The Board of Governors of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has held its annual election to appoint its new slate of officers. Richard Crudo will serve as president, along with VPs Owen Roizman, Kees Van Oostrum and Lowell Peterson, treasurer Matthew Leonetti, secretary Fred Goodich, and sergeant-at-arms Isidore Mankofsky.
This is Crudo’s fifth term as president. In addition to last year, he served from 2003 through 2005.
The members of the Board, elected in May by the organization’s active membership, include: John Bailey, Bill Bennett, Curtis Clark, Dean Cundey, George Spiro Dibie, Richard Edlund, Michael Goi, Matthew Leonetti, Stephen Lighthill, Daryn Okada, Michael O’ Shea, Lowell Peterson, Rodney Taylor, Kees van Oostrum, and Haskell Wexler. Alternate Board members are Mankofsky, Karl Walter Lindenlaub, Robert Primes, Steven Fierberg and Kenneth Zunder.
“I’m profoundly humbled that my colleagues have once again chosen me to serve in this position,” said Crudo. “Right now, the organization is stronger than ever and we look forward to continuing our mission of promoting the role of the cinematographer. To be part of that in even a small way is both an honor and a privilege.”
In addition to its critical role influencing both artistic and technical aspects of the industry, Crudo and the Board will continue their efforts to inspire the next generation of filmmakers through a varied slate of initiatives, such as their Student Heritage Awards, Breakfast Club seminars, the increasingly popular Friends of the ASC membership level and the org’s ongoing collaborations with other entities vital to the image-making process.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Crudo began his film career as an assistant cameraman. As a director of photography he has shot a wide range of theatrical, television and commercial productions. Among his feature credits are Federal Hill, American Buffalo, American Pie, Music From Another Room, Outside Providence, Down To Earth, Out Cold, Grind and Brooklyn Rules. He has also directed several independent films and currently shares cinematography duties with Francis Kenny, ASC on the popular FX Channel series Justified.
Crudo is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, serving as an Academy Governor and chairman of the Cinematographers Branch. In addition, he has chaired and co-chaired the ASC Awards for several years throughout the past decade.
ASC was founded in 1919. There are 340-plus active members today who have national roots in some 20 countries. There are also 150 associate members from ancillary segments of the industry.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More