Linda Borgeson, Lois Burwell, Teri E.Dorman, Greg Hedgepath, Ujwal Nirgudkar, Helena Packer and Amy Vincent have accepted invitations to join the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, bringing the Council’s 2020–2021 membership roster to 25.
Borgeson is currently SVP of feature postproduction, Disney Live Action. With more than 30 years working in film, she has spent most of her career at Miramax Films and The Walt Disney Studios, working on a diverse slate of films including “Jungle Cruise,” Mulan,” “Dumbo,” “Tomorrowland,” “Kill Bill,” the first three “Spy Kids” films and “Scary Movie.” Borgeson has a strong knowledge base in new technologies, digital cameras, dailies workflows, visual effects, 3D, large screen projection, color pipelines/ACES, DCinema, immersive sound formats, remote solutions, High Frame Rate (HFR) and HDR/EDR. She has been an Academy Member-at-Large since 2018.
Burwell won an Oscar® for her makeup work on “Braveheart” and earned a nomination for “Saving Private Ryan.” Her other feature credits include “Ready Player One,” “Lincoln,” “War Horse” and “The Princess Bride.” A member of the Academy since 1997, she is currently serving the third year of her second term as Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch governor and her fourth year as first vice president on the Academy’s Board of Governors.
Dorman is a sound editor who has worked on more than 140 films, including “La La Land,” “Foxcatcher,” “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Moneyball,” “Unstoppable,” “Man on Fire,” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, “Spy Game,” “Pearl Harbor,” “The Prince of Tides,” “Lethal Weapon 2,” “Bird,” “Top Gun” and “The Deer Hunter.” She has been a member of the Academy since 1988 and a governor representing the Sound Branch since 2017.
Hedgepath is a supervising sound editor who has worked in film and television for more than 20 years. A two-time Golden Reel Award winner, his career highlights include designing sound effects for “Twister” and “Starship Troopers.” His additional credits include “Coming 2 America,” “Queen & Slim,” “Straight Outta Compton,” “Selma,” “Footloose” and “The Incredible Hulk.” He began his career in film at Lucasfilm and later worked at Sony, Soundelux, Formosa Group and Warner Bros. Hedgepath has been a member of the Academy’s Sound Branch since 2014.
Nirgudkar has worked in the Indian film industry for the past 39 years. He initiated and coordinated the project to translate the Academy’s landmark digital preservation research reports, The Digital Dilemma and The Digital Dilemma 2, into the Marathi and Hindi languages. In 2011, he established, and is currently chairing, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) India Section. Nirgudkar earned a chemical engineering degree from U.D.C.T. Mumbai University (now called ICT). He has been an Academy Member-at-Large since 2017.
Packer is currently SVP and general manager of content production for the Silicon Valley and Shanghai-based DGene Technology. Her work includes the development of future technology for visual effects with a focus on AI and virtual production. Packer has supervised visual effects on dozens of feature films, episodic TV series, commercials and music videos. She has served on the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Diversity Subcommittee as chair, the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee and the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee.
With a 30-year career as a cinematographer, Vincent’s feature credits include “Footloose,” “The Experiment,” “Black Snake Moan,” “Hustle & Flow,” for which she won a Cinematography award at the Sundance Film Festival, and “Eve’s Bayou.” She received the Women in Film Kodak Vision award in 2001. Vincent participates in mentorship, training and education through the International Cinematographers Guild. She has been a member of the Academy since 2004 and currently serves as first vice president of the American Society of Cinematographers, where she co-chairs the ASC Future Practices committee.
The Council co-chairs for 2020–2021 are Visual Effects Branch governor Craig Barron and Member-at-Large Annie Chang.
The Council’s 16 other returning members are Bill Baggelaar, Brooke Breton, Bill Corso, Theo Gluck, Buzz Hays, Leslie Iwerks, Andrea Kalas, Academy governor John Knoll, Colette Mullenhoff, Cary Phillips, Arjun Ramamurthy, Rachel Rose, David Schuelle, Leon Silverman, Jeffrey E. Taylor and Steve Yedlin.
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.
