Next month, The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) will commemorate its 75th anniversary and open its new national headquarters.
The organization plays an important role in the careers of the more than 6,000 ICG members, including directors of photography, camera operators, optical operators, camera assistants, Technocrane operators, video operators, film loaders, photojournalists, still photographers, visual effects supervisors, visual effects photographers, digital compositors, animation and CGI talent, digital imaging technicians and publicists who work on commercials, studio and independent films, television, documentaries, music videos and broadcast news.
The anniversary will be marked on Nov. 8 with a Hollywood-style gala spanning the parking areas and street between the old and new ICG headquarters, both on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood; a portion of Sunset will be closed to traffic to accommodate the festivities. Some 1,500 guests are expected to attend the event.
ICG Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to filmmaker Ron Howard, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) international president Thomas C. Short, and national guild president George Spiro Dibie, ASC. The ICG is also producing a commemorative DVD to mark the occasion.
LOOKING BACK
When looking back at the role ICG has played in the commercial industry, one subject is consistently cited: the commercial contract. In late 1996, The Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) and IATSE (the ICG is its Local 600) forged the first stand-alone IATSE commercial agreement covering the labor pool in Los Angeles County (SHOOT, 11/8/96, p. 1). Prior to that, from ’69 to ’96, IATSE commercial agreements on the West Coast were supplements to the union’s basic film/TV contract.
Earlier during the defining year of ’96, Local 600 was formed, through a merger of Local 644 (Eastern region), Local 666 (Midwest region and Florida) and Local 659 (West Coast region).
In ’99, the AICP and ICG reached an agreement on a commercial contract covering the East Coast and the Midwest, while West Coast IATSE crews continued to operate under the aforementioned spot contract (SHOOT, 1/15/99, p. 1). This was the first time that members of the cinematography community were covered by a commercial agreement anywhere in the U.S., relates ICG executive director Bruce Doering, who notes that since then, members who work in commercials have seen improvements in wages, working conditions and benefits.
Dibie tells SHOOT that he sees runaway production as the biggest challenge the ICG faces today. He notes that ICG—along with IATSE, AICP, the Directors Guild of America, and other such groups—is involved in lobbying states for tax incentives to help local production. This past year, the efforts have already been successful in New Mexico, Illinois, Louisiana and North Carolina (with Florida moving toward establishing the incentive program at press time). The bills in these states require 60 percent of a crew to be hired locally, Dibie says, and the same condition will be proposed in other bills.
HONORS
Dibie is being honored for both his achievements as a cinematographer who has earned six Emmy awards and 11 nominations, as well as for his leadership and dedication to ICG and its members. He will mark his 20th anniversary as ICG president in ’04. His TV credits include Barney Miller and Night Court, while his commercial credits include shampoo spots for Wella Balsam featuring Farrah Fawcett, and Jhirmack featuring Victoria Principal. He is credited for expanding ICG membership—partially via his diversity outreach programs for women and ethnic minorities—and launching mentoring and training programs.
"Ron Howard is being recognized for his lifetime commitment to excellence," says Stephen Lighthill, ASC, chairman of the anniversary event. "He is a complete filmmaker who has excelled as an actor, writer, producer and director."
"We want to recognize Tom Short for being a tireless and amazingly effective advocate for the rights of our members," adds Doering. "He understands and appreciates what they bring to this art form. In just a few years, [Short] has transformed the IATSE into an international economic and political force."
Additionally, ICG recently surveyed members for the most influential cinematographers in the history of filmmaking. The selected artists will be recognized on a Wall of Fame at ICG’s new headquarters.
The ICG Top 10 Most Influential Cinematographers list—which is actually made up of 11 names due to a tie—features: Billy Bitzer; Jordan Cronenweth, ASC; Conrad L. Hall, ASC; James Wong Howe, ASC; Sven Nykvist, ASC; Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC; Gregg Toland, ASC; Haskell Wexler, ASC; Gordon Willis, ASC; Freddie Young, BSC; and Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC.
ICG also released the names of 19 other cinematographers who ranked in the top 30, according to the 500-plus members who cast ballots. They are: Nestor Almendros, ASC; Stanley Cortez, ASC; Allen Daviau, ASC; Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC; Caleb Deschanel, ASC; the aforementioned Dibie; William Fraker, ASC, BSC; Karl Freund, ASC; Janusz Kaminski, ASC; Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC; Laszlo Kovacs, ASC; Arthur Miller, ASC; Robert Richardson, ASC; Owen Roizman, ASC; Leon Shamroy, ASC; Dante Spinotti, ASC; Harry Stradling, ASC; Robert Surtees, ASC; and John Toll, ASC.
