A Cape Cod camera operator is now a part of Oscar-winning history.
Scott Lebeda of Mashpee was one of two camera operators for “CODA,” which won Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.
“CODA” stands for Child of Deaf Adults. It stars deaf actors and follows a high schooler who is the only hearing member of her family.
Lebeda operated a handheld camera on a fishing boat for much of the filming in Gloucester and Rockport in 2019. Most of the crew was New England-based.
"When we won Best Picture, that was the dream that we never thought would happen," Lebeda tells CAI. "We had to learn for this movie what it’s like to be a deaf person in the world. We did scenes where they would have us wear headphones so that, when we were operating, we couldn’t hear what was going on. We could just see what was going on. So it felt more like their point-of-view."
Troy Kotsur is the first male deaf actor to win an Oscar, and the Apple TV+ production is the first Best Picture for a streaming service.