Dougie’s visual works, starting as a world class photographer for Paris Match and then his prodigious output of films, are his enduring legacy. His life was long and his memory will live much longer. On behalf of the BSC, I salute one of our founding members and offer our most sincere condolences to his daughter Georgina and friends.

Not too long ago, I began a feature film where the production began by telling me that, "the main actor, the producer and the director are all taking a cut in their rates,” – due to it being a more risky kind of script and not a "blockbuster". Therefore, the rest of the crew, including myself, should all do the same.

I guess that, by now, anyone reading this article is smart enough to know just where this is going. And it is going to end badly. Well it did, in a way, but only for some. The film turned out to be successful, very successful. I fought my case, argued the obvious, that below-the-line crew are not the same as above-the-line, and I managed, at least, not to take a cut in what I had been paid previously.

The film went on to gross $218,791,314 at the box office, not bad at all. But here's the rub. Despite the initial ask for restraint, the head of physical production at the corporation/studio, who shall remain nameless, had a "principle”, and that “principle” was that the DP should not receive any payment for the DI grade. This argument I lost.

The filming went well, even though it was a very challenging script to shoot and included plenty of dangerous and difficult contributions from the entire crew. The below-the-line crew played their part impeccably and, as I said, the film was a success financially, creatively and critically. Although my struggle to bring sense to an office-bound, and probably frustrated, executive was not. I ended-up giving up almost six weeks to grade this two-hour 15 minute film, giving of my best as ever. Sitting there in the room were all the other contributors – the editorial team, the colourists, the brilliant VFX post production team – all rightly being paid. But, according to those somewhere in the chain of corporate command, the director of photography is simply meant to consider it a “privilege” to finish the film.

Look at this year’s BAFTA and Oscar-nominated films. Does anyone think that the five top nominations didn't benefit from the endless skill and dedication of the director of photography? Does anyone believe the DPs didn't see their production through to the end? Does anyone think that it's simply a privilege for Bob, Chivo, Ed, John or Roger to finish the film to the benefit of all concerned? No, these films shine out because of the work of their cinematographers.