Walter Lassally will receive the 2008 American Society Of Cinematographers' (ASC) International Achievement Award at the 22nd Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards in Hollywood on Jan 26.
Lassally's career spanned 50 years and highlights include the 1965 Academy Award win for Zorba The Greek, a BAFTA nomination in 1984 for Heat And Dust, and a British Society Of Cinematographers nomination in the same year for The Bostonians.
Lassally was a leading member of the Free Cinema and British New Wave movements in collaboration with Tony Richardson, Karel Reizs, Lindsay Anderson and other directors.
He is credited with pioneering the use of Arriflex cameras on features at a time when they were only used for newsreels and documentaries. He was also an early adopter of handheld cameras and frequently used different film stock to create different mood.
Among his credits are Another Sky, A Taste of Honey, The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner, Tom Jones, Savages, and Autobiography Of A Princess.
'Walter Lassally expanded the vocabulary of visual storytelling,' ASC awards chairman Russ Alsobrook said. 'His work with small crews at real locations with minimal lighting brought a new perspective to the British and international cinema. Many of his innovations are now considered standard film grammar.'
'I'm grateful,' Lassally added. 'Although it is gratifying when one's work is appreciated, I always feel somewhat embarrassed if I'm singled out for what I regard as over-lavish praise. In my opinion, the photography has failed if it draws too much attention to itself, and in many cases, the real author of the effects that the critics so admire is often God.'
Lassally's career spanned 50 years and highlights include the 1965 Academy Award win for Zorba The Greek, a BAFTA nomination in 1984 for Heat And Dust, and a British Society Of Cinematographers nomination in the same year for The Bostonians.
Lassally was a leading member of the Free Cinema and British New Wave movements in collaboration with Tony Richardson, Karel Reizs, Lindsay Anderson and other directors.
He is credited with pioneering the use of Arriflex cameras on features at a time when they were only used for newsreels and documentaries. He was also an early adopter of handheld cameras and frequently used different film stock to create different mood.
Among his credits are Another Sky, A Taste of Honey, The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner, Tom Jones, Savages, and Autobiography Of A Princess.
'Walter Lassally expanded the vocabulary of visual storytelling,' ASC awards chairman Russ Alsobrook said. 'His work with small crews at real locations with minimal lighting brought a new perspective to the British and international cinema. Many of his innovations are now considered standard film grammar.'
'I'm grateful,' Lassally added. 'Although it is gratifying when one's work is appreciated, I always feel somewhat embarrassed if I'm singled out for what I regard as over-lavish praise. In my opinion, the photography has failed if it draws too much attention to itself, and in many cases, the real author of the effects that the critics so admire is often God.'
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