Members-at-Large of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are applauding Friday’s news that they will become part of a new Production and Technology Branch.
Comprising approximately 400 individuals previously classified as Members-at-Large, the new branch represents members working in various technical and production positions including chief technology officers, senior department heads in technology and creative services, and preservation and restoration specialists, stunt coordinators, script supervisors, choreographers, music supervisors, colorists, line producers and associate producers.
“Technology is so important in our industry, and it’s great to see the Academy recognize its significance,” Hanno Basse, CTO at Digital Domain and former CTO at 20th Century Fox, tells The Hollywood Reporter. Basse, who is among the members-at-large that join this new branch, adds, “Throughout the history of the motion picture industry, technology has played a huge role in advancing the art of storytelling, be that adding sound, color, widescreen formats, surround sound or visual effects. I’m a proud member of this new branch.”
“Our industry is at a critical juncture where the arts and sciences not only inspire each other but require each other,” shares industry vet Leon Silverman, an advisor to MovieLabs (a research and development joint venture founded by the Hollywood studios) supporting its 2030 Vision initiative and member of the Academy’s SciTech Council. “The formation of the new production and technology branch creates an important resource and informed voice within the Academy as its members and Board of Governors work together to invent the future.”
“Definitely a good thing,” agrees MovieLabs CEO Richard Berger. “It gives an identity and voice to an important group within the Academy.”
The new branch marks an initiative that began several years ago, and came together with the members-at-large and Academy Governors, with Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang.
With the move, one member of the new branch will be elected to the Academy’s Board of Governors for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
