The Fighter, Black Swan among Academy Award nominees

Two members of the Emerson community are among those celebrating Academy Award nominations.

Dorothy Aufiero ’80 was producer on The Fighter, a locally filmed movie starring Boston native Mark Wahlberg. The picture is nominated for six Oscars, including Best Directing, Best Editing, and Best Picture. Aufiero has worked on a number of films made in the Boston area, including Good Will Hunting. She owns Red Hawk Entertainment LLC.

Part-time faculty member Mo Flam is new to Emerson’s Visual and Media Arts Department. He is a chief lighting technician and gaffer who has worked on a number of big-name films, including this year’s Oscar-nominated Black Swan. It is up for four awards, including Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Picture.

“I’ve worked on a number of nominated films, but only one winner,” Flam said. “I play a supporting role,” helping the director of photography decide how to illuminate different scenes.

Flam recalls the thrill of being part of a winning team. “When the person I worked with won for The English Patient, he thanked me from the podium. That was my three seconds of fame, and my kids got to see it. It’s always exciting.”

His participation in the making of Black Swan ended early; he did the pre-production but left the movie early to spend several months in Vienna working on The Tourist, a high-budget film starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.

One of the challenges of Black Swan was its budget, Flam said. He recalls one ballet performance scene that had to be done “old school” with follow spots because the money wasn’t there for high-tech lighting. Still, the scene’s austere lighting makes it look classic, he explained.

The Academy Awards have been given for 83 years by a group of nearly 6,000. Winners will receive their iconic Oscar statuettes during a ceremony on February 27, 2011.