Owen Roizman, Kees Van Oostrum and Lowell Peterson continue as ASC VPs
The Board of Governors of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has re-elected its slate of officers for another term. Continuing to serve in their roles will be Richard Crudo as president; Owen Roizman, Kees Van Oostrum and Lowell Peterson as vice presidents; Matthew Leonetti as treasurer; Fred Goodich as secretary; and Isidore Mankofsky as sergeant-at-arms.
Crudo will serve his sixth term as president. In addition to the last two years, he fulfilled the role from 2003 through 2006.
The members of the Board, elected in May by the organization’s active membership, include: John Bailey, Bill Bennett, George Spiro Dibie, Richard Edlund, Fred Elms, Daryn Okada, Lowell Peterson, Robert Primes, Rodney Taylor and Haskell Wexler.
“I am humbled to once again have the opportunity to serve this great organization,” said Crudo. “As we start to close in on our 100th anniversary, we will continue to honor the intents of our founders by protecting and promoting the interests of the cinematographer. Our Active and Associate members are the best people in the world at what they do; by their efforts the ASC will remain the industry’s standard bearers for many decades to come.”
In its entire history, the ASC has never been as busy as it is right now. Its quarterly Master Class series has set the highest standard for education and is regularly sold out in advance. Other efforts include its Student Heritage Awards, Breakfast Club seminars, panel discussions by their Education and Outreach committee, the Friends of the ASC membership, and the org’s ongoing committee collaborations with other industry participants vital to the image-making process. Perhaps most notable is the ASC Technology Committee, which has proven unique in its ability to shape the standards and practices of digital cinematography.
Crudo is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, serving on the Executive Committee of the Cinematographers Branch as well as the Sci-Tech Committee. In addition, he has chaired and co-chaired the ASC Awards for several years throughout the past decade.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Crudo began his film career as an assistant cameraman. As a director of photography, he has shot a wide range of feature, television and commercial productions. Among his feature credits are Federal Hill, American Buffalo, American Pie, Music From Another Room, Outside Providence, Down To Earth, Out Cold, Grind, Brooklyn Rules and the upcoming Addicted. He has also directed several independent features.
ASC was founded in 1919. There are 340-plus active members today who have national roots in some 20 countries. There are also 150 associate members from ancillary segments of the industry.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More