Frank Buono Receives Top Honors At 2014 Emerging Cinematographer Awards

BY: Marjorie Galas, Editor

Cinematographer Frank Buono received top honors at the 18th Annual Emerging Cinematographers Awards held Sunday, September 28th at the Directors Guild of America West theater.

Buono’s work on the short “1982” received the highest tally of votes from a judging panel comprised of acclaimed cinematographers and members of ICG – International Cinematography Guild. In addition to his Emerging Cinematographers Award trophy, Buono received the evening’s grand prize: a $60,000 rental package from Panavision.

See Also: "1982" And The Seamless Take: An Interview With ICG Emerging Cinematographer Frank Buono

Welcoming this year’s eight honorees and two honorable mentions before the audience, ICG President Steven Poster, ASC,  expressed his sincere amazement at the exceptional caliber of work that was being recognized and screened for the audience. Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actress Stephanie Powers presented opening remarks to the cinematographers that highlighted the importance of their craft. She recounted landmark cinematic advancements made on films by visionary directors including the Lumiere brothers and Stanley Kubrick.  In addition to presenting each award winner with their trophy, Poster also affixed a gold ICG pin to their lapels and welcomed them to the next phase of their professional development.

For the first time in the ECA ceremony’s history, the honorees agreed to forgo making acceptance speeches to allow time for the honorable mention shorts to be screened. Before presenting each honoree with their award, the short films highlighting their work were presented in their entirety. The program included Buono’s “1982,” Bartosz Nalazek’s “Making A Scene: Forest Whitaker,” George Feucht’s “Une Liberation,” “ Davin Doyle’s “Lancaster Stomp,” David Kruta’s “Wallace,” Sidarth Kantamneni’s “Saerto Ena,” Greta Zozula’s “The Immaculate Reception” and Kyle Jlutz’s “Sequence.” The evening concluded with the screening of honorable mention recipients David Jean Schwertzer’s “Good Luck, Mr. Gorski” and Chris Heinrich’s “Sure Thing.”

See Also: ICG Emerging Cinematographer Celebration Kicks Off With Special Awards

Prior to the event’s conclusion, additional gifts, distributed through a raffle, where presented to the ten recognized cinematographers. The items, donated by the event’s sponsors including Kinoflo, Assimilate, Matthews Studio Equipment, LIghtPanels, and Rosco, ranged from lights and gels to color correction software.

The ICG will also present the nominated shorts at a special Emerging Cinematographers Awards Ceremony in New York on Sunday, October 26th at the School of Visual Arts, 333 West 23rd St., New York, NY. The free event will be followed by a reception where event participants may meet the cinematographers in attendance.

To learn more about the Emerging Cinematographers Awards and view trailers from the 2014 ECA nominated films, please visit: http://www.ecawards.net/