Baylor Professor Corey Carbonara Receives an Award from the International Cinematographers Guild

September 23, 2013

Corey Carbonara, Ph.D.
(Courtesy photo by Steven Poster, ASC)

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WACO, Texas (Sept. 23, 2013) -- Corey P. Carbonara, Ph.D., a professor of film and digital media in Baylor University's College of Arts & Sciences, has been named the recipient of the Nat Tiffen Award for outstanding educational contributions to the art and craft of cinematography, awarded Sept. 27 in Los Angeles by the International Cinematographers Guild.
Carbonara, director of the Digital Communication Technologies Project at Baylor, was one of four individuals chosen to receive awards.
"These gentlemen represent the very highest achievements in their fields, be it cinematography, education or journalism," said Steven Poster, guild president.
Carbonara has served in a variety of capacities on state, national and international committees and panels for the Federal Communications Commission, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and many other prominent organizations. He is a longtime member of the American Society of Lighting Designers.
"I am so honored to have been selected by the International Cinematographers Guild to receive the prestigious Nat Tiffen Award for outstanding educational contributions to the art and craft of cinematography," Carbonara said. "Getting this from the ICG and having it presented to me at the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Clubhouse is such a wonderful blessing. I have always admired the creative genius of the ASC and ICG over the years, and to receive an award named after Nat Tiffen humbles me."
He said the ASC and ICG have illustrated their educational outreach to nurture future cinematographers.
"Many cinematographers from the ASC and the ICG have supported our work at Baylor with internships and master classes," Carbonara said. "The Emerging Cinematography Awards by the International Cinematographers Guild is a clear example of such dedication to education."
He said that nine cinematographers associated with the ASC have served as mentors to him and have directly helped his students at Baylor over the years. Those are Steven Poster, ASC; George Spiro Dibie, ASC; John Hora, ASC; Curtis Clark, ASC; John Dykstra, ASC; John Alonzo, ASC; Conrad Hall, ASC; Shane Hurlbut, ASC; and Jonathan Erland.
In addition, the Tiffen Company has "a sterling dedication to education and has supported Baylor by sponsoring a series of master classes from award-winning cinematographers who came to our campus," Carbonara said. "A particular note of thanks must be given to Steven Tiffen and his wonderful team for all of the support and encouragement they give our students majoring in Film and Digital Media."
He said that his honor "has to be shared with all of my fellow dedicated FDM colleagues, students and alumni whose creative works over the years reflect all of the efforts that this award is based on. I am particularly also humbled to be included with such a prestigious list of honorees such as Julio Macat, ASC, Mark Weingartner, and Kristopher Tapley.
"When Steven Poster, ASC the president of the Guild called to tell me about the award, I stopped in my tracks and was shocked ... it all still feels a bit surreal."
Carbonara, a Chicago native, earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. in radio/television/film from the University of Texas at Austin.
He began his career as a lighting designer for a network syndicated public affairs show for ABC-TV. In 1980, he began work as a cinematographer and director of remote productions for Columbia Pictures/Editel Chicago, serving as an online editor and working on more than 100 hundred TV commercial spots and industrial films for a number of advertising agencies and their top clients. He worked freelance as a lighting consultant for many of HBO's early TV concerts.
Carbonara also has worked in corporate video for Caterpillar Tractor Company as a producer/director/cinematographer and editor; and as the first product manager of high-definition video systems for the TV and cinema industries. In 1985, he worked on the first high-definition short film -- Arrival -- produced by the American Film Institute and starring Robert Downey, Jr. He also has been a digital HD technical consultant for Apogee, Inc.
Carbonara was the first product manager for Sony of their High Definition Video Systems. After his work at Sony, Carbonara began cinematography and post-production at Baylor. He and his colleague, Michael Korpi, Ph.D., have worked on numerous Christian documentaries and experimental HD and film tests for digital cinema.
In 2000, Texas Monthly distinguished Carbonara as one of the "... Most Powerful Texans in High Tech." He also is a member of the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers.
Four major Hollywood corporations presented the awards as part of the celebrations of the Guild's 17th annual Emerging Cinematographer Awards.
The International Cinematographers Guild represents more than 7,000 members who work in film, television and commercials as photography directors, camera operators, visual effects supervisors, still photographers, camera assistants, film loaders, camera crews and publicists.
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Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.
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