The Guild of Television Cameramen announced the election of Keith Massey as chair. Recipient of a prestigious Royal Television Society lifetime achievement award in 2010, he is a well-respected cameraman based in Yorkshire. Keith was elected for a two-year term at a meeting of the GTC Council in Pinewood Studios on July 1, at which two co-vice chairs, Dudley Darby and James Fulcher, were also appointed. He succeeds Graeme McAlpine who led the GTC during an active period of expansion.
Massey’s career as a director of photography and lighting cameraman dates back to the 1960s.
“I started with a hand-wound clockwork 16 mm silent-film camera,” Massey said. “My first television piece was of Kelabit natives in Borneo, used on What The Papers Say by Granada TV in Manchester. I later contributed regularly to the BBC in Manchester for its nightly regional program Look North. Offered a staff job on the Daily Mail as a photographer or a two-days-per-week contract with the BBC, I chose television. Since 1970 I have worked on a freelance basis in news, documentary and drama, receiving RTS awards in all these fields.”
“I feel very honored to be taking over the chair of the Guild of Television Cameramen during its 40th anniversary. My aim is to encourage excellence in all fields. Mediocrity is not an option for people who are operating as the eyes and ears of large television audiences. I would like to see the GTC being more assertive in protecting quality. I will endeavor to bring strong positive leadership to the GTC along with my colleagues on council.”
