American Society of Cinematographers Announces Feature Film Nominees

[Tim Tyler]

Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC, (CHILDREN OF MEN),

Dick Pope, BSC (THE ILLUSIONIST), Robert Richardson, ASC (THE GOOD SHEPHERD),

Dean Semler, ASC, ACS (APOCALYPTO), and Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC (THE BLACK

DAHLIA) are vying for top honors in the feature film category at the 21st

Annual American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Awards

competition. The winner will be announced during the awards gala on February

18 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel.

 

?There is no textbook formula for artful cinematography,? says Russ Alsobrook,

ASC who chairs the organization?s Awards Committee. ?It takes talent and skill

to master a complex craft, as well as a collaborative spirit. These five,

amazingly talented individuals were selected by their peers who believe they

have set the standard for artful visual story-telling in a sharply competitive

field from 2006.?

 

This is the eighth ASC nomination for Richardson, the third for Zsigmond who

won in 1993 for the telefilm STALIN, the second for Lubezki and Semler, and

the first for Pope.

 

?Favorable reviews tend to mention beautiful images, but that?s a matter of

taste,? says ASC President Daryn Okada. ?Artful images can be distressing if

that?s what it takes to properly affect the emotional flow of a film. Our

members judge whether the cinematographer helped to create a sense of time and

place that pulls the audience into the story. We ask how the visual language

affects the emotional content of the film. Great cinematography is something

you feel.?

 

Okada also points out that all five nominees trace their origins to different

countries. Semler was born and launched his career in Australia, Zsigmond in

Hungary, Lubezki in Mexico, Richardson in the United States, and Pope in

England where he still resides.