SMPTE Confirms 2016 Honors & Awards Recipients

SMPTE has announced the individuals to be recognised with 2016 Honors & Awards as part of the week-long SMPTE 2016 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition later this year.

The SMPTE Honors & Awards Ceremony will take place on Monday 24 October, following the SMPTE 2016 Symposium. In addition, Honorary Membership and the Progress Medal will be conferred at the SMPTE Centennial Gala on Friday 28 October.

The Centennial Gala will celebrate SMPTE's past, present, and future, while honouring individuals with the following accolades:

Honorary Membership is the Society's highest accolade, and recognises individuals who have performed eminent service in the advancement of engineering in motion pictures, television, or in the allied arts and sciences.

SMPTE will confer Honorary Membership on James Cameron for his determination to continuously improve cinematic storytelling through innovative technical methods. His filmmaking vision has resulted in sophisticated special effects (SFX) algorithms for object transformations, underwater filming methods, original approaches for computer graphic motion capture, stereoscopic capture, projection techniques, and experimentation in higher frame rates (HFR).

The Progress Medal is the most prestigious SMPTE award, and recognises outstanding technical contributions to the progress of engineering phases of the motion picture, television, or motion-imaging industries.

SMPTE is presenting the 2016 Progress Medal to Douglas Trumbull in recognition of his numerous contributions to photographic processes and technologies in visual effects (VFX) and HFR cinematography. Trumbull conducted pioneering biometric research on audience response to HFR imaging and developed a cinematic process using 65mm film at 60 frames per second that resulted in a "Giant Screen" 70mm image with high definition along with smoother and more realistic motion rendering.

In addition to the above, the following will be presented at the SMPTE 2016 Honors & Awards Ceremony:

The Archival Technology Medal Award recognises significant technical advancements or contributions related to the invention or development of technology, techniques, workflows, or infrastructure for the long-term storage, archive, or preservation of media content essence. The 2016 award will be presented to Daniel Teruggi for his contributions to the preservation of the world's audiovisual cultural heritage in his leadership of the Presto European Commission Research and Innovation Projects.

The Camera Origination and Imaging Medal Award recognises significant technical achievements related to invention or advances in imaging technology, including sensors, imaging processing electronics, and the overall embodiment and application of image capture devices. R. Norman Hurst will receive the award for his work in color camera signal circuit design, particularly for his invention allowing independent control of selected color areas, also known as skin detail.

The David Sarnoff Medal Award recognises outstanding contributions to the development of new techniques or equipment that have improved the engineering phases of television technology, including large-venue presentations. The award will be presented to Peter G. M. Centen in recognition of his work in image sensors, imaging, and broadcast camera innovation.

The Digital Processing Medal Award recognises significant technical achievements related to the development of digital processing of content for cinema, television, games, or other related media. Paul Kellar will receive the award.

The Excellence in Educational Medal Award is SMPTE's newest award and honours outstanding contributions to new or unique educational programs that teach the technologies of motion pictures, television, or other imaging sciences, including emerging media technology. Michael F. Korpi will be the first recipient of this award.

The Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal Award recognises outstanding contributions in the design and development of new and improved methods and/or apparatus for motion picture sound, at any step in the process. The award will be presented to Neil A. Shaw in recognition of his support of SMPTE, as he has contributed his efforts in creating standards and practices for theatre acoustics and electro-acoustics.

The Technicolor/Herbert T. Kalmus Medal Award recognises outstanding contributions that reflect a commitment to the highest standards of quality and innovation in motion picture postproduction and distribution services. The award will be presented to Dr. Johannes Steurer.

The Workflow Systems Medal Award recognises outstanding contributions related to the development and integration of information technology (IT) file-based systems and infrastructures into production processes. The award will be presented to Thomas G. Edwards in recognition of his research, implementation, and direction in the advancement of live, broadcast-quality, IT-based workflows.

Each year, one SMPTE Journal Award is presented to the author of the most outstanding paper originally published in the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal during the preceding calendar year. The SMPTE Journal Award will be presented to Thomas G. Edwards for the article "Source-Timed SDN Video Switching of Packetized Video," published in the May/June issue of the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, Volume 124, Issue 4.

Two Journal Certificates of Merit will be presented to Charles Poynton, Jeroen H. Stessen, and Rutger Nijland for the article "Deploying Wide Color Gamut and High Dynamic Range in HD and UHD," published in the April issue of the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, Volume 124, Issue 3; and Fumiaki Usui, Ryuhei Kamata, and Laurence Thorpe for the article "Lens Considerations for Digital Cinematography," published in the January/February issue of the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, Volume 124, Issue 1.

The Presidential Proclamation Award recognises individuals of established and outstanding status and reputation in the motion picture, television, and motion-imaging industries worldwide. Peter D. Symes will receive the award for his longtime dedication to the Society and his service to the broadcasting industry.

The Excellence in Standards Award recognises individuals or companies that have been actively involved in advancing the Society's standards activities and processes. David J. Bancroft will receive this award in recognition of his 40-year involvement in SMPTE standards.

The Citation for Outstanding Service to the Society, which recognises individuals for dedicated service for the betterment of the Society over a sustained period, will be conferred upon five SMPTE Members. They are Martin P. Feldman, Mark L. Forman, Keith Ian Graham, Mona Smothers, and Eric Wenocur.

The Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship is designed to help students further their undergraduate or graduate studies in motion pictures and television, with an emphasis on technology. The 2016 scholarship will be awarded to four SMPTE Members – Anna Dining (Rochester Institute of Technology), Elizabeth DoVale (Rochester Institute of Technology), Jyotsna Kadimi (University of Southern California), and David Kuther (New York Institute of Technology).

A total of 16 new SMPTE Fellows also will be recognised during the Honors & Awards Ceremony. This will be announced in due course.

Further details about SMPTE 2016 are available at www.smpte2016.org.

Image: James Cameron, Recipient of Honorary Membership.

www.smpte.org

(JP)