Robert Daniel Marta (October 5, 1943 – April 13, 2017) was founding member and the first president of the

Society of Operating Cameramen The Society Of Camera Operators was founded in 1979 under the name Society of Operating Cameramen. Its primary mission is to advance the art, craft and creative contribution of the camera operator in the motion picture and television industries. The ...

— now Society of Camera Operators.

Biography

Robert "Bob" Marta was born on October 5, 1943 in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

. He was the son of Grace (née Marsh) and

Jack Marta Jack A. Marta (March 5, 1903 – June 26, 1991) was an American cinematographer who was active in hundreds of movies throughout his life. Steven Spielberg said: "Jack was a sweetheart. He was just a kind, gentle soul who you know had never worked ...

. He graduated from

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 6 ...

, where he was a member of the Beta Rho chapter of

Sigma Chi fraternity Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more tha ...

, in 1966. Marta worked in the

Motion Picture industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post pr ...

as a Camera Operator, beginning as an uncredited assistant

cameraman A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not imply that a male is performing the task. In filmmakin ...

on the 1971 movie, '' Diamonds Are Forever''. His last work was on ''

The Golden Child ''The Golden Child'' is a 1986 American dark fantasy martial arts action comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie. The film stars Eddie Murphy as Chandler Jarrell, a Los Angeles social worker who is informed that he is " The Chosen One", and is ...

'' in 1986. In 1979, he and twelve other camera operators began working to professionalize the working camera operators' role in the motion picture and television industry, forming the Society of Operating Cameramen (SOC). They incorporated in 1981 in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

as a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

and he was elected as the Founding President of the Society. The SOC has since changed its name to The Society of Camera Operators to better identify its diverse membership of both men and women. He served as the SOC president until 1985 and was one of the early champions of the industry–wide labor-management safety committee. After 1986, he retired to

Bozeman, Montana Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...

and was active in supporting the Shriner's Children’s Hospital in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

. Marta passed away on April 13, 2017, at his home after years of health issues.

Selected filmography

Marta was a camera operator on the following films and shows: *''

'' (1986) *'' Poltergeist II: The Other Side'' (1986) *''

Maxie Maxie is a given name, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name * Max Baer (boxer) (1909–1959), American world champion heavyweight boxer, nicknamed "Madcap Maxie" * Max Maxie Anderson (1934–1983), American hot air balloo ...

'' (1985) *'' Thief of Hearts'' (1984) *''

Streets of Fire ''Streets of Fire'' is a 1984 American neo-noir rock musical film directed by Walter Hill and co-written by Hill and Larry Gross. It is described in the opening credits and posters as "A Rock & Roll Fable" and is a mix of various movie genres wi ...

'' (1984) *''

Hart to Hart ''Hart to Hart'' is an American mystery television series that premiered on August 25, 1979, on ABC. The show stars Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, respectively, a wealthy couple who lead a glamorous jetset lifes ...

'' (1982-1983) (TV series) (14 episodes) *''Deadly Encounter'' (1982) (TV film) *''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. Gu ...

'' (1982) (TV series) (2 episodes) *'' Personal Best'' (1982) *''

Joe Dancer ''Joe Dancer'' is an American private detective television series starring, created, produced and narrated by Robert Blake. NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and ra ...

'' (1981-1983) (TV film series) (3 episodes) *''To Find My Son'' (1981) (TV film) *'' The Final Countdown'' (1981) *''

The Jerk ''The Jerk'' is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, and Michael Elias (from a story by Steve Martin and Carl Gottlieb). This was Martin's first starring role in a feature film. The fil ...

'' (1979) *'' ...And Justice for All'' (1979) *'' Joni'' (1979) *''

Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

'' (1978) *'' The One and Only'' (1978) *'' Oh, God!'' (1978) *''

Billy Jack Goes to Washington ''Billy Jack Goes to Washington'' is a 1977 American political drama film starring Tom Laughlin, the fourth film in the ''Billy Jack'' series, and although the earlier films saw enormous success, this film did not. The film only had limited sc ...

'' (1977) *''

The Trial of Billy Jack ''The Trial of Billy Jack'' is a 1974 Western action film starring Delores Taylor and Tom Laughlin. It is the sequel to the 1971 film ''Billy Jack'' and the third film overall in the series. Directed by Laughlin, the film has a running time of ...

'' (1974) *''

Ginger in the Morning ''Ginger in the Morning'' is a 1974 comedy-drama film starring Sissy Spacek as a hitchhiker. It was only the third theatrical film for Spacek, and the first American film appearance of Fred Ward. The film was later released on home video by Trom ...

'' (1974) *''

Rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

'' (1974) *'' Diamonds Are Forever'' (1971)

Honors

He received the Society of Operating Cameramen’s Presidents Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1996.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marta, Robert D. 1943 births 2017 deaths Montana State University alumni People from Bozeman, Montana