Feature and commercial DP Dion Beebe, ASC, ACS capped an amazing awards season this week, winning the best cinematography Oscar for Memoirs of a Geisha. This came on the heels of Beebe’s work on the film earning a BAFTA Award and then the top honor in the feature film competition at the 20th annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards.
It was the first ASC Award and second ASC nomination for Beebe, who was also nominated last year with Paul Cameron for Collateral. Beebe previously garnered Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Chicago.
Having recently wrapped the upcoming Miami Vice, Beebe reported that he is returning to commercials, to take what he described as a “necessary break” from features and to allow more time with his family.
At press time, he had just lensed a Ford campaign, directed by John Dolan of bicoastal Anonymous Content. And on the eve of the ASC Awards, Beebe served as DP on USTA work for director Sunu, also of Anonymous Content.
“The great thing about commercial work is the opportunity to work in short form with a number of different directors,” Beebe told SHOOT. “Every time I work with a different director I learn new things and watch their process of interpretation.”
When asked his thoughts about the state of his art, Beebe explained that the tools have changed but the goal has not. “The tools are changing and with that, our approach to our craft changes. But we still tell a story no matter what format.”
Looking back on Geisha, Beebe said he was very proud of the effort of the crew. “We had to create a believable 1930s Japan,” he explained. “It was a complicated world to create, and the fact that we managed to create it almost entirely in California is a testament to the efforts of everyone involved.”
Beebe’s Geisha topped a field of ASC Award nominees that included Robert Elswit, ASC for Good Night, and Good Luck; Andrew Lesnie, ASC, ACS for King Kong; Wally Pfister, ASC for Batman Begins; and Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC for Brokeback Mountain.
The award was presented by actor Bill Paxton who observed, “All of the nominees have artfully rendered images that create a sense of time and place… They guided the audience under the surface, where they discovered the souls of the characters and the spirits of the stories.”
Robbie Greenberg, ASC and Nathan Hope claimed ASC Awards in the two television categories. Greenberg led the field in the television movie competition for HBO’s Warm Springs. Hope won the episodic television competition for the episode “Who Shot Sherlock?” of CBS’ CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It was the fourth ASC Outstanding Achievement Award for Greenberg, and the second for Hope.
Richard Kline, ASC–who earned Oscar nominations for Camelot (1968) and King Kong (1977)–received the ASC Lifetime Achievement Award. As well, director Sydney Pollack was bestowed the Board of Governors Award; Woody Omens, ASC, the Presidents Award; documentary filmmaker Fredrick Wiseman, the Award of Distinction; and Gilbert Taylor, BSC , the International Achievement Award.
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More