A seminar - CAMERIMAGE FORUM - devoted to the autorship rights and working conditions of cinematographers took place during 13th edition of CAMERIMAGE Festival. The preparation of the panel supported German Society of Cinematographers (bvk) with its Managing Director, Michael Neubauer, and also Goethe Institute from Warsaw. The effect of the Forum is the Declaration of International Assembly of Cinematographers on the CAMERIMAGE Festival - revolutionary text in which cinematographers commit that their profession is underestimated and as filmmakers they demand to have the same rights as directors or producers.

It turned out that the results of the CAMERIMAGE Forum are much better than we could imagine. Please, find a letter of Hans Schlosser from Association of German Film Societies below:

The CAMERIMAGE Declaration 2005 signed by more than 20 internationally acclaimed Directors of Photography encouraged the association of German societies of film professionals to establish a system checking the working contracts in Film & TV industry. This system is based on two main ideas:

• The employee has to be protected all along against being recognized by the firm
• As the societies are not strong enough to "punish" other bodies have to do this

If an employee of a film production receives a contract which is not conformed to the latest working agreement and conditions, he or she may send this contract to be checked by any of the members of the association of film societies. The society holds the contract and does not forward it - but sends a report to the recently setup nationwide "information office". The "information office" collects the reports about contracts which are not conformed and prepares letters to the production firms. These letters are not sent from the "information office" itself but from the manager of the association of film societies. So the "information office" remains anonymous.

The first letter is politely asking the production firm to correct all non-conformed contracts to the current working agreement and conditions. If on the first letter the firm does not react a second one is sent. This letter goes to the firm itself as well as to the union and the producers societies. If at this stage the production firm has still not taken the requested steps a third letter is sent out to: the firm itself, the union, the producers societies (3 in Germany), the various professional associations, the national social insurance agency, the national tax revenue agency, the national safety and working regulatory bodies, the national pension fund agency, national employment agency, Ministry of social affairs, the association of national health insurers funds and further institutions.

The system was established half a year ago. In the meantime some dozens of reports were sent by the societies to the "information office". The first two firms who got the third letter (!) reacted by threatening the association of film societies to take the case to court. But they can not because the proofs of their unfair treatment of film professionals are in the safes of the societies - and some parts of the authorities are now aware of the scandalous working practices. Indeed: By now some film technicians got additional payments as a readjustment of their contracts - and the paying firm does not know who out the crew initiated the procedure.

Hans Schlosser
Association of German Film Societies