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American Society of Cinematographers Awards 2011 Nominees

by Alex Billington
January 10, 2011
Source: Deadline

Its been a hell of a year for cinematography, at least I thought. There were quite a few truly gorgeous films, but it's time to take a look at this year's nominees in the feature film category of the 25th Annual American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Awards. The five nominees are: Black Swan's Matthew Libatique, Inception's Wally Pfister, The King's Speech's Danny Cohen, True Grit's Roger Deakins and The Social Network's Jeff Cronenweth. In the photo above is Libatique working on Black Swan. "These five people have set the standard for today's cinematography," said ASC's Richard Crudo.

This is the ninth nomination for Deakins, most of the others have come from various Coen Brothers films, too. In addition to his nomination for True Grit, Deakins will also be honored as the recipient of the ASC's 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award. So no matter what, he's a winner! This is the third nomination for Wally Pfister following Batman Begins and The Dark Knight previously. Cohen, Cronenweth and Libatique are all first-time nominees. I'm amazed this is Libatique's first, he also shot Requiem for a Dream, Inside Man, The Fountain and Iron Man 1 & 2 - yet no nominations before this?! "The artistically diverse approaches these talented cinematographers employed are a glimpse at what visionaries with a camera can accomplish," said ASC President Michael Goi in the press release. "They are visual storytellers of the highest caliber."

Strong words from the pres, but nonetheless true. I certainly can appreciate great cinematography when I come across it and these five movies are definitely the best work out of this past year. My top pick personally is The King's Speech, just because they used the most refreshingly unconventional and unique approach to shooting a period piece, yet it still looked absolutely stunning, truly representative of the old adage that "every frame should look as beautiful as a photograph" - and they certainly did! I've been trying to setup an interview with Danny Cohen, who's also a fairly young newcomer, but haven't had any luck yet. The winner of the ASC Awards will be announced at their celebration in Hollywood on February 13. Good choices?

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