Mansouri and his team specialize in designing and building custom rigs and gear to help cinematographers achieve their vision.
Membership in the ASC is by invitation only. Associate members are invited to join based on their contributions to the art and craft of motion pictures. Today the ASC has approximately 360 members and 200 associate members who collectively dedicate their time, expertise and passion to the ASC mission.
Mansouri was nominated by Vilmos Zsigmond and Frederic Goodich, who provided the ASC board of governors with letters of recommendation that were then sent out to the entire membership for final approval.
In his letter of recommendation, Zsigmond, who won an Academy Award for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, said that he has worked closely with Mansouri over the years and is most impressed by his deep knowledge of digital technology.
“Michael was one of the first to experiment with innovative HD and 3D technology and he went the extra mile by personally demonstrating how to make best use of his state-of-the-art camera features. He was always eager to lend advice and help, always knowledgeable and professional in his service,” Zsigmond wrote. “When we needed to run lens and camera tests with new digital equipment, he personally helped to set things up and make the experience valuable for all the interested ASC members.”
“Skilled DIT, camera operator, passionate gear-head entrepreneur, considerate of his clients, Michael projects an agreeably warm personality, generous to a fault,” Goodich wrote. “Knowledgeable and inventive in HD and 3D digital-technology, he seems especially adept at servicing the needs and vision of these clients: cinematographers and camera crew members – the established, the up-and-coming and the novice student.”
Mansouri said he is honored by his selection to the ASC but also considers the recognition to be the result of a team effort at Radiant Images. “It is certainly an honor and a privilege to be recognized by the ASC and to be placed in the company of such talented and esteemed artists and professionals,” he said. “At the same time, I believe this recognition truly reflects what we’ve been able to achieve as a team at Radiant Images in developing an approach that resonates with filmmakers. Our focus is simplicity in design and operation, ease of use, small form factor, versatility. It’s a new language of cinema and we are helping artists express themselves with these new, uncomplicated tools.”
