Honorary Membership and the Honor Roll

Honorary Membership is the Society’s highest accolade. It recognizes individuals who have performed distinguished service in the advancement of engineering in motion pictures, television, or in the allied arts and sciences. Honorary Members who have passed away are named to the SMPTE Honor Roll, which also posthumously recognizes individuals who were not awarded Honorary Membership during their lifetimes but whose contributions would have been sufficient to warrant such an honor.

Honorary membership is conferred upon Ang Lee in recognition of his extensive pioneering innovation in deployment of new technologies to enhance theatrical storytelling. In particular, Lee’s use of advanced technologies such as 3D and Higher Frame Rates in the films Life of Pi, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, and Gemini Man exemplify his creative use of new technologies to effectively draw viewers further into the story and the characters' emotional states.