Trading in their requisite jeans and easy shirts for tuxedos and bow ties, the cinematography community turned it out for the 39th annual Canadian Society of Cinematographers Awards, an evening of well-deserved attention for the largely incognito heroes of the production industry.

Champagne flowed fast and early at the gala event held at Toronto’s Sheraton Centre Hotel March 30, with cinematographer James Gardner the only multiple award winner, taking home two of the big rocks with an eye for best music video, Old Enough by Crash Vegas through Hoodoo Films, and best documentary cinematography for Searching for Lost Worlds: Machu Picchu for Fabulous Discoveries Productions.

Microphone-shy but smiling sweetly, Gardner quietly thanked everybody from the csc to the Peruvian locals who helped carry the gear up and down the mountain.

Magic tricks, bad jokes, and the effervescent host Joe Sunday, chair of the event, kept the audience amused through the ceremony although none drawing a heartier chuckle than Best Student Cinematography award winner Ian Kenji Williams for Greenstick who thanked the csc, his parents, York University, and then leaned into the mike to say urgently, ‘We need $800 to finish this film.’

More group conscious, Ron Orleux, Winner of the Best TV Drama Cinematography for The Tuskagee Airmen for Price Entertainment and hbo, took the opportunity to drive home the idea of taking Canadian talent international. ‘We stand up to the best around the world and we need to promote ourselves abroad to get more of these opportunities. We are very, very capable.’

Other attention-getters (besides the guy who took a cel call mid-Fuji Award for extraordinary contribution to the industry presentation to Jim Mercer, carried on a long conversation until a red-faced man walked over and threatened him, turned it off and then fell asleep sitting up), included the likes of industry celebs Maria Topalovich, executive director of the acct, producer and broadcaster Ann Medina, Global’s Loren Mawhinny, ctv anchor Lloyd Robertson, Don McLean, president of The Partners’ Film Company, the biggest commercial production house in Canada, and singer Holly Cole, all of whom had full praise for cinematographers.

Presenting Best Documentary, Medina characterized dops as people ‘with a special talent for discovering surprises, possessing a sixth sense of what might happen without a script.’

Topalovich, giving the award for Best Theatrical Feature Cinematography to Margaret’s Museum cinematographer Vic Sarin, extended congratulations for the community’s ‘truly extraordinary’ contribution to the industry, and for staying strong through high and low production times.

Fuji Award winner Mercer echoed the sentiment: ‘Particularly over the last two years when the bottom line has become so important, we strive for quality and that makes it a great honor to be with you.’

Good company, good food, great lines, with the final word going to Partners’ McLean, who presented the Best Commercial Cinematography Award to Barry Peterson for Pontiac ‘Duel’ through Jolly Roger in Toronto, quipping:

‘I really like cinematographers. I like editors and producers too, but I really, really like cinematographers. It’s just those damn directors that spoil the whole thing.’

Rounding out the winners list are Bernard Couture for Best Dramatic Short Cinematography, Brian Hebb for Best TV Series Cinematography, Don Scott for The Stan Clinton Award for News Essay Cinematography, and Yhoram Pirotsky for The Roy Tash Award for News Spot Cinematography.

Special honorees included Barry Stone for Unique Cinematography Demonstration, Niklos Lente for The Kodak New Century Award, and Colin Davis, vp marketing, professional motion imaging, at Kodak Canada for outstanding service contributing to the development of the motion picture industry.