David Pierce, Andy Serkis and Jeffrey White have accepted invitations to join the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, bringing the Council’s 2021–2022 membership roster to 25.
Pierce is an archivist and film historian. As assistant chief and chief operations officer of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center at the Library of Congress, Pierce is responsible for the acquisition, conservation, documentation and digitization of the world’s largest public archives of motion pictures, television, radio and recorded sound. He is the author of "The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912–1929" and co-author, with James Layton, of "The Dawn of Technicolor, 1915-1935" and "King of Jazz: Paul Whiteman’s Technicolor Revue." He founded the Media History Digital Library, and his articles have appeared in American Film, Film Comment, American Cinematographer and more. Pierce has been an Academy Member-at-Large since 2019.
Serkis is an award-winning actor known for his performance capture roles in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “King Kong,” the “Planet of the Apes” trilogy, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and more. His feature film directing credits include “Breathe,” “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” and “Venom: Let There Be Carnage.” Serkis is the co-founder, alongside producer Jonathan Cavendish, of The Imaginarium, a multi-platform production company linked to a performance capture studio and focused on next-generation storytelling. Serkis will next appear on screen in “The Batman,” portraying Alfred Pennyworth. He has been a member of the Academy’s Actors Branch since 2012.
White is a feature and television producer specializing in independent film and visual effects. Currently an executive producer consulting with Drafthouse Films, he has worked in the feature production department of Warner Bros. and held roles as vice president of production and producer for Winkler/Daniel Productions at Paramount Pictures, as well as president and executive producer at Pellerin Multimedia, Inc. which produced “King Kong: Peter Jackson’s Production Diaries” for Universal Pictures. White has produced independent features including “Manhood” and “Tale of the Mummy” and was a visual effects producer for “Sideways,” “Elizabethtown,” “Collateral Damage,” “Holes” and more. He has been a member of the Academy’s Producers Branch since 1982.
The Council co-chairs for 2021–2022 are Visual Effects Branch governor Craig Barron and member-at-large Annie Chang.
The Council’s 20 other returning members are Bill Baggelaar, Linda Borgeson, Visual Effects Branch governor Brooke Breton, Lois Burwell, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch governor Bill Corso, Sound Branch governor Teri E. Dorman, Theo Gluck, Buzz Hays, Greg Hedgepath, Leslie Iwerks, Andrea Kalas, Colette Mullenhoff, Ujwal Nirgudkar, Helena Packer, Arjun Ramamurthy, Rachel Rose, Dave Schnuelle, Leon Silverman, Jeffrey E. Taylor and Amy Vincent.
Established in 2003 by the Academy’s Board of Governors, the Science and Technology Council provides a forum for the exchange of information, promotes cooperation among diverse technological interests within the industry, sponsors publications, fosters educational activities and preserves the history of the science and technology of motion pictures.
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