Shelly Johnson elected to lead American Society of Cinematographers

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Board of Governors has elected a new slate of officers, with Shelly Johnson being chosen to lead as the organisation’s 47^th president.

The Board also voted in Vice Presidents Charlie Lieberman, John Simmons and Patti Lee; Treasurer Charles Minsky; Secretary Dejan Georgevich; and Sergeant-at-Arms Chris Chomyn.

The members of the ASC Board, elected by the organisation’s active membership, also include John Bailey, Patrick Cady, Steven Fierberg, Michael Goi, Charles Minsky, Lowell Peterson, Lawrence Sher, Eric Steelberg, John Toll, Amy Vincent and Mandy Walker. Alternate members of the Board are Karl Walter Lindenlaub, Georgevich, Denis Lenoir, Steven Poster and Mark Irwin.

Johnson takes over from incumbent President Stephen Lighthill, who served three terms. It was Lighthill’s second turn as ASC president having previously served from 2012-2013.

“The collaborative spirit of the ASC will carry on with a continued focus on industry education, mentorship and diversity outreach,” said Johnson. “Our membership is embracing new technologies, and looking forward to developing the latest tools to facilitate the creation of images that resonate with audiences. Our doors are open as we welcome all artistic and technical minds venturing to expand meaningful storytelling.”

Johnson, a California native, graduated from the Art Center College of Design in 1980. Inspired in part by the camera crews his father worked with as a director, Johnson focused on cinematography, and quickly established himself with an impressive and diverse array of television series, movies and miniseries, including the 1997 retelling of Stephen King’s The Shining. He earned ASC Award nominations for his work in the telefilms Everybody’s Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure (1990), The Inheritance (1997), the series The Others (2000) and the pilot for Training Day (2018).

Johnson has gone on to shoot an impressive list of feature films including Jurassic Park III, The Last Castle, Hidalgo, Sky High, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The Wolfman, Captain America: The First Avenger and the recent World War II drama Greyhound.

He has been a member of the ASC since 2000 and is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The ASC strives to serve its mission of inspiring the next generation of cinematographers and advancing the art of filmmaking through many industry events and initiatives. The Society has over 20 committees leading the organisation’s various initiatives, including the award-winning Motion Imaging Technology Council (MITC), formed in 2003 to understand technology’s ongoing impact on the imaging chain in a way that best serves the creative interests of filmmakers; the Vision Committee, which encourages and supports the advancement of underrepresented cinematographers, their crews and other filmmakers; regional and international Master Classes taught by members; Clubhouse Conversations with filmmakers; and the Education & Outreach Committee which engages with film schools.

ASC was founded in 1919. There are 447 members today who have national roots in some 20 countries. There are also 274 associate members from ancillary segments of the industry.