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 cinematographers in the British film industry. 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 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, ...

in motion picture and television credits.

Notable Members

BSC members have won 22

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

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 (1915–191 ...

to Blade Runner 2049. Below is a list of some of their most notable members *

Jack Cardiff Jack Cardiff, (18 September 1914 – 22 April 2009) was a British cinematographer, film and television director, and photographer. His career spanned the development of cinema, from silent film, through early experiments in Technicolor, to fi ...

OBE BSC - First Cinematographer to be awarded an honorary

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. *

Geoffrey Unsworth Geoffrey Gilyard Unsworth, OBE, BSC (26 May 1914 – 28 October 1978) was a British cinematographer who worked on nearly 90 feature films spanning over more than 40 years. He is best known for his work on films such as Stanley Kubrick's '' 2 ...

OBE BSC - Cinematographer of

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

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 Oswald Norman Morris, (22 November 1915 – 17 March 2014) was a British cinematographer. Known to his colleagues by the nicknames "Os" or "Ossie", Morris's career in cinematography spanned six decades. Life and career Morris was raised in Mi ...

OBE BSC - Cinematographer of Oliver! and Fiddler on the Roof. *

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's Cinematographer 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 Yuri Andreievich Zhivago is the ...

and

Ryan's Daughter ''Ryan's Daughter'' is a 1970 British epic romantic drama film directed by David Lean and starring Robert Mitchum and Sarah Miles. The film, set between August 1917 and January 1918, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair ...

. * David Watkin BSC -

-winner for

Out of Africa ''Out of Africa'' is a memoir by the Danish author Karen Blixen. The book, first published in 1937, recounts events of the seventeen years when Blixen made her home in Kenya, then called British East Africa. The book is a lyrical meditation on ...

. *

Freddie Francis Frederick William Francis (22 December 1917 – 17 March 2007) was an English cinematographer and film director. He achieved his greatest successes as a cinematographer. He started his career with British films such as Jack Cardiff's '' Sons and ...

BSC - Cinematographer of

The Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then we ...

and Glory. * Billy Williams OBE BSC - Cinematographer of

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 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

. *

Gilbert Taylor Gilbert Taylor, B.S.C. (12 April 1914 – 23 August 2013) was a British cinematographer, best known for his work on films such as ''Dr. Strangelove'', '' A Hard Day's Night'' (both 1964), ''Repulsion'' (1965), ''The Omen'' (1976), and ''Star W ...

BSC - Cinematographer of Star Wars. *

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 - Cinematographer of Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and Live and Let Die. *Sir

Roger Deakins Sir Roger Alexander Deakins (born 24 May 1949) is an English cinematographer, best known for his collaborations with directors the Coen brothers, Sam Mendes and Denis Villeneuve. Deakins has been admitted to both the British Society of Cinema ...

ASC BSC - Cinematographer of Fargo,

The Shawshank Redemption ''The Shawshank Redemption'' is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella ''Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption''. It tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), w ...

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'' is a 2007 American epic revisionist Western film written and directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Brad Pitt as Jesse James. Adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same ti ...

Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the vill ...

and Blade Runner 2049.

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 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 ''The Great Muppet Caper'' is a 1981 British-American musical heist comedy film directed by Jim Henson (in his feature directorial debut). It is the second theatrical film in ''The Muppets'' franchise. In addition to the Muppet performers, the ...

'', Kermit and Fozzie comment on the opening credits as they appear. When the name of the film's cinematographer

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