American Society of Cinematographers

American Society of Cinematographers
AbbreviationASC
FormationJanuary 8, 1919 (1919-01-08)
TypeProfessional Organization
HeadquartersHollywood, California
Members440
Official language
English
Key people
Shelly Johnson - President
Main organ
Board
Websitetheasc.com
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox organization with deprecated parameter membership. Replace with num_members.
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox organization with deprecated parameter purpose. It should be removed.

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 cinematography and gather a wide range of cinematographers to discuss techniques and ideas and to advocate for motion pictures as a type of art form. Currently, the president of the ASC is Mandy Walker.

Members use the post-nominal letters "ASC". On the 1920 film titled Sand!, cinematographer Joseph H. August, who was an original member of the ASC, became the first individual to have the "ASC" appear after his name on the onscreen credit.

Only cinematographers and special effect supervisors can become ASC members. Basic requirements include being a director of photography for a minimum five out of the last eight years, having a high professional reputation and being recommended by three active or retired ASC members.