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THE 1998 BSC AWARDS
Italian cinematographer Dante Spinotti edged out Russell Carpenter (Titanic), Eduardo Serra (The Wings of The Dove), Robert Richardson (The Horse Whisperer) and Nic Morris (Firelight) to win the BSC’s Best Cinematography Award for his outstanding work
on LA Confidential.
Work-tied Spinotti unfortunately wasn’t present to receive the Golden
camera engineering while the late Freddie Cooper was honoured with the operator’s award by the Guild of British Camera Technicians.
With the dinner overshadowed by the death of Freddie Young, the Society’s first President in 1949, there was also a posthumous prize, the Arriflex John Alcott Memorial Award, for Michael Samuelson. The award, presented to the person who has contributed most
towards perpetuating the original aims of the Society, was accepted from Arri’s Horst Bergman by Samuelson’s son, Ben.
The evening - at which Nanu Segal and Nemoni Mercer, two National Film & Television School BSC scholarship winners, were present - raised nearly £4,500 to be shared between the CTBF and Great Ormond Street Hospital. ■
Camera prize when Kenneth Branagh was guest of honour at the BSC’s annual Operators’ dinner at Pinewood Studios in December.
The Bert Easey Technical Award was given to Karl Kelly for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of
Top: Nanu Segal and Nemone Mercer winners of the BSC ‘Freddie Young’ and ‘Ossie Morris’ Scholarship Trust
with David Samuelson BSC and
Robin Vidgeon BSC.
Above left: Ben Samuelson receiving on behalf of his father the BSC John Alcott Arri Award, given posthumously to Michael Samuelson BSC, from Horst Bergmann of Arri.
Above Right: Nico Cooper receiving the GBCT Operators Award, given posthumously to Freddie Cooper, from Hugh Whittaker of Panavision.
our years after they last won the Golden Panda, husband- and-wife team David Parer and Elizabeth Parer Cook repeated their triumph when The
and Animal Award as well as the Delegates Choice Award while
At The Edge Of The Sea, from Rodger Jackman Productions, was another double prize-winner with The Script Award and The Survival Anglia/Dieter Plage Award for Revelation. ■
Above: Kenneth Branagh presenting
Karl Kelly, Associate BSC with his Bert Easey Technical Award.
Dragons of Galapagos was named Best Film at Wildscreen 98 in Bristol, nicknamed ‘Green Hollywood’.
The world’s biggest festival of moving images from natural history, in which more than 1000 people from 47 countries took part, also paid tribute to Desmond Hawkins and Gerald Thompson, two founding fathers of the wildlife film industry. They were given Wildscreen Trust Awards for Outstanding Achievement.
Other awards included: Fujifilm Award for Cinematatography - John Downer Productions for Eagles; Animal Behaviour Award - Discovery Channel for Polar Bear: Shadows On The Ice; BBC Newcomer Award - Richard Stewart for Ain’t No Use Being a Gull If You Can’t Fly.
Vision Man from Sweden’s Aby Long Productions won The Human
F
WILDSCREEN 98 AWARDS
THE FIRST CINEMATOGRAPHER
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the British Society of Cinematographers, a bronze homage to pioneering British cameraman William Friese-Greene was unveiled at Shepperton Studios in January.
Sculpted by Diana Thomson FRBS, wife of a past BSC President Alex Thomson, Friese-Greene (1855-1921) is generally credited as The First Cinematographer. He built the first practical movie camera in 1889 but finally died penniless.
Present at the unveiling were some of Britain’s finest living cameramen, including Freddie Francis, Ossie Morris, Jack Cardiff, Billy Williams, Douglas Slocombe and Alex Thomson along with Shepperton co-owner director Ridley Scott.
On hand too were Friese-Greene’s grandson Roger, great grandson Kevin and niece Mrs Atherton Harrison.
A second cast of the impressive bust now resides at Panavision while a third, sponsored by Fujifilm, holds court at Pinewood Studios. ■
Above: Cinematography winner Michael Richards with Alistair Forthergill who commissioned Eagles.
Above: Mr and Mrs Roger Friese-Greene (left) and Mr and Mrs Kevin Friese-Greene.
Left: the sculptress of William Friese-Green bronze bust, Diana Thomson.
CHECK BOOK 4
From time-checks for a director of photography to catch the last light on location in Scotland to a list of facilities providing the most sophisticated digital special effects... that’s the wide range of information on offer in the fourth edition of Check Book, the British Film Commission’s invaluable guide to production in the UK.
Sponsored by, among many others, Fujifilm, Check Book is available by contacting the BFC at 0171 224 5000 or directly online at www.britfilmcom.co.uk ■
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PHOTO: TED GRIFFITHS/WILDSCREEN