American Cinematographer - May 2012 - 64

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Top of Their Class
Armistice, an anti-war film set during World War II. He also studied at Goodman Theater in Chicago, and he worked at the Canadian Broadcasting Co. in the heyday of live TV drama before moving to Los Angeles, where he worked in the industrial-exhibit design field. His eclectic résumé made him an ideal candidate for ILM. A Life Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Erland has authored 20 SMPTE papers and is a recipient of the SMPTE Journal Award, as well as the Fuji Gold Medal. He has been an Academy member since 1984, and in 1995, as chair of the Visual Effects Awards Steering Committee, he negotiated the creation of the visual-effects branch. He then became chair of the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, and he represented the branch on the Academy Board of Governors for 11 years. Erland is a founding member of the Academy Science & Technology Council, and has also served on committees for the Scientific and Engineering Awards, the Academy Motion Pictures Museum, the Student Academy Awards, and the Foreign Language Film Awards. In 2008, he received an Academy Award of Commendation for his leadership in solving the problem of high-speed emulsion stress syndrome. He is an active member of the Tech History Committee, and serves as chairman of the Research & Development and Solid State Lighting committees. He is also a founding member and a fellow of the Visual Effects Society. “While I’ve received awards before, the Bonner Award was a very special moment for me,” Erland noted. “John Bonner was a friend, and I was very fortunate to know him. He was a mentor to me and many others. I share this honor with some of the most innovative minds our art form has ever known. Eighteen years ago, I had the great privilege of nominating John Bonner to receive the medal that now bears his name. We all loved him, and

Top (left to right): Shirai, Oozeki, Hosoda and Hirano accept Scientific and Engineering Awards for the design and development of Fujifilm Eterna-RDS 4791. Bottom: Jovovich presents Scientific and Engineering Awards to (from left) Vellekoop, Lewis, Marsden and Alas for the concept, design and implementation of the Pictorvision Eclipse.

John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation This award recognizes “outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy.” ASC associate member Jonathan Erland began his career in visual effects when he joined the newly created Industrial Light & Magic to work on visual effects for Star Wars (1977). He continued in the burgeoning visualeffects field as director of research and
64 May 2012

development for Apogee Productions, where he received patents for the Reverse Bluescreen Traveling-Matte Process, the Blue-Max flux projector, and a method for making front-projection screens. The innovations, along with the development of the “Digital Series Traveling Matte Backing System,” earned him Academy Scientific and Technical Awards. Erland graduated from the London Film School, where he received his baptism by fire in visual effects while working on the student film A Brief
American Cinematographer

American Cinematographer - May 2012

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