Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

TOLEDO, Ohio, August 2, 2004-Laszlo Kovacs, ASC (Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Miss Congeniality) and Daryn Okada, ASC (Mean Girls, Dr. Dolittle 2, Joe Somebody) will discuss the art of cinematography with the industry's leading educators here at the 58th Annual University Film & Video Association (UFVA) Conference, running August 3-7 at the University of Toledo. The seminars are sponsored by the Kodak Student Filmmaker Program.

"The film school deans and teachers at this conference carry the heavy burden of preparing the next generation of filmmakers to master the collaborative art of visual storytelling," says Kovacs. "Whether their students are future writers, directors, actors or producers, it is important for them to understand the role that cinematographers play as authors of the images."

Kovacs chairs the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Education Committee. His responsibilities include an annual Heritage Program, which offers recognition and tangible support for talented young cinematographers. Kovacs attended the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest. He migrated to the United States as a political refugee in 1956, and overcame formidable odds to become one of the most respected and influential contemporary filmmakers.

Okada is a Los Angeles native who has compiled some 30-plus cinematography credits during the past 20 years, including Paparazzi, slated for release by 20th Century Fox in September. Okada recently ushered Paparazzi through digital intermediate timing sessions as an extention of his role as a cinematographer. He will offer insights into how the convergence of film production and digital mastering technologies will affect the future of the art form.

The two cinematographers will participate in an August 4 panel titled The ASC at 85: the Past, Present and Future, moderated by David Heuring, a veteran journalist and former editor of American Cinematographer Magazine. They will discuss the evolution of the art and craft of visual storytelling, and how an expanded palette of film, digital and hybrid tools could affect the roles their students will play in the future.

Kovacs will also conduct a lighting workshop on August 5, where he will step the audience through the techniques and aesthetics of lighting a scene for emotional impact. He will be demonstrating his chapter on lighting a night interior, from the ASC Press publication Reflections: Twenty-one Cinematographers at Work.

Kodak will also conduct a series of workshops designed to familiarize the educators with the company's new Look Management System, a new hybrid technology designed to enable cinematographers to create, pre-visualize, communicate and manage subtle nuances in film looks from preproduction through postproduction.

"The UFVA conference is an opportunity for educators to share ideas and learn about technologies, which may or may not influence the future of filmmaking," says John Mason, director, Kodak Student Filmmaker Program. "For instance, there are false claims that new technology makes cinematography so simple that anyone can do it. The truth is that artful cinematography requires talent and mastering a complex and constantly evolving craft. We have an abiding commitment to support the important work being done by UFVA."

UFVA members consist of faculty from film and video university programs from around the world who gather annually to teach and learn from one another, for the purpose of enriching their curriculums in order to better prepare the next generation of filmmakers.

ASC was founded in 1919 by 15 charter members, who shared a commitment to advance the art of filmmaking. There are some 270 active members from many areas of the world today.

The Kodak Student Filmmaker Program has been providing significant support for film schools, including scholarships, film grants and discounts, mentoring programs and educational materials since 1991.

For more information, visit
www.ufva.org, or
www.kodak.com/go/student.

Editorial Contact:
Lisa Muldowney/Sally Christgau
760/438-5250 (voice)
email: [email protected]