Support Measures for Industry Creators including Cinematographers and Photographers
Financial Contributions from the Sony Global Relief Fund for COVID-19
Tokyo, Japan – Sony Corporation (“Sony”) today announced that it will devote funds to organizations related to creative communities and inspect Sony cameras free of charge, as support measures for industry creators including cinematographers, camera operators, camera assistants, and digital imaging technicians as well as photographers impacted by COVID-19
There are two specific initiatives:
- Financial contribution to cinematographers and camera operators engaged in sports, filmmaking and scripted television and commercial production
- Complimentary maintenance service of camera system for Sony Imaging PRO Support members
The global outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted content creators in nearly every facet of the industry, as sporting and music events, movies and television filming, as well as weddings and events have been put on hold. These have had a significant disruption on the commercial activities of professionals who support these industries with photo and video production. Sony will support these creators to continue their activities.
Funding for this program will be provided by the “Sony Global Relief Fund for COVID-19,” which was established by Sony in this April to help those who are affected by the pandemic.
“Sony has always worked closely with the creative community, by helping them pursue high-quality content creation”, said Hiroshi Kawano, Vice President, Sony Imaging Products & Solutions Inc. “This community’s success is vital to our own, which is why we have decided to implement these support measures in their time of need. We envision a future where content creators, especially younger generations, will be able to continue pursuing creative endeavors with superior production values, despite today’s challenging situation. We are proud to contribute funds and support to the content creation industry.”
1. Financial contribution to cinematographers and camera operators engaged in sports, filmmaking and scripted television and commercial production
Sony will start donating to the following organizations in order to support cinematographers, camera operators, camera assistants, and digital imaging technicians. This support fund will be used to support the activity of creators who belong to the organizations.
- Sports Video Group (Content creators involved in the production of sports events in the United States)
- Sports Video Group Europe (Content creators involved in the production of sports events in Europe)
- International Cinematographer Gild “Local 600” (Cinematographers and videographers in the United States)
- The American Society of Cinematography (Cinematographers in the United States)
- IMAGO (International federation of Cinematographers, World Wide apart from US, Canada and Japan )
- Japan Society of Cinematographers (Cinematographers in Japan)
2. Complimentary maintenance service of camera system for Sony Imaging PRO Support members
Sony Imaging PRO Support is a membership service offering premium care for professional photographers who use Sony’s camera systems in a professional capacity. Sony will provide complimentary inspection, cleaning and firmware version check services for existing members*1 globally*2, where this membership is available, in order to assure users that their digital imaging devices are ready when needed. The application for this complimentary service is planned to roll out in July *3and be available until December 31st.
- *1 In addition, the applicants to Sony Imaging PRO Support by this June also be included.
- *2 Service sites are located in North America, part of Europe, mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, India and Australia. For more details of the service and conditions, please visit the website of Sony Imaging PRO Support in each region.
- *3 The timing to start this complimentary service may vary in each region.
In addition to these, we also plan to make a financial contribution to the National Institute of Informatics in Japan in order to promote remote education at universities.
Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, Sony remains committed to furthering its support of creators and their activities.
