The British Society of Cinematographers (abbreviated B.S.C. or BSC) was formed in 1949 by Bert Easey (23 August 1901 – 28 February 1973), the then head of the Denham and Pinewood studio camera departments, to represent British

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

s in the

British film industry The United Kingdom has had a significant film industry for over a century. While film production reached an all-time high in 1936, the "golden age" of British cinema is usually thought to have occurred in the 1940s, during which the directors ...

. The stated objectives at the formation of the BSC were: * To promote and encourage the pursuit of the highest standards in the craft of Motion Picture Photography. * To further the applications by others of the highest standards in the craft of Motion Picture Photography and to encourage original and outstanding work. * To co-operate with all whose aims and interests are wholly or in part related to those of the society. * To provide facilities for social intercourse between the members and arrange lectures, debates and meetings calculated to further the objects of the Society. There were originally 55 members. Currently, there are 256 full, honorary and associate members. For a British cinematographer, membership of the BSC is an affirmation of the high standard of their craft. The members of the British Society of Cinematographers are entitled to use ''BSC'' as postnominals in motion picture and television credits.

Notable Members

BSC members have won 22 Academy Awards over the last 95 years, for films ranging from

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

Blade Runner 2049 ''Blade Runner 2049'' is a 2017 American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. A sequel to the 1982 film ''Blade Runner'', the film stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, w ...

. Below is a list of some of their most notable members * Jack Cardiff OBE BSC - First

Cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

to be awarded an honorary Academy Award. * Geoffrey Unsworth OBE BSC -

of Cabaret and

Tess Tess or TESS may refer to: Music * Tess (band), a Spanish pop band active from 2000 to 2005 * TESS (musician), a UK musician Film and theatre * ''Tess'' (1979 film), a 1979 film adaptation of '' Tess of the d'Urbervilles'' * ''Tess'' (2016 film) ...

. * Oswald Morris OBE BSC -

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...

and

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

. *

Freddie Young Frederick A. Young (9 October 1902 – 1 December 1998) was a British cinematographer. He is probably best known for his work on David Lean's films ''Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962), ''Doctor Zhivago'' (1965) and ''Ryan's Daughter'' (1970), all th ...

OBE BSC -

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...

shooting

Doctor Zhivago ''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations. Description The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago and deals with love and loss during ...

and Ryan's Daughter. * David Watkin BSC - Academy Award-winner for Out of Africa. * Freddie Francis BSC -

of The Elephant Man and Glory. *

Billy Williams Billy Leo Williams (born June 15, 1938) is a former left fielder and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played from 1959 to 1976, almost entirely for the Chicago Cubs. A six-time All-Star, Williams was named the 1961 National League (NL) ...

OBE BSC -

Women in Love ''Women in Love'' (1920) is a novel by English author D. H. Lawrence. It is a sequel to his earlier novel ''The Rainbow'' (1915) and follows the continuing loves and lives of the Brangwen sisters, Gudrun and Ursula. Gudrun Brangwen, an artist, ...

, On Golden Pond and Gandhi. * Gilbert Taylor BSC -

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

. *

Ted Moore Ted Moore, (7 August 1914 – 1987) was a South African-British cinematographer known for his work on seven of the James Bond films in the 1960s and early 1970s. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Fred Zinnemann's ...

BSC -

of Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and Live and Let Die. *Sir Roger Deakins ASC BSC -

Fargo Fargo usually refers to: * Fargo, North Dakota, United States * ''Fargo'' (1996 film), a crime film by the Coen brothers * ''Fargo'' (TV series), an American black comedy–crime drama anthology television series Fargo may also refer to: Othe ...

, The Shawshank Redemption, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Skyfall and

Governance

The current President of British Society of Cinematographers is Christopher Ross BSC. The BSC Board of Governors is made up 18 Full Members and a co-opted member from the Associate Membership. The 2022-23 Board of Governors are: *Christopher Ross BSC - ''President'' *Ula Pontikos BSC - ''Vice-President'' *Laurie Rose BSC - ''Vice-President'' *Oliver Stapleton BSC - ''Vice-President'' *Stuart Bentley BSC *Balazs Bolygo BSC *Oliver Curtis BSC *John de Borman BSC AFC *James Friend ASC BSC *Adriano Goldman ASC BSC ABC *Angus Hudson BSC *

Nina Kellgren Nina Kellgren (born 26 August 1948) is a British cinematographer. Her work on ''Solomon & Gaenor'' (1999) made her the first British woman cinematographer to shoot an Academy Award-nominated film and the second woman in the International Feature ...

BSC *Phil Méheux BSC *Stephen Murphy BSC ISC *Tim Palmer BSC *Kate Reid BSC *Nigel Walters BSC *Chris Plevin ACO - ''Co-opted Associate Member Representative'' The BSC employs four members of staff. Audra Marshall serves as Secretary of the BSC, Frances Russell serves as Treasurer, Duncan Bruce serves as Membership Engagement and Social Media and Helen MacLean runs the BSC office.

In popular culture

In the 1981 film '' The Great Muppet Caper'', Kermit and Fozzie comment on the opening credits as they appear. When the name of the film's cinematographer Oswald Morris with his

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

appears, Fozzie asks, "What does B.S.C. stand for?", to which Kermit perplexedly replies, "I don't know."

Award categories

Film

* Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film * Feature Operators Award

Television

* Best Cinematography in a Television Drama Award * TV Drama Operators Award

Other

* Lifetime Achievement Award * Charles D Staffell Award for Visual Effects * BSC Bert Easey Technical Award * Special Achievement Award * BSC ARRI John Alcott Memorial Award

References

External links

* 1949 establishments in the United Kingdom Cinematography organizations Entertainment industry societies Film organisations in the United Kingdom Film-related professional associations Organizations established in 1949 {{film-org-stub