Daryn Okada, ASC–whose recent credits include Just Like Heaven and Stick It–has been elected president of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). He succeeds Richard Crudo, ASC (American Pie), who has served three terms as ASC president.
“I am both humbled and honored that my colleagues have chosen me for this role,” Okada said. “I will rely on the advice and the support of our members and associates as we continue on the historic mission defined by the founders of ASC nearly 90 years ago. We are dedicated to advancing both the art and the craft of filmmaking .
“I believe that those of us who are privileged to work in this extraordinary industry have an obligation to the filmmakers who inspired us in the past, to future generations and to the public who are relying on us to explore the next frontiers,” Okada added.
During his career, Okada has compiled more than 40 credits, including Lake Placid, My Father the Hero, Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken, Anna Karenina, Dr. Doolittle 2, Joe Somebody, Cradle 2 The Grave, Mean Girls, and Paparazzi. His work on the miniseries In A Child’s Name (1991) earned him an ASC Outstanding Achievement Award nomination. The DP is currently shooting the feature Sex and Death 101, directed by Daniel Waters.
Okada most recently served on the ASC board as a VP, and he also is the ASC Technology Committee’s steering chair. “The art of filmmaking and the evolution of new visual technologies have been inseparably linked from the earliest days of the industry,” Okada related. “Our goal is to help assure that the evolution of technology serves the cinematic arts.”
The ASC’s officers include VPs Michael Goi, ASC, William A. Fraker, ASC, BSC and Caleb Deschanel, ASC, treasurer Victor J. Kemper, ASC, secretary Michael Negrin, ASC and sergeant at arms John Hora, ASC.
The organization’s new board of governors also includes Curtis Clark, ASC, George Spiro Dibie, ASC, Richard Edlund, ASC, Francis Kenny, ASC, Isidore Mankofsky, ASC, Woody Omens, ASC, Nancy Schreiber, ASC, John Toll, ASC, Kees Van Oostrum, ASC, Roy Wagner, ASC and Haskell Wexler, ASC. Alternate members of the board are Victor Kemper, ASC, Laszlo Kovacs, ASC, Stephen Lighthill, ASC, and Robert Primes, ASC.
Actor Steve Guttenberg Returns To L.A. Neighborhood Now Charred By Devastating Wildfire
Steve Guttenberg awoke Thursday morning to a grim reality: The treacherous wildfire that tore through the Pacific Palisades had left his once-lush neighborhood charred and unrecognizable.
With homes smoldered, streets emptied and friends scattered by evacuation orders, Guttenberg counted himself among the fortunate. His property was miraculously spared. But the actor-producer still struggled to reconcile his relief with the haunting sight of his ravaged, once lavish community.
"Just this morning, I woke up and I was really conscious of my mental state and my mental health, because the last three days, I've seen so much tragedy," said Guttenberg, pacing through the ruins of his neighborhood. He said his home has electricity but no running water.
Guttenberg thanked God that his block was safe, but he said about 20 homes were burned "pretty bad" in his 80-home community after wind-whipped fires tore across Los Angeles, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled as the fires burned uncontained Wednesday. He said the fires are the worst he's ever seen in his 66-years.
The wildfires have burned the homes of several celebrities including Billy Crystal, Carey Elwes and Paris Hilton.
Guttenberg said he never expected all of this to happen.
"It's like when someone dies suddenly," he said. "It's like when someone gets hit by a car. You never expect that to happen. That's how shocking it was."
During Guttenberg's stroll, it was an eerie scene with scorched palm trees, homes reduced to ash and rubble, and the daytime skies casted an ominous twilight over the devastation.
"I've seen people scared, people in wheelchairs, mothers and fathers trying to find their kids, people having anxiety and panic... Read More