About The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers 

Founded in 1916, SMPTE is the global society of media professionals, technologists, and engineers working in the digital entertainment industry. The Society fosters a diverse and engaged membership from both the technology and creative communities, delivering vast educational offerings, technical conferences, and exhibitions, the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, and access to a rich network of colleagues essential to their career success. As an internationally recognized standards organization, SMPTE also provides a vital technical framework of engineering standards and guidelines that allow the seamless creation, management, and delivery of media for art, entertainment, and education worldwide.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Natalie M. and Herbert T. Kalmus medal, presented by Technicolor at the 2022 SMPTE Awards Gala.

The Natalie M. and Herbert T. Kalmus Medal was established in 1955 as the Technicolor – Herbert T. Kalmus Gold Medal, and renamed in 2021. The award honors the recipient by recognizing outstanding contributions that reflect a commitment to the highest standards of quality and innovation in motion picture production, post-production, and distribution services. Preference is given to developments and innovations in the areas of color science and color management, including image acquisition, post-production processes, and preservation and restoration technologies that insure long-term access to motion picture content.

Linwood G. Dunn (1971), John F. Sawyer (1996), Joshua Pines (2011), Rod Bogart (2018), and Beverly Joanna Wood (2020). For a full list of previous honorees and their award citations, visit here, and here.

The 2022 Natalie M. and Herbert T. Kalmus Medal will be awarded to Patrick Renner, in recognition of his vision, actualization, and continued refinement of on-set color management and color grading tools, as embodied in the Pomfort Livegrade software platform, providing cinematographers and digital imaging technicians a system that is creatively flexible yet technically robust, with an underlying image and metadata pipeline architecture supporting a wide range of workflows, resulting in ubiquitous adoption on live-action sets worldwide.

How easy is it to join The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers? What does membership involve? 

While SMPTE’s many resources help all its members in their day-to-day jobs, they provide a special advantage for younger and mid-level professionals who are looking to jumpstart their careers and enrich their working lives. So we’ve designed our Individual Memberships to fit the needs of professionals at each stage of their careers, with SMPTE’s extensive library of technical articles and data, vast educational offerings, career development and networking opportunities that are vital to your success. 
 
Our Corporate Memberships recognize that success is a product of staff development, innovation, business intelligence and opportunities to take a leadership position in the industry. So we’ve responded with membership levels that suit the requirements of your organization’s size as well as your corporate goals and values. Whatever your needs, SMPTE delivers the ideal combination of memberships, education, conferences, events, standards participation and promotional opportunities that can give you a real corporate edge. Explore memberships here.

SMPTE Professional Membership includes: 

The Media and Entertainment industry has shifted back into high gear, people are coming back together, and technology is changing faster than ever. So what’s the easiest way to stay on top of new products, formats, codecs, and workflows? What’s the best way to forge powerful relationships that can open doors in your career? The answer is joining the media professionals, technologists and engineers who have found their global community in SMPTE. If you’re serious about your career, SMPTE is for you. 

SMPTE empowers you with the tools to thrive where art and technology meet 

Your membership delivers access to the SMPTE Knowledge Network, technical webinars, the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, and discounts on the SMPTE Media Technology Summit and standards publications. Plus, for each SMPTE virtual course you take, you’ll enjoy a deep discount that alone is worth more than the price of membership.   

SMPTE Sections are the welcoming face of your local SMPTE community 

With more than thirty sections across four continents, you’re sure to find a vibrant local SMPTE community whose members share your passion for all that’s new and exciting in technology. Not just a great resource for education and networking, local sections are also known for the kind of warm fellowship that makes it easy to find a mentor or become one. 

The knowledge and access you need to make it in media! 

Whether you’re an engineer, executive, technical director, camera operator, editor, color scientist, consultant or educator, there’s a SMPTE Individual Membership package for you. Most SMPTE members choose the Professional level which includes all the most-wanted benefits. Other membership levels offer deep discounts for Students, Recent Grads, and Retired members. 

How is SMPTE Educating on the Technologies of Motion Imaging? 

In our rapidly evolving world of technology, education is at the very core of SMPTE’s commitment to the global media community. The Society’s vast educational offerings are designed to advance the industry and future-proof organizations, while they support the careers of individuals by addressing their highest priority learning and development needs. 

If you’ve experienced a SMPTE virtual course or webcast you know the tremendous value this curriculum provides. It’s not surprising that they receive consistently high ratings from attendees. In fact, 99% of webcast participants would attend again and recommend to colleagues. 

Education comes in many forms.  From our award-winning journal to webcasts, virtual courses, conferences and Section meetings, there are many ways to stay current on the

technology you will need to succeed in your career. Learn more here.

 Discover more about The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers on their website, and the legacy and history of the Technicolor Group here.