BY: ZOE MUTTER
After being forced to move online last year, the BSC Awards celebration returned in style with a sparkling in-person event at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. Recognition of creativity, innovation, and filmmaking flair took centre stage and history was made as Ari Wegner ACS became the first female cinematographer to win the BSC Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film for her lensing of Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog.
The winning cinematographers, camera operators, industry associations, and experts are as follows…
BSC Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film 2021 (sponsored by MBSE): Ari Wegner ACS for The Power of the Dog
BSC Best Cinematography in a TV Drama 2021 (sponsored by Pixipixel): Erik Alexander Wilson BSC for Landscapers
BSC Lifetime Achievement Award – Phil Méheux BSC
BSC ARRI John Alcott Memorial Award (sponsored by ARRI) – Mike Eley BSC
BSC Special Achievement Award (sponsored by CVP): Screen Craft Rights
BSC Bert Easey Technical Award (sponsored by Universal Production Services): Astera LED Technology
Operator Award – TV Drama 2021 – ACO-BSC-GBCT (sponsored by Ronford Baker – RED – Panavision – MK-V – SceneClipper – Oconnor): Danny Bishop ACO Assoc. BSC SOC for Your Honor “Part One”
Operator Award – Feature 2021 – ACO-BSC-GBCT (sponsored by Panavision – RED – Ronford Baker – MK-V – SceneClipper – Oconnor): Mitch Dubin SOC ACO and John “Buzz” Moyer SOC for West Side Story
BSC Short Film Cinematography Award 2021: Student winner – Eng Tek Ng (London Film School) for Caravan. BSC Club winner – Tasha Back for Enjoy
Taking over the reins from Mike Eley BSC who has served as president for the past four years, newly appointed president Christopher Ross BSC took to the stage to reflect on the past year and look to filmmaking’s future. “There’s been a great deal of upheaval in the world since the last time we were all together in this room, so thanks must go out to each and every one of you for attending tonight’s celebration of the cinematographic form. We’re pleased to be welcoming back so many familiar faces and honoured to be joined by some fresh ones as well,” Ross said.
One of those new faces in the room was guest of honour, writer-director, Edgar Wright. Speaking following a compilation of some of his on-screen creations, the director highlighted that the work was not just his own, “it’s also the brilliant work of many, many exceptional people. Directors of photography like David Dunlap, Jess Hall, Bill Pope, Jake Polonsky, and Chung-hoon Chung.” Wright went on to recognise the “miracle working” second unit DPs such as Mark Moriarty, Peter Field, David Franco, and world-class” operators like Paul Edwards, Peter Robertson, Roberto De Angelis, and Chris Bain who was nominated for his work on Last Night in Soho.
“None of those could do what they do without an army of hard-working camera assistants, focus pullers, clapper loaders, grips, gaffers, electricians, lab technicians, colourists… None of these creations would have seen the light of day, let alone the cinema screen, without the exceptional teams behind the camera. Being a director is about two things – making sure everyone is making the same film and translating what is in your head onto the screen and I can’t do any of that without any of the people I just mentioned… Every DP and camera department member has taught me invaluable lessons and tricks. How to schedule the day and concentrating on what’s important in the shot, how to make a scene work for actors with wildly different methods, what order to shoot them in… when to drop everything and capture a magical moment.”
“I’m not sure if I’ve met anyone with as fervent a love of cinema and filmmaking, and with as intricate a knowledge of the craft that we all love,” Ross said of Wright. In a recorded introduction from Wright’s longtime collaborator, Jake Polonsky BSC shared anecdotes from his time working with the director and that when they met, “his enthusiasm and passion for film and music was clear, and he was always keen to try out ambitious visual ideas. Although he is interested in technique, he’s also passionate about film itself.”
Taking a stand for safety
To acknowledge the exceptional talent and dedication of the late camera operator Mark Milsome, the BSC announced that it was awarding him Honorary Associate membership. Milsome was killed in 2017 while filming a stunt in Ghana. In the aftermath of the tragedy an inquest found that the risk of the camera operator being harmed or fatally injured during the stunt was not effectively recognised, assessed, communicated, or managed. The loss of talented Milsome serves as a constant reminder of the importance of health and safety on the film sets of the world, and the loss of Halyna Hutchins last year is a painful reminder of how much work still needs to be done. The BSC stands with all crew members who take a stand for safety on set. No person should ever be placed in harm’s way through lack of proper planning, avoidance of responsibility or ill-considered risk management.
“He was a camera operator of the highest calibre, having been a similarly skilled focus puller and clapper loader. But more significantly, he was a human being of the highest calibre and embodied everything that is great about the camera department – warmth, compassion, and determination. I urge you all to be more Mark,” Ross said.
Granting Milsome Honorary Associate BSC membership, Ross invited Mark’s wife Andra on stage to collect the certificate. Speaking emotionally about what the membership meant, Andra Milsome said: “Mark would be truly honoured, humbled, and touched to receive this accolade from his colleagues and to be held in such high esteem. Mark will never now be able to serve his full creative potential. He started to but he had his life cut off in his prime by such an avoidable tragedy. And it’s vital that more accountability and better health and safety practices are put into place and that these not only become standardised, but mandatory. No more cost cutting, no more cutting corners, and every single person should be able to come home safely at the end of each working day.”
Ross urged the audience to follow and support the work of the Mark Milsome Foundation that has been founded in Mark’s memory and to take the health, safety, and wellbeing course they have created to “build an industry that prides itself on mutual collective responsibility, and respect for everybody’s wellbeing. It’s the only way that I can see to work in this industry for the rest of my life.”
Honouring exceptional talent and tech
The work of the winners of the BSC Short Film Cinematography Award was also in the spotlight as they were presented with their awards. This category was judged by four members of the BSC who took particular notice of the creativity and appreciation of the art of cinema and how the lighting, composition, and camera movement can be used to enhance the story and the mood of the film. Winner of the student competition was Eng Tek Ng (London Film School) for Caravan and the BSC Club winner was Tasha Back for Enjoy. This marks Eng Teck Ng’s first nomination and win and Tasha’s Back’ second nomination and first win. They each receive free membership to the BSC Club for a year and an Alexa Mini and Master Anamorphic or Signature Prime lenses plus two Orbiters for a week.
In recognition of its “mastery of LED technology, technical performance, and the quality of its light”, Astera Lighting was presented with the BSC Bert Easey Technical Award (sponsored by Universal Production Services). Handing out the accolade, Laurie Rose BSC underscored that the award recipient has been producing battery powered light tubes since 2007, and its latest generation of fixtures “set a new standard” in the field of portable LED lighting. “Since their introduction, these lights have come up become central to many of our kit lists, liberating us from cables and signal bi-colour sources, providing powerful tunable white line with high colour rendering, as well as a vast range of familiar gel colours, effects colours, and motion sequences,” he said.
Moving on to the Operators Award, the evening’s host, Mike Southon BSC, praised the “camera operators who unhesitatingly embrace what the innovators have offered them” and the unsung heroes who have made the Operators Awards a reality – Dee Edwards from the GBCT and Rodrigo Gutierrez ACO Assoc. BSC.
The Operators Award for Television Drama – ACO-BSC-GBCT (sponsored by Ronford Baker – RED – Panavision – MK-V – SceneClipper – Oconnor) was presented to Danny Bishop ACO Assoc. BSC SOC for Your Honor “Part One”. Nominees in the category were – James Frater ACO SOC for The Witcher S2 Ep8; Simon Jayes SOC and Chris Murphy for The Mandalorian S2 Ep3; Dan Nightingale ACO GBCT for It’s a Sin Ep 2; and Peter Robertson ACO SOC Assoc. BSC and Rodrigo Gutierrez ACO Assoc. BSC for The Nevers S1 Ep1.
Accepting his award, Bishop said the production was a real collaboration between him, the director, and James Friend BSC ASC, who have worked together for over a decade. “We had two months prep on this, and we really worked hard,” he said. “It was a collaboration of the camera department, my focus puller Serge, and my key grip James Selph and my dolly grip Joe. It was a real honour to go out to America and work and I’m so grateful for this award, it means a lot.”
In the Operator Award Feature Film category (sponsored by Panavision), Mitch Dubin SOC ACO and John ‘Buzz’ Moyer SOC were crowned the winners for their kinetic work on West Side Story. The nominees in the category were Jason Ewart ACO and Ossie Maclean ACO SOC for their muscular operating on No Time to Die; Pete Batten ACO and Jess Doxy for their high-energy operating on Cruella; Julian Morson ACO GBCT Assoc. BSC and Sam Renton’s balletic operating on The Kings Man; and Chris Bain for his intricate and demanding work on Last Night in Soho.
In a recorded acceptance speech, Dubin said: “There’s nothing more honouring or humbling than to have your work recognised by your peers… I want to thank my partner in crime Buzz Moyer who did an amazing job as the B camera and Steadicam operator and to Brendan Lowry, my exceptional dolly grip, and the steadfast and supportive camera team. And of course, a huge thank you to Janusz Kamiński and Steven Spielberg whose inspiration drove this project which was a wonderful labour of love.”
Erik Alexander Wilson BSC scooped the award for Best Cinematography in a TV Drama Award (sponsored by Pixipixel) for Landscapers “Episode 3”. The other nominees in the category were Dana Gonzales for Fargo “East/West”; David Katznelson BSC DFF for It’s a Sin “Episode 1”; Zac Nicholson BSC for The Pursuit of Love; and James Friend BSC ASC for Your Honor “Part One”.
In a recorded message, Wilson said Landscapers was “a joy to make because of the amazing crew I had around me and the brilliant producer, director, and actors that were involved” and congratulated all the other nominees “because it’s been so inspiring and amazing to watch all the work done this year.” The Norwegian cinematographer also thanked the UK film industry and film community as a whole for welcoming him, saying he was “honoured to be part of it.”
In recognition of special achievement in promoting the aims of the society and the art of cinematography, Screen Craft Rights received the Special Achievement Award (sponsored by CVP). The not-for-profit organisation was jointly established by BECTU, the BSC, GBCT, and British Film Editors, and with the support of the British Film Designers Guild to collect and distribute payments due to craft rightsholders. Since its formation 11 years ago, the collective society has distributed almost £8 million to individual cinematographers, editors, designers, makeup and costume supervisors.
Accepting the award, Martin Spence, BECTU and member of the Screen Craft Rights board of directors, outlined that Screen Craft Rights was established because “we knew there was money being held in European countries, which take a more enlightened view about the range of creative contributions that go into film and TV production than is taken in this country. In this country, the rights of writers, directors, and actors are recognised in law, and quite right too. And the notion that they should receive a financial reward for the success of the productions that they contribute to is recognised in this country. But production designers, costume designers, editors, cinematographers are not recognised in this country as having creative rights that should attract an economic reward.
“This has been one of the proudest achievements of my trade union life – to help in the creation of Screen Craft Rights – and to win this award, which I’m very clear I’m taking only on behalf of many other people, is the icing on the cake.”
Presented to a person who, in the opinion of the board, has contributed most towards perpetuating the original aims of the society, the BSC ARRI John Alcott Memorial Award (sponsored by ARRI) went to outgoing BSC President Mike Eley BSC. “Throughout the last four years, Mike has worked tirelessly on behalf of our society, giving his time generously whilst continuing to make outstanding and award-winning work as a cinematographer,” said Kate Reid BSC, presenting the award to Eley. “His tenure as president of this society has been the epitome of service, as well as an inspiring example of leadership for those who have had the privilege to witness this firsthand.”
Thanking the BSC for the honour and the board he has worked with for the past four years, Eley also recognised the work of Audra Marshall, Helen Maclean, and Frances Russell and congratulated Christopher Ross BSC on assuming the presidency. “The BSC is full of incredibly talented people who want to share their knowledge and experience.” Eley said. “I think cinematographers vary in personality, as much as people in wider society, but we tend to sort of fly under the radar; we stand on the edge and take notes and observe. There is a lot of potential still locked up in the BSC body. It needs a strong voice to champion its cause and the voice of the BSC has got more than 70 years of screen brilliance behind it. So, whether it needs to be more campaigning or more vocal, then so be it.”
Making history
In the Best Cinematography in a Feature Film category (sponsored by MBSE UK), Ari Wegner ACS made history by being the first female cinematographer to win the award (and the first female to be nominated), impressing the judges with her “deceptively simple yet epically intimate imagery” in Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog. The other category nominees were Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC for his poetic cinematography on Cyrano; Greig Fraser ASC ACS for his out-of-this-world lensing of Dune; Bruno Delbonnel ASC AFC for his monumental monochromatic frames on The Tragedy of Macbeth; and Jańusz Kaminski for his creative lensing of West Side Story.
Accepting the award and congratulating her fellow nominees on their work which has always inspired her, Wegner went on to say: “It’s so incredible to be recognised by one’s peers. I want to thank my incredible crew, my gaffer Thad Lawrence, key grip Sam Strain, focus puller Dan Foeldes, and Ben Rowsell, our other focus puller. We were under some pretty tough conditions, and you guys worked so damn hard for me and Jane [Campion]. I also really want to thank Jane. It’s such a tremendous gift to give to someone to trust them with your film.”
Acknowledging the historic moment as the first female cinematographer is presented with a BSC Award for Best Cinematography in a Feature Film, Wegner continued: “The BSC has been around since 1949 which is amazing, and this is the first nomination in this category for a woman, so I just want to say I hope it won’t be that many years before we have another one. There is a start of a wave of momentum, and it’s slowly starting to change. I really hope that the people who have never considered being a cinematographer recognise that it could be a job that is available to anyone. Art has no gender. If you have a passion for what you do, you should be able to do it.”
Presented by the Board of Governors to a cinematographer whose body of work has contributed to the art and legacy of the craft of cinematography, the BSC Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Phil Méheux BSC. Introducing the award, Nigel Walters BSC applauded the work of Méheux as a cinematographer “whose output over the past 50 years has been so outstandingly artistic and shown tireless dedication promoting the authentic craft of cinematography and inspired the minds and touched the hearts of budding cinematographers, and professionals alike that selecting him as a recipient for this award was a natural choice.”
As well as drawing attention to an incredible body of work which includes The Long Good Friday, The Mask of Zorro, Casino Royale and Scum and collaborations with directors such as Martin Campbell and Anthony Simmons, Walters celebrated the outstanding contribution Méheux has made to the BSC since he became a member in 1977, a governor in 1993, and was elected president in 2002, serving two consecutive terms. In that time, he has worked with “determination to promote the principles and reputation of the society and to ensure our standing worldwide as a flagship organisation.”
Having shared a selection of fascinating and entertaining anecdotes from his sparkling career (some of which will also be included in an upcoming British Cinematographer piece), Méheux said: “I’m very honoured to receive this award, and I’m totally touched that the Board thought I was worthy of it. My thanks go to the current Board for nominating me, and also to Bob Hughes… He was the president at the time I was accepted as a member, and Billy Williams and Paul Beeson and all those other guys were on the board. So, they took me on and I’m very honoured by that.”
As the evening awards presentations drew to a close, Méheux launched a book profiling every full and associate member of the BSC which he spent the last two years creating with James Friend ASC BSC. In light of the unjustified invasion of Ukraine and standing in solidarity with the country’s people, creative industry, and filmmaking community, the BSC auctioned the first three copies of the book – one of which was signed by all BSC members at the event. All proceeds made on the night will go to help the people of Ukraine.
In addition to Richard Blanshard capturing the evening in photographic form (the results of which are peppered throughout this article), young cinematographers Kit Mackenzie, Charlie Jenkins, and Foad Emrani (working for John Daly BSC and Gwyn Evans) did a stellar job filming the awards.
Special thanks must also go to Audra Marshall, Helen Maclean, and Frances Russell for their dedication and continued support of the BSC and their seamless planning and execution of a successful event celebrating the talent of this special creative community.
Enjoy more images from the evening in the gallery below (Credit: Richard Blanshard)…
