Roger Deakins Honored as the IPA’s 2009 Tesla Award Recipient

Roger Deakins Honored as the IPA’s 2009 Tesla Award Recipient


INTERNATIONAL PRESS ACADEMY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Quendrith Johnson or Mirjana Van Blaricom (818) 989-1589 info@pressacademy.com www.pressacademy.com Roger Deakins Honored as the IPA’s 2009 Tesla Award Recipient Los Angeles, CA, November 4, 2009 --The International Press Academy today announced that cinematographer Roger Deakins will receive the 2009 Nikola Tesla Award in Recognition of Visionary Achievement in Filmmaking Technology at this year‟s 14th Annual Satellite Awards™ on Sunday, December 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, CA. Nominated eight times for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Roger Deakins‟ creative influence behind the camera can be seen in the „emotional look‟ of films ranging from “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Fargo,” Martin Scorsese‟s “Kundun,” “O Brother Where Art Thou?,” Ron Howard‟s “A Beautiful Mind,” “The House of Sand and Fog,” “Revolutionary Road,” and “Doubt.” In 2007, Deakins received two Oscar™ nominations in the same year for “No Country for Old Men” and “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” IPA first presented the Tesla Award in 2001 to honor game-changing pioneers who influence the way filmed entertainment has evolved. Deakins is credited with being among the first to manipulate film stock using the „bleach bypass‟ method, which leaves a silvery black feel to the images and de-saturates the color as the negative develops. For the film “Assassination of Jesse James,” he created a modified set of lenses now known as “Deakinizers.” On “The Man Who Wasn‟t There,” he created a unique black-and-white look from color stock for Joel and Ethan Coen. Deakins‟ long-standing collaboration with the Coen Bros. dates back to their 1991 dark comedy “Barton Fink,” and has resulted in a remarkable slate of films. “A Serious Man” from Focus Features is his most recent project with the Coens. The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has nominated Roger Deakins a total of nine times for Outstanding Cinematography, with two wins for “Shawshank” and “The Man Who Wasn‟t There.” He has been nominated five times and twice won the BAFTA award for cinematography for “The Man Who Wasn‟t There” and “No Country for Old Men.” His list of awards includes a Satellite Award for “O Brother Where Art Thou” as well as a Satellite nomination for “Assassination of Jesse James.” Deakins has also received the National Board of Review‟s career achievement award for cinematography.
Although the British-born DP is a master of conventional still photography methods and traditional cinematic techniques, he is unique in also being on the vanguard of the Digital
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Intermediary (DI) process. Simply put, the DI process involves digitzing film, and then having the freedom to work with all aspects of the images from color grading, lighting and shading, and even grain structure, before returning the result back to film stock. “O Brother Where Art Thou,” a collaboration with the Coen Brothers, was one of the first films to use this process. When the film started shooting, the technology was in such early stages that it was uncertain if their aim was achievable, however Deakins gambled on the advance of technology during the time between the start of shooting and of post-production. Roger Deakins is also breaking new ground as a visual consultant on animated features. Beginning with Pixar's “WALL•E,” Roger was brought in to help create a unique look for that project, bringing the world of physical production and lighting into the world of animation. He is currently continuing this work on two additional animated projects, “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Rango.” As one of the technical innovators in the industry, Deakins joins the prestigious ranks of Tesla honorees. Past recipients of the International Press Academy's Nikola Tesla Award include: George Lucas, James Cameron, Jerry Lewis, Stan Winston, Richard Donner, Dennis Muren and Rick Baker. A complete list of award show details can be found on www.satelliteawards.org, the official site of the IPA Satellite awards.
The International Press Academy (IPA) is among the largest and most diverse associations of professional entertainment journalists representing both domestic and foreign markets in print, television, radio, cable, and new media outlets. See www.pressacademy.com for more information. # # #