American Society of Cinematographers

American Society of Cinematographers
Full name American Society of Cinematographers
Founded 1919 (1919)
Members 340
Key people Kees van Oostrum – President
Office location Hollywood, California, U.S.
Country United States
Website theasc.com

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in 1919, is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. Neither a labor union nor a guild, ASC membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with distinguished credits in the film industry.

Members can put the letters A.S.C. after their names. ASC membership has become one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a professional cinematographer, a mark of prestige and distinction.[1] The ASC currently has approximately 340 members and continues to grow.

Origins

Its history goes back to the Cinema Camera Club in New York City founded by Arthur Charles Miller, Phil Rosen, and Frank Kugler. Arthur Miller and his brother, William Miller, both filmmakers in New York City, worked together and established a much-needed union for cinematography workers called the Motion Picture Industry Union. Arthur Miller left to work in Hollywood, California, one year after the Motion Picture Industry Union was formed. The ASC was chartered in California in January 1919 by Miller and claims to be the "oldest continuously operating motion picture society in the world".

Publications

1920 also marked the beginning of American Cinematographer magazine, still in print today. The magazine focuses on the cinematography of current motion picture releases, including interviews with cinematographers and technical information. Back-issues remain in high demand among film makers, seeking to discover how a particular film's look was achieved.

Other than the magazine, the most well-known publication of the ASC is the American Cinematographer Manual. The first edition was published in 1935 by Jackson J. Rose as The American Cinematographer Hand Book and Reference Guide. The Hand Book evolved from the Cinematographic Annual only published twice, in 1930 and 1931. Rose's handbook went through nine editions by the middle of the 1950s, and it was from this book that the modern American Cinematographer Manual originated. The first edition of the new manual was published in 1960, and is now in its ninth edition (2004).

Founding members

Award categories

Film

Television

Lifetime Achievement

See also

References

  1. ↑ American Cinematographer Magazine
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