American Cinematographer - August 2008 - (Page 86) Clubhouse News Cine Gear Expo This year’s Cine Gear Expo, held in late June on the Universal Studios backlot, included a number of seminars and panel discussions with ASC members. The Society hosted “ASC Show & Tell,” moderated by Michael Goi, ASC and honorary member Bob Fisher, featuring ASC members Richard Crudo, Ron Garcia, Isidore Mankofsky, Sam Nicholson, Daniel Pearl and David Stump. Richard Edlund, ASC moderated “The Role of the Visual Effects Supervisor,” which led to “Preview of The Dark Knight,” a discussion with Wally Pfister, ASC moderated by Fisher. Fisher then moderated “The Western Genre” with ASC members Owen Roizman, William A. Fraker, Lloyd Ahern and John C. Flinn III. Fraker was feted with a tribute commemorating the 40th anniversary of Rosemary’s Baby, and rounding out the day’s activities was a conversation with James Chressanthis, ASC, director of the documentary No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos, which had its premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival; the conversation also included Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC. Finally, associate member Garrett Brown received this year’s Cine Gear Expo Lifetime Achievement Award. ACS Honors Deakins Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC received the Australian Cinematographers Society’s International Award in May for his work on The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. The award was presented during the joint celebration of the ACS’ 50th Anniversary and the 2008 ACS National Awards, held in Circular Quay, Sydney. Okada Earns Third Term Elections were held in June for the 2008-09 term, with Daryn Okada, ASC elected president of the Society for the third year in a row. His fellow officers are ASC members Michael Goi, Owen Roizman and Richard Crudo, who share vice-president duties; Victor J. Kemper, treasurer; Isidore Mankofsky, secretary; and John Hora, sergeant-at-arms. The newly elected board also comprises Society members Curtis Clark, Caleb Deschanel, John C. Flinn III, William A. Fraker, Stephen Lighthill, Robert Primes, Nancy Schreiber, Dante Spinotti and Kees Van Oostrum. Back to School Caleb Deschanel, ASC received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the American Film Institute in June for his “contribution of distinction to the art of the moving image.” Deschanel graduated from AFI’s first class in 1971. Honorary degrees were also presented to AFI President Emerita Jean Picker Firstenberg and director/producer Norman Jewison. Ben S. Toguchi, 1926-2008 Ben S. Toguchi, the Society’s caretaker since 1959, died on June 10 at the age of 81. Toguchi — known around the Clubhouse as “Benny,” “Benny-Hana,” “Benito,” “Mr. Ben” and “Grandpa” — was born on July 13, 1926, in Hilo, Hawaii, where he grew up with six siblings. At 19, he joined the U.S. Army, serving as a sergeant first class in the 8th Army Signal Corps and obliging Uncle Sam with tours of duty during World War II and the Korean War. After his honorable discharge, Toguchi and his longtime girlfriend, Nora, made their way from Hawaii to the mainland, marrying in Las Vegas before settling in California. After stints with Western Electric and the Carpenters’ Union, Toguchi joined the Hollywood Gardeners’ Association in 1959 and was assigned to landscape the residence of Arthur Miller, ASC. As luck would have it, the ASC was also in need of a gardener, and before long, Toguchi’s care covered the entire Clubhouse, inside and out. When the ASC broke ground for its construction project in May, Toguchi stood at the ready with hardhat and shovel. “Benny was a friend and a soul mate in his love for the ASC and all it stands for,” says Steve Gainer, ASC, the Society’s museum curator. “He cared more for the building and its contents than anyone, and in his own way was as much a member as any of us.” Toguchi is survived by his wife, Nora; a son, Dennis; and a daughter, Tina. I 86 August 2008
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