Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1490572
1 8 P E R S P E C T I V E | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 N E W S B Y D AV I D M O R O N G , E D I T O R 27th Annual Art Directors Guild Awards for Lifetime Achievement Illustrator and Matte Artists Craft Winner: Janet Kusnick A D G L I F E T I M E A C H I E V E M E N T AWA R D J A N E T K U S N I C K 2023 lifetime award winner Janet Kusnick graduated from UCLA with a major in painting and sculpture and began her career in entertainment painting planets for Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and 2010: The Year We Make Contact. There she saw storyboards for the first time and realized that this was the direction she wanted to take. Janet always enjoyed the collaborative process of visualizing a script, and she learned on the job, as at that time, there were no classes in live-action storyboarding. Her first big feature was Silverado, on which she was on location in Santa Fe for two months working with Lawrence Kasdan. George of the Jungle was another memorable project, as the sets were being built right next door and, on her breaks, she could watch them taking shape and see the animals being trained. Other highlights of her career include Kill Bill 2, The Italian Job, The Day the Earth Stood Still (the first time she had the opportunity of seeing her boards come to life in the previs department), The Road and 127 Hours. She has also storyboarded innumerable commercials, most recently for Anonymous Content. Her most unusual experience in the film business was when she got hired for 127 Hours in a rather bizarre way: Her agent received a request from a A. JANET KUSNICK. B. JANET WITH LAWRENCE KASDAN ON THE SET OF SILVERADO. C. SILVERADO STORYBOARD FRAMES. A B C