November 2025
In Memoriam — Otto Nemenz (1942-2025)
Austrian émigré Otto Nemenz arrived in Los Angeles in 1964 in pursuit of a career in cinematography, and when he finally started shooting, he was dismayed by the condition of the equipment he needed. “I was doing a lot of commercials [and] after-school specials and Saturday morning shows for kids — all on 16mm,” the ASC associate member recalled in 2004. “16mm equipment in this town was in very bad shape … so I started buying 16mm cameras, Eclairs.” Nemenz fine-tuned them himself, optimizing an engineering degree and experience as a camera technician. Soon, colleagues in search of quality 16mm gear began asking to borrow his. “Before I knew it,” he said, “I was in business.” Thus he remained for the rest of his life. When Nemenz died Nov....more
