Co-Chairs of ASC Future Practices Committee
American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) | www.theasc.com
Founded: 1919
Members: 406
Please provide a brief description of your membership and what industry/industries your Organization serves.
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is a nonprofit artistic, technical and professional organization of directors of photography dedicated to the advancement of their art and craft. As the oldest society in the entertainment industry, a great part of its mission has always included educating the next generation of filmmakers.
Please provide a brief description of the mission of your Organization.
The ASC was founded with the purpose of advancing the art and science of cinematography and bringing cinematographers together to exchange ideas, discuss techniques and promote the motion picture as an art form — a mission that continues today.
What guidance are you providing your members about the restarting of production and/or postproduction? What precautions/best practices do you recommend? (You are welcome to provide a direct link to a page on your site that addresses this question with regard to set guidelines/policies, etc.)
The situation is dynamic with evolving science so we’re encouraging everyone to proceed with caution and patience. Each individual production presents it’s own unique challenges. All our members with questions should direct them to our Local 600 union leadership and their corresponding guidance related to the “industry Wide White Paper” and any accompanying craft specific documents.
Prior to the pandemic, industry execs and artisans were in the business of balancing art and commerce–as well as safety. But now safety, health and welfare concerns take on a whole new dimension due to the virus crisis. What advice/counsel and/or vision do you have to offer to the overall entertainment and/or advertising industries on the future of production and/or postproduction?
Cinematographers are intimately familiar with resource management. As the industry solidifies its guidelines, we’re working hard to explore technological solutions to some of the challenges this situation presents. There is no question that filmmaking, at least in the short term, will inevitably change both logistically, and in some cases, creatively. By nature, film sets are extremely active places; many objectives must be achieved in concert for a shot to be set up. Social distancing obviously presents daunting challenges to this. Much of our committee work has revolved around communication techniques to overcome some of these issues.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More