Joe Dunton Receives 2008 Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Award

[Tim Tyler]

Joe Dunton, a near-legendary figure in the world of motion picture camera technology, will receive the 2008 Society of Camera Operators (SOC) Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the society?s Board of Governors. The presentation will be held on Saturday, February 16, 2008 at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood, Calif.

 

Previous winners of the award include John Huston, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Sidney Poitier, Roger Corman and Haskell Wexler, ASC.

 

Dunton is executive vice president of Panavision Inc. His UK company, The Joe Dunton Company, was acquired by Panavision in late 2007.

 

?The election of Joe Dunton to the SOC?s pantheon of lifetime achievement is enormously well deserved,? said Bob Beitcher, Panavision president and CEO. ?In a career spanning 40 years, Joe has championed some of our industry?s key developments including anamorphic lenses and video assist, and has been associated with some of the most luminary craftsmen in our industry like the late Stanley Kubrick and Oswald Morris. In addition, he has been committed to giving back to the industry through his work with the BSC and various student film programs. We thank him for his service to our industry and congratulate him on his SOC award.?

 

The SOC presents the Lifetime Achievement Award to accomplished veterans of the cinematic arts with more than 20 years? experience. The SOC's Board of Governors chose Dunton for its 2008 Lifetime Achievement award as the industry veteran most worthy of this honor.

 

Dunton?s career started in the UK as a video engineer with Pye London Ltd. His first feature film work was on ?Le Mans? with Steve McQueen. He then converted a Mitchell camera for cinematographer Oswald Morris, BSC to use on the film ?Oliver? which helped lay the foundation for today?s video assist. His fascination with anamorphic and video assist led to his starting Joe Dunton Cameras in the UK in 1976.

 

Some of his inventions include development of the first heated camera eyepiece; the Ladderpod; the first video assist for the Louma crane; the Moy Bazooka; the Mitchell Vitesse geared head; and an HD camera magazine that is interchangeable with a traditional film magazine.

 

Dunton worked on a variety of high-profile productions including ?Poltergeist,? ?Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,? and ?The Mission.? His alliance with Stanley Kubrick was legendary, starting with ?A Clockwork Orange? in 1971.

 

Among many career awards, Dunton has received the M.B.E. (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth for his services to the UK camera and film industry. Two of his children are following in his footsteps: director Erica Dunton, and Lester Dunton, a well known camera technician.