American Cinematographer - April 2005 - 150

so

many

things, it

was a matter

of

timing."
The ASC's salute to Koenekamp
was

well-timed, given that he was one of

the first

cameramen

camera

-

a

to use a Panavision

standard 65mm Mitchell

housed in

Panavised

blimp -
County(1957), shot by Robert
Surtees, ASC. (Koenekamp was the
camera
on

ASC Honors International

mann,

Cinematographers
Cinematographers Rainer KlausBVK and Harald Paalgard made

their first visits to the ASC Clubhouse

on

February 24, three days before Academy
Awards. The two

cameramen were

the

guests of honor at a reception for cine¬

ships with the directors of their projects.
Zsigmond, Van Oostrum and
Laskus were born, raised and educated in
different

European countries where cine¬
matographers are considered artists
rather than technicians. Laskus pointed

out, "Most directors and other filmmak¬
ers I have worked with [in the United

States] understand that we are artists
technology, but I

were

matographers whose motion pictures
nominated for an Academy Award in
the Foreign Language Film category.

who have mastered the

Klausmann shot Downfall (Der Unter-

educate others."

believe we still have

gang), an epic dramatization of Ffitler's last
days in the bunker before the fall of Berlin.
Paalgard served as director of photogra¬
phy on As In Heaven (Sa som i hlmmelen),
a story about a successful symphony
conductor who returns to his native village
in Sweden and finds

a new

life with the

church choir.

a

lot of work to do to

-

Bob Fisher

sored

brothers who

speak a common
language," Zsigmond asserted. "We can
learn from one another, and we definitely
need to stand together on artists' rights
issues. What we are doing tonight is
important, but this is just the beginning.
We need to bring cinematographers from
around the world together into a single
community."
Van Oostrum and Laskus conducted

informal conversations with the two cine¬

matographers, who

discussed

their

creative motivations and their relation¬

the

ASC/Panavision

dinner,

Koenekamp claimed he had used the first
Panaflex, which prompted Vilmos Zsig¬
mond, ASC to raise his hand and say that
he had done so, on The Sugarland
Express (1974). Phil Radin, Panavision's
vice president of marketing, later
explained that there were four working
models available at that time, so both
are valid.
number of ASC members

attended the Panavision dinner, among

Koenekamp
On January 13, Panavision
a

spon¬
dinner at the ASC Clubhouse

Moore, who co-founded Panavi¬
sion with Robert Gottschalk and Mered¬
ith Nicholson, ASC, has continued his

relationship with the company over the
although he left in 1963 to pursue
a
career
in cinematography. Most
recently, Moore helped Panavision cele¬
brate its 50th anniversary (see AC Aug.
'04). The company was created in 1954 in
a garage, with $5,000, and Moore
became its executive vice president of
design and development. Recalling the
company's early years, Moore said, "Like

years,

A

them Russ Alsobrook,

with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

are

At

Salute Moore and

Van Oostrum, ASC and Jacek Laskus, ASC.

"We

was among the four cinematographers
who used the first models on a feature.

cinematographers' claims

auspices of the Society's International
Committee, chaired by Vilmos Zsigmond,
ASC. The event was organized by Kees

the event, which was conducted under the

technician.) When the Panaflex
introduced, in 1972, Koenekamp

camera
was

Panavision and the ASC

celebrating the careers of Richard Moore,
ASC and Fred Koenekamp, ASC. Both
cinematographers were also honored by
the Society at its annual awards dinner in
February; Moore received the President's
Award and Koenekamp was honored

Some 40 ASC members attended

a

Haintree

Stephen H. Burum,
Bobby Byrne, Curtis Clark, George Spiro
Dibie, William A. Fraker, John Flora,

Victor J.

Kemper, Laszlo Kovacs, Donald
Morgan, Woody Omens, Gene Polito,
Steven Poster, Owen Roizman, Bradley
Six, Bing Sokolsky, John Toll, Roy Wagner
and Ralph Woolsey.
After dinner, Panavision presented
Moore and Koenekamp with "retired"
Ultra Panavision lenses, engraved with
the date. When another cinematographer
suggested the company should also give
such lenses to past Lifetime Achievement
honorees, Radin jokingly maintained that
M.

the lenses

were

both "due

on

set tomor¬

row, so they have to be returned." As the
evening drew to a close, host Owen Roiz¬
man, ASC thanked everyone for attending

what he said would hereafter be "the

annual Panavision dinner,"

prompting a
hearty round of applause.
Stephen Pizzello
-
American Cinematographer - April 2005

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