NEWS-电影学会公布奥斯卡科学技术奖

Movie Academy Presents Scientific, Technical Oscars

 

The red carpet will be rolled out in Hollywood when the Academy Awards, known as the Oscars, are presented later this month. Oscars for scientific and technical achievements have already been handed out, with a little less fanfare¹ but just as much excitement for the winners. This event was not in Hollywood but in nearby Pasadena, where engineers and scientists who make technical innovations in the movie industry get their acknowledgment.

 

For French Oscar recipients² Jean-Marie Lavalou and Alain Masseron, co-designers of a camera crane, the award was a dream come true. Their so-called Louma crane was first used in Hollywood by Steven Spielberg more than 25 years ago, and is still being used for films in the Harry³ Potter series. Mr. Lavalou says the two designers have long been fascinated with Hollywood.

 

Mr. Lavalou: We both are very fond of American movies. When we were kids, it was Cinemascope and it was Hollywood, it was the glamor⁴ of Hollywood and the Oscar ceremony and all that. And the fact that now, we are getting a real one is something amazing. You know, it is very, very, very important for us and we are extremely happy to get this Oscar.

 

Other honorees received plaques⁶ or citations⁷ for designing noise reduction devices to improve the sound of movie soundtracks, using silicone to create better makeup⁸ for actors, devising lighting⁹ systems for movie sets or camera stabilizers. Others were honored for computer hardware and software, which one official of the motion picture academy says have created a movie-industry revolution.

 

Frank Pierson, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the Oscars.

 

Frank Pierson: I think that right now, computer-generated and electronic media have so completely changed the possibilities of what we can do with the visual media, and the mixture of sound and visual. There is now nothing that a man or woman can conceive that you cannot make.

 

Mr. Pierson, the author of such screenplays as Dog Day Afternoon, says the challenge for writers and directors is learning to use the technology to its full potential.

 

Richard Edlund, who heads the academy's scientific and technical awards committee, says the new technology is sometimes overused, but offers tools for moviemakers that are now essential.

 

Richard Edlund: It is part of the growing pains, I think. I think visual effects have become part of the mainstream¹⁰ of moviemaking, and a lot of movies that are not effects movies have visual effects in them because the director can get shots that he otherwise couldn't get.

 

For actress Scarlett Johansson, the ceremony's hostess, the evening offered a glimpse of a part of the industry that she had not thought about much. The star of such films as Lost in Translation says she has never stopped to ask who designed the equipment on the movie set.

 

Scarlett Johansson: Never, never think about that. I never think about who designed the crane. I do wonder what the crane is there for, and how close it is going to come to my face, but I never think about that aspect of it. So it is pretty interesting. You learn something new every day.

 

For David Samuelson of Britain, who co-designed the Louma crane with his two French colleagues, this evening is a great way to cap a long career. He was honored 25 years ago with an academy plaque⁵ for the same device for which he is getting the Oscar. The golden statuette will be displayed in his home in central London.

 

German designer Horst Burbulla received an Oscar for another camera crane, and says devices like his are just tools for those who are making a movie.

 

The Oscars that honor performers, directors, writers, producers, and others who make movies will be given out in Hollywood February 27.

 

Mike O'Sullivan, VOA News, Pasadena, California.

1 fanfare   

n.喇叭；号角之声；v.热闹地宣布

参考例句：

• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide.这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King.嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

2 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 glamor   

n.魅力，吸引力

参考例句：

• His performance fully displayed the infinite glamor of Chinese dance.他的表演充分展示了中华舞蹈的无穷魅力。
• The glamor of the East was brought to international prominence by the Russion national school.俄罗斯民族学派使东方的魅力产生了国际性的影响。

5 plaque   

n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板

参考例句：

• There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
• Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。

6 plaques   

（纪念性的）匾牌( plaque的名词复数 )； 纪念匾； 牙斑； 空斑

参考例句：

• Primary plaques were detectable in 16 to 20 hours. 在16到20小时内可查出原发溶斑。
• The gondoliers wore green and white livery and silver plaques on their chests. 船夫们穿着白绿两色的制服，胸前别着银质徽章。

7 citations   

n.引用( citation的名词复数 )；引证；引文；表扬

参考例句：

• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Some dictionary writers use citations to show what words mean. 有些辞典的编纂者用引文作例证以解释词义。 来自辞典例句

8 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

9 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

10 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。