LION TAKES TOP AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARDS


Greig Fraser, ASC Awards ©George Leon/Filmcastive. Not to reproduce mechanically or digitally without written permission
Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS earned the coveted Theatrical Award for best cinematography 
in a motion picture for “Lion” at the 31st Annual American Society of Cinematographers 
(ASC) Awards for Outstanding Achievement.

Gorka Gomez Andreu, ASC Awards ©George Leon/Filmcastive. Not to reproduce mechanically or digitally without written permission
 The ASC Spotlight Award was given to 
Gorka Gómez Andreu, AEC for “House of Others.” 


Winners in the TV categories included Fabian Wagner, BSC for “Game of Thrones,” Tod Campbell for “Mr. Robot” and Igor Martinovic for “The Night Of.” The ceremony took place tonight at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland.

Theatrical Release Category (presented by Giovanni Ribisi)

Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS, “Lion” - WINNER
James Laxton, “Moonlight”
Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC, “Silence”
Linus Sandgren, FSF, “La La Land”
Bradford Young, ASC, “Arrival”

Spotlight Category (presented by Dakota Johnson)

Lol Crawley, BSC, “Childhood of a Leader”
Gorka Gómez Andreu, AEC, “House of Others” - WINNER
Ernesto Pardo, “Tempestad”
Juliette van Dormael, “Mon Ange” (“My Angel”)

Regular Series for Non-Commercial Television (presented by Darby Stanchfield)


John Conroy, “Penny Dreadful” (The Day Tennyson Died)
David Dunlap, “House of Cards” (Chapter 45)
Anette Haellmigk, “Game of Thrones” (Book of the Stranger)
Neville Kidd, “Outlander” (Prestonpans)
Fabian Wagner, BSC, “Game of Thrones” (Battle of the Bastards) - WINNER

 Regular Series for Commercial Television (presented by Patrick J. Adams)

Tod Campbell, “Mr. Robot” (eps2.0_unm4sk-pt1.tc) - WINNER
John Grillo, “Preacher” (Finish the Song)
Kevin McKnight, “Underground” (The Macon 7)
Christopher Norr, “Gotham” (Wrath of the Villains: Mr. Freeze)
Richard Rutkowski, “Manhattan” (Jupiter)

Movie, Miniseries, or Pilot for Television (presented by Jason Schwartzman and John Schwartzman, ASC)

Balazs Bolygo, HSC, BSC, “Harley and the Davidsons” (Amazing Machine)
Paul Cameron, ASC, “Westworld” (The Original)
Jim Denault, ASC, “All The Way”
Alex Disenhof, “The Exorcist” (Chapter One: And Let My Cry Come Unto Thee)
 Igor Martinovic, “The Night Of” (Subtle Beast) - WINNER

All recipients were first-time winners. Wagner was previously nominated for episodes of “Game of Thrones” in 2016 and 2015.
Special awards presented during the ceremony included:

Denzel Washington, ASC Awards ©George Leon/Filmcastive. Not to reproduce mechanically or digitally without written permission
 The ASC Board of Governors Award was presented to Denzel Washington 
(“Fences,” “Glory,” “Training Day”) by Samuel L. Jackson for his significant and 
indelible contributions to cinema through his body of work. It is the only ASC Award
 not given to a cinematographer, and is reserved for filmmakers who have been champions 
for directors of photography and the visual art form.

Ed Lachman, ASC Awards ©George Leon/Filmcastive. Not to reproduce mechanically or digitally without written permission
 The ASC Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Ed Lachman, ASC 
(“Carol,” “Far from Heaven,” “Mildred Pierce”) and presented by director 
and frequent collaborator Todd Haynes.

Ron Garcia, ASC Awards ©George Leon/Filmcastive. Not to reproduce mechanically or digitally without written permission
 The ASC Career Achievement in Television Award was presented
to Ron Garcia, ASC (“Murder in the Heartland,” “The Day Lincoln was Shot”)  
by Steven Poster, ASC.

Philippe Rouselot and Rachel Nichols, ASC Awards ©George Leon/Filmcastive. Not to reproduce mechanically or digitally without written permission
Philippe Rousselot, ASC, AFC (“A River Runs Through It,”
“Hope and Glory,” “Henry & June”) received the ASC International 
Award from actress Rachel Nichols.

Nancy Schreiber, ASC Awards ©George Leon/Filmcastive. Not to reproduce mechanically or digitally without written permission
 Nancy Schreiber, ASC (“Your Friends and Neighbors,” “The Nines,” “The Comeback,” “The Family,” “Better Things”) was bestowed the ASC Presidents Award by James Chressanthis, ASC, GSC. This award is given not only for the recipient’s body of work, but dedication to the organization and its mission of advancing the art of cinematography through education.

The ASC Bud Stone Award of Distinction was given to Bruce Berke, longtime motion picture marketing and sales executive and ASC Awards show director, and Frank Kay, marketing director at J.L. Fisher and chairman of the ASC Awards Sponsorship Committee. This award is presented to an ASC Associate Member who has demonstrated extraordinary service to the society and/or has made a significant contribution to the motion picture industry.

For more information regarding the ASC Awards, visit the ASC website at www.theasc.com.

NEW XENON FF PRIME CINE-TILT LENS

World’s first Full Frame Cine Primes to offer dynamic Tilt functionality
on focal lengths of 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and 100mm – all at T2.1.

To enhance today’s dynamic cinematography, Schneider-Kreuznach introduces Xenon FF-Prime Cine-Tilt lenses. This groundbreaking new version combines similar form-factor and capabilities of the company’s popular Full-Frame Primes with added tilt function up to ±4°.

By sustaining the field of view during focus and tilt actions, the new Cine-Tilt design makes possible previously unimaginable images from the freely moving and tilting focus planes. The new lenses offer the potential to utilize out-of-focus areas in the frame, especially when tilt is used with large apertures. A 4° tilt angle at the sensor plane corresponds to an 80° focal plane, which varies according to the focal length and aperture setting selected.

The lens’ tilt is controlled via a high precision ring with 120° rotation that is as intuitive to operate as pulling focus. Due to the common 0.8 module gear, the Cine-Tilt is usable with standard follow-focus systems.

Cine-Tilt lenses offer the multi-fold benefits of standard Xenon FF-Primes plus tilt functionality, so there’s is no need to swap out lenses during a shot. With the tilt set at 0° the Cine-Tilt lenses provide identical images as the standard FF-Primes. The consistent set comprises focal lengths of 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and 100mm – all at T2.1. Cine-Tilt FF-Primes will be available this spring individually or as a set, in Sony E-Mount.

 For more information visit, Schneider-Kreuznach Optics

ASC ANNOUNCED THE 31ST AWARD NOMINEES FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

Emmanuael Lubezki ASC Awards winner The Revenant. ©george leon/filmcastlive
 Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC accepting the award for his work in 
The Revenant at the 30th ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has announced its Theatrical Release and Spotlight nominees for the 31st annual Outstanding Achievement Awards.

“Each of the nominated films offers a unique vision on the part of the director of photography,” said Kees van Oostrum, ASC President. “These movies also represent a less formulaic or traditional photographic style, and some of their stories highlight socially conscious subject matter that drives a strong surge in photographic realism.”


http://www.theasc.com/site/asc-awards/

Introduced by Society vice-president Bill Bennett, ASC, former ASC president Richard Crudo  presented the nominations in these two categories before a luncheon held on January 11 at the ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood.

2016 ASC Spotlight Award Nominees
The Spotlight Award was created to recognize outstanding cinematography in a feature-length film that was exhibited in limited release, at film festivals or internationally.

Lol Crawley, BSC for Childhood Of A Leader
Gorka Gomez Andreu, AEC for House Of Others
Ernesto Pardo for Tempestad
Juliette van Dormael for Mon Ange (My Angel)

2016 ASC Award Theatrical Nominees
Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS for Lion
James Laxton for Moonlight
Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC for Silence
Linus Sandgren, FSF for La La Land
Bradford Young, ASC for Arrival

This is Prieto’s third ASC nomination. He was previously recognized by the organization for his work on Frida (2003) and Brokeback Mountain (2006). The remaining nominees are first-time contenders. In 2016, Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC took home the ASC Theatrical Award for “The Revenant,” and the Spotlight prize was a tie between Adam Arkapaw and Mátyás Erdély for Macbeth and Son of Saul, respectively.

The 31st annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards will be held on February 4, 2017, during a ceremony held at Hollywood & Highland’s Ray Dolby Ballroom.

For a complete list of all nominated categories visit the ASC

BAND PRO'S ONE WORLD OPEN HOUSE 2016


Band Pro celebrated French Cinema at Band Pro One World Open House 2016.

Each December Band Pro’s One World Open House combines the best broadcast and cinema technology along with fine food, drink, and attendees comprising a who’s who of the global cinematography community.

This year’s guest of honor was acclaimed French director and cinematographer, Pierre-William Glenn, AFC. William Glenn is a former President of the French Society of Cinematographers and known for his work on such films as Truffaut’s Day for Night, Coup de Torchon, and Small Change, among many others.

Band Pro kicked off the French Cinema celebrations at Sony Studios with the screening of a 35mm projection print of the "Novuelle Vague" Oscar winning film "La Nuit Americaine"  (Day for Night) written and directed by François Truffaut and photographed on 35mm Eastmancolor and Panavision cameras and lenses by Pierre-William Glenn, AFC, who attended the screening and participated in a Q&A moderated by Jon Fauer ASC, revisiting the making of the film. (Synopsis: A committed film director struggles to complete his movie while coping with a myriad of crises, personal and professional, among the cast and crew.) 

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
 Klaus Eckerl, IB/E Optics, Amnon Band & guest of honor, Pierre-William Glenn, AFC

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
Introducing the new addition to the Raptor large format prime lens line, 40, 60 and 80 mm. 

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
 IB/E Optics 180mm T2.9 Macro Raptor lens

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
Hands-on demos on main stage

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
The newest digital cinematography camera for the feature film/episodic tv industry,
the Canon C700. A detail of the master control panel

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
Canon's Tim Smith explained all  features of the ergonomic ready-to-shoot C700

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
 C700 is a production-ready camera with modular design. 4.5K CMOS image sensor.
with internal 4K ProRes and XF-AVC recording.15 stops of dynamic range. 
Available in both EF and PL versions.

 Artisans of  French Cinema, Denis Lenoir, ASC AFC & Pierre-William Glenn, AFC

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
 Freefly Movi on a Easyrig stabilizer

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
New affordable  35mm, 50mm, 85mm, T1.5 Tokina Vista  Cinema Prime Lenses

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
On-board 4K log record /monitor Ninja Flame with HDMI I/O

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
StarLink Wireless Video/Audio transmitter & repeater. 
It features no video/audio lag

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
 CForce/Arri 3 motor control system for Focus, Iris, Zoom on a Zeiss lens.

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
Snehal Patel of Carl Zeiss demo of the Cvolution hand unit with knob-advance, slider 
and zoom unit to control three motors 

 The C700 ergonomics tested by a seasoned camera operator.


©georgeleon/filmcastlive
©georgeleon/filmcastlive
Wireless MCS-1 FIZ (focus,iris, zoom) control system on a Angenieux Type EZ Series lens

©georgeleon/filmcastlive
 It cannot be a French Cinema celebration without Angenieux lenses dans la maison

Participants this year included Sony, Canon, RED, Angenieux, Zeiss, Fujinon, IB/E Optics, Sigma, 16x9, Inc., ORCA Bags, Atomos, and many more.

For more information, visit Band Pro Film & Digital, Inc.

ARRI ALEXA BASIC MENU FUNCTIONS AND SET UP

Courtesy of Massimo B.

ARRI ALEXA basic menu functions and setup

This a basic yet comprehensive tutorial of how to navigate the Alexa camera menus, from how to set the camera white balance and shutter angle, to how to set up the asa, resolution, and  recording size whether it is in pro res 444, 422 or 4444. Furthermore, Massimo B explains how to set  the camera frame rate, frame guides, shutter speed and how to perform playback.

He also explains how to format the SXS cards and  how to set color space in log c or rec709 recording internally or out, how to set the monitoring menu for a side/assistant monitor or for a director's monitor out or the operator's viewfinder among other important details need it in order to prep and setup the Alexa properly for a shoot.

Massimo Bordonaro is a cinematographer, Steadicam & camera operator, 1st & 2nd AC, living in Los Angeles.

PANAVISION ANNOUNCED A NEW LARGE FORMAT 8K CAMERA


Panavision Announced New Large-Format Digital Camera Working Prototypes of Millennium DXL and Reel on Display at Cine Gear Expo.

Panavision, a global brand synonymous with optics, innovation, and customer service, is introducing the Millennium DXL Camera (“DXL”), a revolutionary breakthrough in image acquisition and workflow. DXL was developed through an unprecedented combination of three companies’ best-in-class contributions: large format optics and modular accessories from Panavision, an 8K sensor from RED Digital Cinema, and new color science and optimized workflow from Light Iron.

According to Kim Snyder, President and CEO of Panavision, DXL is offered in response to heightened demand for large-format cinematography. “Our unparalleled fleet of large format and anamorphic lenses has been extremely popular in this resurgence of large format capture, and with the Millennium DXL, cinematographers now can capture more than 20-megapixels of true 4K anamorphic pictures.”




At the core of DXL is a proprietary image mapping process called Light Iron Color, which provides a unique, cinematic look directly out of the camera. Light Iron Color integrates seamlessly with DXL’s ultra-high resolution sensor, a new 8K imager manufactured by RED Digital Cinema, and with Panavision’s large format lenses.



The camera body was designed with ergonomics and temperature management in mind: its mid-size form factor is extra lightweight, yet allows for an airflow system that dissipates heat more quietly than compact competitors. DXL also has built-in,crew-friendly, modular accessories to improve versatility and quick changeovers during production.

“Our streamlined workflow includes simultaneous recording of 4K proxy files - ProRes or DNx -alongside the 8K RAW files,” states Michael Cioni, DXL Product Director and President of Light Iron. “This creates a direct-to-edit workflow with the NLE of your choice. Using efficient SSD media, the cost of capturing 8K files with DXL is more economical than using third-party recorders on lower resolution cameras. Light Iron Color and our Panavised Outpost Systems provide a workflow for DXL that can be easily adopted for shooting large format photography.”


 

“What is exciting,” adds Cioni, “is that cinematographers will notice how 8K acquisition creates images that are smoother, not sharper. With a full frame 35-megapixel imager, DXL provides a super-sampled image, much like large format still photography, so that its smoothness is retained whether you finish in 4K, 2K, or HD.”

Jarred Land, President of RED Digital Cinema, notes that the collaboration with Panavision marks the next step forward for the industry. RED pushed the motion picture industry into file-based RAW image capture a decade ago, but Panavision has been renowned for their optics and engineering for more than 60 years. Together with Panavision and Light Iron, we’re shaping the future of large format cinematography.”


Snyder concludes, “Panavision’s mission is to provide our customers with leading-edge tools and technologies that enable them to achieve their creative vision, and the Millennium DXL is a platform that allows us to expand the ways in which we can do just that. I am very excited about the next phase of our Company’s growth and cannot wait to present all of the products and ideas that we are developing.”

SPECS:
  • Sensor: 16-bit, 35.5 Megapixel CMOS
  • Resolution of full sensor: 8192 x 4320 (probably windows to 4K)
  • Maximum sensor size: 40.96 x 21.60 mm (Diagonal: 46.31mm), same as RED Weapon 8K.
  • Dynamic Range: 15 stops
  • Max Frame Rate: 60 fps at 8K Full Frame (8192 x 4320), 75 fps at 8K 2.4:1 (8192 x 3456)
  • Recording Codec: 8K RAW with simultaneous 4K proxy (ProRes or DNx)
  • Recording Media: SSD (up to 1 hour on a single magazine)
  • File Type: .r3d (supported in RED SDK)
  • Color Profile: Light Iron Color (compatible with all popular gamuts and transfer curves)
  • Weight: 10 lbs.
Additional Features
  • 6 independent video outputs
  • Supports 6 independent 1D LUTs or up to 4 independent 3D LUTs
  • Internally motorized Primo 70 lenses, wireless lens control
  • Built in wirelesss timecode for genlock (Ambient Control Network)
  • Dual menus (Operator side, Assistant side)
  • Advanced airflow system — dual fans
  • Custom cheeseplate with integrated electronics
  • Modular and tool-less quick changeover accessories

The Millennium DXL will be rented exclusively through Panavision and will be available in early 2017. Working prototypes and a demo reel will be on display at the Panavision and Light Iron booth at Cine Gear Expo this weekend

GEORGE MILLER TO PRESIDE THE JURY OF THE 69TH FESTIVAL DE CANNES

http://www.festival-cannes.com/en.html
The 69th Festival de Cannes will be presided by the Australian director, screenwriter and producer, George Miller. Along with his Jury, it will fall to him to award the Palme d’or at the close of the Festival, to be held from 11 to 22 May. On receiving his invitation from the Festival, George Miller exclaimed, "What an unmitigated delight! To be there in the middle of this storied festival at the unveiling of cinematic treasures from all over the planet. To spend time in passionate discourse with fellow members of the jury. Such an honor. I'll be there with bells on!"


It was in Cannes last May that Mad Max: Fury Road set out on its fantastic cavalcade across our screens. The film, shown Out of Competition in the Official Selection, marked the return not only of the hero of the legendary saga for the millions of fans of Max Rockatansky, but also the comeback of his creator, George Miller, and of the visionary film-making that made him a household name around the world.

The roots of George Miller's career, alongside those of Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford and Phillip Noyce stretch back to the golden age of Australian cinema from the 1980s. Originally from a small village in Queensland, George Miller wrote and directed Violence in the Cinema, part 1 in 1971. Produced by his friend Byron Kennedy, with whom he founded the Kennedy Miller company, the short film picked up two prizes from the Australian Film Institute. This official recognition encouraged George Miller to pursue a career in film and to make his first feature. 



In 1979, Mad Max, inspired by the "outback gothic" genre sweeping Australia at the time, introduced Mel Gibson and was a worldwide smash hit. A superb pas-de-deux with American cinema, this ultra-violent futuristic film brought the action film genre a touch of class with its masterly combination of Road Movie, Western and Science-Fiction elements. A legendary saga was born which in turn gave rise to Mad Max 2: the Road Warrior in 1981, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985 and Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015.

Throughout his career, George Miller has constantly experimented with a variety of genres, brilliantly reconciling mass audience expectations and the highest artistic standards. In 1983, along with John Landis, Steven Spielberg and Joe Dante, he directed the final segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie. Then came The Witches of 'Eastwick in 1987 and the intimate drama Lorenzo's Oil in 1992, starring Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte, which picked up Oscar nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Actress.


In 1995, he adapted and produced Babe, directed by Chris Noonan, which picked up seven Oscar nominations including Best Film and Best Adaptation. In 2006, his first animated film Happy Feet was a huge box office hit and garnered the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Happy Feet 2 took up the story in 2011.

In 2015, 30 years after the last Mad Max, the 4th chapter of the post-apocalyptic epic, complete with feminist and anti-totalitarian overtones, once again took cinemas by storm and has been the talk of the press and the festival circuit ever since. With ten nominations for the 2016 Oscars, including Best Film and Best Director, it recently scooped no fewer than nine prizes at the Critics Choice Awards, including that of Best Director. 



The 70-year-old Miller has won international acclaim for these spectacular and jubilant creations, as well as for his eclecticism, inventiveness and sheer audacity. His nomination marks a no-holds-barred celebration of genre cinema. But above all, the 2016 Festival de Cannes is all set to welcome a big-hearted film lover and a great human being.

DECONSTRUCTING CINEMATOGRAPHY: THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE


Continuing with their professional educational series, Canon Hollywood Professional Technology &  Support Center presented  "Deconstructing Cinematography: The Friends of Eddie Coyle with Richard Crudo, ASC".

You can listen below the 25 minutes audio podcast:: Victor J. Kemper, ASC, and Richard Crudo, ASC, sit down to discuss Kemper’s work on the 1973 crime drama The Friends of Eddie Coyle, starring Robert Mitchum and shot entirely on location in Boston and Connecticut.

 Richard Crudo, ASC

With decades of work in commercials, episodic TV and feature films, cinematographer and ASC President Richard Crudo, examined the lighting plot, framing, camera movement and the cinematic language of several scenes composed  by Victor Kemper, ASC  on  the making of the crime drama  "The Friends of Eddie Coyle", released in 1973, directed by Peter Yates.


  Victor Kemper, ASC

Victor Jay Kemper, A.S.C. (born April 14, 1927) is an American cinematographer who has worked on over fifty films. He is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), and was its president twice, from 1993 to 1996, and from 1999 to 2001. Kemper won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for his work on the 1987 television movie, Kojak: The Price of Justice.


 Medium CU of  Eddie Coyle (Robert Mitchum) at a diner

In a times of  feature films for theatrical release impregnated with fast editing techniques, advanced lighting schemes, and a plethora of 4K capturing choices with instant digital playback,  The Friends of Eddie Coyle, seems like the antithesis to the fast pace cinematography utilized on today's crime dramas. Nonetheless, the superb screenplay layered with shadowy characters was masterfully photographed in 35mm reflecting the intricacies of  the Massachusetts criminal  underworld and the inner struggles of a man, Eddie Coyle.


Reverse over the shoulder of Dillon (Peter Boyle) and Eddie (Robert Mitchum)

While dissecting scenes, Crudo expressed his admiration and puzzlement to the lighting scheme and concise actor blocking and directorial technique utilized by Kemper and Yates.  The unchanged shadowless flat lighting in interior scenes, and the punchy  directional spot key light on exterior night scenes and the long static takes are a cinematic signature of this film.


 Exterior night scenes are illuminated with a frontal directional  source.
Not even a reference back light or back wall wash.

The film counts with an stellar cast of the genre, Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle and Richard Jordan fitting perfectly with the shadowy  gangsters. Eddie Coyle (a.k.a. "Eddie Fingers") an aging delivery truck driver for a bakery. He is also a low-level gunrunner for a crime organization in Boston, Massachusetts. He is facing several years in prison for a truck hijacking in New Hampshire set up by Dillon, who owns a local bar. Coyle's last chance is securing a sentencing recommendation through the help of an ATF agent, Dave Foley, who demands that Coyle become an informer in return. Unbeknownst to Coyle, Dillon is an informer for Foley.


https://www.theasc.com/site/podcasts/the-friends-of-eddie-coyle-victor-kemper-asc/
Click the image to link to the podcast.. 
Victor J. Kemper, ASC, & Richard Crudo, ASC, discuss Kemper’s  work 
on the 1973 crime drama The Friends of Eddie Coyle


Amy Kawadler, Canon Hollywood & Richard Crudo ASC 

http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/live_learning/pro_workshops/pro_workshops_seminars.shtml


ACADEMY MOVES ON TO INCREASE DIVERSITY


http://www.oscars.org/oscars

 Lifetime voting rights reframed; new governor seats added and committees restructured. Goal to double number of diverse members by 2020.

In a unanimous vote Thursday night (1/21), the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved a sweeping series of substantive changes designed to make the Academy’s membership, its governing bodies, and its voting members significantly more diverse.  The Board’s goal is to commit to doubling the number of women and diverse members of the Academy by 2020.

“The Academy is going to lead and not wait for the industry to catch up,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “These new measures regarding governance and voting will have an immediate impact and begin the process of significantly changing our membership composition.”



Beginning later this year, each new member’s voting status will last 10 years, and will be renewed if that new member has been active in motion pictures during that decade.  In addition, members will receive lifetime voting rights after three ten-year terms; or if they have won or been nominated for an Academy Award.  We will apply these same standards retroactively to current members.  In other words, if a current member has not been active in the last 10 years they can still qualify by meeting the other criteria.  Those who do not qualify for active status will be moved to emeritus status.  Emeritus members do not pay dues but enjoy all the privileges of membership, except voting.  This will not affect voting for this year’s Oscars.

At the same time, the Academy will supplement the traditional process in which current members sponsor new members by launching an ambitious, global campaign to identify and recruit qualified new members who represent greater diversity.

In order to immediately increase diversity on the Board of Governors, the Academy will establish three new governor seats that will be nominated by the President for three-year terms and confirmed by the Board.

The Academy will also take immediate action to increase diversity by adding new members who are not Governors to its executive and board committees where key decisions about membership and governance are made. This will allow new members an opportunity to become more active in Academy decision-making and help the organization identify and nurture future leaders.

Along with Boone Isaacs, the Board’s Membership and Administration Committee, chaired by Academy Governor Phil Robinson, led the efforts to enact these initiatives.