Oscar®-nominated cinematographer Owen Roizman has turned the camera on more than 100 cinematographers in “Masters of the Close-Up, Up Close,” the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ new portrait exhibition opening to the public on Thursday, January 20, in the Academy’s Grand Lobby. The exhibition will run through April 17. Admission is free.
During his 35 years as a cinematographer, Roizman has shot nearly 30 features and earned five Oscar nominations, for “The French Connection” (1971), “The Exorcist” (1973), “Network” (1976), “Tootsie” (1982) and “Wyatt Earp” (1994).
Around 1996 Roizman was inspired by his friend, accomplished photographer Douglas Kirkland, to explore the new world opening up in digital photography thanks to the invention of new cameras and computer programs like Adobe Photoshop.
That experimentation led to a regular assignment taking portraits of fellow cinematographers for the “Member Portrait” published in American Cinematographer magazine each month.
“Up Close” will feature portraits of such directors of photography as Caleb Deschanel (“The Right Stuff,” “The Patriot”, “Spiderwick Chronicles”), Ellen Kuras (“The Betrayal of (Nerakhoon),” “Away We Go”), Daryn Okada (“Mean Girls,” “Baby Mama”) and John Toll (“Legends of the Fall,” “Braveheart,” “Gone Baby Gone”).
The images on view reveal individuals who, since they are most often found on the other side of a motion picture camera, are rarely photographed themselves. The digital prints, all made by Roizman himself, vary in style and format, but are all connected by his excitement at capturing these rare depictions of his fellow cinematographers away from the set.
Also opening on January 20, in the Academy’s Fourth Floor Gallery, is “Bob Peak: Creating the Modern Movie Poster.” The exhibition will feature the colorful, graphically complex original paintings created for iconic movie poster campaigns alongside the final one-sheets for such films as “My Fair Lady,” “Camelot,” “Superman,” “Star Trek – The Motion Picture” and “Apocalypse Now.”
The Academy’s galleries are located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills and are open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends, noon to 6 p.m. For more information call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
About THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.
