Special Honorees Create Touching Moments At 2017 ASC Awards

It’s a daunting experience when one first arrives to the  American Society of Cinematographers annual award celebration.  The crowd of DPs, crew members, producers and other members of the production community swarm the exterior of the Grand Ballroom at the Hollywood and Highland complex, making it nearly impossible to find a single person in the building swell.  However, many greats graced the attendees at the org’s 31^st presentation of their awards, including the evening’s pre-announced honorary winners Denzel Washington (Board of Governors Award), Nancy Schreiber, ASC (ASC Presidents Award), Ron Garcia, ASC (Career Achievement in Television Award), Philippe Rousselot, ASC, AFC (International Award) and Edward Lachman, ASC (Lifetime Achievement Award.)

Washington, upon accepting his award, emphasized the valuable lessons fellow award recipient Rousselot shared with him early in his career.  Rousselot happened to be Washington’s DP on his debut feature, “Antoine Fisher”, as well as his sophomore effort, “The Great Debators.”

"I remember asking him ‘Where do you think we should put the camera?’  He said to me ‘I don’t know, we put it in front, behind, to the side, we tell a story and we play,’” said Washington.  “He helped me understand how a film is made.”

Schreiber, the first female member of ASC, recalled her first visit to the clubhouse.  Jokingly stating she wasn’t sure there was a woman’s room for her to use, she is proud of the changing face of the organization’s membership, which consistently welcomes female members.

“We are reaching beyond what seems possible, working with lenses and camera to tell stories of the human condition,” said Schreiber.  “Thank you to all the directors and producers who have believed in me.”

Ron Garcia reflected on the low budget features he began his career with.  While they never led to future feature production, they opened the door for his rich and diverse television career.  Garcia made a point of thanking his agent for encouraging him to take a project he was determined to pass on – David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks.”

“I didn’t really understand the script, who did?” laughed Garcia.

Rousselot modestly accepted the award, stating he “broke into a big smile as if I had won the lottery” upon receiving the call from the ASC Board.  Todd Haynes was on hand to present his frequent DP Lochman his award.  Haynes recalled watching his work as a youth and dreaming of collaborating with him someday.

“He’s a sorcerer of light and an alchemist of color,” said Haynes.

“I’ve always felt like an outsider, but now I’m the one looking out,” said Lochman.

The winners of the 2017 ASC Awards are:

Television Movie, Miniseries or Pilot: Igor Martinovic for “The Night Of” – Subtle Beast

Regular Series for Non-Commercial Television:Fabian Wagner, BSC, for “Game of Thrones: Battle of the Bastards”

Regular Series for Commercial Television: Tod Campbell for “Mr. Robot – eps2.0_unm4sk-pt1.tc”

Spotlight: Gorka Gomez Andreu, AEC, for “House of Others”

Theatrical Release: Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS, “Lion”