LOS ANGELES—The HPA Awards Committee has announced that a trio of recipients will receive the 2023 HPA Award for Engineering Excellence at this year’s HPA Awards gala on November 9 at the Hollywood Legion in Hollywood. 

“In the midst of a revolutionary time in media and entertainment, it was exciting to see the caliber and number of entries to the Engineering Excellence awards this year,” said HPA Awards Engineering Committee chair Joachim Zell. “Our esteemed judges remarked on the true innovation and advancement in our industry depicted in the presentations. Sincere congratulations to the winners, and we acknowledge the remarkable achievements represented by every submission.” 

The HPA Awards for Engineering Excellence are a coveted and competitive honor, denoting outstanding technical and creative ingenuity in media, content production, finishing, distribution, and archive, HPA said. A distinguished panel of industry judges review materials and video presentations before gathering to hear presentations from submitters and then vote on the top technologies.

The winners of the 2023 HPA Award for Engineering Excellence are:

• Adobe for Adobe Premiere Pro Text-Based Editing. Premiere Pro is the only professional editing software to incorporate text-based editing, revolutionizing the way filmmakers approach their craft by making dialogue editing as simple as cutting and pasting text. Powered by Adobe Sensei, Text-Based Editing analyzes video clips and provides transcriptions that identify individual speakers. Using an in-app text editor, post-production teams can search for words or phrases, cut sentences, and rearrange dialogue to automatically shape rough cuts directly in their timeline. The feature is designed to help post-production professionals create a rough cut faster, increasing efficiency and eliminating traditional bottlenecks in locating, trimming, and moving specific clips.
• Flanders Scientific for XMP550. The XMP550 is a 55" UHD resolution HDR and SDR reference mastering monitor built around a groundbreaking new QD-OLED panel featuring 2,000 nits peak luminance, 4,000,000:1 contrast, and FSI's widest color gamut to date. The XMP550 qualifies as a Dolby Vision mastering monitor, bringing an end to the days of compromising between smaller reference-grade HDR displays and larger non-reference client displays. The XMP550 delivers the best of both worlds with truly reference-grade performance and professional connectivity in a form factor large enough for both the colorist and clients to view. The XMP550 is OLED without compromise.
• Kino Flo for Mimik 120. The MIMIK 120 is a full spectrum image-based lighting fixture that can synchronize to a XR volume to provide foreground lighting. It can be assembled as a wall or ceiling or be used as individual fixtures. It’s a 7200 pixel, 10 pitch lighting tile that converts a 3 color RGB video pixel into a 5 color pixel consisting of RGB, 2700K & 6500K phosphor white LEDs. The 5-color pixel ensures better tonal and color reproduction of foreground elements. It also operates at a high frequency enabling camera speeds of up to 960 fps.

HPA also bestowed an "Honorable Mention" on StypeLandXR. 

HPA said that StypeLandXR is an innovative Unreal Engine 5 plugin, revolutionizing virtual production. This trailblazing tool, used for the award-winning FOX Sports Live MULTICAM XR Set, which won the Sports Emmy - The George Wensel Technical Achievement Award, uniquely corrects color shifts on LED walls and resolves inherent delays between LED walls and set extensions. It enables the creation of extensive virtual spaces, offering accurate color matching, seamless transitions, and precision calibration. By enhancing visual impact and immersion, StypeLandXR opens new frontiers of creative potential.

The Engineering Excellence Award will be presented at the HPA Awards gala on November 9, 2023. Nominations honoring creative artistry in 19 categories will be announced in early autumn.

The HPA Awards are made possible through the generous sponsorship of diamond title sponsor Blackmagic Design and supporting sponsor Colorist Society. More information about the HPA Awards and the Hollywood Professional Association can be found at www.hpaonline.com.

BURBANK, Calif.—The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) Awards Committee has announced the winners of the 2022 HPA Award for Engineering Excellence. The awards will be bestowed at this year’s HPA Awards gala on November 17 at the Hollywood Legion in Hollywood, Calif.

“The pace of innovation in our industry continues unchecked! This year, we received more submissions for Engineering Excellence consideration than ever before,” the HPA Awards Engineering Committee chair Joachim Zell said. “It’s gratifying to see this record number of submissions, driven by a deep understanding of the true needs and desires of our industry, laying the groundwork for future progress even as they launch us ahead in the moment. Congratulations to the winners, and our deep respect for all of the entrants, who have contributed to the continued evolution of our industry.”

The HPA Awards recognize creative artistry and innovation in the professional media content industry. A coveted and highly competitive honor, the Engineering Excellence Award rewards outstanding technical and creative ingenuity in media, content production, finishing, distribution, and archive. Submissions for the Engineering Excellence Award include a video presentation, followed by interviews with a distinguished panel of industry judges.

The winners of the 2022 HPA Award for Engineering Excellence are:

• Amazon Web Services: Color in the Cloud. Leveraging JPEG-XS, signals are compressed to be suitably transmitted over AWS Direct Connect, AWS VPN or the open internet while maintaining lossless or uncompromised image quality, resulting in a viable and scalable solution for high fidelity, visually lossless color from a cloud provider. 
• Arri: REVEAL Color Science. The ALEXA 35 REVEAL Color Science reveals improved dynamic range, color gamut, and superior rendering of skin tones and subtle colors. It separates looks from display transforms, to support dual monitoring of HDR and SDR on set, enabling more efficient grading for multiple deliverables in post production.
• LG Electronics: LG UltraFine Pro OLED Monitor. The UltraFine OLED Pro EP950 reference grade HDR monitor meets color critical needs for content creation in cost-effective small-formats (32in & 27in). The RGB additive OLED UHD panel delivers close to 100% AdobeRGB and P3 coverage with peak luminance of up to 700 nits at 25% APL (HDR mode) and 250 nits full-field white. In-monitor 1D LUTs, 3D LUTs and 3x3 matrices allow accurate user calibration with Calman or LG software.
• Mo-Sys Engineering: LED Key. LED Key makes VP filming affordable by allowing wide shot capture on small LED walls. Virtual Production LED wall based filming is great for mid and close up shots, but wide shots required set builders to build floor and wall extensions or huge LED walls, which increases cost and time. LED Key allows filming with much smaller walls or even projectors, enabling greater location flexibility for filmmakers.

Four technologies followed closely, earning honorable mention: Carl Zeiss SBE, LLC (ZEISS CinCraft Mapper), Frame.io (Camera to Cloud), Glassbox Technologies (DragonFly virtual camera) and LucidLink (Filespaces).

The Engineering Excellence Award will be presented at the HPA Awards gala on November 17th. 

Other special awards include the Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation, and The Jury Award for Restoration and Preservation. 

Kim Waugh, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Post Production Creative Services, will receive HPA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Creative artistry will be recognized in fifteen categories, which includes new honors for nonfiction post production.

HPA Awards tickets are currently available to HPA members only at hpaonline.com. Tickets sales will open to the general public in the coming weeks.

More information about the HPA Awards and the Hollywood Professional Association can be found at www.hpaonline.com.

BURBANK, Calif.—HPA has issued a reminder that the period for submitting entries to the HPA Engineering Excellence Award is open until June 24th. 

As previously reported, HPA opened the submission period on April 13. 

Long a treasured distinction for companies in the media and entertainment industry, the HPA Engineering Excellence Award shines a light on breakthrough technologies in media, content production, finishing, distribution, and archive.

The timeline for this year’s awards begins with the submission period from April 13 to June 24, followed by judging (virtual) in July. The winners will be announced in September and the awards will be presented at the HPA Awards gala: November 17, Hollywood Legion. 

More information is available here. 

BURBANK, Calif.—The Hollywood Professional Association has issued its calls for submissions for the 2021 HPA Engineering Excellence Award. The submission deadline has been set for June 18.

The Engineering Excellence Award honors products and processes that help transform artists’ ability to realize their creative vision, per HPA. The HPA has recognized breakthroughs in media, content production, finishing, distribution and archive with past Engineering Excellence Awards.

HPA has announced that it will continue with virtual judging of all Engineering Excellence Award submissions in 2021 after what it says was a successful 2020 process. Joachim Zell, chair of the HPA Engineering Excellence Award Committee and HPA board member, said virtual judging expanded the organization’s ability to judge technologies and products from around the world.

There is a two-step process for entry: First, submission of written elements and a brief pre-recorded presentation; then a live, virtual Q&A with a panel of judges.

Information on the creative categories will be announced in the coming weeks.

Other updated rules, procedures and entry processes and available on HPA’s website.

“Shining a spotlight on the incredible talent and persistence of our industry is at HPA’s core,” said Seth Hallen, president of HPA. “Especially given the extraordinary advances of technology through the events of the past year, we are excited to celebrate the engineering and technology communities that have been absolutely crucial in the ability for us to continue working. We look forward to cheering the companies and the individuals who will be participating in the Engineering Excellence award.”

The recipients of the Engineering Excellence Award, as well as the Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation, will be announced in advance of the awards gala, which will take place in person and online in mid-November.

For more information, visit www.hpaawards.com.  

BURBANK, Calif.—Acknowledging a number of requests to do so and in an effort to be fair to all interested parties, the Hollywood Professional Association is extending the deadline to submit an entry for the HPA Engineering Excellence Award until Aug. 10.

The original deadline was going to be July 31, but now interested parties will have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 10 to get their nominations to HPA.

The HPA Engineering Excellence Award recognizes significant technological achievements that HPA says help lead to growth and stability in the industry.

HPA will present the Engineering Excellence Award at the 15th Anniversary HPA Awards, taking place virtually on Nov. 19.

For more information, or to submit a nomination, visit HPA’s website. 

BURBANK, Calif.—The Hollywood Professional Association today issued a call for entries for its 2020 Engineering Excellence Award and announced it will produce its 15th Anniversary HPA Awards presentation Nov. 19 as an online show that is open to all at no cost rather than as an in-person gala.

The association is working to make the 2020 HPA Awards accessible to more members while supporting its mission of honoring individuals and companies that serve the industry in indispensable ways, it said. 

HPA is making the submission process easier, extending the entry period and lowering entry fees, it added.

The HPA Engineering Excellence Award call for entries will close July 31. Entries for the award may include products or processes and must represent a significant step forward for the industry. A remote judging process will take place through August, HPA said.

“This year as always, we encourage the submission of your significant technological achievements. What we see at the HPA Engineering Excellence Award judging sessions are important ideas that lead the growth and stability of the industry. Critical, game changing products have been presented here. The atmosphere is competitive, collegial and passionate,” said Joachim Zell, chair of the HPA Engineering Excellence Award Committee and HPA Board member. “I expect that this year’s entries will be as compelling as in the past, if not even more so, given our circumstances. I am looking forward to seeing what our industry has to present.” 

This year’s application and presentation process for the engineering honors will take place in two parts. The first step is submission of written and video elements. The second is a live, virtual Q&A with judges on the blue ribbon panel.

The recipients of the Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation and the Engineering Excellence Award will both be announced in advance of the awards and presented during the online show.

Last year’s winners of the HPA Engineering Excellence Award were Adobe, Epic Games, Pixelworks, Portrait Displays and LG Electronics.

More information is available on the HPA website. 

BURBANK, Calif.—The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) this week issued a call for entries for its 2019 Engineering Excellence Award.

The award, in its 14th year, honors the companies and individuals who draw upon their technical and creative ingenuity to develop breakthrough technologies, HPA said. Submissions close on May 24.

“True success in our field lies in making it possible for filmmakers to realize their artistic visions. It is that goal that drives the development of technical and engineering processes that bring that vision to life,” said Joachim Zell, VP of Technology for EFILM and chair of the HPA Engineering Excellence Award Committee.

“The Engineering Excellence Award is a highly competitive honor, judged and awarded by tried-and-tested leaders in the field, and the past winners have changed the course of entertainment technology,” added Zell.

Last year’s winners were Blackmagic Design, Canon, Cinnafilm and IBM Aspera and Telestream.

Rules of the peer-judged award are available online. Applicants present to a blue-ribbon industry panel June 22 at the IMAX facility in Los Angeles. Winners will be honored during the HPA Awards Gala, Nov. 21, 2019, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

Next month, HPA will issue a call for entries for awards in the categories of Outstanding Color Grading, Editing, Sound and Visual Effects for feature film, television and commercials. Recipients in these categories also will be honored at the awards gala.

For more information visit the HPA Awards website. 

LOS ANGELES — The Hollywood Professional Association is now accepting entries for the Engineering Excellence Award. Now in its 13th year, the HPA Engineering Excellence Award spotlights companies and individuals who draw upon technical and creative ingenuity to develop breakthrough technologies. Submissions will close on May 25.

Joachim Zell, vice president of Technology for EFILM and chair of the HPA Engineering Excellence Award Committee, said, “Artistic vision is what drives the technical and engineering processes that bring that vision to life. Ultimately, our work is fundamentally about helping filmmakers realize their vision. The companies and individuals supporting creative storytellers face constant pressure to evolve to expand the creative palette. Their contribution to the entertainment industry cannot be overstated. The Engineering Excellence Award is a highly competitive honor, and the past winners have changed the course of entertainment technology. We encourage the submission of your significant technological achievements.”

[Read: ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘The Crown’ Win 2017 HPA Awards]

Entrants for this peer-judged award may include products or processes, and must represent a significant step forward for its industry beneficiaries. Past winners have included Aspera, Canon, Colorfront, Dolby, The Foundry/Sony Pictures Imageworks, MACOM, NVIDIA, Panasonic, Quantel, and RED Digital Cinema. Rules and procedures can be found at hpaonline.com.

Applicants present to a blue-ribbon industry panel is required of applicants. Presentations will take place on a Saturday in June in Los Angeles, California. More information about the presentation dates and location will be announced soon.

Winners will be announced in advance, and honors presented during the HPA Awards gala on the evening of November 15, 2018 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

In addition, the HPA Awards will again honor important craft categories including Outstanding Color Grading, Editing, Sound and Visual Effects for feature film, television and commercials. The call for entries in these creative categories will be announced in May.

For more information about the HPA Awards, including complete rules, guidelines and entry information, please visit www.hpaonline.com.