Uistinu smo poćašćeni što je uz nas stala i najstarija, nedvojbeno i najpoznatija snimateljska asocijacija, A.S.C. Ovo pismo izravno uklanja i mit kako u Americi snimatelji nemaju nikakva prava! Model ostvarivanja je drugačiji od europskog, ali se snimatelji smatraju ko-autorima i iznimno značajnim suradnicima u proizvodnji filma, i sve to u izrazito komercijalno orijentiranoj američkoj filmskoj industriji! Treba li išta dodati?
Thank You president Kees van Oostrum and our American colleagues!
Pismo prenosimo u cijelosti.
Hollywood April 28, 2020
Mario Sablić President of Croatian Cinematographer’s Society
“Dear Mario,
It is with great concern that the members of the American Society of Cinematographers and I got the news that the Croatian State Intellectual Property Office has opened a public debate about changes in the Law of Copyright and Related Rights.
As we understand part of their proposition is that cinematographers would no longer be recognized as co-authors of the movie. In this new proposition,. In the future only the co-authors of the audiovisual work are Director, Screenwriter, and Composer of the original score.
The American Society of Cinematographers was founded in Hollywood in 1919 with the dual purpose of advancing the art and science of cinematography and bringing cinematographers together to exchange ideas, discuss techniques and promote the motion picture as an art form. The ASC was the first organization in the film industry to be devoted exclusively to furthering and honoring professional achievement. It is not a labor union or a guild, but an educational, cultural, and professional organization. Membership is extended by invitation to those who are actively engaged as cinematographers and have demonstrated outstanding ability.
We want to stress that our organization and its 420 worldwide members, represents the largest group of high-end cinematographers and do not believe that the artistic and creative contribution of the cinematographer should not be considered a form of co-authorship. Although in the United States we do not know residuals for cinematographers in the same way our Directors and Writers guilds collect residuals, our Union, IATSE Local 600, does receive the cinematographers’ residual contributions from the producers and applies them to our pension and health care programs.
The ASC recognizes that in every country, there are different laws and ways to support the rights of the cinematographer. We do not want to suggest how to implement this in your system of government. Still, we would urgently bring to the attention of the Croatian State Intellectual Property Office that the author’s rights of the cinematographer are a matter of great importance.
With kind regards,“
Kees van Oostrum ASC President