AICE has announced the editors and postproduction artists who will serve on the 2017 AICE Awards Curatorial Committee. The roster this year includes talent from member companies across the U.S. and in Canada, including from its newly re-launched Atlanta Chapter, which formed earlier this year.
The Curatorial Committee ensures that all AICE Awards finalists selected by the judges are appropriate for and meet the criteria of each category. It also selects the Best in Show winner from among the respective category winners. The category finalists and winners are determined from the results of online and live-panel judging sessions currently being conducted in AICE chapters across the country. Once the results are tabulated, the Curatorial Committee reviews the results to confirm that the winners are both eligible and worthy of an AICE Award.
Editors on the list include the three members of the AICE Awards Committee: Chris Franklin of Big Sky in New York, Craig Lewandowski of Utopic in Chicago and Bob Spector of Beast in San Francisco. Also serving on the committee are Editors Liz Tate of Hootenanny in Chicago, Alison Gordon of Relish in Toronto, Kim Bica of Arcade Edit in Los Angeles and Conor O’Neill of Exile, also in Los Angeles.
The competition’s craft categories are represented by Colorists Ayumi Ashley of MFD in San Francisco and Billy Gabor of Company 3 in Atlanta; Audio Mixers Keith Reynaud of Heard City in New York and Brian Yessian of Yessian in Detroit; and VFX Artists Brian Higgins of Flavor in Chicago and Anne Trotman of The Mill in New York.
Many of those on the committee have served as judges for the AICE Awards in the past, but this is their first time taking part in the Curatorial Committee deliberations. The value of a juried competition dedicated to post production, judged by industry professionals, is not lost on them.
“It’s really important, because mainly what we do in post production is create magic,” said The Mill’s Trotman, who’s a Senior Flame Artist. “Often people don’t see what we do, as the work can be seamless. Yet those of us in the industry know how hard we all work to achieve this, and how motivated everyone is to do work that they’re genuinely proud of.”
“I think it validates us as a craft,” said MFD’s Ashley, who’s also a partner at MFD. She points out that this year the competition has expanded its color grading categories, adding, “that’s particularly good for colorists. Having a respected organization like AICE honor us creates a culture of value around our work.”
Beyond helping ensure the most deserving work is recognized across the breadth of the competition and selecting its prized Best in Show winner, committee members say they’re excited about other parts of the process as well.
“I’m looking forward to the community aspect of this,” noted Ashley. “As both an artist and a business owner, it’s important to be part of a network that brings us together as an industry. It will be good to be able to do that on a national level and in an open forum such as this.”
“You get great insights into what your colleagues think, and how they perceive the work,” adds Relish’s managing editor Gordon. “I find it fascinating. And it’s difficult to do, to focus on the specific craft or editing in each category and determine just what it is that makes it stand above.”
The 2017 AICE Awards, the association’s 16th annual competition, comprises 24 categories, 16 for editorial and eight for post production crafts including audio mixing, color grading, design, original music, sound design and visual effects. Winners will be announced at the AICE Awards Show on Thursday, May 11, at Capitale in New York.
The End of The “Rust” Criminal Case Against Alec Baldwin May Unlock A Civil Lawsuit
The conclusion of a criminal case against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer clears the way for a related civil lawsuit by relatives of the deceased woman and efforts to depose the actor under oath, attorneys for plaintiffs in the civil suit said Tuesday.
At a news conference in Los Angeles, victims' rights attorney Gloria Allred said that the parents and younger sister of deceased cinematographer Halyna Hutchins were disappointed that prosecutors won't appeal the dismissal of an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin. The criminal charge against Baldwin was dismissed halfway through trial in July on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.
Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during a rehearsal in the movie "Rust" in October 2021 at a film-set ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baldwin, the lead actor and coproducer, was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when it discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
Allred said Hutchins' relatives are determined to pursue damages and compensation from Baldwin and "Rust" producers in New Mexico civil court, and want Baldwin to answer questions under oath in the proceedings. Hutchins' widower and son previously reached a separate legal settlement.
"With the withdrawal that was made public yesterday, we are now able to proceed with our civil case," Allred said. "Clearly, the rights of Alec Baldwin were protected, but the due process rights of the victims — Halyna Hutchins and her parents and her sister — were violated."
Allred said she's ready to prove that Hutchins had a close relationship... Read More