2006年VOA标准英语-Motion Picture Academy Honors Scientists,

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
27 February 2006

Sunday March 5, the film industry will honor actors and moviemakers with the Academy Awards, or Oscars. But the industry has already recognized some of the people behind the camera with scientific Oscars and other technical awards. VOA's Mike O'Sullivan reports from Los Angeles, scientists and engineers from around the world were honored for their achievements.

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Actress Rachel McAdams (front row, center), who hosted presentation dinner, with Scientific and Technical Achievement Award winners  
  

This year's winners included the German engineers who developed a cinema lens and a Ukrainian group that developed a gyroscopic-stabilized crane and camera holder¹.

David Grober won an award for a device called the Perfect Horizon stabilization² system for cameras on moving boats and vehicles. It was used in the opening surfing sequence of the James Bond film Die Another Day, and the manic chase scene aboard a three-decker bus in the third film in the Harry³ Potter series. The bus was equipped with beds and a crystal chandelier.

"We kept the horizon stable so when the beds slid from side to side and the chandelier went back and forth⁴, it made sense because you could actually see the bus and the sides of the bus moving," he said.

It was all an illusion, of course, and new technical tools help moviemakers create more convincing illusions.

Sid Ganis is the president of the movie academy, which presents the annual Oscars. A movie producer himself, he says technologists are an important part of the business, and of the professional academy that he heads in Hollywood.

"It's the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and without these guys, without the science part of it, I don't think there'd be a motion picture art part of it," Ganis said. "So it's a mutual⁵ admiration⁶ society between the arts and sciences, and for us at the academy, we honor the scientists, of course."

 
Rachel McAdams poses for photographers after arriving at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony 
  
Actress Rachel McAdams, who starred in last year's films Family Stone and Wedding Crashers, hosted this year's scientific Oscars, and said the experience helped her appreciate the technical side of the business.

"It's just making leaps and bounds, and I think it's so exciting," she said. "It's so exciting for films, the things they can do. And it's just growing every day. It's great."

Oscar recipient⁷ Gary Demos, called "the Einstein of the business" by one of his industry colleagues, was honored for his many insights over the years in computer technology and special effects. He says those effects today are subtler than in the past.

"You can't really tell, was this done by a computer or not or maybe it was partly done by a computer? So I think that's great," he said. "I think it's fine for it to meld into the infrastructure⁸ and be a normal tool. To me, a tool is what it's supposed to be."

Richard Edlund, who heads the academy's scientific and technical committee, loves the new technology, but says it creates a problem for younger moviegoers.

"Perfection is what everybody's going after, and the young filmgoer today sees shots that have been nuanced to the point where they look real," he said.

He says many young viewers cannot suspend belief and appreciate the story behind the crude effects of the original King Kong, released in 1933. But modern special effects add a new dimension to a classic Hollywood story, retold in Peter Jackson's 2005 remake of the film.

1 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

2 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

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 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

6 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

7 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。