The ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) has just accepted Arlene Nelson, which is a cinematographer and educator about the art of moviemaking. Nelson is also the DP and Co-Director of the new documentary series Secrets of Playboy that exposes the hidden truths behind the Playboy empire. Let’s explore a bit about Arlene and her resume.
Arlene Nelson – The newest ASC member
Arlene is a Television Academy member for over a decade, has guest lectured at USC, UCLA, SFSU; served on Television Academy and film festival juries and panels, and for eleven years, has been an International Advisory Board member for Global Girl Media, dedicated to empowering teenage girls and young women around the world to create and share their stories through digital journalism. Arlene served on the board of the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at CCHS, for three years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art Photography and Philosophy. Recently, Arlene has been accepted as a member b the ASC American Society of Cinematographers).
An Emmy nominee. and co-director of ‘Secrets of Playboy’
Arlene has received several awards for her cinematography, including an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for her work on Academy Award winner Morgan Neville’s, Troubadours, an American Masters documentary on the singer-songwriter tradition, featuring Carole King and James Taylor. Arlene’s most recent work is the A&E docuseries Secrets of Playboy which is a documentary series featuring interviews with former Playboy employees who alleged numerous acts of sexual and drug abuse took place at the mansion during Hefner’s lifetime. The series of “Secrets of Playboy” spans several decades, so when it came to recreating the narrative, Arlene chose a combination of modern cinema cameras (ARRI Mini LF) paired with re-housed vintage Canon FD Primes.
Additional notes
As stated on Arlene’s website: When Arlene is not shooting, she can be found sailing, playing ping pong, or eating her husband’s homemade sourdough pizza in Los Angeles. They are proud parents of a daughter who is a freshman studying Photography at Pratt Institute in Arlene’s original hometown of Brooklyn.
A complete list of all active ASC members (since 1919) can be downloaded here.
