TECH WIZARDRY: NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T.Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer They put ``Gladiator'' star Russell Crowe in the Colosseum Colosseum or Coliseum (both: kŏləsē`əm), Ital. Colosseo, common name of the Flavian Amphitheater in Rome, near the southeast end of the Forum, between the Palatine and Esquiline hills. , vanished Kevin Bacon's body from the outside in for ``Hollow Man'' and improved sound levels on the big screen just for starters. While their names may not be recognizable to the majority of moviegoers, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Robert Rehme championed these people as ``the backbone of the industry'' during a ceremony Saturday night at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel for the Science and Technical Awards. ``Nurse Betty'' star Renee Zellweger hosted the evening, charming the audience to no end with her bang-up TelePrompTer job of announcing the winners. She stumbled only once or twice. Awards in 20 categories were presented to recipients that night for a variety of advancements in filmmaking film·mak·ing n. The making of movies. , including a backdrop that can go from day to night when lit from the back, software to combine reality with an animated world, and a snorkel snorkel, tube through which a submarine or diver can draw air while underwater. When in use, the top of the snorkel tube extends above the water surface into the air. camera that fits into tight spots that bulky bulk·y adj. bulk·i·er, bulk·i·est 1. Having considerable bulk; massive. 2. Of large size for its weight: a bulky knit. 3. Clumsy to manage; unwieldy. cameras can't. Most of the awards came in the form of certificates, plaques and medals, except for the last two: Oscar statuettes were given for the Academy Award of Merit and the Gordon E. Sawyer Award The Gordon E. Sawyer Award is an accolade given each year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to "an individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry. . The Academy Award of Merit went to Rob Cook, Loren Carpenter Loren C. Carpenter (born 1947) is a computer graphics researcher and developer. He is co-founder and chief scientist of Pixar Animation Studios. One of his many inventions is the A-buffer hidden surface algorithm. and Ed Catmull for their advancements in motion picture rendering as exemplified in Pixar's ``Renderman.'' ``I always dreamed of seeing on the movie screen what I see on my inner screen,'' said Carpenter. ``Now, if you can imagine something, you can put it on screen.'' The big award went to Irwin W. Young, who received the Gordon E. Sawyer Award for bringing credibility to the movie industry through his technical contributions. Thanks to Young's Du Art Film Laboratories, founded by his filmmaking father, numerous independent movies have since made it onto the big screen. He has won several awards during the course of his career, including the academy's Technical Achievement Award in 1979 for the co-development of a computer-controlled paper tape programming system used in the motion picture lab. He is currently active in several organizations, serving as president of the Film Society of Lincoln Center Lincoln Center New York’s modern theater complex. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 1586] See : Theater , board member of the Independent Feature Project and associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. It is not a labor union, and it is not a guild. Membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with . Young is also a producer who is responsible for 1992's ``American Me,'' 1995's ``Caught'' and 1998's ``Whatever.'' Stepping up to the podium podium In architecture, a pedestal on a large scale. It may be any of various elements that form the base of a structure, such as the platform forming the floor and substructure of a Classical temple, a low wall supporting columns, or the structurally or decoratively to accept his award, Young got the only standing ovation of the evening, from his peers, academy members and family. Among his family members seated at a table near the stage was his director/writer brother Robert Brother Robert was a cleric working in Norway who adapted several French literary works into Old Norse during the reign of Norwegian king Haakon IV of Norway (1217 – 1263). W. Young, whose son is a previous Academy Award winner. The Young of the hour pointed out that his family has produced three generations of filmmakers, joking that it must be in their genes. ``This genetic problem produced Oscar,'' he said. The Science and Technical Awards also honored N. Paul Kenworthy Jr. with the John A. Bonner Award for his pioneering work in the field of optical relays used for shooting films from various camera points of view, as seen in ``The Green Mile.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The transformation of Kevin Bacon from human to hollow in ``Hollow Man'' was worthy of a Science and Technical Award, bestowed by the motion picture academy. |
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