Canadian Society of Cinematographers

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Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC)

The Canadian Society of Cinematographers, or CSC (French: Société canadienne des cinéastes), is a non-profit Canadian trade organization for cinematographers. It has over 500 members. The CSC’s mission is to promote the artistic creativity and the skills needed for cinematography. Members may use the post-nominal letters CSC or csc after their names. The headquarters are in Toronto, Ontario, and the organization serves Canada with English and French as official languages.

History
The CSC was formed in 1957 by four cameramen: Herbert Alpert, M. Jackson-Samuels, Fritz Spiess, and Bob Brooks. The group aimed to create Canada’s professional equivalent of the American Society of Cinematographers. The federal government officially recognized the CSC in 1960. The society also helped advise Telefilm Canada (the Canadian Film Development Corporation).

Mission
The CSC is a non-profit group that supports its members by training, educating, and sharing the latest information on technology and products related to cinematography.

Organization
The CSC has offices in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver and about 580 members. It relies on volunteer work from active members. The board has seven elected directors, including President George Willis CSC, SASC; Vice President Carlos Esteves CSC; and Executive Officer Susan Saranchuk.

Sponsorship
As a non-profit, the CSC relies on corporate sponsors to support its work. Sponsors include AC Lighting Inc., Aputure, Cooke Optics, Canon Canada, Nikon Canada, Panasonic Canada, Sony Canada, and others. The full sponsor list is available on the CSC website.

Awards
Each year the CSC hosts an Awards Gala in Toronto to recognize Canadian cinematographers. In 2017, the CSC celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Awards Gala. The awards are organized into categories such as Special Awards and Honours, Directors of Photography, and Cinematographers, with multiple prizes given each year.

Publications
In 1962 the CSC started a magazine called Canadian Cinematography. It was later renamed Cinema Canada in 1967 and then Canadian Cinematographer in 1989, which is its current title.

See also
- American Society of Cinematographers
- British Society of Cinematographers
- Australian Cinematographers Society