American Society of Cinematographers
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| American Society of Cinematographers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | American Society of Cinematographers |
| Abbreviation | ASC |
| Formation | 1919 |
| Type | Professional association |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Region served | United States |
| Language | English |
| Leader title | President |
American Society of Cinematographers. The American Society of Cinematographers is a professional organization dedicated to advancing the art and craft practiced by cinematographers, working with filmmakers, studios, and festivals to promote visual storytelling. Founded in the early 20th century, the society has intersected with figures from silent-era directors to contemporary showrunners, influencing cinematography across film, television, and digital media.
History
The society was founded in 1919 amid the silent era alongside careers of D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks. Early members collaborated with studios such as Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Universal Pictures, and RKO Radio Pictures. Through the 1930s and 1940s its members worked on productions with directors like John Ford, Howard Hawks, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, and Frank Capra, and on films featuring stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, and James Cagney. Postwar transitions involved engagements with technologies championed by companies like Eastman Kodak and Technicolor, and collaborations with cinematographers who later worked with auteurs such as Akira Kurosawa, Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Stanley Kubrick, and Federico Fellini. The society adapted through shifts tied to movements including Italian neorealism, French New Wave, New Hollywood, and the rise of television series produced by CBS, NBC, and ABC.
Membership and Organization
Membership encompasses directors of photography who have filmed projects for studios, networks, and streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and HBO. Notable members and collaborators have included Emmanuel Lubezki, Roger Deakins, Gordon Willis, Vittorio Storaro, Janusz Kamiński, Bradford Young, Hoyte van Hoytema, and Wally Pfister. Organizational leadership historically intersected with figures connected to unions and guilds such as the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Writers Guild of America. The society maintains chapters and ties in regions including Los Angeles, New York City, London, Toronto, and Paris, and interacts with institutions like the American Film Institute, the British Film Institute, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Sundance Institute.
Awards and Publications
The society issues recognition through awards and publishes a long-running magazine, with alumni and honorees working on films like The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner 2049, Gravity, and The Revenant. Individual award recipients include cinematographers who collaborated with directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, Alfonso Cuarón, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The society’s publications and honorary distinctions have been cited by institutions granting Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, César Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Emmy Awards. Its magazine has featured interviews with cinematographers who shot films for producers like Jerry Bruckheimer, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Martin Scorsese.
Activities and Education
The society organizes panels, screenings, and masterclasses attended by practitioners linked to projects by David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Peter Jackson. It sponsors technical sessions on lenses and cameras produced by manufacturers including ARRI, Panavision, Canon, Sony, and RED Digital Cinema and conducts trainings on workflows used on series such as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, The Crown, Stranger Things, and The Mandalorian. Educational outreach occurs in partnership with schools and programs like University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, American Film Institute Conservatory, California Institute of the Arts, and FAMU.
Influence and Legacy
The society’s influence is visible in the visual language of landmark films and series credited to cinematographers who later shaped pedagogy at institutions like Columbia University, Yale University, Stanford University, Princeton University, and Harvard University. Alumni and members have taught and mentored cinematographers who worked with filmmakers such as Roman Polanski, Pedro Almodóvar, Hayao Miyazaki, Sergio Leone, and Andrei Tarkovsky. Its legacy includes contributions to standards adopted by festivals and markets such as Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Telluride Film Festival. The society’s members continue to shape collaborations across production companies like A24, Focus Features, Lionsgate, Miramax, and Working Title Films and to influence award seasons and critical discourse involving critics at publications such as Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Sight & Sound, Cahiers du Cinéma, and Film Comment.