American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 87

Clubhouse News
Deakins Wins Spirit Award Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC won the cinematography prize for his work on Ethan and Joel Coen’s A Serious Man during the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards. Deakins won a Spirit Award in 1997 for Fargo, and was also nominated in 1991 for Homicide. Deakins’ competition this year comprised Andrij Parekh, for Cold Souls; Peter Zeitlinger, for Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans; Anne Misawa, for Treeless Mountain; and Adriano Goldman, for Sin Nombre (AC April ’09). Society Welcomes Medencevic Born in Derventa, Bosnia-Herzegovina, new ASC member Suki Medencevic developed an early interest in both science and art. Before graduating from high school, he chose to focus on photography, and he became one of only five students accepted in the National School of Dramatic Arts’ department of cinematography in Belgrade. He furthered his education at the renowned National Film School in Prague, where he earned a master’s degree in cinematography and also won the Chancellor’s Award and the Jaroslav Kucera Award for his accomplishments behind the camera. Medencevic came to Los Angeles in 1991 as a guest of the University of California-Los Angeles, where he taught and conducted workshops. Since then, he has compiled credits on features, short films, special-venue films, documentaries and commercials, shooting a variety of formats that range from 70mm to high-definition video. For his work on The Great Water, Medencevic was nominated for a Golden Frog at the 2004 Camerimage International Festival of the Art of Cinematography and won the Best Cinematography award at Spain’s Mostra Valencia festival. He remains committed to still photography, demonstrating particular interest in architectural and fashion photography, and collections of his stills have been the subject of multiple solo exhibits. Fiore Visits Alma Mater, Wins Oscar Mauro Fiore, ASC won this year’s Academy Award for cinematography for his work on Avatar (AC Jan. ’10). He was nominated alongside Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC, for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Barry Ackroyd, BSC, for The Hurt Locker (AC July ’09); Robert Richardson, ASC, for Inglourious Basterds (AC Sept. ’09); and Christian Berger, AAC, for The White Ribbon (AC Jan. ’10). In the weeks before the Oscar ceremony, Fiore returned to his alma mater, Columbia College Chicago, where he visited the school’s new Media Production Center and spoke with students. Wexler Reminisces at Egyptian Following a recent screening of Elia Kazan’s black-and-white epic America, America at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, cinematographer Haskell Wexler, ASC participated in a Q&A moderated by film historian Foster Hirsch. Also joining the conversation were actors Stathis Giallelis and Lou Antonio. Thinking back on the frugal production and bemoaning an absence of dailies that resulted in what he considers “over-filled” exteriors, Wexler mused, “I’d like to reshoot a lot of this film.” Later, when Hirsch asked Wexler how he and Kazan had arrived at the film’s style, Wexler responded, “I was just trying to make a good picture!” Rosen Named Prime Focus International CTO ASC associate member Daniel Rosen has been named international chief technology officer of global visualentertainment-services group Prime Focus. Based in Hollywood and reporting to Prime Focus Global CEO Namit Malhotra, Rosen will oversee technical operations for all Prime Focus North American locations and, together with his counterparts in the United Kingdom and India, will further integrate the company’s studios around the world. Rosen previously led engineering efforts at Warner Bros., DreamWorks SKG, Dalsa Digital Cinema, Cinesite and other organizations. “Daniel’s expertise in imaging, experience integrating global technical processes and leadership abilities are simply unparalleled in our industry,” says Malhotra. “The talent and skills he brings are going to be a key part of our execution, and we’re thrilled to have him on our team.” Friends of the ASC Now Open The subscription-only Friends of the ASC service is up and running, offering a wealth of behind-the-scenes tips, tricks and tales straight from the lips of ASC members. Exclusive online content includes “Tech Tips” video tutorials; “Ask the ASC,” where Friends can pose questions to ASC cinematographers; “ASC Legends,” a collection of filmed interviews with ASC members; “Anatomy of a Scene,” offering a close examination of well-known scenes from famous films; and “Rising Stars,” in which ASC members highlight the work of up-andcoming cinematographers. For more information, or to become a Friend of the ASC, visit www.theasc.com/friends_of_the_asc. ●

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May 2010

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American Cinematographer - May 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - May 2010