posted 08-16-2004 10:59 AM                       

quote: Tim Reed

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I be jealous of:

John Pytlak
And he knows it. Let's face it, he's got the coolest job - and a technical Oscar®. Pretty much says it all.

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I really enjoy my "cool" job. Right now I participate on about thirty Internet user groups related to motion picture technology. Gordon McLeod told me about Film-Tech in the summer of 1999. Film-Tech is among those I enjoy the most, and has a great group of people, many of whom know each other professionally and are friends. As Steve Guttag notes, we may all have our occasional disagreements, but coming together to improve the quality of cinema presentation is what we all share and care about. This site is a "labor of love" for Brad, and it shows.

posted 08-16-2004 11:20 AM                       

quote:

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Any device, method, formula, discovery or invention of special and outstanding value to the arts and sciences of motion pictures -- and employed in the motion picture industry during the awards year -- can be considered for recognition. The steps involved in the process have been carefully determined since the awards began. They, and the award rules, are reviewed annually and when there is room for improvement they are altered.

A committee of experts in their respective fields is organized each year by a chairman who is appointed by the president of the Academy. Approximately 40 people constitute the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee, representing cinematography (production and technical), digital imaging, electronics and research, film and laboratory, lighting and equipment, mechanical or optical effects and engineering, production, projection, exhibition techniques and sound.

Letters are sent to individuals and companies known to be concerned with the tools and techniques of filmmaking in an annual canvass asking for information about new devices or methods that have been used on the production of feature films. Accompanying the letter are an entry form, the Academy's rules for the award category and a copy of established guidelines that help the committee weigh the eligibility of the applications. Entry forms are returned to the Academy within the time allowed for compiling the applications and distributing the information to members of the committee.

All of the entries are numbered and bound into a volume, which is then sent to each of the committee members. A meeting notice is attached and the committee begins an arduous program of study and debate on the submitted items.

At its first meeting, usually held in mid-September, the committee discusses the merits of each entry. Does it fall within the parameters and guidelines for Scientific and Technical Awards? Is the item too new to the industry? Is it more than just an incremental improvement over current or previously awarded technology in this area? The validity of claims made about each submission is accepted or challenged, but a decision must be made whether or not an entry is eligible for further consideration. Not all of the submitted entries are carried forward beyond this first meeting. Some might be tabled for evaluation at a later date if the committee is curious to know what impact the items may have on the industry in the future (recommending an award prematurely might not reflect the actual contribution an item eventually makes to filmmaking). If an entry does not meet the qualifications of the rules or guidelines, the committee is obligated to reject it (though if significant improvements or alterations are made, or in some cases simply more exposure occurs in an entry originally rejected, it may be resubmitted in a future year).


Scientific and Technical Awards Committee Chair Richard Edlund.
If all the criteria are met, an invitation may be extended to the applicant offering him or her the opportunity of making a presentation of the item to the committee. If similar devices are available to the industry (but have not been submitted with an entry form) their manufacturers may also be invited to participate. Subcommittees are enlisted to provide the main committee with additional evaluations of the demonstrated items. In all instances, whether an item is demonstrated or not, surrogates are assigned to make detailed evaluations on behalf of the committee.

Prior to the final voting meeting in early December, the Main Committee and the Academy's Board of Governors are sent booklets that contain all the evaluations of the remaining Sci/Tech entries. These include all surrogate reports and subcommittee evaluations (of any items reviewed at the demonstrations). At the meeting the remaining entries are discussed again with particular emphasis on whether or not an award should be recommended. (The committee itself does not confer the Scientific and Technical Awards. Those are determined by a vote of the Academy Board of Governors.) Through a series of ballots, decisions are reached on the award recommendations and their appropriate levels of recognition. Some of the items may not be recommended -- even though they were under consideration and demonstrated for the committee. Some might be held for another year through a motion to table.

Award recognition for scientific and technical achievement is given on three levels. Technical Achievement Awards may be made for those accomplishments that contribute to the progress of the industry. A certificate is printed describing the achievement and listing the names of all of the individuals who contributed to its development.

If an achievement has had a definite influence on the advancement of the industry, it may qualify for a Scientific and Engineering Award (a bronze tablet with the name of the award in raised lettering, and a representation of the Oscar statuette in bas relief to one side of the plaque). Affixed to the base is a plate engraved with a description of the achievement and the names of the contributors.

An Academy Award of Merit, the Oscar, is conferred for basic achievements which have a definite influence on the advancement of the industry (hard-won and most often reserved for some aspect of filmmaking that has changed the way particular achievements have been accomplished since its introduction).

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