American Cinematographer - March 2011 - 82

Clubhouse News
worked for and learned from such cinematographers as Peter Biziou, BSC; Jack Green, ASC; Fred Murphy, ASC; Ricardo Aronovich, AFC; Arthur Albert; and Lauro Escorel. Slovis won an Emmy for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and has earned three additional nominations for episodes of CSI and Breaking Bad . His credits include the series Ed, Fringe, Royal Pains and Rubicon; the telefilms Out of Nowhere , Halloweentown and The Thirteenth Year ; and the features Heading Home, Party Girl, The 4th Floor and Half Past Dead. Born in Peru, Checco Varese, ASC entered the filmmaking arena by shooting news for such networks as N BC, CBS, CNN, CBC, BBC, RAI and TVE. He came to specialize in shooting in war zones around the globe, including Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. After a decade of shooting in such locations, Varese transitioned into filming music videos for acts that included The Dave Matthews Band and Prince, and commercials for clients such as McDonald’s, Budweiser, Miller Lite, Bell South and Dannon Yogurt. Varese’s feature credits include The Aura (for which he won the cinematography award from the Argentinean Film Critics Association), Under The Same Moon , Prom Night and The New Daughter. He has also distinguished himself on television, shooting multiple episodes of True Blood (AC March ’09) and pilots for Life, Melrose Place (2009) and The Defenders. His telefilm credits include Fidel, Global Frequency, Their Eyes Were Watching God and Last of the Ninth. Bennett at Filmtools Bill Bennett, ASC recently led a workshop titled “Shooting in High Dynamic Range,” hosted by Filmtools in Burbank. Bennett discussed using filtration and in-camera settings when capturing high-contrast scenes with a digital camera
American Cinematographer

system, with a particular focus on the Arri Alexa. Schneider Optics’ Bob Zupka and Ryan Avery also participated in the discussion. Academy Spotlights Roizman’s Portraits ASC members, AC staffers and colleagues from throughout the industry recently joined Owen Roizman, ASC at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ opening reception for “Masters of

Society Welcomes Slovis, Varese Michael Slovis and Checco Varese have joined the Society as active members. Born in N ew York City, Michael Slovis, ASC began his career behind the camera shooting stills for his middle-school and high-school yearbooks. When one of his shots won an award at the N .J. State Teen Arts Festival, Slovis was invited to attend the Rochester Institute of Technology’s fine-art photography program. After graduating from RIT, he enrolled in N ew York University’s graduate-film program. Slovis entered the professional filmmaking arena as an electrician, which led to gaffing and camera operating. Before becoming a director of photography, he
82 March 2011

Academy exhibit photos by Matt Petit, courtesy of AMPAS. Photo of Clubhouse by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC; lighting by Donald M. Morgan, ASC.

Top: Michael Slovis, ASC. Bottom: Checco Varese, ASC. Far right: Owen Roizman, ASC at the opening reception for “Masters of the Close-Up, Up Close” in the Academy’s Grand Lobby Gallery.

the Close-Up, Up Close,” an exhibit of Roizman’s digital portraits of cinematographers. Hung in the grand lobby of the Academy’s Beverly Hills headquarters, the exhibition features more than 100 portraits of ASC members. Roizman has been shooting these digital stills, many of which have been featured in AC’s “Member Portrait” series, since 1996. The images vary in style but are all connected by Roizman’s tangible enthusiasm for turning the lens on his colleagues and capturing their shared passion for the art and craft of image making. The exhibition will run through April 17. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.oscars.org. ●

http://www.oscars.org

American Cinematographer - March 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - March 2011