Honoring industry pros: awards season 2003: editors, cinematographers and effects pros were recently honored at awards shows throughout Los Angeles - Special Report

Post, March, 2003 by Daniel Restuccio

HOLLYWOOD -- A slew of gala award ceremonies brought out Hollywood's top creative talent decked out in tuxes and gowns to do some glamour schmoozing and most importantly honor excellence in the arts and crafts of moviemaking.

ASC AWARDS

Kicking off the awards circuit, the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) awards were held at the Century Plaza Hotel celebrating the transformation of light into images for television and motion pictures.

Award presenters included Lucy Liu, Jill Hennessy, Joe Mantegna, Elizabeth Perkins, Bill Paxton and Robert Wagner.

Richard Crudo the new president of the ASC spoke of cinematographers as the guardians of the image." The big issue facing cinematographers he said is the impact of technology, particularly the rise of the digital intermediate, the increasing use of high definition 24p cinematography and digital exhibition, The digital intermediate, he said, demands that the cinematographer have an essential role in the post production process as well as the production process and be compensated for it. "By right," he emphasized, "the cinematographer is the person who should govern those areas."

Two-time Oscar-winner, Conrad L. Hall won his fourth ASC award for Road to Perdition. Hall's son, cinematographer Conrad W Hall, accepted the posthumous honor for his father who succumbed to cancer on January 4th.

Robert Primes, ASC, won the episodic television competition for the MDs: Wing and a Prayer. This was a historic moment for the awards. Primes shot the show with the Sony/Panavision CineAlta 24p, marking the first time ever that a digital submission has won an ASC award.

The ASC also honored Michael Barrett, who won the broadcast television competition for movies/miniseries/pilot for C.S.I. Miami: Cross jurisdiction (pilot) and Jeffrey Jur ASC, who won the movie/miniseries/pilot competition for cable television for Last Call.

Bill Butler, ASC, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for lensing such films as jaws, Grease, The Conversation and Rocky II-IV.

"I cannot come to this point in my career" he said emotionally, "without reflecting on the element of time. Future generations will look back at our films to see how we viewed things, how we dressed, made love, even what we thought the future would look like. I have tried to do it all. I know this is as good as it gets. I am honored to receive this award."

Roger Ebert received a special achievement award by Haskel Wexler.

The International Achievement Award was presented to Witold Sobocinski, PSC, by Janusz Kaminski, ASC. Sobocinski's evocative and haunting body of work was shot in Poland and other Eastern European countries. Ralph Woolsey, ASC, received the Presidents Award from Robert Wagner. "The joy is in the journey." said Woolsey, "and ft's been a great trip."

Director Norman Jewison, who has helmed over 20 feature films, was presented with the Board of Governors Award by Greg Kinnear. Jewison said, "When you get a lifetime achievement award it means your getting old." Talking about the art of cinematography he quoted Turner, "God is light," and Kurosawa, who said, "If I could have said ft in words I would have."

Bob Fisher longtime friend and ally of cinematographers was made an honorary member of the ASC for his prolific writing on the art and craft of cinematography.

VES AWARDS

The Visual Effects Society debuted its first ever awards show in Los Angeles. Presenters included Doug Trumbull, John Landis and former astronaut Colonel Rick Searfoss.

Tom Atkin, executive director of the VES, said that this was a milestone event because, for the first time, the craft of visual effects was being honored by other visual effects artists.

Jim Morris, VES chairman and president of Lucas Digital, said, "I think the first VES Awards program has come at a pivotal time in the history of the visual effects. Never before have there been so many large effects movies. Never before have there been so many small effects movies. Last year, almost every film released had some sort of visual effects work or digital enhancement Visual effects and animation are really coming of age in the film and video worlds, No longer is it just the domain of tentpole films; visual effects are tools that every filmmaker can now use to aid in his or her storytelling."

The big winners that evening were The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which took home eight awards and Dinotopia, which coped four awards.

In the Best Visual Effects in an Effects Driven Motion Picture category, the winners were Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke, all of whom contributed to Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

The Best Special Effects in a Motion Picture award went to Steve Ingram, Blair Foord, Rich Cordobes, and Scott Harens for their work on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

The Best Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture award was presented to Glenn Neufeld, Derek Spears, Dan Malvin, and Al Disarro for their work on The Sum of all Fears.