Academy Presents Bonner Medal to Ray Feeney
Jan 16, 2002 by Ian Evans
The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has awarded Ray Feeney the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation. The medal will be presented during the Scientific and Technical Awards presentation dinner on Saturday, March 2.
Feeney will receive the Bonner Medal for his pioneering efforts to improve visual effects in the motion picture industry.
Since the mid-70’s, Feeney has worked to provide leading-edge scientific and engineering solutions to the film industry. The new technologies offered by Feeney and RFX, Inc., the company he founded in 1978, have served as the catalysts to produce ground-breaking visual effects for both feature films and television.
In conjunction with leading filmmakers and software engineers, Feeney also founded Silicon Grail, a company that develops digital compositing software to more efficiently create visual effects for feature films.
“Ray Feeney has played a leading role in the motion picture industry by working to improve upon current technologies. He has played a pivotal role in the field of visual effects and is truly deserving of the Bonner Medal,” said Richard Edlund, chair of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee.
No stranger to Academy recognition, Feeney has won four Scientific and Engineering Awards from the Academy during his illustrious career: in 1988, for developing one of the first motion control camera systems; in 1991, for his work on the Solitaire Film Recorder; and in 1994, honoring his development of film input scanners and the Cinefusion bluescreen extraction technology.
Named in honor of the late director of special projects at Warner Hollywood Studios, the Bonner Medal is awarded for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Academy Awards for Scientific and Technical Achievements of 2001 will be presented at a gala black tie dinner at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.