WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Sept. 26, 2013 -- The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the worldwide leader in motion-imaging standards and education for the communications, media, entertainment, and technology industries, today revealed the outstanding industry members who will be recognized Thursday, Oct. 24, at the SMPTE 2013 Honors & Awards Ceremony.
The Progress Medal is the highest SMPTE medal award and recognizes outstanding technical contributions to the progress of engineering phases of the motion picture, television, or motion imaging industries. Keiichi Kubota has earned the 2013 Progress Medal Award in recognition of his 37-year career in television science and technology and his significant contributions in the areas of HDTV standardization activities for SMPTE, ATSC, and the FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television. The award also recognizes his contribution to the rollout of NHK's digital satellite broadcasting service and, most recently, the standardization of UHDTV in ITU-R and coverage of the 2012 London Olympics in Super Hi-Vision.
The Archival Technology Medal recognizes 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 2013 award will be presented to Milton R. Shefter in recognition of his long-standing and continued leadership contributions to the motion picture and television industry in defining practices for the storage and archive of the industry's film legacy and digital media content. Co-author and co-editor of "The Digital Dilemma," which articulates the industry's archival challenges in the digital era, Shefter is one of the industry's earliest and most consistent expert voices on image and sound preservation. He is a SMPTE Fellow and a past president of the Association of Moving Image Archivists.
The David Sarnoff Medal recognizes outstanding contributions to the development of new techniques or equipment that have contributed to the improvement of the engineering phases of television technology, including large-venue presentations. Chuck Pagano will receive the 2013 award for his pioneering technology and innovation efforts with ESPN, including the creation of ESPN's first Bristol-based Digital Center; the adoption of HD; the creation of ESPN's infrastructure for its expanding online, mobile, and TV Everywhere efforts; the 2009 opening of the L.A. Production Center, which was the world's first 1080p production center; groundbreaking experiments in virtual reality; pioneering 3D sports production advances; globe-spanning fiber networks; new research facilities that are now testing 4K technologies; and work on the new Digital Center 2, a 195,000-square-foot facility that will feature a number of other technical firsts when it goes live in 2014. Pagano is a true innovator who is always experimenting and looking towards the future in order to best serve sports fans -- anytime and anywhere.
The Digital Processing Medal recognizes significant technical achievements related to the development of digital processing of content for cinema, television, games, or other related media. The 2013 award will be presented to R. Norman Hurst in recognition of his invention of methods for splicing MPEG-2 transport streams, the development of test bitstreams for evaluating video and audio compression equipment performance, and the development of electronic test patterns that enable evaluation of video encoding and processing systems through visual observation of the outputs they produce. The impact of these inventions has been felt in broadcasting, cable, and satellite distribution; in consumer electronics; and throughout production, postproduction, and networking -- in each case advancing the state of the art of the industry.
The Kodak Educational Award honors an individual who advances the educational process at any level through innovative and inspirational methods, and it recognizes outstanding contributions in new or unique educational programs utilizing the technologies of film. Edward J. Giorgianni will receive the 2013 award for his contributions to color management and workflow innovation in motion pictures through the digital intermediate and digital cinema eras. Giorgianni has been instrumental in defining the basic conventions by which film integrates into digital workflows through Cineon color encoding specifications. He was a principal architect of the Academy Color Encoding System, permitting a more seamless interchange of film, video, and CG imagery for modern content delivery. Giorgianni's commitment to open dissemination of color and imaging science through his contribution to books, including his own co-authored with Thomas E. Madden, and to students at Rochester Institute of Technology, where he is an adjunct professor, fully reflects the spirit of the Kodak Educational Award.
The Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal recognizes outstanding contributions in the design and development of new and improved methods and/or apparatus for motion picture sound, including any step in the process. Thomas A. Scott will receive the 2013 award for his dedication to the art and technology of motion picture sound. Scott's career in motion picture sound began when he joined American Zoetrope Studios to work on "Apocalypse Now." Later at Dolby(R) Laboratories and the Saul Zaentz Film Center, he worked on the sound for more than 10 feature films and received Best Sound Academy Awards (Oscars(R)) for "The Right Stuff" and "Amadeus." While director of engineering at Skywalker Sound, the postproduction division of LucasArts(R)/Lucasfilm, he supervised production and deployment of the EditDroid and SoundDroid, revolutionary computer-based picture and sound editing equipment. Scott is co-founder and vice president, technology, of EDNET, providing a system of long-distance economic and high-quality audio transmission and monitoring equipment -- significantly easing postproduction logistics for production and postproduction companies, advertisers, producers, directors, and talent. Scott, a SMPTE Fellow, has held several SMPTE offices, including engineering director and standards director.
The Technicolor/Herbert T. Kalmus Medal recognizes outstanding contributions that reflect a commitment to the highest standards of quality and innovation in motion picture postproduction and distribution services. The 2013 award will be presented to William C. Feightner for his extensive contribution to the art and science of digital motion picture film image science. At Composite Image Systems (CIS), he helped to develop the pioneering pin-registered telecine system that revolutionized the process of image compositing from film sources. Then, at EFILM, the successor company to CIS, he developed countless innovations that advanced the state of the industry, including innovative new software for digital laboratory calibration from glass to glass. Feightner is recognized industry-wide as one of the top image science experts in the field.
The Workflow Systems Medal recognizes outstanding contributions related to the development and integration of IT file-based systems and infrastructures into production processes. John Anthony Footen will receive the 2013 award in recognition of his pioneering the introduction of workflow-improving approaches such as service-oriented architecture (SOA) into the media industry and his leadership in both the standards and education pillars of the SMPTE mission. Footen has been very active in the area of workflow improvement for many years now. He has been a leader in AMWA and EBU's FIMS effort, chairs SMPTE's 34CS technology committee, has been active in workflow-related activities such as BXF, and is an industry leader in the application of SOA to media. He has been a regular speaker and moderator at SMPTE conferences, and he is an author on SOA. Footen is also a leader in the development of IT-based systems and infrastructures into the production process.
William C. Miller has earned the 2013 SMPTE Presidential Proclamation for contributions spanning decades and covering all aspects of the Society's key objectives in standards, education, and membership. Miller has served in management roles including governor, section chair, and engineering vice president and has been a dedicated contributor in countless standards, conference, and section activities. He recently pioneered a program in which he matched donations made by other SMPTE members to pay for student memberships. More than 250 students are now members as a result. Miller truly represents the best of SMPTE, as illustrated by his selfless commitment of both time and money, demonstrating an outstanding belief in the value and future of the Society.
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 2013 SMPTE Journal Award will be presented to Wayne E. Bretl for "Theoretical and Practical Limits to Wide Color Gamut Imaging in Objects, Reproducers, and Cameras," published in the May/June 2012 issue of the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal. Journal Certificates of Merit will also be presented to Brian Long, Roger Schwenke, Peter Soper, and Glenn Leembruggen for their November/December 2012 journal article titled, "Further Investigations Into the Interactions Between Cinema Loudspeakers and Screens," and to Martin S. Banks, Jenny C. A. Read, Robert Allison, and Simon J. Watt for their May/June 2012 SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal article titled, "Stereoscopy and the Human Visual System."
The Citation of Outstanding Service to the Society, which recognizes individuals for dedicated service for the betterment of the Society over a sustained period of time, will be conferred upon five SMPTE members:
Peter Collis, for his consistency and tenacity in the work he has done for the Australia Section. Collis has been a long-standing and diligently active member of the section leadership team, providing consistently high levels of support to meeting events, including the biennial Australia Section Conference and Exhibition. He has shown absolute commitment to SMPTE ideals, and he is tireless in his promotion and support of the Australia Section, the Society, and its work.
Tim Dwight, for his tireless efforts in organizing New York Section meetings. Dwight has consistently made the effort not only to improve section meetings, but also to ensure that meeting notices are distributed and meetings are publicized in advance of the events. He has also played a vital role in enlisting new members in the section. Dwight has been the consummate "doer" for the good and improvement of the New York Section.
Bruce Follmer, for his consistent support of the New York Section since 1977. As a section manager, Follmer has been involved in organizing and producing numerous section events. He has attended meetings consistently and has contributed and initiated many ideas, which he has organized and implemented. Follmer's contributions to the New York Section have far exceeded that of a typical section officer.
Eric Gsell, for his dedicated service, positive attitude, and technical knowledge and support of the Hollywood Section. Gsell has been a consistent resource in helping with section meetings, as well as the SMPTE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition, for many years. He has been an invaluable member of the Hollywood Section and a creative, hardworking contributor to the success of both section and Society events.
Oleg Nikolayevich Raev, for his invaluable work in the Russian Federation Section. Since 2009, Raev has been instrumental in initiating and organizing annual 3D conferences that have become the central events for 3D scientists and technicians in the Russian region. He has played a major role in helping to support the continued success of members in the Russian Federation, as well as the motion picture industry.
The Excellence in Standards Award recognizes individuals or companies that have been actively involved in advancing Society standards activities and processes. The 2013 award will be presented to John Hurst for his sustained efforts in D-Cinema standards and interoperability. In these areas, he consistently provides objective evaluation of the technical/business trade-offs to arrive at the most cost-effective solutions with rigorous attention to technical detail in ensuring the accurate interrelationship of SMPTE's D-Cinema standards.
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 2013 scholarship will be awarded to Joshua P. Berkowitz, who is pursuing a degree in motion picture science from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Fourteen new SMPTE Fellows also will be recognized during the event.
The SMPTE Honors & Awards Ceremony is being held in conjunction with the SMPTE 2013 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles, Calif. Further details about the event are available at www.smpte.org.
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/Awards.zip
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About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
The Oscar(R) and Emmy(R) Award-winning Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), a professional membership association, is the worldwide leader in developing and providing motion-imaging standards and education for the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. An internationally recognized and accredited organization, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the broadband, broadcast, cinema, and IT disciplines. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal and developed more than 650 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines. SMPTE members include motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students from around the world. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
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