Computer graphics and virtual production innovator Paul E. Debevec receives the Charles F. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Award at the Television Academy’s 74th Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Awards.
During the September 28 ceremony, camera maker ARRI will also be honored with the Philo T. Farnsworth Corporate Achievement Award and seven innovations will be awarded Engineering Emmys.
The Engineering Emmys are awarded to developments in areas such as virtual production, remote collaboration and audio. That includes Industrial Light & Magic for its StageCraft virtual production tools, which have been used in series including: The Mandalorian.
Sohonet receives an Engineering Emmy for its ClearView Pivot remote collaboration tool. Other awards include Disguise Systems, for the disguise platform that allows interaction between CG and practical elements and environments, including use with LED walls; Geoffrey Crawshaw and William Brinkley, for the Leostream remote access software; Shure for the Axien digital wireless audio system; and Stype Cajic, Andrija Cajic, Daniel Kruselj and Ivica Antolkovic for the Stype camera tracking tools.
Debevec is known for his work in high dynamic range imaging, image-based lighting and photogrammetry – all techniques used in computer graphics for VFX and virtual production. “Debevec’s pioneering work makes it possible to record and reproduce the light from real scenes to illuminate virtual scenes and vice versa,” reads Thursday’s announcement from the Television Academy. “HDR images are a mainstay of computer graphics and, when combined with image-based lighting, have enabled realistic integration of existing live-action lighting into computer-rendered images. These tools and concepts are now a standard within the VFX industry for rendering.”
The announcement also states that his work with LED lighting has “laid the foundations” for its use in virtual production, “which has seen rapid growth as a tool for lighting actors on virtual stages.”
He is currently director of research, creative algorithms and technology at Netflix and is an adjunct research professor at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies.
ARRI, headquartered in Munich, is recognized for more than a century of designing and manufacturing cameras, including the Alexa digital cinematography line, lenses, lighting systems and other production tools. ARRI Rental’s services and equipment supplies camera, lighting and grip packages to professional productions at home and abroad.
“Earlier this year, the Academy formed the Science & Technology Peer Group, which represents members involved in the strategy and development of technologies that enable or advance the storytelling process for the television industry,” said committee chair John Leverence. “Led by Governors and Co-Chairs of new peer group Wendy Aylsworth and Barry Zegel, this year’s newly formed Engineering Emmy Awards Committee is awarding a broad range of innovative solutions to once seemingly intractable engineering problems:
Kirsten Vangsness (criminal minds) will host the September 28 ceremony.