Whereas the names and history of most cinematographers often go unknown by even ardent filmgoers, Roger Deakins is one of the few directors of photography in the world that immediately sparks interest in a project. He's elevated mediocre material - Skyfall, Rango, and Unbroken come to mind - while also matching the exquisite pitch of some of America's most popular directors, including the Coen brothers and Denis Villeneuve. For his work, he's been honored by the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) with 15 nominations and three wins for his work on The Man Who Wasn't There, The Shawshank Redemption, and Skyfall. And his win last night for Blade Runner 2049 brings that up to four, suggesting that he might be on the road to taking home his first Oscar for cinematography after 14 nominations from the Academy Awards for his work.
As you might have guessed, the ASC is not as big a predictor of Oscar wins as the other recent awards for producing, directing, writing, and performance are at the end of the day. Deakins seems like the favorite at the Oscars right now but he's got tough competition from the likes of Hoyt van Hoytema for his astounding work on Dunkirk and Rachel Morrison's subtle, perceptive lensing on Mudbound, both of whom were also nominated at last night's ASC Awards. Let's hope this is Deakins' year.
On the other side of the media landscape, The Crown's second season brought home honors for DP Adriano Goldman, who did masterful work on Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre and John Wells' adaptation of August: Osage County, while other trophies were handed to 12 Monkeys and Genius. These are all well-earned triumphs but the aftermath of ASC puts all eyes squarely on Deakins and what may be his long-overdue triumph at an awards ceremony that has a long history of taking too long to honor the form's masters.
The complete list of winners and nominees follows:
Theatrical Release Category (presented by Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC and Matthew Libatique, ASC)
- Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC for “Blade Runner 2049” – WINNER
- Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC for “Darkest Hour”
- Hoyte van Hoytema, ASC, FSF, NSC for “Dunkirk”
- Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF for “The Shape of Water”
- Rachel Morrison, ASC for “Mudbound”
Spotlight Award Category (presented by John Bailey, ASC)
- Máté Herbai, HSC for “On Body and Soul”
- Mikhail Krichman, RGC for “Loveless”
- Mart Taniel, ESC for “November” – WINNER
Episode of a Series for Non-Commercial Television (presented by Teri Polo)
- Gonzalo Amat for “The Man in the High Castle” (Land O’ Smiles) on Amazon
- Adriano Goldman, ASC, ABC for “The Crown” (Smoke and Mirrors) on Netflix – WINNER
- Robert McLachlan, ASC, CSC for “Game of Thrones” (The Spoils of War) on HBO
- Gregory Middleton, ASC, CSC for “Game of Thrones” (Dragonstone) on HBO
- Alasdair Walker for “Outlander” (The Battle Joined) on Starz
Episode of a Series for Commercial Television (presented by Sean Astin)
- Dana Gonzales, ASC for “Legion” (Chapter 1) on FX
- David Greene, ASC, CSC for “12 Monkeys” (Mother) on Syfy
- Kurt Jones for “The Originals” (Bag of Cobras) on The CW
- Boris Mojsovski, CSC for “12 Monkeys” (Thief) on Syfy – WINNER
- Crescenzo Notarile, ASC for “Gotham” (Mad City: The Executioner) on Fox
Motion Picture, Miniseries, or Pilot Made for Television (presented by Kerri Kenney-Silver)
- Pepe Avila del Pino for “The Deuce” pilot on HBO
- Serge Desrosiers, CSC for “Sometimes the Good Kill” on Lifetime
- Mathias Herndl, AAC for “Genius” (Einstein: Chapter 1) on National Geographic - WINNER
- Shelly Johnson, ASC for “Training Day” pilot (Apocalypse Now) on CBS
- Christopher Probst, ASC for “Mindhunter” pilot on Netflix
