Steven Poster ASC congratulates the BSC on a milestone anniversary and celebrates the society’s longstanding connection with the ASC. 

There is a mutual admiration society called The BSC/The ASC. Ever since the inception of the BSC in 1949 there has been a level of respect between our two organisations that is palpable.  

Both the BSC and the ASC have a lot of mutual members. I even tried to find out who was the first dual member on either side. Nobody remembers. I tried to figure out who’s who but it became a complicated issue of higher math. 

I do know that over the years there have been 128 ASC members who were also BSC members. The BSC reported to me that there were currently 28 Full or Honorary BSC members who were also ASC members. 

I have been trying to find a proper and respectful way to say congratulations to all my British cinematographer friends who are still active members in your society on this auspicious 75^th anniversary  

My dear friend David Samuelson first took me to the BSC clubhouse and showed me around. I was greeted with such warmth and good will that it was like stepping into a place that was not only filled with movie history as well as some of my greatest cinematographer heroes. I could feel the years of history in the hallowed halls. But I also felt that I was with a band of sisters and brothers. 

I’ve always been amazed that as cinematographers we have an inherited intellectual common language. That’s what I have experienced from my first visit to Camerimage. Nowhere was that feeling stronger than when I stepped into the BSC clubhouse. It was as if we had all known each other for years. Maybe that has something to do with knowing each other’s work. Maybe it’s because we all know the same tools that we use when we are practicing our craft and our art. Or maybe it’s as simple as we like each other. 

But just maybe it comes from our generosity of spirit in sharing what we do. Unlike any other discipline in the motion picture industry, we love telling each other how we “did that”. We love sharing with one another. We love talking about our work. And much more than our mutual clubhouses, our comradery is what stands out, it’s what brings us together.  

So I would like to offer my full-throated congratulations, or as you all like to say, “cheers” to your first 75 years. I may not be here to celebrate your next glorious 75. But, as they say, I would like to pay that forward.