The Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) (''

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

:'' Société canadienne des cinéastes) is a non-profit Canadian trade organization with over 500 members whose mission is to promote the artistic creativity and required skills for

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 ...

. Members of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers have achieved National recognition for their work in various areas of film:

feature films A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

, television series', specials and commercials. Fully accredited members to this society are permitted to put the letters ''C.S.C.'' or ''csc'' after their names. The Canadian Society of Cinematographers hosts an annual Awards Gala in

Toronto, ON Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...

that recognizes the accomplishments of Canadian cinematographers. In 2017, they celebrated their 60th anniversary of the CSC Awards Gala.

History

The idea to form the Canadian Society of Cinematographers originated from the inspiration of four cameramen: Herbert Alpert csc asc, M. Jackson-Samuels csc, Fritz Spiess csc and Bob Brooks csc. In 1957, the cameramen decided to create an organization specifically designated for the art of cinematography after crossing paths numerous times in the lobby of a film studio at Woodbine and Danforth Then known as Meridian Films, in east-end Toronto. The society's goal was to be synonymous in Canada with 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 ...

. The Federal Government did not recognize the society as legitimate until 1960, when the Secretary of State made it official. The CSC served on the advisory committee for the ''Canadian Film Development Corporation'' which is now known as

Telefilm Canada Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation reporting to Canada's federal government through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in ...

Mission

The Canadian Society of Cinematographers is a non-profit Canadian trade organization with over 500 members whose mission is to promote the artistic creativity and required skills for

. With Corporate Sponsorship and the help of leaders within the organization, the Canadian Society of Cinematographers fulfills its mission by: * Training its active members * Educating its active members * Disseminating the latest information in technology and product to its active members

Organization

The Canadian Society of Cinematographers consists of: * One Canadian office located in Toronto, ON. * approximately 580+ members * volunteer positions, usually performed by its active members The Canadian Society of Cinematographers has 7 members elected to their

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit orga ...

, who each possess unique qualities and skills that contribute to the organization. The board of directors elects two individuals as chief officers, and they are: * President: George Willis csc, sasc * Vice President: Carlos Esteves csc * Executive officer: Susan Saranchuk

Sponsorship

The Canadian Society of Cinematographers is a

non-profit 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 ...

that relies on the support of corporate sponsors in order to serve their membership. Some of their sponsors include: AC Lighting Inc., Aputure, Cooke Optics, Canon Canada Inc., Codes Pro-Media, Dazmo Camera, Fuji Film Canada, Henry's,

Nikon (, ; ), also known just as Nikon, is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging products. The companies held by Nikon form the Nikon Group. Nikon's products include cameras, camera ...

Canada,

Panasonic formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka. It was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as a lightbulb ...

Canada, and

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of Canada. The full list of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers' corporate sponsors and contact information can be found on their website.

Awards

Every year, the Canadian Society of Cinematographers hosts an Awards Gala in Toronto, ON to honour the works and achievement of Canadian cinematographers in the industry. In 2017, the CSC celebrated their 60th anniversary of the CSC Awards Gala Their award categories are divided into sections, which are: * Special Awards and Honours * Director of Photography Categories *Cinematographer Categories Each section contains multiple awards that may be given out to recipients each year.

Publications

In 1962, the Canadian Society of Cinematographers published a magazine called ''Canadian Cinematography'', whose name changed to

Cinema Canada ''Cinema Canada'' (1972–1989) is a defunct Canadian film magazine, which served as the trade journal of record for the Canadian film and television sector. The magazine had its origins in the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), which b ...

in 1967. In 1989, the Canadian Society of Cinematographers changed the name of their magazine from Cinema Canada to the current title which is now called Canadian CinematographerCinema Canada
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References

{{Authority control Film organizations in Canada Cinematography organizations Organizations established in 1957 1957 establishments in Ontario