For Curtis Clark, ASC, cinematography has always been about the art and the science. They've been equally important, he says. Early on, at film school, I realized that without an understanding of the technology that enables the art to be made you're operating under a handicap.
Fascinated by how images are created, Clark has been a technology thought leader since the relatively simple days of film transitioned to the complex digital workflows of today. In 2003, he was appointed as chair to help revitalize the ASC's Technology Committee and he currently serves as the chair of its successor, the ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council (MITC). Honored with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences' prestigious John A. Bonner Award in 2019 for his dedication to shaping the future of motion picture technology, Clark has now had the honor of having an award named for him.
The inaugural ASC Curtis Clark Technical Achievement Award was given to Dan Sasaki, Panavision's Vice President of Optical Engineering and Lens Strategy, at the Society's annual awards ceremony on March 20.
Although Clark admits he was somewhat floored when the ASC Awards Committee, along with ASC president Stephan Lighthill, ASC, announced at an ASC Board meeting that they'd like to create a technical achievement award with his name on it, perhaps he shouldn't be so surprised. His path to that point has intersected with every major technology impacting the industry today - and a few more to come.
When Clark became a member of the ASC in 1991, the Technology Committee was fairly dormant, he recalls. It got a big boost when the committee collaborated with DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives) to create standard test images to allow for an apples-to-apples comparison of DCI-compliant digital cinema projectors compared with film print projection. That footage was known as Standard Evaluation Material (StEM).Today, MITC has produced a StEM2 project, based on an 18-minute short film entitled The Mission, designed for more reliable evaluation of today's motion imaging per formance, including HDR, wide color gamut, ACES color management, 4K vs. 8K image capture and display devices for both digital cinema and the home.
Clark was also involved with the milestone Camera Assessment Series, conducted by the ASC and Producers Guild of America in 2009 to compare imaging by the era's digital cameras to 35mm negative. The more recent Image Control Assessment Series (ICAS), produced in 2012, used a newer generation digital motion picture cameras and was also able to successfully incorporate an early version of ACES color management.
Now, imaging data is so complex that we need to focus on specific aspects of the workflow to address ways technology can be improved, Clark says. You have to know enough about it to influence its development.
The ASC started developing applications like the ASC CDL, which won an Academy Technical Achievement Award, Primetime Emmy Engineering Award and HPA Judges Award. Subsequently, MITC's Advanced Data Management Subcommittee has been developing two new complementary tools, says Clark: the ASC FDL (Framing Decision List), which protects the original framing of the image throughout the digital workflow, and the ASC MHL (Media Hash List), which safeguards the integrity of original image files throughout the image chain. v1.0 of the ASC MHL has just been released.
Clark believes that virtual production will prove to be a huge inflection point for where motion pictures are going. Its accelerated adoption during the coronavirus pandemic has already made it a game changer - there's no going back, he says. We have a virtual production sequence in our StEM2 short film, The Mission. It's important to gain a mastery of virtual production and the use of game engines to work in a timely and efficient manner without compromising the image.
Likewise, he thinks it's key that cinematographers be incorporated in the process of 3D previs, working in close collaboration with the director, producers, production designer and others who want to be able to previsualize complex scenes combining CGI and live action with no second guessing what's in people's heads.
While still in the nascent stage, cloud-based connectivity will become increasingly important, too, Clark says. Using the cloud for all production data storage and image processing will give greater flexibility to location shooting, he notes.
In the next few years Clark says that it's worth keeping a close eye on computational cinematography, or plenoptic imaging, in which pictures are formed by combining optical capture with computational algorithms and light field motion images. Progress in holographic and light field displays is also moving swiftly. It's a matter of when, not if, Clark reports. Like any technology they are a double-edged sword offering infinite flexibility to reshape the image in post with implications about who will be in charge of that. We want to influence as much as we can the values and virtues of creative collaboration in those new technologies.
Given the leading role the ASC has taken in the evolution and development of imaging technology, it seems only logical for the Society to introduce a technical achievement award and name it for Curtis Clark.
Although Clark played no role in the selection of Dan Sasaki as the award's first recipient, Clark has known Sasaki for many years and calls him an excellent choice to launch the award. Dan is a legend within the industry for helping filmmakers modify, create and use lenses to achieve their creative objectives.
He notes that while the Academy has long had a technical achievement awards, the ASC did not, so maybe it's about time. Technology is such a fundamental part of the creative p
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
For Curtis Clark, ASC, cinematography has always been about the art and the science. They've been equally important, he says. Early on, at film school, I realized that without an understanding of the technology that enables the art to be made you're operating under a handicap. 
