ASC Cites Five Feature Films For Outstanding Cinematography

31-Jan-03

Michael Ballhaus, ASC (""Gangs Of New York""), Pawel Edelman (""The Pianist""), Conrad Hall, ASC (""Road To Perdition""), Ed Lachman, ASC (""Far From Heaven"") and Rodrigo Prieto, ASC (""Frida"") claimed nominations in the feature film category of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards competition. The winner will be named at the 17th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards gala at the Century Plaza Hotel on February 16, 2003. This is the fifth ASC Award nomination for Hall, who passed away on January 4. Hall took top honors for ""Tequila Sunrise"" (1988), ""Searching For Bobby Fischer"" (1993), and ""American Beauty"" (1999). These are the first nominations in the annual competition for Ballhaus, Edelman, Lachman, and Prieto. ""The truth is that there is no easy or exact way to judge artistic achievements in cinematography, because it is a subjective and collaborative art form,"" says Owen Roizman, ASC, Chairman of the awards committee. ""These five amazingly talented artists were selected by their peers in ASC based on how effectively their images tell stories. I can assure you that it wasn't an easy decision, because many cinematographers displayed an incredible range of talent that contributed to the success of last year's films."" All five nominations were earned for character-driven, period films mainly produced on modest budgets. However, Roizman cautions that was a coincidence rather than a statement. In each instance, Roizman says, the cinematographer was nominated because they succeeded in creating images that accentuated compelling stories. ""Most movie fans and even critics tend to look for striking or beautiful pictures when they judge cinematography,"" Roizman says. ""How often have you read a review that said, 'The photography was gorgeous.' The truth is that great cinematography is usually transparent and non-obtrusive. It's something you feel rather than see. When our members judge artful cinematography, they dig beneath the surface and look at how nuances in colors, textures, light, shadows, movement and composition serve the story."" The organization's Outstanding Achievement Awards competition was inaugurated in 1986 for the purpose of recognizing and inspiring artistic achievements in cinematography. The first competition was a modest event hosted by Gregory Peck with fewer than 100 people in the audience. Jordan Cronenweth won the first award for ""Peggy Sue Got Married."" Crudo points out that the ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards are unique in that the nominees and ultimate winners are chosen solely by their peers. He says that it generally takes a peer to recognize and judge how subtleties in images accentuate performances and provide a sense of place and time. The annual ASC awards have proven to be a reliable precursor of the Academy AwardsÆ in the cinematography category. Almost 90 percent of the finalists in the ASC competition have also earned OscarÆ nominations. Four of the past seven ASC Outstanding Achievement Award winners also took home Oscars. ASC was chartered in January 1919 for the purpose of advancing the art of filmmaking. There are some 210 ASC members today in many countries around the world, in addition to 130 associate members in allied industries. Membership is by invitation based primarily on the individual's body of narrative film work. The awards ceremonies will be preceded by an open house and Internet chat with the nominees on Saturday, February 15. For additional information about the ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards visit www.theasc.com.

Read More:
http://www.theasc.com