The IMAGO International Award for Extraordinary Contribution to the Art of Cinematography.

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER MAGAZINE

American Cinematographer celebrating 100 years

This award is presented by


The American Society of Cinematographers was founded in 1919. It began publishing American Cinematographer on November 1 1920, as a twice-monthly four-page newsletter about the ASC and its members. In 1922, the publication went monthly and in 1929, editor Hal Hall started to change the publication; he reformatted it to standard magazine size, increased the page count, and included more articles on amateur filmmaking. For a while during the 1930s, the magazine was devoted to professional cinematography and amateur moviemaking in equal measure. In 1937, the ASC purchased a Spanish bungalow near Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, at 1782 North Orange Drive in Hollywood, California, which remains the headquarters of the ASC and the American Cinematographer Magazine.
American Cinematographer is currently published monthly and focuses on the art and craft of cinematography, covering domestic and foreign feature productions, television productions, short films, music videos and commercials. The emphasis is on not only interviews with cinematographers, but directors and other filmmakers are often featured as well. Articles also include technical how-to pieces, discussions of tools and technologies that affect cinematography, and historical features.
Contributors to the magazine include its staff editors, freelance writers, cinematographers, along with other filmmakers. The magazine has won several Maggie Awards and Folio: Eddie Awards for editorial excellence, and several awards for individual articles.
In 2006, the magazine introduced a digital edition, an app for iOS is currently available, and other versions of the app are in the works. The magazine’s website (www.theasc.com) features a blog by John Bailey ASC, and occasional blogs by contributing writers.
The American Cinematographer magazine has been a guide and a testament for cinematographers around the world for generations. It informs, inspires and educates which is why we are proud to recognise American Cinematographer magazine with the 2020 IMAGO International Award for Extraordinary Contribution to the Art of Cinematography.