The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) has unveiled the nominees for the Camera Operator of the Year awards for the Film and Television categories. Nominees will be awarded live and in-person at the Loews Hollywood Hotel on Saturday, February 25, during the annual Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards.
A first for the awards, the SOC has announced six nominees (up from what had been the norm of five) for Camera Operator of the Year in both the Film and Television categories.
“It was truly an unprecedented year in regards to the sheer number of projects submitted for consideration for the Camera Operator of the Year awards. After receiving an overwhelming number of submissions, it is in the SOC’s best interest to make an amendment to the number of qualifying nominations,” shared George Billinger, SOC president and Awards chair.
Billinger added, “We proudly acknowledge how much the SOC has grown and realize the importance and sincerity of what our awards truly mean to the industry at large. By announcing six nominees for each category, most including teams, we feel it best reflects the totality of the work submitted, the integrity of the SOC, and how much we value the craft.”
For a second year in a row, the SOC has expanded the nominations to include collaborative efforts and teams of operators with a chance to be honored and nominated together for an SOC award.
This year’s nominees are:
Camera Operator of the Year – Film Nominees:
- Lukasz Bielan – Bullet Train
- Daniel Bishop, SOC – All Quiet on the Western Front
- Mitch Dubin, SOC – The Fabelmans, with Colin Anderson, SOC, “B” Camera / Steadicam Operator
- Jason Ellson, SOC – Elvis
- Geoffrey Haley, SOC – The Gray Man
- Ari Robbins, SOC – Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Camera Operator of the Year – Television Nominees:
- Dave Chameides, SOC – Ozark, S 4 Ep 14, “A Hard Way to Go” with Cristian Trova, SOC, “B” Camera Operator
- Sam Ellison, SOC – Severance, S 1 Ep 3, “In Perpetuity” with Stanley Fernandez, Camera Operator
- Sarah Levy, SOC – Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, S 1 Ep 5, “Pieces of a Man” with Dominic Bartolone, SOC, “B” Camera / Steadicam Operator, Justin Cameron, SOC, “C” Camera Operator, John Lyke, Roller Cam Operator
- Gary Malouf – The Bear, S1 Ep7, “The Review”, with Chris Dame, “B” Camera Operator
- Jarrett Morgan, SOC – Atlanta, S 3 Ep 5, “Cancer Attack”
- Paul Sanchez – The Old Man, S 1 Ep 1, “I” with Hilton Goring, “B” Camera Operator
The Gordon Parks Foundation will also be recognized during the awards for Parks’ leadership and pioneering of social justice. Gordon Parks, one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, was a humanitarian with a deep commitment to social justice; he left behind an exceptional body of work that documents American life and culture from the early 1940’s into the 2000’s, with a focus on race relations, poverty, civil rights, and urban life. At the end of last year, the SOC’s Board of Governors, presented The Gordon Parks Foundation with an honorary membership, bestowed by Nikk Hearn-Sutton, SOC, co-chair Inclusion Committee and Board of Governors member.
The black tie affair will also celebrate the nominees and recipients of the Technical Achievement Award and Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards for Camera Operator, Camera Technician, Live and Non-Scripted, Still Photographer, Mobile Camera Platform Operator, Governors, and President’s award.
The SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards are given in recognition of outstanding achievement by an established person within the field of film and video production.
