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MillimeterCrudo Elected President of ASC
Jan 13, 2003 12:00 PM
LOS ANGELES--Richard Crudo, ASC has been elected president of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). His supporting cast includes vice presidents John Bailey, ASC, Laszlo Kovacs, ASC and Owen Roizman, ASC. The treasurer is Robert Primes, ASC, secretary is Curtis Clark, ASC and sergeant-at-arms is John Hora, ASC.
"It's a humbling and awesome responsibility to be chosen by my peers for this role," says Crudo. "The ASC was founded for the purpose of advancing an infant art form. Our predecessors were advocates for progress, and frequently they served as guardians at the gate... protecting the integrity of the art form from crass commercial interests. We are determined to be true to that heritage."
Other members of the ASC Board of Directors include Stephen Burum, ASC, Russell Carpenter, ASC, George Spiro Dibie, ASC, William Fraker, ASC, Victor J. Kemper, ASC, "Woody" Omens, ASC, Steven Poster, ASC, Haskell Wexler, ASC and Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC. Alternate members of the Board include Robbie Greenberg, ASC, Francis Kenny, ASC, Stephen Lighthill, ASC, Donald M. Morgan ASC, and Dante Spinotti, ASC.
Crudo was born and raised in New York City. He has a vivid memory of going with his to see The Godfather at an ornate movie palace when he was 15 years old. It was a magical experience that inspired his interest in filmmaking. Three years later, Crudo enrolled at St. Johns University, where he majored in history. One of his instructors was a television commercial director who gave Crudo occasional opportunities to work as a production assistant. That experience set him on his career path.
Crudo went on to earn his master's in the film arts program at Columbia University while working simultaneously gaining experience working on independent film crews. He worked on independent features, documentaries, industrial films and news magazine crews, including 60 Minutes and 20/20. During the early 1980s, Crudo interned with Gordan Willis, ASC on Broadway Danny Rose, The Purple Rose of Cairo and The Money Pit. He was also an assistant cameraman on the cinematographer's TV commercial crew. In 1989, Crudo photographed a short film for a young director named Michael Corrente. They subsequently collaborated on the black and white independent feature Federal Hill. Federal Hill was picked up for limited theatrical release. It earned good reviews, but it caused a bigger stir when the distributor decided to "colorize" the home video release. Crudo spoke out frequently and passionately about the right of the audience to experience Federal Hill the way it was intended to be seen. That brought Crudo and Corrente to the attention of David Mamet who recruited them to shoot American Buffalo. The film was based on one of Mamet's plays. It featured Dustin Hoffman and Dennis Franz and earned critical raves.
Crudo has compiled some 20 narrative credits, including Music From Another Room, Outside Providence, American Pie, Down to Earth, Bongwater and the upcoming The Grind.
"I know that I'm at the beginning of my career, and I am following in the footsteps of previous ASC presidents who were great artists and legends in the film industry," Crudo says. "That is a humbling feeling. I believe in our heritage and the ASC's mission to inspire and recognize innovation and artistic excellence. I believe we have a responsibility to those who paved the way for us."
Crudo assumes his new role at a somber time with the death last week of Conrad Hall, ASC. Crudo led a tribute to Hall at the Palm Spring Film Festival on Saturday, where the cinematographer received a post-mortem lifetime achievement award.
"Conrad Hall was a great artist and human being. He was an inspiration for all of us," Crudo said. "We will dedicate ourselves to honoring his memory."
Crudo says that ASC has an ambitious agenda to fulfill. The organization will host its 18th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards celebration at the Century Plaza Hotel on Sunday, February 16. Bill Butler, ASC (Jaws, Grease) will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. Other special award recipients include Norman Jewison, Roger Ebert and Ralph Woolsey, ASC.
"This event has multiple purposes," says Crudo. "We are honoring people who have made exceptional contributions to the art form. We are also hoping to inspire others to persevere and follow their dreams. In many ways, our industry is at a crossroads where critical decisions about the future are being made. There are exciting new avenues opening for distributing narrative films and new technologies which could prove to be interesting new tools for telling stories on film. There are also many challenges ahead of us if we are going to preserve the integrity and full potential of the art form."
Crudo says that during the coming weeks ASC will announce initiatives for outreach programs to other sectors of the industry, schools and the general public. ASC traces its roots to 1906 when a handful of cinematographers organized camera clubs in New York and Los Angeles. They met informally to discuss technical and creative issues. Crudo points out that most of the jobs required to produce films existed in the theatre before there were movies. Cinematographers were a major exception. They were inventing a new language as a form of expression. The two clubs coalesced into one organization with 16 chart members on January 9, 1919.
For information about ASC and the 18th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards visit www.theasc.com.
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