History, Arts, Asian Britain, Aviation, Black America, Business, Cars, Celebrity, Children's, China, Cinema/Film, Clubbing, Comedy, Community, Computer Gaming, Consumer Affairs, Cookery, Corporate Films, Crime, Current Affairs, Dance, Design, Digi Beta, Disability/Special Needs, Diving, Drama, Drugs, Ecology, Economics, Education, Electronics, Engineering, Enhanced TV, Environment, Ethnic, Events, Farming, Fashion, Finance, Food, Football, Gardening, Gay & Lesbian, Genetics, Geography, Health, Heritage, High-Definition, History, Human Rights, Industry, Interactive TV, Interior Design, International Affairs, Internet, Journalism, Languages, Latin America, Legal/Business Affairs, Literature, Location Filming, Maths, Medicine, Mental Health, Middle East, Motorbikes, Mountaineering, Music, Natural History, New Media, News & Current Affairs, Outside Broadcast, Parenting, Period Drama, Philosophy, Photography, Police, Politics, Popular Culture, Psychology, Religion, Science, Sex Industry, Sexuality, Social Anthropology, Social Issues, Sociology, South Africa, South East Asia, Sport, Technology, Theatre, Topography, Tourism, Transport, Travel, Undercover Investigation, USA, Wildlife, Wine, Womens Issues, Writing, Youth Culture

Employment History

I have shot many highly acclaimed and successful TV series including
"Election" for Diverse Productions, which won the Children's BAFTA Entertainment Award in 2009.

More recent productions I have worked on include two historical series for the BBC; 'Castles: Britain's Fortified History', and 'Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History', both of which were presented by historian Dr Sam

I have shot many highly acclaimed and successful TV series including
"Election" for Diverse Productions, which won the Children's BAFTA Entertainment Award in 2009.

More recent productions I have worked on include two historical series for the BBC; 'Castles: Britain's Fortified History', and 'Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History', both of which were presented by historian Dr Sam Willis.

I was also the main cameraman on the BBC's major broadcast Olympic series; 'Faster, Higher, Stronger: Stories of the Olympic Games'. Later I worked on the groundbreaking documentary 'The Plane Crash' for Channel 4, which was nominated for a BAFTA Specialist Factual TV Award in 2013.

My regular clients include both UK and international broadcast companies, such as the BBC, Channels 4 & 5, ITV, Discovery and National Geographic, plus high-end corporate companies such as Rolex, HSBC and Sony.

Equipment

I have my own professional broadcast camera equipment and lenses, and shoot on all camera systems.
I have other ancillary kit and lights.
I have a full driving licence, plus a custom-made fully equipped crew vehicle

Additional Information

Industries

Corporate, Film, Music, TV

Programme Types

Arts, Biography, Business, Childrens, Comedy, Comedy (Children's), Commercial, Corporate, Current Affairs, Daytime, Documentary, Docusoap, Drama Reconstruction, Drama: Feature Film, Drama: Short Film, Drama: Television Serial, Dramatised Documentary, Education, Entertainment, Events, Food, Game Show, Glamour (Adult), Health, Historical Documentary, Investigative, Leisure, Live Multi-cam OB, Live TV, Magazine, Motoring, Music, Music Promo, Natural History, New Media, News, Observational Documentary, Outside Broadcast, Pre-School, Property, Reality TV, Religion, Science, Science Fiction, Shopping, Sitcom, Sport, Studio Debate, Travel, Youth

Specialisms

Advertising, Africa, Afro-Caribbean culture, Anthropology, Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Art History, Arts, Asian Britain, Aviation, Black America, Business, Cars, Celebrity, Children's, China, Cinema/Film, Clubbing, Comedy, Community, Computer Gaming, Consumer Affairs, Cookery, Corporate Films, Crime, Current Affairs, Dance, Design, Digi Beta, Disability/Special Needs, Diving, Drama, Drugs, Ecology, Economics, Education, Electronics, Engineering, Enhanced TV, Environment, Ethnic, Events, Farming, Fashion, Finance, Food, Football, Gardening, Gay & Lesbian, Genetics, Geography, Health, Heritage, High-Definition, History, Human Rights, Industry, Interactive TV, Interior Design, International Affairs, Internet, Journalism, Languages, Latin America, Legal/Business Affairs, Literature, Location Filming, Maths, Medicine, Mental Health, Middle East, Motorbikes, Mountaineering, Music, Natural History, New Media, News & Current Affairs, Outside Broadcast, Parenting, Period Drama, Philosophy, Photography, Police, Politics, Popular Culture, Psychology, Religion, Science, Sex Industry, Sexuality, Social Anthropology, Social Issues, Sociology, South Africa, South East Asia, Sport, Technology, Theatre, Topography, Tourism, Transport, Travel, Undercover Investigation, USA, Wildlife, Wine, Womens Issues, Writing, Youth Culture