American Cinematographer - March 2016 - 10

I'm writing this column first thing in the morning at a very
comfortable ski condo in Park City, Utah, as our AC team
has descended upon the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in
force. The fireplace is crackling, the mountain views are
spectacular, and our gracious host - director Norman Lehnert of Dogmatic Films - has kindly placed a fresh cup of
steaming coffee next to my MacBook Pro to jump-start my
brain. Very pleasant circumstances, to be sure, but I'm also
receiving urgent texts from managing editor Jon Witmer
("Where's your column?"); Sebastian Lumme of Camadeus
Film Technologies, one of the sponsors - along with TCS
New York, CW Sonderoptic and Leica - helping the magazine throw its very first Sundance reception three hours from
now ("We should have enough beer and bratwurst, but the
RSVP list is twice as long as we thought it would be. Did you get a reply from Werner
Herzog?"); circulation director Saul Molina, who's tracking a UPS package of magazines we
were hoping to hand out at the party ("You gave them the wrong zip code!"); associate editor
Andrew Fish, who's braving sub-freezing temperatures with the resolve of Leonardo DiCaprio
in The Revenant while trudging through the snow to a press-and-industry screening ("I'll stop
by the UPS store on my way to the theater..."); various industry publicists ("Are you coming to
see our film?"); AC sales rep Sanja Pearce ("What else do we need for the reception?? Can we
play some Eighties music?"); various friends who are here at the fest seeking quality schmooze
time ("Hey, can you handle plus-two for Elijah Wood's party tonight? Or maybe that Matt
Damon thing?"); and my wife, ASC president's assistant Delphine Figueras, who is co-hosting
the ASC Awards show with Society member Matty Libatique in just three short weeks ("We
need to have another script meeting when you get home. And buy more bratwurst!")
My job is never dull.
Despite everything that's going on, the staff has delivered another great issue. Pat
Thomson nails a nice groove in her excellent piece on the HBO rock 'n' roll series Vinyl, a highpedigree project executive-produced by two of my personal icons, Mick Jagger and Martin
Scorsese, and shot by three very talented cinematographers: Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC; Reed
Morano, ASC; and David Franco ("It's Only Rock 'n' Roll," page 32). Jay Holben presents a fascinating interview with Peter Levy, ASC, ACS about his work on the period drama Race ("Breaking Boundaries," page 44), which recounts the trials and triumphs of American track-and-field
star Jesse Owens during the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games that made him a legend. Plus, a trio
of other top contributors delivers lively and revealing profiles of three prominent Society
members slated to receive richly deserved career honors at the ASC Awards: David E. Williams
interviews John Toll, ASC ("A Legacy of Excellence," page 54); Jean Oppenheimer salutes the
achievements of Lowell Peterson, ASC ("Cool, Calm and in Control," page 62); and Jon Silberg
outlines the outstanding work and industry service of Bill Bennett, ASC ("Cutting-Edge
Cameraman," page 70).
In other words, everything here at the magazine is right on track - as long as we
don't run out of bratwurst.

Stephen Pizzello
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
10

Photo by Owen Roizman, ASC.

Editor's Note
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - March 2016
