Like many teenagers with Hollywoodstars in their eyes, Nelson Cragg ('00) learned early on that acting was not his calling. "My best friend, Justin Steiner ('00), and I made a whole string of cheesy action movies," says Cragg. Indiana Jones didn't have to worry. It turns out Cragg was more interested in the actual production of films, and his behind-the-scenes work has earned him the Conrad L. Hall Heritage Award from the American Society of Cinematographers for his short film Running in Tall Grasses. The annual award is presented to one or more promising film students or recent graduates. Cragg earned his master's in film studies from the University of South Carolina in 2003.

Running in Tall Grasses (Chay Trong Co Cao in Vietnamese) was written and directed by Cragg's close friend, Howard Duy Vu. The story was inspired by Vu's father who was held in a Vietnamese "re-education" camp in the early 1980s. The film details the journey of a young Vietnamese boy who goes to visit his father in one of these camps.

"I believe that the reason the cinematography was so strong was because the story and the script were so strong," says Cragg. "We actually had Howard's father come to the set one day and play one of the prisoners. Having him there made the experience that much more real to me. I knew that I had to get the photography right to tell the story properly," he adds.

Although Vu and Cragg wanted to shoot Running in Tall Grasses in Vietnam, they soon realized that it would be "politically and logistically impossible." So they "built a small Vietnamese village in Azuza, Calif." Cragg designed sets with the sun's natural lighting in mind and used 35mm film to achieve an "old classical" look he envisioned.

Winning the Heritage Award gave the young filmmaker the confidence that he chose the right career path. "The ASC honoring my work was the highlight of my life," he says. The awards ceremony was attended by 1,600 members of the film industry. "I think of it as the Oscars for cinematographers," says Cragg. "There are a whole slew of famous actors and directors who present the awards. I was able to meet many of my heroes, including Laszlo Kovacs (Easy Rider) and Andrew Lesnie (Lord of the Rings)."

Cragg plans to film another project with Vu. "Right now, I just look forward to a life of simply looking at moments in time and finding ways to capture them," he says.

-- Allison Mall ('04)