Hollywood SMPTE/ASC Seminar Focuses On The Future Of Cinema
The Hollywood Section of the Society of Motion Picture Television Engineers (SMPTE) celebrated the 80th anniversary of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) by hosting a joint seminar Wednesday, September 8, at 8 p.m. at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. The program coupled a presentation made by Warner Bros. Vice President and preservationist Richard May with an ASC panel discussing the past, present and future of the cinema. ""Before you plan for the future of the cinema, it is important to understand its past,"" said SMPTE Hollywood Section Chair John Brooks. ""Our goal is to create a dialogue between the creative and technological communities in Hollywood by bringing them together to discuss the lessons of the past and possibilities for the future."" May showed 11 clips from classic Warner Bros. Films restored by the studio. He tracked the evolution of wide film formats and the transition from black-and-white to Technicolor and negative color movies. The clips included Ben-Hur (1925), Golddiggers Of Broadway (1929), The Good Earth (1937), The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938), Rebecca, (1940), The Harvey Girls (1946) and Butterfield 8 (1959). ""There has been a lot of recent hype in the media about the future of the cinema,"" said ASC Vice President Steven Poster, ""however those discussions are driven by companies with a stake in selling products and services needed for electronic projection. This is an opportunity for us to talk about the future of the cinema as a medium for storytelling based on the lessons we have learned from the past. How did the evolution of widescreen formats, color and other advances in film technology influence cinematography; and what lessons can we learn that apply to the future?"" The ASC panel was moderated by ""American Cinematographer Magazineís"" Associate Editor David Williams. In addition to Poster, the panel included Dean Cundey, ASC, Richard Edlund, ASC, John Hora, ASC and Theo Van de Sande, ASC. For additional information about other activities sponsored by the Hollywood Section of SMPTE call 818 771 8103.