ASC Announces Feature Film Nominees

LOS ANGELES--- Russell Boyd, ACS (Master and Commander: The FarSide of the World), Andrew Lesnie, ACS (The Lord of the Rings:Return of the King), John Schwartzman, ASC (Seabiscuit),John Seale, ASC, ACS (Cold Mountain), and John Toll, ASC (TheLast Samurai) have earned nominations in the Feature Film categoryof the 18th Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC)Outstanding Achievement Awards competition. The winner will be named atthe organization's awards gala here on February 8 at the Century PlazaHotel.

"According to their peers, these five outstanding filmmakers haveset the highest standards for artistic excellence in feature filmcinematography during the past year," says Owen Roizman, ASC, chairmanof the organization's awards committee. "It wasn't an easy decisionbecause many cinematographers displayed an incredible range of talentand skill that contributed to the success of films last year."

Roizman notes that the finalists were nominated for films thatranged from pure fantasy and legends to depictions of history. He saysthat the nominees all demonstrated extraordinary abilities to create asense of place and time, and to visually punctuate moods and otheremotional content.

"There is no easy or precise way to judge artistic achievements incinematography because it is a subjective and collaborative art form,"Roizman says. "Many people equate strikingly beautiful pictures withartful cinematography, but that isn't necessarily true. Great motionpictures can also be dark and the images can be ugly and menacing. Onecommon denominator is that artful cinematography is transparent toaudiences. It has more to do with the emotions they evoke than what theaudience sees."

Toll previously won the ASC Outstanding Achievement Award forBraveheart (1996) and The Thin Red Line (1999), and wasnominated for Legends of the Fall (1995). Seale took top ASChonors for The English Patient (1997) with additionalnominations for Rain Man (1989) and The Perfect Storm(2001). Lesnie and Schwartzman each previously earned an ASC nominationin 2002 for Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring andPearl Harbor, respectively. This is Boyd's first nomination.

"The ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards were inaugurated in 1986 forthe purpose of recognizing excellence in cinematography," says ASCPresident Richard Crudo. "That event was consistent with our historicmission. The 15 charter members who formed the ASC in 1919 literallyinvented an art form. They were committed to creating lasting imagesthat would help transport audiences to imaginary worlds. Carrying on intheir wake, we are committed to keeping their dream alive for futuregenerations."

There are currently 215 members and another 135 associate memberswho work in ancillary businesses.

The 18th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards gala will bepreceded by an open house at the organization's historic Hollywoodclubhouse and by an Internet chat, both on Feb. 7. For more informationabout those events and/or the ASC Awards, visit the ASC website (www.theasc.com) or call323-969-4333.

(Note: ACS denotes membership to the Australian CinematographersSociety.)