WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Nov. 21, 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 announced that four of its members -- Wendy Aylsworth, Douglas Greenfield, Rob Hummel, and Beverly Pasterczyk -- have accepted invitations to join the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
The AMPAS Science and Technology Council was created in 2003 in response to the explosion in digital motion picture technology, which continues to transform the production, postproduction, and exhibition of movies. The council's activities are focused on industrywide problem-solving and research projects, preserving the history of motion picture technology, and educating professionals and the public about the role of technology in moviemaking.
"SMPTE members have played an invaluable role in shaping the industry we know today, and they are among the technology and thought leaders who will guide continued development of the motion-imaging field," said SMPTE Executive Director Barbara Lange. "We are very proud that four of the five new additions to the Academy's Science and Technology Council are SMPTE members, and we look forward to seeing their impact on the future of motion picture technology."
Wendy Aylsworth is senior vice president of technology for Warner Bros. Technical Operations, where she oversees the establishment of new technologies for Warner Bros. production divisions. She formerly was a member of the Walt Disney feature animation department. Aylsworth is the first woman president of SMPTE, as well as a SMPTE Fellow.
Douglas Greenfield, a returning member of the council, has been at the forefront of innovations in cinema sound for more than 30 years. He is senior director of content services at Dolby Laboratories. An active Academy member, Greenfield served as a Sound Branch governor for six years and in 2003 earned the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy. Greenfield is also a SMPTE Fellow and is the 2012 recipient of the Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal.
Rob Hummel, also a returning council member, began his career at Technicolor Laboratories and joined Douglas Trumbull's visual effects company during the making of "Blade Runner" (1982), an Oscar(R) nominee for visual effects. Hummel has served as senior vice president of production technology at Warner Bros.; worked in postproduction, animation, and Imagineering at Walt Disney Studios; headed animation technology at DreamWorks; and helped launch digital cinema units at Technicolor and Sony. Hummel has been a member of SMPTE since 1980. Today he is president of the digital media company Group 47.
Beverly Pasterczyk began her career with Kodak as a developmental engineer specializing in process technologies and is now the regional technical director for the Americas for Kodak's Entertainment Imaging Division. A SMPTE Fellow, Pasterczyk has served as a SMPTE author, a section manager/officer, and a governor representing the Hollywood region.
Further information about SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org.
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/Aylsworth.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. More than 6,000 members -- motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students -- who meet in Sections throughout the world, sustain the Society. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
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