2019 Press Releases

Los Angeles, CA (December 30, 2019) — The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) is pleased to announce the honoree of the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Awards President’s Award recipient is legendary actress and philanthropist: Jamie Lee Curtis. Hosted at the Loews Hollywood Hotel on January 18, 2020, the star-studded, red-carpet, award show honors the art and craft of camera operating and the production crew.

“We are honored to present this award to such an iconic, talented, and truly brilliant professional as Jamie Lee Curtis,” shared George Billinger III, SOC President. “Her work has inspired so many of us and we are appreciative for all of her extraordinary contributions – to the business and the creative community at large.”

Jamie Lee Curtis is known for her work in many iconic films over the decades including Halloween (1978), True Lies (1994), Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story (1981), and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), to name a few. Most recently, Lee Curtis starred in Knives Out (2019) alongside camera operator Dale Myrand, SOC, who is also nominated for SOC’s Camera Operator of the Year Awards in film and TV.

In addition to celebrating the achievements by the exceptional film makers and crews, the SOC Awards proudly supports and salutes the Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles through their annual contribution of fundraising videos that have garnered 18.8M in fundraising and charitable donations to date. The Vision Center is an international referral center for children with complex eye diseases and is the only program of its kind in the United States with expertise in virtually every pediatric ophthalmologic subspecialty.

The 2020 President’s award will be presented during the Lifetime Achievement Awards hosted Saturday, January 18, 2020 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel. Seats are still available for purchase. For more information visit https://socawards.com/ and follow us on social media.

Los Angeles, CA (December 18, 2019) — The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) announce the nominees for the 2020 Camera Operator of the Year — Film and Television categories.

Camera Operator of the Year – Film Nominees:
Sam Ellison – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Craig Haagensen, SOC – Motherless Brooklyn
Geoff Haley, SOC – Joker
David Luckenbach, SOC – Ford vs Ferrari
Dale Myrand, SOC – Knives Out

Camera Operator of the Year – Television Nominees:
Chris Cuevas – Watchmen
Mitch Dubin, SOC – Legion
Jim McConkey – Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Jeff Muhlstock, SOC – Mr. Robot
Sean Savage, ACO, SOC – Game of Thrones

The 2020 SOC Camera Operator of the Year – Film and Television recipients will be announced at the January 18, 2020 Awards Show hosted at the Loews Hollywood Hotel.

For further information about the SOC’s Lifetime Achievement Awards and to purchase your seats visit SOCAwards.com.

Los Angeles, CA (December 17, 2019) — The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) announce the honoree of the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Awards Governors Award recipient, Natalie Portman.

The Society is honored to be presenting the Lifetime Achievement award to Academy Award-winner and activist, Natalie Portman for her impressive body of work, collaboration on set with camera operators and crew members, and her commitment to critical social causes such as her work encouraging diversity on set and equality within the entertainment industry.

George Billinger III, SOC President, “We are honored to be presenting this award to such a talented professional as Natalie Portman. Her level of excellence and dedication to not only the entertainment arts, but to many of the challenges we face within our own communities, is an inspiration to us, and we are grateful for her contribution.

Ms. Portman will be presented with their SOC Lifetime Achievement Award on January 18, 2020 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel.

The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) announces the recipients of the Technical Achievement Award to SONY VENICE Extension System (“Rialto mode”).

The Society hosted a full day of demonstrations with technologies presented to the blue ribbon panel of judges, award winning Active members of the Society.

“It was an impressive display of technologies demonstrated, and a challenging choice to make. We congratulate SONY for their exceptional contribution to camera operating and production at large.” Eric Fletcher, SOC, Technical Committee Chair and Board of Governors.

SONY will be presented their Technical Achievement Award on Saturday January 18, 2020 at The Loews Hollywood hotel, joining the industry in celebrating the best of the best in production and camera operating.

The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) announces that Steven Poster, ASC will receive the SOC 2019 Distinguished Service Award. The awards will be presented during the Lifetime Achievement Awards hosted Saturday, January 18, 2020 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel.

The Distinguished Service Award is given to an Individual who has served the community at large and/or the Society through their outstanding service and generosity.  The Honoree is chosen by the Board of Governors and Awards Committee.

Steven Poster served 13 years as the President of the International Cinematographers Guild, a 9,000-member national trade union representing camera workers and film publicists across the United States. He was formerly a member of the Executive Board of the International Documentary Association, served as president of the American Society of Cinematographers, and is currently on the committee of the Nicholl Fellowship of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Steven Poster, “helping my union Sisters and Brothers” has been my biggest reward from union service. “That’s been in my nature most of my life,” he said. “I really have a passion to preserve our art and our craft as we’ve made the transition from film to digital and to make our lives better for as many people as I can. This job has given me the opportunity to achieve both of these goals. It’s amazing how much we love this business. I am deeply honored to be receiving this award from the Society of Camera Operators.”

During his tenure as president of the ASC, Poster was responsible for forming its Technology committee, and continues to act as its co-chair. This committee is at the forefront in standard-setting recommendations for the paradigm-changing use of digital tools for cinematography, and the post-production control of images.

President of the SOC, George Billinger, “Steven had led the way with his commitment to Local 600 members. He has forever changed our industry, bringing education and advancement to the set.  It is the Society’s honor to present Steven Poster with the Distinguished Service Award.”

For further information about the SOC’s Lifetime Achievement Awards and to purchase your seats for the evening: SOCAwards.com

For more information:
Tori Elder
Victori Solutions
victoria@VictoriSolutions.com

2017 Press Releases

Los Angeles, CA (Jan 11, 2018) — The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) announces the honorees of the Lifetime Achievement Awards, Camera Operator of the Year for both the film and television categories. The recipients will be announced at the February 3, 2018 Awards hosted at the Loews Hollywood Hotel.

Camera Operator of the Year – Film Nominees:
Colin Anderson, SOC – The Phantom Thread
Roberto De Angelis, SOC – Baby Driver
Stephen Campanelli, SOC – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Gilles Corbeil, SOC – The Shape of Water
Mitch Dubin, SOC – The Post

Camera Operator of the Year – Television Nominees:
Bob Gorelick, SOC – Stranger Things
Daryl Hartwell – Fargo
Gary Jay, SOC – House of Cards
Brian Osmond – Mindhunter
Ben Semanoff, SOC – Ozark

The Camera Operator of the Year voting is open to all Active SOC members in good standing until January 23, 2018. Last year’s recipients were Film – Arri Robbins, SOC for LA LA Land, and Television – Andrew Mitchell, SOC for The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story.

The Society will be announcing the Presidents award shortly. For further information about the SOC’s Lifetime Achievement Awards and to purchase your seats: SOCAwards.com

The SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards, red carpet show and live stream broadcast are produced and directed by, Matthew Skurow, Principal & Executive Producer of Miraculi Entertainment.

About the SOC
The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) advances the art, craft, and creative contributions of the Camera Operator.

The SOC is an internationally recognized professional honorary society. The core activities of the Society are the annual SOC Awards, publishing the Society’s magazine Camera Operator and our charitable commitment to The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

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Society of Camera Operators Announces the 2017 Technical Achievement Recipient

Los Angeles, CA, (November 14, 2017) – The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) is proud to announce the 2017 recipient of the Technical Achievement Award. The Award is given to a manufacturer or technology that has demonstrated superior engineering, advancement of camera operation, and substantial facilitation of the craft. This year’s recipient is DJI’s Ronin 2.

 The DJI Ronin 2 was chosen as the 2017 winner because of its impact to many aspects of camera operating. The uniquely versatile 3-axis camera stabilization system can be used on car mounts, cable cam, jib, body worn mounts as a hot head, and even Steadicam. And the adaptability of the equipment improves the ultimate shot while helping to keep production on schedule.

 The Society hosted a full day of demonstrations on Saturday, November 11 for the panel of judges comprised of Active SOC members:

 Andrew Ansnick, SOC
Luke Cormack, SOC
Richard Davis, SOC
David Emmerichs
Eric Fletcher, SOC – Technical Committee Chairperson
David Frederick, SOC
Daniel Gold, SOC
Jamie Hitchcock, SOC
Lawrence “Doc” Karman, SOC
Manolo Rojas Moscopulos, SOC
David Sammons, SOC.

 “The Society was thrilled with the companies and level of engineering that was submitted. Many factors went into our decision, and the level of competition this year was extraordinary. We thank all the manufacturers for their participation. We believe this year’s recipient is an excellent representative of the technologies that help camera operators create iconic imagery,” said Eric Fletcher, SOC Technical Committee Chair.

 The SOC appreciates following companies for presenting at our 2017 Demo Day:

BB&S Lightning, AREA 48 Remote Phosphor Softlight, Soft and Studio Models
Cooke Optics Limited, Cooke / i Technology
DJI, Inspire 2
DJI, Ronin 2
DrivingPlates.com LLC, DrivingPlates.com Plate Rig and Stock Library
Oppenheimer Camera Products Inc, OppCam Panhandle System
Preston Cinema Systems, Light Ranger 2
RED Digital Cinema, RED WEAPON
Sigma Photo, Sigma Cine High Speed Zoom and Prime product line

We also appreciate all of our SOC members who came out to view the technologies and discuss the equipment with the manufacturers.

The Technical Achievement Award will be presented at our 2018 Lifetime Achievement Awards evening on Saturday, February 3, 2018 hosted at the Loews Hollywood Hotel.

 For more information about the SOC’s Lifetime Achievement Awards and to purchase your seats for the evening: SOCAwards.com

About the SOC
The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) advances the art, craft, and creative contributions of the Camera Operator.

 The SOC is an internationally recognized professional honorary society. The core activities of the Society are the support and furtherance of the position of Camera Operator, developing workshops and educational outreach, producing the annual SOC Award Show, publishing the Society’s magazine Camera Operator and our charitable commitment to The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
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Society of Camera Operators Announces the Technical Achievement Awards Demo Day and Judging Panel

Los Angeles, CA, (October 26, 2017) -The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) announces the entrants in the Technical Achievement Awards. The awards will be presented at the Saturday February 3, 2018 Lifetime Achievement Awards evening hosted at the Lowes Hollywood Hotel.

Eric Fletcher, SOC, Technical Committee Chairperson, has invited the following Technical Achievement Award Nominees to present at the SOC’s Demo Day on Saturday, November 11 at the Society’s offices in Burbank, California:

  • Oppenheimer Camera Products Inc, OppCam Panhandle System
  • Cooke Optics Limited, Cooke / i Technology
  • Preston Cinema Systems, Light Ranger 2
  • DrivingPlates.com LLC, DrivingPlates.com Plate Rig and Stock Library
  • BB&S Lightning, AREA 48 Remote Phosphor Softlight, Soft and Studio Models
  • RED Digital Cinema, RED WEAPON
  • Sigma Photo, Sigma Cine High Speed Zoom and Prime product line
  • DJI, Inspire 2
  • DJI, Ronin 2

The Following Active Members of the SOC are the judging panel for Demo Day:

  • Luke Cormack, SOC
  • Richard Davis, SOC
  • David Emmerichs, SOC
  • Eric Fletcher, SOC – Technical Chair
  • Dave Frederick, SOC
  • Dan Gold, SOC
  • Jamie Hitchcock, SOC
  • Manolo Rojas Moscopulos, SOC
  • David Sammons, SOC

The Technical Achievement Award is given to a manufacturer or technology that has demonstrated superior engineering, advancement of camera operation, and substantial facilitation of the craft.

After the judging demonstration, the SOC membership has been invited to attend the Demo Day, offering hands on exposure to the gear and one-on-one time with the manufacturers.

Society of Camera Operators Announces the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Recipients, Governors and  Distinguished Service Honorees

Los Angeles, CA (October 24, 2017) — The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) announces the honorees of the Lifetime Achievement Awards, recipients of the Governors Award and Distinguished Service Award, which will be presented at the February 2, 2018 Awards hosted at the Lowes Hollywood Hotel.

The 2017 Governors Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented to John Bailey and the Lifetime Achievement for Distinguished Service Award to Denny Clairmont.

The Governors Award is presented to an individual in recognition of outstanding contribution and achievement with consistent enlightened service and leadership in film, video or media. The Dedicated Service Award is given to an Individual who has served the community at large and/or the Society through their outstanding service and generosity.

Also announced are the honorees of the Lifetime Achievement Awards for Camera Operator, Mobile Camera Platform Operator, Camera Technical and Still Photographer.
These Lifetime Achievement Awards are given in recognition of outstanding achievement by a craft person within the field of film and video production who has at least 20 years experience. The honorees are:

  • Camera Operator – P. Scott Sakamoto, SOC
  • Mobile Camera Platform Operator – Dan Pershing
  • Camera Technician – John Connor
  • Still Photographer – JoJo Whilden

 

Society of Camera Operators 2018 Lifetime Achievement Awards Announce Technical Achievement Award Submissions Open

Los Angeles, CA (June 26, 2017) — The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) opens the online submission process for their annual Technical Achievement Award.

The Technical Achievement Awards is given each year by the SOC and awarded at the Lifetime Achievement Awards that will take place Saturday February 3, 2018 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, Los Angeles.

The nominees are reviewed by the Society’s Technical Committee with demonstrations and presentations conducted on November 11 and 12, 2017. The Recipients will also be highlighted in the Society of Camera Operators magazine, Camera Operator, in the spring edition.

The 2017 Technical Achievement Award was given to SHOTOVER for the K1 6-Axis Stabilizer and That Cat for The Patented Silent Cat Slider. Past recipients include: Pictorvision for the Eclipse Gyro Stabilized Aerial Camera Systems, Motion Picture Marine for Perfect Horizon Camera Stabilization Head, Canon EOS Cine C300 and C500 Camera Systems, David Eubanks for pCam Film+Digital Calculator, Angenieux Optimo Lenses, ARRI Alexa Camera, to name a few.

The Submission process is open to any individual, manufacturer or organization that would like to be considered for the Technical Achievement Award. The online submission can be found at http://soc.org/techawards/. There is a $450 USD administrative fee when submitting.

For more information about the Awards

SOCAwards.com

About the SOC

The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) advances the art, craft, and creative contributions of the Camera Operator.

The SOC is an internationally recognized professional honorary society. The core activities of the Society are the annual SOC Awards, publishing the Society’s magazine “Camera Operator,” and our charitable commitment to The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

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Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards Announces Governor’s Award Honoree, Michael Keaton

Los Angeles, CA (Jan 10, 2017) — The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) announces the Lifetime Achievement Awards Governor’s Award Honoree, Mr. Michael Keaton.

The Society is honored to be presenting the Governor’s Award to Mr. Michael Keaton for his extraordinary body of work and commitment to the craft of Camera Operating.

Mr. Keaton’s most recent successes with Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, Spotlight, and The Founder are examples of his expanding creative genius and the depth and variety of his performances. Mr. Keaton has also been in the director’s chair with The Merry Gentlemen, staring Mary McDonald.

Mr. Keaton will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award on February 11, 2017 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel.

For further information about the SOC’s Lifetime Achievement Awards and to purchase your seats: SOCAwards.com

About the SOC
The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) advances the art, craft, and creative contributions of the Camera Operator.

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Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards Announces the Camera Operator of the Year Nominees

Los Angeles, CA (Jan 6, 2017) — The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) announces the nominees for Camera Operator of the Year in the Film and Television categories.

Camera Operator of the Year – Film Nominees:
Stephen Campanelli, SOC – Sully
David Emmerichs, SOC – Nocturnal Animals
Mark Goellnicht, SOC – Hacksaw Ridge
Petr Hlinomaz – Manchester by the Sea
Jacques Jouffret, SOC – Deep Water Horizon
Ari Robbins, SOC – La La Land

Camera Operator of the Year – Television Nominees:
Andrew Mitchell, SOC – The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story
Ben Semanoff, SOC & Bruce MacCallum, SOC – The Night of
Steven Matzinger & Greg Smith – Westworld
Bob Gorelick, SOC – Stranger Things
Aaron Medick, SOC – Mr. Robot
Sean Savage, Assoc BSC & ACO – Game of Thrones

The Camera Operator of the Year Recipients will be announced at the February 11, 2017 Awards Show hosted at the Lowes Hollywood Hotel. Last year’s recipients were P. Scott Sakamoto, SOC – The Revenant and Steve Fracol, SOC – Scandal.

For further information about the SOC’s Lifetime Achievement Awards and to purchase your seats: SOCAwards.com

About the SOC
The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) advances the art, craft, and creative contributions of the Camera Operator. The SOC is an internationally recognized professional honorary society. The core activities of the Society are the annual SOC Awards, publishing the Society’s magazine Camera Operator and our charitable commitment to The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

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2016 Press Releases

Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards Announce Technical Achievement Awards

Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards Announce Technical Achievement Awards

Los Angeles, CA (November 22, 2016) – The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) today announces the recipients of its Lifetime Achievement Award for Technical Achievement to SHOTOVER: The SHOTOVER K1 6 Axis Gyro-­Stabilized Camera Platform and That Cat Camera Support : the Patented Silent Cat Camera Slider.

The SOC hosted a full day of demonstrations with fifteen technologies presented to the blue ribbon panel of judges, which was a group of award winning active members of the Society.

“It was an extremely difficult choice and we decided to award two technologies this year. We are proud to award SHOTOVER and THAT CAT for their superb engineering and leadership within the production community”, Eric Fletcher, SOC, Technical Committee Chair and Board of Governors.

SHOTOVER and THAT CAT will be presented their Lifetime Achievement Awards on Saturday February 11, 2017 at The Loews Hollywood Hotel, joining the industry in celebrating the best of the best in production and camera operating.

“SHOTOVER is truly honored and grateful to have been selected by the SOC for a Lifetime Technical Achievement. This award is the result of years of innovation, and hard work from an amazing team that I am proud to be a part of. The late Alan Purwin had a vision for SHOTOVER to unlock the creative potential of its users, and this award signifies that we achieved that,” Brad Hurndell, CEO.

“It is especially gratifying to be recognized by the top professionals in our industry who use camera sliders on every shot. The Silent Cat Slider was designed with the camera operator’s needs in mind and it was an exciting privilege to be assessed by the SOC’s Technical Committee members. Their work history and contributions to the motion picture industry are a testament to the high standards of the SOC which makes this award so meaningful to us,” Philip Saad, Founder, That Cat Camera Support.

For more information about the Awards: socawards.com

About the SOC
The  Society  of  Camera  Operators  (SOC)  advances  the  art,  craft,  and  creative contributions of the Camera Operator.

The SOC is an internationally recognized professional honorary society that advances the art, craft, and creative contributions of the camera operator. The core activities of the Society are the annual SOC Awards, publishing the Society’s magazine Camera Operator and our charitable commitment to The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

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Society of Camera Operators Announces the Lifetime Achievement Honorees & Demo Day Technologies

Los Angeles, CA (October 31, 2016) — The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) announces the honorees of the Lifetime Achievement Awards, who will be honored at the February 11, 2017 Awards hosted at the Lowes Hollywood Hotel.

The Lifetime Achievement Awards are given in recognition of outstanding achievement by a crafts person within the field of film and video production who has at least twenty years’ experience. The Honorees are:

Camera Operator – Garrett Brown, SOC
Mobile Camera Platform Operator – Mike Moad
Camera Technician – Bobby Mancuso
Still Photographer – Phil Caruso

The Technical Achievement Awards committee has invited the following Technical Achievement Award Nominees to present at the SOC’s Demo Day on November 12 at the Society’s offices in Burbank, California:

–  Brother International Corporation, AiRScouter head-mounted display
            –  Canon USA Inc, Multipupose Ultra-High Sensitivity HD Camera 
            –  Clairmont Camera, Image Shaker 
            –  DJI, Inspire 1
            –  DJI, Osmo 
            –  FLUOTEC, Lighting / CINELIGHT SoftLIGHT Bicolor DMX LED Panels 
            –  FLUOTEC, Lighting / VEGALUx 300 Bicolor Tuneable StudioLED Fresnel
            –  Fujinon, Cabrio Lens 
            –  Gyro-Stabilized Systems, Gimbal-Stabilized camera platform 
            –  INOVATIV, Scout 37 EVO 
            –  SHOTOVER Camera Systems, Shotover K1 6 axis stabilizer 
            –  Spacecam Systems, Maximus 7 
            –  That Cat Camera Support, The Patented Silent Cat Camera Slider 
            –  The “Original” Slider 
            –  TRANSVIDEO, Cine Monitor HD X-SBL line of products

The Technical Achievement Award is given to a manufacturer or technology that has demonstrated superior engineering, advancement of camera operation, and substantial facilitation of the craft.

After the judging demonstration, the SOC membership has been invited to attend the demo days, offering hands on exposure to the gear and one-on-one time with the manufactures.

For further information about the SOC’s Lifetime Achievement Awards and to purchase your seats:SOCAwards.com

 About the SOC
The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) advances the art, craft, and creative contributions of the Camera Operator.

The SOC is an internationally recognized professional honorary society. The core activities of the Society are the annual SOC Awards, publishing the Society’s magazine Camera Operator and our charitable commitment to The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

 

Press Coverage for the 2016 SOC Awards

 

Press Coverage for the 2015 SOC Awards