HBO’s Game of Thrones was the only show to earn more than one nomination in the TV portion of the American Society of Cinematographers’ (ASC) 28th annual Outstanding Achievement Awards. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on February 1, 2014, at the Hollywood & Highland Ray Dolby Ballroom.
In the One-Hour Episodic TV Series category, Jonathan Freeman, ASC, was nominated for the “Valar Dohaeris” episode of Game of Thrones while Anette Haellmigk became a nominee on the basis of the “Kissed by Fire” episode.
If either wins, it will mark the second straight year that Game of Thrones topped the category. Kramer Morgenthau, ASC, won the 2013 ASC Award for “The North Remembers” installment of Game of Thrones. Morgenthau is again nominated in the same category this time around, but for a different series–Fox’s Sleepy Hollow. Morgenthau is a nominee on the basis of the pilot for Sleepy Hollow.
Rounding out the nominees in the One-hour Episodic Series category are: Steven Bernstein, ASC, for “The Sins of the Father” episode of Starz Network’s Magic City; David Franco for the “Erlkönig” episode of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire; Pierre Gill, CSC, for “The Purge” installment of Showtime’s The Borgias; David Greene, CSC, for the “Tough Love” episode of the CW’s Beauty and the Beast; and Ousama Rawi, BSC, CSC, for “The Blood is the Life” episode of NBC’s Dracula.
Bernstein, Greene and Haellmigk are first-time ASC nominees. The rest in this category have either won and/or been previously nominated. Morgenthau earned his first ASC Award for Game of Thrones earlier this year, and also has nominations for Boardwalk Empire (2011), Life on Mars (2009) and The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2005).
Freeman has collected three ASC Awards. His wins were for Boardwalk Empire (2012, 2011) and Homeland Security in (2005). He has also earned additional nominations for Taken (2003), Strange Justice (2000) and Prince Street (1998).
Gill took home an ASC Award for Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2004), and was nominated for Joan of Arc (2000).
Franco has been previously nominated for Boardwalk Empire (2012), Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2008), Intensity (1998), Falling for You (1996) and Million Dollar Babies (1995).
Rawi was previously nominated for The Tudors (2009).
Half-Hour Series
Three cinematographers earned nominations in the Half-hour Episodic Series category: Peter Levy, ASC, ACS, for “The Runner Stumbles” episode of Showtime’s House of Lies; Matthew J. Lloyd, CSC, for Amazon’s Alpha House pilot; and Blake McClure for the “Detroit” episode of Comedy Central’s Drunk History.
This is Levi’s fourth nomination, the prior three coming for House of Lies (2013), The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2005) and 24 (2002).
McClure and Lloyd are first-time ASC Award nominees.
Telefilms/Miniseries
The nominees in the TV Movie/Miniseries category are: Jeremy Benning, CSC for National Geographic Channel’s Killing Lincoln; David Luther for Starz Network’s The White Queen, “War at First Hand”; and Ashley Rowe, BSC for Starz Network’s Dancing on the Edge, Episode 1.1
Rowe has previously been nominated for The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2004)
Benning and Luther and are first-time nominees.
Of the overall field of nominees, ASC president Richard Crudo said, “The new heights that storytelling has reached on television are in part because of the tremendous artistry and outstanding work being done by the shows’ cinematographers. It was difficult for our members to narrow down the field to these nominees given the high caliber of the submissions.”
HBO and Starz led this year’s ASC pack with three nominations each, followed by Showtime with two noms. Amazon, Comedy Central, Fox, NBC, The CW, and National Geographic Channel earned single nominations apiece.
Being a prior ASC Award recipient does not guarantee a return to the winners’ circle. For the 2013 ASC competition, the honorees across the TV categories were all first-time winners. In addition to Morgenthau, the other TV winners earlier this year were: Bradford Lipson who took the Half Hour Episodic Series honor for the “Truth” episode of FX show Wilfred; Florian Hoffmeister who earned TV Movie/Miniseries distinction for the PBS Masterpiece presentation of Great Expectations; and Balazs Bolygo, HSC, who tied with Morgenthau, ASC, for first in the One-Hour Episodic TV Series category. Bolygo won for the “Mort” episode of Cinemax’s Hunted. The category tie was the first in the history of the ASC Awards.
