2023 ASC Vision Mentorship Program Applications Due July 17
The Society continues this organized effort to reach out to the next generation of cinematographers.
An ambitious initiative from the ASC Vision Committee, the ASC Vision Mentorship Program is currently seeking applicants for 2023.
The goal is to match promising young cinematographers with experienced directors of photography and tap the well of knowledge within the ASC’s ranks to help the next generation.
“We want to connect people who are very talented, who have been out of school and working in the industry for five or so years, and who are either having trouble making the leap to the next level or just trying to stretch themselves a little bit,” says Patti Lee, ASC — co-chair of the ASC Vision Committee’s Mentorship Subcommittee. “We want to make sure the ability to succeed in cinematography is open to all.”
Mentorship, of course, is nothing new at the ASC. For decades, members have informally volunteered to help emerging cinematographers improve their skills and chart their careers. The Society itself was founded in 1919 with the belief that the free sharing of information on cinematography tools and techniques would better everyone practicing what was then still a new art form.
Although the ASC’s program is open to all cinematographers who meet the requirements, the Vision Committee hopes the program will promote inclusivity and bring cinematographers from around the world to the table.
“The ASC is an international organization, and having mentees that are not from Los Angeles, New York or anywhere else in the U.S. should not faze us,” says Mentorship Subcommittee co-chair Todd A. Dos Reis, ASC. “We are willing and honored to share our knowledge with people from around the world. Cinematography is a global art; it has no borders.”
You can learn much more about the ASC Vision Mentorship Program in this recent article about the Society’s inaugural 2019 offering, which matched dozens of ASC members with mentees.
Complete applicant eligibility criteria and requirements and a PDF of the program application can be found here, and must be completed and returned by the deadline on July 17, 2023, 11:59pm PDT.
The ASC's Vision Committee is chaired by Polly Morgan, ASC, BSC and Fernando Argüelles, ASC, AEC. John Simmons, ASC — who founded the body with Cynthia Pusheck, ASC — serves as co-chair.
