Dear Colleague:
Here's an advance look at the February 2006 issue
of American Cinematographer magazine,
which will offer our continuing coverage of the 20th
Annual ASC Awards, including a profile of ASC
International Award recipient Gilbert Taylor,
BSC.
Munich (Universal Pictures)
Academy Award-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski,
ASC continues his celebrated collaboration with
director Steven Spielberg in this hard-hitting film,
which tracks the aftermath of an infamous international
tragedy. During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, 11
Israeli athletes were taken hostage and murdered by
the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. In
retaliation, the Israeli government recruited a group
of Mossad agents to hunt down and execute those responsible
for the attack. Kaminski will detail his work on this
overseas production in a thoughtful and revealing interview
with AC’s European correspondent, Benjamin B.
Casanova (Buena Vista Pictures)
Oliver Stapleton, BSC was behind the camera
for this opulent tale of adventure and romance, which
is set against the scenic backdrop of Venice, Italy.
Heath Ledger stars as the legendary romantic rake, who
is forced to seek the true meaning of love after he
is spurned by a Venetian woman. Stapleton will discuss
his cinematography in a detailed and wide-ranging Q
& A with one of his collaborators on the film: visual-effects supervisor
Bill Taylor, ASC.
20th Annual ASC Awards
Our coverage of the ASC Awards
for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography will
include profiles of International Award recipient
Gilbert Taylor, BSC, whose credits include Dr.
Strangelove, A Hard Day’s Night, Repulsion, Frenzy
and Star Wars; Board of Governors Award recipient
Sydney Pollack, whose directorial accomplishments
include They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, Three Days
of the Condor, Tootsie, Out of Africa and The
Interpreter; and Special Award recipient Frederick
Wiseman, the renowned documentarian behind such
landmark films as Titicut Follies, Law and Order,
Hospital, Public Housing and Domestic Violence.
The February issue's departments
will also offer illuminating insights:
DVD Playback will present
reviews of three all-time classics that have been lovingly
restored for home viewing: King Kong (1933),
shot by ASC members Edward Linden, J.O. Taylor and Vernon
L. Walker; The Wizard of Oz (1939), shot by Harold
Rosson, ASC; and Ben-Hur (1959), shot by Robert
L. Surtees, ASC.
Production Slate will include
coverage of Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story,
shot by Marcel Zyskind, and The White Countess,
shot by Chris Doyle, HKSC.
Points East will present
an interview with cinematographer Terry Stacey about
his work on the feature film Winter Passing.
Short Takes will offer cinematographer
Robin Holder’s assessment of the Arriflex D-20 camera,
which he recently used to shoot the Jeffron music
video “Dance.”
Post Focus will present
an overview of new monitor-calibration systems from
Rising Sun and Ascent Media, as well as
information on The Mill’s use of 2K data scans
and grain-management software for commercial projects.
ASC Close-Up will present
a Q&A profile of Society member and past president
William A. Fraker, whose credits as a director
of photography include the acclaimed Rosemary’s Baby
and Bullitt.
