The Ojai Film Festival (OFF) honors former ASC President Steven Poster with the 2020 Distinguished Artist Award for Cinematography at a virtual ceremony on Thursday, November 12 at 7 p.m.. The preceding Saturday OFF invites anyone interested in cinematography to join Poster for a discussion of what it takes to achieve his cinematic vision.

“I’m very excited the Ojai Film Festival considered me for this honor,” Poster said. “Being recognized for my body of work is the highest kind of praise for an artist.”

On Saturday, November 7 at 1 p.m Poster will share highlights of his career, and delve into his methods of achieving special images and effects. This seminar includes clips of selected works. A live Zoom Q&A with Poster follows.

Poster, born and raised In Chicago, first became interested in still photography. He studied at Southern Illinois University, then the Los Angeles Art Center College of Design, where he now teaches, and the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology. His career began by filming commercials and documentaries, which gained him recognition for his lighting skills. He then worked on the feature films “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Blade Runner,” as Second Unit Director of Photography. In 1989 he shot the iconic music video to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” Many people know Poster by his seminal work on Ridley Scott’s “Someone To Watch Over Me” and Richard Kelly’s “Donnie Darko.”

A member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 1987, he served as President in 2002. In 2006 the International Cinematographers Guild elected him national President, a position he held until 2019. With his guidance the union transitioned from film to digital imaging.

He currently lives in Los Angeles.