Oscar winner for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --The legendary cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, best known for “The Deer Hunter” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” has died.
His business partner Yuri Neyman confirmed that Zsigmond died on Friday in Big Sur, California. Zsigmond was 85.
The Hungarian-born Zsigmond helped define cinema’s American New Wave in the 1970s through iconic collaborations and a preference for natural light. He first gained renown for his collaboration with Robert Altman on classics “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” and “The Long Goodbye.” In addition to his work on Michael Cimino’s classic “The Deer Hunter,” for which he earned an Oscar nomination, Zsigmond also worked with Brian De Palma on a number of films including “Blow Out.”
Zsigmond won the Oscar for Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
Zsigmond was also active in commercials as a DP and director. In the latter capacity he was at one point partnered in commercial production company Cinematic Directions with another renowned cinematographer, Haskell Wexler, who also passed away last week (SHOOTonline, 12/27/150) at the age of 93.
Steven Poster ASC, president of the International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600), issued a statement on Zsigmond’s passing.
“The cinematography world lost a great talent today,” stated Poster. “Vilmos’ genius was not only in his images, but in his sense of duty to honest storytelling. As one of our most esteemed members, Vilmos was an inspiration and mentor to many of us in the International Cinematographers Guild. In 2003, our members voted him one of the top 10 influential cinematographers of all time. I was privileged to work as his 2nd unit DP on three of his movies. We all knew what a giant he was as an artist at the time. But working up close with him, I also learned about perseverance and an obligation to the story from the master.
“There is not a member at the International Cinematographers Guild who has not been impacted by his brilliant photography and his personal story,” continued Poster. “His brave beginnings providing footage from the Hungarian revolution will always be an important part of his legacy and to future generations of cinematographers and film students. He made a difference. He will continue to be an inspiration to cinematographers everywhere.”
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More