American Society of Cinematographers

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is not a labor union or guild, but rather an educational, cultural and professional organization. Membership is possible by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography with distinguished credits in the industry. The ASC currently has approximately 340 members.

Origins

Its history goes back to the Cinema Camera Club in New York City founded by Phil Rosen, Frank Kugler, and Lewis W. Physioc and the Static Club in Los Angeles founded by Charles Rosher and Harry H. Harris. Both were created in 1913, and were united into a national organization when Rosher and Rosen moved to LA in 1918. The ASC was chartered in California in January 1919, and claims to be the "oldest continuously operating motion picture society in the world". The following year, the William S. Hart film Sand was released on June 27, bearing to Joe August the first cinematographer credit followed by the letters "ASC".

Publications

1920 also marked the beginning of American Cinematographer, a magazine still in print today. The magazine's camera-centric features about new releases, often peppered with extensive interviews with the film's camera crew, ensure that back-issues remain in high demand almost indefinitely among cinematographers seeking to discover how particular films' looks were achieved. The length of one's personal back collection of the magazine is a frequently-cited source of pride.

Along with the magazine, the most well-known publication of the society is the American Cinematographer Manual, sometimes referred to as "the Bible" among camerapeople. The first edition was brought out in 1935 by Jackson J. Rose as The American Cinematographer Hand Book and Reference Guide, and it 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
- American Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in Theatrical Releases

External link

ASC official website

American Society of Cinematographers Awards | Entertainment_industry_societies | Cinematography