LAS VEGAS — The American Society of Cinematographers (www.theasc.com) will put James Neihouse, ASC, in the spotlight to discuss his experience making the new IMAX film A Beautiful Planet. The panel, moderated by journalist David Heuring, is part of the Creative Master Series at The National Associations of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas. It will be held on Monday, April 18th from 11:45am to 12:45pm in room S220 of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Neihouse will reveal his multi-year preparations and last-minute adaptations for this IMAX-NASA collaboration, set for release exclusively in IMAX and IMAX 3D theaters on April 29th.
Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence and directed by Toni Myers, A Beautiful Planet is a breathtaking portrait of Earth from space, providing a unique perspective and increased understanding of the planet and galaxy as never seen before. Made in cooperation with NASA, the film features stunning footage of Earth - and the effects humanity has had on it over time - captured by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
A veteran of large-format films, Neihouse has trained a number of astronauts to shoot in space. On A Beautiful Planet, Neihouse was again responsible for choosing all the equipment and preparing the astronauts to photograph Earth’s natural beauty and the electric intensity of human expansion. As part of the discussion, Neihouse will divulge his thought process from conception to execution, including his earthbound adaptations when the shuttle originally slated to bring the images home became inoperable.
Neihouse worked on his first IMAX film, directed by Graeme Ferguson, one of the co-founders of IMAX, soon after graduating from the Brooks Institute of Photography. That project, Ocean, was the first underwater film made in the format. Since that time Neihouse has gone on to work on 30-plus IMAX and other large-format films. Neihouse's first credit as director of photography was on The Eruption of Mount St. Helens, the first IMAX film to be nominated for an Academy Award.
Neihouse has contributed to some of the most successful giant-screen films. His credits include The Dream Is Alive, Space Station 3D, Hubble 3D, and Ocean Oasis, to name a few. He is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, cinematographers branch, and became a member of the ASC last year.