WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. —SMPTE has announced the recipients of its 2024 honors. The honorees will be recognized at its annual Awards Gala in the Ray Dolby Ballroom within the Ovation Hollywood on Thursday, Oct. 24, at the conclusion of the 2024 SMPTE Media Technology Summit.
SMPTE Executive Director David Grindle stated: "This year's SMPTE honorees have touched every corner of the industry from artificial intelligence to archiving. The strength of SMPTE lies within its members, and the annual awards gala is our chance to celebrate them."
This year, 15 honors will be bestowed upon 35 individuals and organizations. Among these is the supreme accolade of the Society, Honorary Membership, which recognizes individuals who have performed eminent service in the advancement of engineering in motion pictures, television, or in the allied arts and sciences, counting the likes of Thomas Edison, George Eastman, Samuel L. Warner, David Sarnoff, Walt Disney, Ray Dolby, George Lucas, Richard Edlund, James Cameron, and Peter Jackson among its ranks.
This year, Honorary Membership will be conferred on three individuals:
Ioan Allen is recognized for his enduring contributions to audio production and presentation technologies. His innovations at Dolby Laboratories and involvement in SMPTE, AES, and ICTA have fostered collaboration within the professional community, and have established new standards, including groundbreaking audio formats.
Franz Kraus is acknowledged for advancing the cinematography vision of the ARRI corporation. Kraus successfully led the company into the digital age by developing digital film scanners and cameras, resulting in the ARRI ALEXA camera suite becoming one of the most popular products in the entertainment industry today.
Finally, Victoria Alonso is recognized for her contributions as a producer and entertainment industry leader. Alonso relentlessly communicates her story vision to artisans and technicians and is a strong and outspoken champion for under-represented groups in the entertainment industry.
The David Sarnoff Medal, sponsored by SRI International, was established in 1950 and recognizes outstanding contributions to the development of new techniques or equipment that have improved the engineering phases of television technology. This year, John Mailhot will be honored in recognition of his role in promoting the adoption of the SMPTE ST 2110 standard for the carriage of media over IP, not just through SMPTE but also through industry organizations such as AMWA, AIMS, and the VSF.
The Excellence in Education Medal, sponsored by William C. Miller and Ellen Sontag-Miller, was established in 2016 and recognizes outstanding contributions to new or unique educational programs that teach the technologies of motion-imaging sciences, including emerging media technology. This year, SMPTE recognizes Chaitanya Chinchlikar for his efforts, alongside Whistling Woods International – India's premier Film & Creative Arts institute, to mainstream media and entertainment education in India and to incorporate emerging technologies into the curriculum, such as virtual production, cinematic VR, AI, and cloud computing.
The Workflow Systems Medal, sponsored by Leon D. Silverman, was established in 2012, and recognizes outstanding contributions related to the development and integration of workflows that enhance creativity, collaboration, efficiency, or novel approaches to the production, post-production, or distribution process. This year, SMPTE will honor Unreal Engine, in recognition of its contributions to media production and its role in enabling new options for creators. Unreal Engine's advanced rendering capabilities and real-time visualization tools have created opportunities for virtual production and previsualization, providing powerful new workflows that augment and enhance the creative toolkit.
The Digital Processing Medal was established in 2012 and recognizes significant technical achievements related to the development of digital processing of content for motion pictures, television, games, or other related media. This year, the award will be presented to Dr. Jens-Rainer Ohm, in recognition of his leadership in the development of several widely successful MPEG and ITU video compression standards. Ohm is widely recognized as a world-class expert and thought leader in video compression and image processing.
The Camera Origination and Imaging Medal was established in 2012 and recognizes significant technical achievements related to invention or advances in imaging technology. This year, the award will be conferred posthumously on Takashi Nakamura for the development of a practical video system comprising a high-frame-rate camera and video recorder with easy replay.
The James A. Lindner Archival Technology Medal, sponsored by Mr. Lindner, was established in 2012, and recognizes significant technical advancements or contributions related to the archive or preservation of media content essence. This year Karen Cariani will be honored in recognition of her pioneering contributions to advancing technology, techniques, workflows, and infrastructure for preserving and providing access to the public broadcasting archives in the U.S.
The Excellence in Standards Award recognizes those who have been actively involved in advancing Society standards activities and processes. This year's award will be presented to Paul Treleaven, in recognition of his continuous efforts to ensure prompt dissemination of information within SMPTE to partner organizations and the general public.
The Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship is designed to assist students in furthering their undergraduate or graduate studies in motion pictures and television, with an emphasis on technology. The 2024 scholarship will be awarded to Gabriel Casselman of Rochester Institute of Technology.
The Citation for Outstanding Service to the Society recognizes dedicated service to SMPTE, particularly at the Section level. This year, three individuals will be honored with this award: Michael Frank Day, for his long-standing dedication to the betterment of the Society, especially the Australia, New Zealand, and Southern Pacific Islands Section; Chris Lapp, for his role as Membership Director and creator of the SMPTE Discord channel, enabling collaboration among students and young professionals worldwide; and Wes Simpson, for his many years of service to the SMPTE New York Section, and his assistance in the transition to virtual meetings.
The Journal Award for the best paper originally published in the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal during 2023 will be presented to Ievgen Kostiukevych, Mohamed Nabil Ibrahim, Pavlo Kondratenko, Thomas Kernen, and Thorsten Lohmar, for their paper, "Supporting Live Production Using Precision Time Protocol Over 5G Systems With Dedicated Time Synchronization Support." Additionally, Journal Certificates of Merit will be awarded to Erik Reinhard, Claire-Hélène Demarty, and Laurent Blonde for their paper, "Pixel Value Adjustment to Reduce the Energy Requirements of Display Devices," as well as Tom Borer for his paper, "Why Holographic 3D Light Field Displays Are Impossible, and How to Build One Anyway."
Additionally, the Student Paper Award, recognizing an outstanding paper prepared and submitted by a Student Member, will be presented to Irene Muñoz López of the University of Surrey, for her paper, "Camera Tracking Systems and their Democratisation."
Ten new SMPTE Fellows will be recognized at this year's Gala for attaining an outstanding rank among engineers or executives in media and entertainment through their proficiency and contributions to the motion-picture, television, or related industries. These individuals are Naveed Aslam, Peter Brightwell, Alexander Forsythe, Michel Proulx, Brian Quandt, Pierre-Hughes Routhier, Alexandre Rouxel, Paola Sunna, Stuart C. Young, and Gene J. Zimmerman Jr.
To register for the MTS, visit https://summit.smpte.org/2024
