Theatrical Motion Picture:
“Bridge of Spies” (Janusz Kaminski)
“Carol” (Ed Lachman)
“Mad Max: Fury Road” (John Seale)
WINNER: “The Revenant” (Emmanuel Lubezki)
“Sicario” (Roger Deakins)
ASC Spotlight Award:
WINNER (TIE!): Adam Arkapaw, Macbeth and Mátyás Erdély, Son of Saul
Lifetime Achievement Award: John Toll
ASC Bud Stone Award of Distinction Winner: Grover Crisp
Television
WINNER: “Marco Polo” – “The Fourth Step” (Vanja Cernjul, ASC, HFS)
“12 Monkeys” – “Mentally Divergent” (David Greene, CSC)
“Gotham” – “Strike Force” (Christopher Norr)
“Gotham” – “Scarification” (Crescenzo Notarile, ASC, AIC)
“Game of Thrones” – “Hardhome” (Fabian Wagner, BSC)
The nominees for television movie, miniseries or pilot are:
“Blindspot” pilot (Martin Ahlgren)
WINNER: “Casanova” (Pierre Gill, CSC)
“The Man in the High Castle” pilot (James Hawkinson)
“Bessie” (Jeffrey Jur, ASC)
“Marco Polo” pilot (Romain Lacourbas)
# # #
John Toll, Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
- Legends of the Fall (1994)
- Braveheart (1995)
- The Thin Red Line (1998)
- Almost Famous (2000)
- The Last Samurai (2003)
- Gone Baby Gone (2007)
- Tropic Thunder (2008)
- Cloud Atlas (2012)
- Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016)
For me, the best cinematography of the year is a tie between two films: Adam Arkapaw’s gritty and spooky images in “Macbeth” and Dan Laustsen’s stunning work in “Crimson Peak”. Both cinematographers are not Oscar nominated. I don’t care. For me, their work was the best of the year: innovative, bold, and beautiful.
Having said that, I have to admit that I have not seen “The Revenant” or “Mad Max” movies this year. I’m seeing the former this weekend, and I’m hoping the later will receive another theatrical release in Portland before the Oscars, as I missed seeing it in the summer. I really love John Seale’s past work (“The Thin Red Line” and “Braveheart”) and also Emmanuel Lubezki’s work (especially “Sleepy Hollow” and “Children of Men”), so I’ve got to get my ass to a theater and watch their Oscar-nominated films this year.
My favorite work in this department:
1. Stuart Drybourgh – “Blackhat”
2. Michael McDonough – “Sunset Song”
3. Robert Richardson – “Hateful Eight”
4. Rob Hardy – “Ex Machina”
5. John Seale – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
6. Mark Lee Ping Bing – “The Assassin”
7. Sergio Armstrong – “The Club”
8. Maryse Alberti – “Creed”
8. Ed Lachman – “Carol”
9. Sergio Amstrong – “The Club”
10. Vladimir Ilin, Yuriy Klimenko – “Hard to Be a God”
Bryce, I know you’re a Blackhat fan but that’s your favorite photography of the year? I finally watched it the other day…we have very different opinions on it haha
Haha no hard feelings, I think that’s how most people feel about it probably, but yeah I’d have voted for it.
I loved the photography in Son of Saul and It Follows.
Loved those too! Also notable work in “Phoenix,” “Crimson Peak,” “Bridge of Spies,” “Magic Mike XXL,” “Timbuktu,” “Sicario,” “Beasts of No Nation,” “The Martian,” and “Horse Money”
And yeah I suppose what Chivo accomplished is impressive to say the yeast.
There was some great cinematography this year (I would add “Room”, “Beasts of no nation”, “Macbeth” to that lot) and unfortunately Chivo’s is not my favorite but it’s still great.
If you watch “The brand new testament”, I think you’ll love its cinematography too.
looks great indeed
If Avatar could win over ASC winner The White Ribbon, maybe Mad Max still has a chance.
Again, the guilds are rapidly showing that Revenant is about to pull off an 11 win Oscar night. Yes, even Hardy.
I hope Hardy wins, but only because I’m in love with him. I suppose Rylance technically deserves it more.
It is not going to sweep like that.
Actually, I think it is. The hive mind of the Academy will surprise in multiple techs to “make it up to the guys who should have won for Birdman”.
Telling you, this is coming.
Not gonna happen.
Not that I agree, but which is the Oscar is does not win? 12 noms, 11 wins, what’s left out?
I’m thinking the Visual Effects award. It wins Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costumes, Makeup, and both sound awards. Which one is the implausible one there?
I’m thinking it only wins picture, director, actor, cinematography and maybe production design.
Sound Editing. Not Production Design. Make-up maybe, maybe not. I think the techs will be split between it, Mad Max and TFA
Hardy, no. Stallone has it. He’s the sympathetic “due” vote. More than DiCaprio by far.
I wish TR would have been shot on film. It’s digital photography gives it a too-clean look, especially for the setting it’s in.
I can’t really fault Lubezki winning the last 2 years, and most likely again with Revenant, but, as fantastic as Revenant, Birdman and Gravity look, I’d happily see him trade in 3 Oscars for those films for the wins he deserved for Children of Men and Tree of Life. Hell, I’d love it if he traded in those 3 just for Tree of Life.
All strong choices, but for me The New World is still his best collaboration with Malick. I think it would have been great if he won the Oscar for that one.
If only The New World had been a better over all film instead of the meandering mess it was.
I liked it more then The Tree of Life.
I was hoping this would have gone to John Seale, for coming out of retirement for the brilliant cinematography on mad max (seriously, see it on a big full HD screen on bluray…) but can’t fault this Lubezki win either. oh well..!
For me Cinematography in Revenant was the BEST i have ever seen but again, i didnt saw many great films yet
Chivo is a genius, always love his works, but it’s his 5th award, the third consecutive! I mean, they could’ve used this to reward another prime DP like Lachman! Carol’s cinematography is my favorite and it sucks seeing it win zero awards.
Now, will he make history and win a third consecutive Oscar also? I wasn’t buying it, but since it seems Iñarritu will be the first ever director to win BP back -to-back…
Don’t get the love for Carol’s cinematography. Nothing special for me. I loved the fashion/costuming and other things in Carol much more.
Chivo is in another league, world so no surprise here.
in all objectivity the best man won ! that said sicario was equally gorgeous i came out of that movie wowed but i’ve previously said the revenant edges out slightly sicario cinematography for me , some people find the movie slow at times but i was tots engrossed in it from start to finish and lubesky work was a big part of why , sometimes a movie just has everything fitting so well together , just awesome teamwork on display !
would you guys say these two have a rivalry ? sure reminds me of a few they are the best at what they do no doubt about that !
Yawn.
This topic is a lot more friendly, relaxed and less stressful than the BAFTA Award page.
Inflammatory comments are fun, Ryan 🙂
one of the most deserved wins ever
I really dig the Son of Saul nod (I’m sure I’d feel the same way about Macbeth, but I haven’t gotten to see it because Harvey).
And, whatever other issues The Revenant had, the cinematography was the year’s best. Max was great, Carol was gorgeous, but the best is the best.
Best is subjective..
There are no duds in this category. It’s a real Cinematography Allstars lineup. It’s almost a pity someone has to win when the lineup is this good.
So true. Usually when we post guild awards winners we only post the names of the winners.
But for the ASC last night we decided to leave the names of all the fellow nominees in view — let all 5 nominees stand alongside the winner.
We note the winner prominently — but I just couldn’t bear to delete the names of the other four nominees. Not these guys. Not for these movies.
They’re all 5 masters who created 5 masterpieces.
Confession. I’m actually not thrilled about Kaminski. I would have replaced him with someone else here. Maybe Richardson like AMPAS, or a left field choice like Arkapaw? He’s still a very fine DoP, an Allstar like the rest; I just find his work with Spielberg very samey now. I guess that’s the danger after so many years together.
I agree. Not a fan of how he lensed Bridge of Spies. Although I prefere it to Richardson’s Hateful 8.
Or…Ping Bin Lee for The Assassin.
Agreed!
I agree, but the Revenant was just so stunning it really can’t lose this category. Not just the visual beauty (shot mostly in natural light), but how he moved the camera around in many sequences, putting you right in the action.
…for everything. Do we stop having awards though?
Congratulations! It was stunning work, well deserved.
It is the time to break PGA win stat for the first time since preferential ballet
Shocker.
As expected, and he’ll go on to win the Oscar. Three in a row!
The Spotlight Award is new right, like the DGA’s First Feature award? Seems like a nice way to draw attention to younger cinematographers who’ve done great work in the past year but aren’t big enough names to crack the big category or the Oscars.
lubezki no surprise there
My last hope for Seale winning the Oscar is gone 🙁
Realistically, no one but Chivo was winning. Even people who hate TR think so; in fact one of the criticisms of the film is that it’s a triumph of cinematography over story and direction. I have a soft spot for Lachman’s work, he made Carol feel like you were back in 1952, more so than Brooklyn’s glossier take on the 1950’s. And he did it with minimal post fudging of the image, on a small budget, and in Super 16!
Seale should win this. And I still have my hopes. 😉 Academy chose “Hugo” over “The Artist” when “The Artist” was rewarded with BAFTA and “Avatar” over “The Hurt Locker” when Bigelow’s movie won BAFTA. And ASC LOVES their Chivo (it’s his 5th award but he won Oscars only two times so far). We’ll see. 🙂
Hey.. Nice to meet you!!
Glad someone else thinks Seale should win this. MM:FR looked stunning.
Count me in. ASC picked The Patriot as the winner over Crouching Tiger, and Tiger won the Oscar. Maybe Mad Max still has a small chance.
At least Seale has an Oscar for ”English Patient.” I hope Deakins wins someday. It doesn’t look like his 13th Oscar nomination willl be that lucky. But my fingers are crossed for his ”Untitled Blade Runner Project.”
Deakins will win but I’ve never felt he towered over any other nominee of any given year. I loved the win for There Will Be Blood, it’s one of my favorite films and the cinematography alone made the work a masterpiece. But the closest Deakins came to winning, and one that would be the most deserved, is Assassination of Jesse James. I said it a few weeks back, I think he’ll win for Blade Runner sequel and I never say he’s going to win for a particular project. Him and Denis are a great combo.
…and Lubezki…
A TIE!
Macbeth and Son of Saul!
what is this award?
ASC Spotlight Award… for “outstanding cinematography in features and documentaries that are typically screened at film festivals, in limited theatrical release, or outside the United States”.
Cool. Thanks
Thanks for you help, you guys.
There was no way this award tonight could go to anyone who didn’t deserve it.
TV Series: Vanja Černjul. Marco Polo, “The Fourth Step”
Go anyone!
All worthy choices.
Richardson should be on the list, too, though.
Go Seale!!!
You guys help me out — my twitter is dead at the moment. I’m flying blind.
If you see another winner announced, let me know