doyle not asc member?

[Ram Shani]

hi

 

i am just wounder chris doyle is one of the top top dp out there still didn't invaited to the ASC

 

is all political and he is judged by what he said or said by his name and not by his talent which is un quetion!!

 

is it becose he is such a radical dp and person not the type cast for asc member. what does it tell us about

 

the asc which a lot of use look at as the top of one's carire

[David Mullen ASC]

The ASC has a number of international cinematographers, but it is primarily an American (i.e. USA) organization (hence "American Society of Cinematographers") that wants DP's as members who can be actively involved in the organization, serve on committees, etc. It's even hard to organize activity for the East Coast-based members of the ASC, although people like Sol Negrin, ASC and Ellen Kuras, ASC have worked very hard in that regard to hold meetings, etc. But it is primarily run out of the ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood.

 

The point of ASC membership is not merely to be able to stick those three letters next to your name as some sort of symbolic reward for a lifetime of quality work, although that is certainly one aspect. But the other aspect is that it is mainly a small organization actually run by the ASC and associate members themselves (with a small but hard-working staff) on a volunteer basis and a limited budget. The purpose of the ASC to some extant is simply to bring DP's together in one place to exchange ideas, promote cinematography issues, reach out to students, etc. So it is inherently localized in Los Angeles to some extent in terms of its day-to-day activities, although it does its best to make its influence felt worldwide, partly through its magazine, seminars, etc.

 

I believe Chris Doyle is a member of the Hong Kong version of the ASC (the HKSC).

 

Anyway, it's certainly a possibility that someday Chris Doyle will be invited to join the ASC, as have other international DP's; I just wanted to point out that membership was not some sort of automatic thing that is given to every great DP working worldwide. Certainly his photographic technique, radical or not, is not some sort of hindrence to being asked to join.

Edited November 10, 2005 by David Mullen

[Adam Frisch FSF]

One also has to remember that most of these societies rely on the recommendation of its members - I believe that 2 full members have to recommend or chaperon a new member into the ASC. This is how it works for the British Society of Cinematographers and for many others - even the small swedish FSF uses this induction system. But that means that sometimes people simply fly under the radar for the longest time, whilst others get inducted very quickly - i.e. the human factor.

 

And if one goes for the criteria that a certain amount of work should be American to be eligible, then there are many DP's that deserve to be members long before Chris Doyle. Like Amir Mokri and Peter Hyams, for instance.