Christian Berger, AAC, Alar Kivilo, ASC, CSC and Eagle Egilsson claimed top honors in the three competitive categories at the 24th annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards celebration last night at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
Berger won the feature film category for The White Ribbon, besting a field of nominees which also consisted of Barry Ackroyd, BSC for The Hurt Locker, Dion Beebe, ASC, ACS for Nine, Mauro Fiore, ASC for Avatar and Robert Richardson, ASC for Inglourious Basterds.
The ASC Award nominees mirror those for the upcoming cinematography Oscar®, except for one DP. Beebe is not up for the Academy Award® next Sunday. Instead Bruno Delbonnel has an Oscar® nom on the strength of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
TV honors
Taking the ASC Award in the episodic television category was Egilsson for the “Venice Kings” episode of the TNT series Dark Blue.
Kivilo was the recipient of the television movie/miniseries award for the HBO telefilm Taking Chance, which marked the directorial debut of producer Ross Katz. (On the basis of Taking Chance, Katz earned inclusion into SHOOT‘s 2009 New Directors Showcase.)
Special awards
The ASC Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Caleb Deschanel, ASC, by his daughters, actresses Zooey and Emily Deschanel.
Caleb Deschanel’s artistry spans short and long form. He earned Best Cinematography Oscar® nominations for The Right Stuff in 1984, The Natural in ’85, Fly Away Home in ’97, The Patriot in ’01, and The Passion of the Christ in ’05. His body of work also includes such memorable films as The Black Stallion, Being There, The Spiderwick Chronicles and My Sister’s Keeper. Deschanel has also earned an array of credits as a director of motion pictures, TV programs and commercials.
On the latter front, Deschanel co-founded spot production house Dark Light Pictures in ’93 with executive producer Vincent Arcaro. Deschanel continues as a director/cameraman on the commercialmaking roster of the Hollywood-based Dark Light.
Meanwhile the ASC International Award was presented to Chris Menges, ASC, BSC by actor Tim Roth. And the Career Achievement in Television Award was presented to John C. Flinn III, ASC by Michael O’Shea, ASC. All three honorees made it clear that their best work is yet to come.
Tom Stern, ASC presented the Board of Governors Award to Morgan Freeman in recognition of the actor’s body of work and contributions to the art of filmmaking. Stern was behind the camera when Freeman earned an Oscar® for his performance in Million Dollar Baby and last year during the production of Invictus. Freeman collected his sixth Oscar nomination this year for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela.
The ASC Presidents Award was given to Sol Negrin, ASC by his son Michael Negrin, ASC, in recognition of his accomplishments as a cinematographer, and for his ongoing commitment to preparing the next generation for the future.
ASC also recognized the next generation of cinematographers with the presentation of the ASC Richard Moore Student Heritage Award to graduate student Benji Bakshi of the American Film Institute, and undergrad Garrett Shannon from Loyola Marymount University.
The ASC was founded during the dawn on the industry in 1919 for the purpose of advancing the evolving art and craft of filmmaking. There are more than 300 members today from countries around the world. ASC also has some 150 associate members from allied sectors of the motion picture and television industries.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More