Society of Operating Cameramen
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1978 under the name Society of Operating Cameramen, the SOC was incorporated in 1981 in the state of California as a nonprofit organization. Its primary mission is to advance the art, craft and creative contribution of the camera operator in the motion picture and television industries. The SOC represents camera operator
s, camera assistants
, directors of photography
as well as other related crafts. Its roster boasts of a global membership representing a large cultural diversity within the technical moviemaking crafts.
The SOC also publishes the semi-annual "Operating Cameraman Magazine," newly renamed the "The Camera Operator." This periodical is written by members for members. As such, the magazine provides a platform for those with writing talent to have their works published.
The organization hosts an annual banquet, The SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards, to honor those members who have contributed and advanced the craft of the camera operator. A portion of the proceeds from this event are donated to the Eye Care Clinic of the Children's Hospital Los Angeles
.
Renamed the Society of Camera Operators, more befitting its diverse membership of both men and women. The society's motto "We See It First!" is a descriptive slogan referring to the fact that the camera operator, by personally viewing the scene through the viewfinder of a motion picture camera, physically sees the scene prior to anyone else until the screened dailies.
Camera operator
A camera operator or cameraman is a professional operator of a film or video camera. In filmmaking, the leading cameraman is usually called a cinematographer, while a cameraman in a video production may be known as a television camera operator, video camera operator, or videographer, depending on...
s, camera assistants
Focus puller
A focus puller, or 1st assistant cameraman, is a member of a film crew’s camera department whose primary responsibility is to maintain image sharpness on whatever subject or action is being filmed....
, directors of photography
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
as well as other related crafts. Its roster boasts of a global membership representing a large cultural diversity within the technical moviemaking crafts.
The SOC also publishes the semi-annual "Operating Cameraman Magazine," newly renamed the "The Camera Operator." This periodical is written by members for members. As such, the magazine provides a platform for those with writing talent to have their works published.
The organization hosts an annual banquet, The SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards, to honor those members who have contributed and advanced the craft of the camera operator. A portion of the proceeds from this event are donated to the Eye Care Clinic of the Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Children's Hospital Los Angeles, formerly Childrens Hospital Society, is a private, non-profit teaching hospital in Los Angeles. The hospital provides multidisciplinary care to over 93,000 children each year, with physician expertise in over 100 pediatric specialties and subspecialties.The hospital...
.
Renamed the Society of Camera Operators, more befitting its diverse membership of both men and women. The society's motto "We See It First!" is a descriptive slogan referring to the fact that the camera operator, by personally viewing the scene through the viewfinder of a motion picture camera, physically sees the scene prior to anyone else until the screened dailies.