A tearful moment of triumph for Halle Berry, an honorary Oscar for Sidney Poitier and a surprise appearance by Woody Allen may have stolen the show at the 74th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, but the evening was equally momentous for a local movie pioneer.
Edmund DiGiulio, an engineer who helped develop breakthrough technologies like the CP 16 and Steadicam, received a golden statue for his lifetime of contributions to film.
The news came a few weeks back when DiGiulio got a phone call from the Academy’s top gun.
“It was overwhelming,” recalls DiGiulio. “I was just sitting at home minding my own business when the president called and told me that there had been a unanimous vote.” DiGiulio and others in his category were honored at the Academy’s sci-tech awards banquet on March 2, but if you watched Sunday’s telecast carefully, you probably saw a short clip of DiGiulio receiving his award.
DiGiulio earned engineering degrees at Columbia and UCLA before Hollywood came calling. He spearheaded several technological innovations at Mitchell Camera before going on to start a company of his own.
At Cinema Products, he introduced the CP 16, a camera that revolutionized television news. Then, together with Garrett Brown, he created something that would change the way the world sees the movies. That something was the Steadicam, a device that is worn on the body rather than held in the hand. It brought added realism to films like “Bound for Glory” and “The Shining,” and has been making movie magic ever since.
Most filmgoers might not know what a Steadicam looks like, but anyone who saw “Rocky” probably knows what it does. “Remember that scene where Stallone is running up the library steps, hits the top and then throws his arms up to the world?” asks DiGiulio. “That was a Steadicam. The cameraman was running up the stairs with Stallone, and you felt like you were too.”
What DiGiulio likes best about his invention is that it lets viewers feel like they are a part of the action.
“You are totally unaware of the way a movie is being shot,” he says. “The less you are disturbed as a viewer, the more you are drawn into the film.”
In receiving his trophy, DiGiulio joins a select few who have been singled out for their scientific and technological contributions. While he has received a slew of impressive awards during his 40-year career, the Oscar that now sits on his bookshelf is the ultimate honor.
“It’s mind-blowing,” he says. “I would have never expected this. It’s just such a thrill.”