End of an Era
Roy Tash csc
Stan Clinton csc
By GUIDO KONDRUSS
I
t’s always hard to say goodbye to old friends, but sometimes it’s necessary. The CSC Awards Committee has made the tough decision to retire two of its signature awards: the Roy
24 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2016
Tash Award for Spot News Cinematography and the Stan Clinton Award for News Essay Cinematography. Because of changes within the broadcast industry wrought by the Internet, slashed newsroom budgets and shifting attitudes towards the news cameraman craft, interest in the two awards waned appreciably in recent years. The number of submissions steadily declined to the point where it was felt that the awards were no longer competitive and representative of today’s television industry. Although the categories will no longer be offered as part of the Annual CSC Awards, they will remain as a lasting tribute and testament to the exceptional skill and craftsmanship of more than 200 nominees and winners during a period that lasted nearly five decades. The Roy Tash Award was first presented in 1970 for outstanding cinematography in television news by a camera person. The award is named after Canadian film pioneer Roy Tash csc, who spent most of his 50-year career as a newsreel cinematographer – first for Pathé News and then Associated Screen News – documenting events across the country and around the world. Tash shot film of everything from prime ministers and royalty to athletes and babies and everything in between. His biggest scoop was being the first to film the Dionne quintuplets during Christmas in 1934. It was often said that no event was complete without Roy Tash and his camera. An inductee into the Canadian News Hall of Fame, Tash was also the recipient of the Bill Hilson Award “for outstanding service contributing to the development of the motion picture industry in Can-
ada.” Tash was also a lifetime member of the CSC and served as the society’s treasurer for many years. The original Roy Tash Award features a gold-plated 35 mm Bell and Howell Eyemo, one of Tash’s cameras he filmed with throughout his career. Tash personally presented the award, which bears his name, each year at the CSC Gala until his death in 1988 at age 90. The Stan Clinton Award was presented for the best news essay where cinematographic distinction was the prime consideration. It was first awarded in 1989 in memory of cinematographer Stan Clinton csc. Trained in the British system of filmmaking, Clinton worked for years in London shooting features, documentaries, and training and advertising films. He brought his English cinematography sensibilities to Canada, joining the CBC in 1952, where he worked for the next 22 years. During his tenure at the CBC, Clinton built a reputation for his superb shooting skills and was legendary for always producing top-notch work no matter how compromising and difficult the assignment. He is credited with upping the quality of film work at the CBC from primarily newsreel work to a level that produced award-winning dramas and documentaries. Clinton was also very generous with his time and knowledge, training many camera assistants, some of whom went on to become directors of photography. Clinton was one of the original full members that formed the Canadian Society of Cinematographers in 1957 and served later as the society’s president for three years. While the Roy Tash Award and the Stan Clinton Award are now withdrawn from competition, they will not be forgotten. Both awards will be on permanent display in the CSC Clubhouse as a legacy and tribute to their respective recipients through the years.
