Society of Operating Cameramen Honors Their Own
Story Highlights
By Michael Silbergleid
The following press release was issued by the SOC:
Society of Operating Cameramen Honors Their Own
The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) announces that their 2011 Lifetime Achievement Awards gala, held at Warner Brothers Studios on February 5th played to a full house. SOC members and friends gathered to honor their own with golden CAMMYs for the best of the industry’s camera artists as well as Technical Achievement Awards presented to companies who have made significant contributions to the art of camera. In addition, the event raises awareness of the SOC’s ongoing charity, the Vision Center at Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles.
Active members of the SOC, including camera operators, assistants and cinematographers vote for the behind-the-scenes artists who they feel have done outstanding work in features and television. This year the SOC awarded Steadicam operator Colin Anderson the honor of Feature Film Operator or the year for his work on the Ben Affleck directed Warner Brothers feature, “The Town”. David Frederick, SOC was voted Television Camera Operator of the Year for his work on Sons of Anarchy.
The SOC singled out several members with Lifetime Achievement Awards. This year’s honorees included Camera Operator Michael Ferris, SOC (Die Hard, Scarface, Spiderman 3, Back to the Future II); First Assistant Camera Technician Alan Disler (Pearl Harbor, Master and Commander, The Patriot, Mars Attacks); Mobile Camera Platform Operator and Underwater Camera Operator Pete Romano, ASC (Inception, Star Trek, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Minority Report); and Stills Photographer David James (Shindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Batman Begins, Minority Report).
Each year the SOC picks an historical shot that stands out as technically challenging and memorable. This year, the award was presented to Jost Vacano, ASC, for his work in the Wolfgang Peterson directed feature “Das Boot”.
Other prestigious honors included, The President’s Award to the Grip Union, Local 80 and The Distinguished Service Award Cammy to Frank Kay of JL Fisher. Technical Achievement Awards were given for the Arri ALEXA camera and the Ultimate for Arm Gyro-Stabilized Camera Crane.
“It was a wonderful night for all the below-the-line crew members that rarely get this kind of recognition,” says SOC 1st Vice President Jack Messitt. “There were so many great shows nominated this year, it is a true testament to the caliber of work being done out there.”
About the Awards:
The Camera Operator of the Year Nominees are the A-camera operators on the nominated film/television series. It is not a stipulation of eligibility that the nominee be a member of the Society.
Lifetime Achievement Award recipients were nominated by the membership of the Society of Camera Operators. Consideration for a Lifetime Achievement Award is given to candidates with 20 or more years experience in the job classification. It is not a stipulation of eligibility that the nominee be a member of the Society.
Lifetime Achievement Award and Camera Operator of the Year ballots are sent out electronically to the active membership, comprised of camera operators with a minimum of 5 years industry experience as a professional camera operator.
About the Society of Camera Operators
Founded in 1979, the SOC is non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the art and creative contributions of the Camera Operator in the Motion Picture and Television Industries.
For more information regarding the SOC and the Lifetime Achievement Awards, visit the SOC website at: www.SOC.org
