The ''American Cinematographer Manual'' is a filmmaking manual published by the

American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinem ...

. Covering lighting, lenses, and film emulsions, it is considered “an authoritative technical reference manual for cinematographers.” The manual also defines the

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

profession.

Publishing history

The first version was published in 1935 by as ''The American Cinematographer Hand Book and Reference Guide''. That handbook went through nine editions (1935, '38, '39, '42, '46, '47, '50, '53, '56) before it evolved into the ''American Cinematographer Manual''. The first edition of the Manual was published in 1960. The book is now in its tenth edition (2015). The eleventh edition was announced on January 14, 2022 to be available in late March 2022. * 1960 October, First Edition (blue cover), ed. Joseph V. Mascelli, 484 pages. * 1966 September, Second Edition (maroon cover), ed. Joseph V. Mascelli, 628 pages. * 1969, Third Edition (brown cover), ed. Arthur C. Miller and

Walter Strenge Walter Strenge (May 2, 1898 – September 2, 1974) was an American cinematographer.Martin p.470 Selected filmography * '' The Talk of Hollywood'' (1929) * ''Mother's Boy'' (1929) * ''The Exile'' (1931) * ''Messenger of Peace'' (1947) * ''Appointm ...

, 652 pages. * 1973, Fourth Edition (black cover), ed. Charles G. Clarke and Walter Strenge, 658 pages. * 1980, Fifth Edition (black cover), ed. Charles G. Clarke, 628 pages. * 1986, Sixth Edition (red cover), ed. Fred H. Detmers, 440 pages. * 1993, Seventh Edition (green cover, paperback), ed. Dr. Rod Ryan, 618 pages. * 2001, Eighth Edition (blue cover), ed. Rob Hummel, 972 pages. * 2004, Ninth Edition (black cover), ed. Stephen H. Burum, ASC, 919 pages. * 2013, Tenth Edition, revised 2015 (maroon cover, paperback), ed. Michael Goi, ASC. 2 volumes: vol. 1, 504 pages; vol. 2, 582 pages.

Awards

In 2002, the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...

presented an Award of Commendation to the

for its ongoing publication of the ''American Cinematographer Manual''.

Richard Edlund Richard Edlund, (born December 6, 1940) is an American visual effects artist and inventor. He was a founding member of Industrial Light & Magic, having already founded Pignose amplifiers, and later co-founded Boss Film Studios and DuMonde VFX. H ...

, chair of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee, said, "Over the years, the ASC has continued to provide commentary on up-to-date technologies from leading experts in the field of cinematography."

References

* * * *

External links

American Society of Cinematographers
Books about film Handbooks and manuals Cinematography {{film-book-stub