Sony Nabs 9 Nominations for the 39th Annual ASC Awards

"It was a completely different experience to anything I've ever shot," says Fray in an interview with Deadline. "As the cinematographer, you have to be present to the scene in a completely different way."

Fray's role became more performance-based, and he had to pay close attention to the performances of Elwood and Tanner since he was shooting from their perspective. "I would watch rehearsals of Brandon (Wilson) and Ethan (Herisse), seeing how they were interpreting the characters' physical motions, emotional movements… I'm inside the scene, so if something happens, I have to react as the character whose perspective the camera is attached to."

Theatrical Feature Film: Phedon Papamichael, ASC (A Complete Unknown)

Nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for a Theatrical Feature Film is two-time Oscar-nominated Director of Photography Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC, GCA for A Complete Unknown. The film chronicles the electric true story behind the rise of Bob Dylan, one of the most iconic singer-songwriters in history. To tell the story, Papamichael looked to images of the 60s and pushed his visual language in a new direction – opting to shoot on the Sony VENICE 2 at 6400 ISO and even 12800 ISO for the night scenes.

Papamichael also chose an analog intermediate during post-production to give the movie an authentic film finish. We caught up with Papamichael to learn more about his process, which you can read about here.

Papamichael characterized the look of the movie as true to life.

"We were trying to identify the textures and colors of New York in that period," he explains. "Dylan arrives in the winter, so it's all more muted. Then, as his personality evolves and his music becomes more vibrant, it becomes more colorful, right down to his wardrobe, and the camera becomes more energetic."

A Complete Unknown is nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Papamichael's sixth Best Picture nomination.

Episode of a Half-Hour Series: Richard Rutkowski, ASC, (Sugar) and Kyle Wullschleger (Only Murders in the Building)

Richard Rutkowski, ASC, and Kyle Wullschleger nabbed two of five nominations for the Episode of a Half-Hour Series.

Rutkowski is nominated for his work on the Apple TV Series Sugar, specifically for “Starry-Eyed," episode four of eight. The series follows Private Detective John Sugar as he investigates the disappearance of Olivia, the beloved granddaughter of Hollywood producer Jonathan Siegel. As Sugar tries to determine what happened to Olivia, he unearths Siegel family secrets, old and new. Rutkowski recounts in an interview:

"Apple TV's new series Sugar takes a well-known film noir staple into unexpected directions and boasts audacious style choices. Our enigmatic Los Angeles private detective is hired to search for a beautiful missing woman – in fact, in episode one, that is announced as his specialty – whereupon he finds the secrets surrounding her disappearance that mirror conflicts and history of his own. Classic. Acknowledging the influence of the famously dark tones in noir detective stories, the writing and direction beg comparison. Yet, here, our approach was not to emulate older films visually, but to experiment and re-evaluate such well-known noir plots and characters."

"Our cameras were from Panavision Woodland Hills," Rutkowski continued. "Mixing Sony VENICE 1 and Sony VENICE 2 bodies became especially useful with their Rialto mode, which allowed César, myself, and the camera operators to move freely in handheld shots attached by cable to the smaller sensor block. Also, this helped us place the camera in tight spaces, including Sugar's classic Corvette."

Kyle Wullschleger is also nominated for the first episode of Only Murders in the Building's Season 6, titled "Once Upon a Time in the West." Known for his work on Broad City, Saturday Night Live, and Russian Doll, Wullschleger embraced the iconic cinematography from the film Once Upon a Time in The West. Using it as a foundation, he updated the visual language for a modern audience while paying homage to a classic.

"I worked really closely with (showrunner) Johan Hoffman. We watched the opening together a few times and spent a lot of time talking about what's going to make sense and what's going to work the best," Wullschleger shared in an interview. "Finding the tone of what's going on for us while still interlacing that beautiful cinematography from Once Upon Time in the West (was) such an opportunity."

Limited or Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Adam Arkapaw, ASC, (Masters of the Air)

Adam Arkapaw, ASC, is nominated for Limited or Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for his work on the Apple TV World War II series Masters of the Air. Arkapaw is a two-time Creative Emmy Award winner and a previous ASC's Spotlight Award winner.

Arkapaw shot the first four episodes of Masters of the Air, a drama series that follows the airmen of the 100th Bomb Group and used the Sony VENICE and VENICE Extension System to capture intimate moments within the aircraft that the characters inhabited.

During a behind-the-scenes panel at NAB 2024, the creative team shared details about how they implemented the VENICE into their workflow.

"To connect to the characters, we wanted to be with them. Because at that point they're in this giant tin can, they have masks on, they have all these jackets on, so it was kind of actually physically hard to get close to them. And the Sony [VENICE] with the Rialto was the perfect tool for this job. The [sensor block] would be tethered to the main brain by a 9-foot [cable]; sometimes, we needed to extend it 9 feet away from where the actual camera was. Where the lens was."

Read more about our detailed coverage about the production and post-production workflow for Masters of the Air here.

Episode of a One-Hour Regular Series: Adriano Goldman, ASC, ABC, BSC (The Crown), Sam McCurdy, ASC, BSC and Christopher Ross, BSC (Shōgun)

For The Crown, a historical drama about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, Adriano Goldman, ASC, ABC, BSC, was nominated for the episode "Sleep, Dearie Sleep." A series veteran, Goldman had shot episodes for all six seasons and was awarded a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (One Hour) for his work on the show.

Embracing the change in cast every two seasons, Goldman evolved the look of the show by adjusting the lensing and cameras. To unify the visual language that was developed in the early seasons, which were shot on the Sony F55, Goldman utilized the Sony VENICE to capture both Seasons 5 and 6, crafting brilliant compositions that mimicked practical lighting. 

When speaking about the final season, Goldman noted:

"London is in bad shape. Some of the royal houses and castles were kind of rundown. They used to look very black outside because of the smog. So basically, it was the opposite of the glamorous approach that you usually see in period dramas. So, we want to be really grounded and make [the cast] look like real people, people that have issues and suffer and have dilemmas."

"From my perspective, I always wanted to light it and frame it in a very realistic and objective sort of way," Goldman added. "We don't want the Cinderella look. We don't want the super-glossy period look."

You can read more about Goldman's approach to evolving the series here.

For their work on the FX series Shōgun, Sam McCurdy, ASC, BSC, was nominated for the episode "Crimson Sky," while Christopher Ross, BSC, was nominated for his work on the pilot episode "Anjin." Based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, the series is set in the 16th century, following an English sailor shipwrecked in Japan and his relationship with a powerful daimyo fighting off dangerous political rivals.

With "Anjin," Ross established the series' visual language, earning him an Emmy nomination for his work. This laid the groundwork for McCurdy to experiment with his own compositions within the confines of the show’s visual language. However, both cinematographers focused on elevating characters throughout the series, creating room for the actors to hone in on authenticity.

On "Crimson Sky," which also earned McCurdy an Emmy win, the cinematographer focused on empowering Lady Mariko (played by Anna Sawai), stating in an interview with the LA Times:

"We were going to treat Mariko very singularly," McCurdy said. "She was going to stand proud [in front] of everybody else in the great hall scene, in the fight sequence, or anywhere within her own space."

ASC Music Video Award: Scott Cunningham, ASC, for "Rebound" (Performed by Jennifer Lopez)

Scott Cunningham, ASC, was nominated for his creative work on the Jennifer Lopez music video "Rebound." Known for lensing the music video for Billie Eilish’s "Bad Guy" and Kendrick Lamar’s iconic "Humble", which nabbed him one of two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Cinematography, Cunningham brings compelling cinematography to tell visceral stories expressed through music.

For "Rebound," a track from Lopez's ninth studio album, Cunningham worked with director Dave Meyers and utilized the Sony VENICE. The music video, choreographed within a glass house set, brings to life an abusive relationship conveyed by the song, as it shatters the translucent structure.
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The 39th Annual ASC Awards will be held on February 23, 2025 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. The ceremony will also be live-streamed on www.theasc.com.