In 1994, Gary Swink was awarded a technical achievement award at the 67th Oscars for the development of a lighting system that improved special effects in hundreds of Hollywood films. Swink shared the award with Frieder Hochheim, Joe Zhou and Don Northrop,
The summer 1995 edition of Shafer Court Connections, VCU’s alumni magazine, shared the news of his win.
Gary Swink won a technical achievement academy award, the only one this year for a new lighting system. Swink’s Kino Flo Portable, Flicker Free, High Output Fluorescent Lighting System eliminated the greenish tinge and visible flicker of other fluorescent systems. It’s particularly useful for special effects process shots and has been used in hundreds of movies, including Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction and Star Trek: Generations.
Swink and Hochheim developed their lighting solution in 1987 while working on the set of Barfly. A shot on a narrow set made rigging lights a considerable challenge for the director of photography, so the pair (then a best boy and gaffer, respectively) devised a system that used various types of artificial lighting capable of being fit inside windows and nooks, and tucked behind drapes. Their innovation led to the birth of the Kino Flo Company, which began producing custom lighting instruments in the early ’90s. Kino Flo’s versatile, quiet and energy-efficient lights were popular across the film industry, earning Swink his 1994 technical Oscar win.
2018 marks 90 years of creative daring at VCUarts. To mark this occasion, VCUarts is spending this school year reflecting on our shared history and envisioning how we can continue to pave the way for creative practice in the 21st century and beyond. Visit the VCUarts 90th Anniversary website to learn more about the many stories that have shaped our school, and to share memories of your own.
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