CAMERA OPERATOR OF THE YEAR

The SOC named Bob Gorelick as Camera Operator of the Year for his work on THE DARK KNIGHT at its 2009 Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) once again honored its peers, supporters and industry heavyweights at the annual SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards. The recipients will gather for the awards celebration at the Leonard Goldenson Theater of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on February 21, 2009.
SOC President’s Award was bestowed upon Mole Richardson Larry Mole Parker in recognition of his tireless and dependable efforts to support the education of the entering filmmakers and the enduring culture of the members of the SOC.

Longtime member of the SOC and top-tiered Panavision Andy Romanoff received the Society’s Distinguished Service Award in recognition for his support and hard-working dedication to the motion picture camera crews and Cinematographers during his professional career.

Honoring the Lifetime Achievements of the following crew members the SOC proudly presented their “CAMMY” award to: Camera Operator Michael Scott, SOC (Donnie Darko, Speed); Camera Technician Bob Hall (Dark Knight, The Pursuit of Happyness); Still Photographer Ralph Nelson (Frost/Nixon, Eagle Eye); Mobile Camera Platform Operator as Helicopter Pilot Al Cerullo (Spiderman, I am Legend).

Recognizing the Technical Achievement the SOC honored with their award George Paddock, Chris Haarhoff, Mark O’Kane and David Emmerichs of GPI for the PRO Camera Stabilization System.

Douglas Trumbull (2001, Brainstorm) was recognized by the SOC for his Technical Achievement and awarded for the development of the Slit Scan Photographic Process in Motion Picture Photography as featured in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 as well as many other film projects.

Will Arnot, SOC (Milk), Stephen Campanelli, SOC (The Changeling), Robert Gorelick, SOC (The Dark Knight), Kim Marks (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) and Martin Schaer (Eagle Eye) were the finalists in the feature film category of the 23rd Annual Society of Camera Operators (SOC) Lifetime Achievement Awards Camera Operator of the Year competition.

“The Lifetime Achievement Award enables our peers and the industry to acknowledge the importance of an individual’s contribution to Cinematography, the motion picture industry and the Society of Camera Operators,” says SOC Past President and Awards Event Producer David Frederick, SOC. “It is the one industry awards event that heralds the accomplishments of the below the line individuals who make up the backbone of the industry.”

“The Society of Camera Operators have presented the Lifetime Achievement Awards since 1981,” adds Frederick. The process of selection, nomination and final choice of the awards recipient falls upon the shoulders of the active members of the Society of Camera Operators. “The SOC has shown its support and charity to the Vision Center of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles for more than 20 years. This awards event is a fundraiser for the SOC that helps to aid in the treatment of Children’s eye care. It is a noble and worthy effort by the members of the Society which is in turn graciously supported by the industry sponsors of the event.”