Director and cinematographer Ron Johanson, who served as national president of the Australian Cinematographers Society from 2008 to 2022, died on Saturday, aged 75.
Ernie Clark wrote this tribute to his friend and colleague for the ACS, republished with permission for IF.
It is with great sorrow we acknowledge the passing of Ronald Geoffrey Johanson OAM ACS.
Ron was our much-loved, highly respected and long-serving national ACS president for 14 years from 2008 to 2022, national vice president for five years and a past Queensland president for over ten years. Extraordinary and dedicated service indeed!
Ron was a driving force in establishing our first ACS national headquarters in North Sydney in 2010. He was immensely proud to be one of the dedicated members who helped bring the clubhouse to fruition. He did this not for personal recognition but for the society, its members and the future of Australian cinematography.
Ron helped expand the recognition of the ACS on the world stage, becoming only the second ACS president to serve as the Australian representative on IMAGO – the International Federation of Cinematographers – and eventually became a co-president in 2021. In fact, he fostered alliances with many international cinematography guilds as well.
Ron was instrumental in making the ACS more inclusive; by working with the other Australian guilds to bring our industry together to make it the best it could possibly be. He strove to make the ACS more welcoming to all and to implement changes to improve the ACS. He made the society truly national by establishing branches in every state and territory. He also drove the process to upgrade our website, to guide the publication of our own 288-page book on the history of cinematography in Australia – The Shadowcatchers, which was published in 2012.
Ron was larger than life, a deeply caring, generous soul, and a mentor to many over the years whom he helped and supported whenever and however possible. Many of his mentees have gone on to promising careers and have achieved recognition from their peers, as well as won numerous awards along the way.
Ron was born and raised in Melbourne, and although he could be self-deprecating about his academic achievements, at the age of 16 in 1965, he managed to secure a job at Crawford Productions as a naïve message boy. In ‘67 he was employed as a camera assistant at Senior Films in St Kilda, then promoted to camera operator and by 1970 he became their lighting cameraman before going freelance around 1972. It wasn’t long after in ’76 he was asked to move up to Brisbane to join Martin Williams Films as inhouse Director/DoP where he worked on many large TVCs and docos.
Later, in 1980, he started his own successful production company Roly Poly Picture Company in Brisbane where he was Director/DoP on many quality TVCs around Australia and across the world, as well as television series, documentaries and feature films including director Scott Hicks’ first feature, Freedom. Working with Ron has been described as absolute joy – so much fun. Who knew that working could be so enjoyable while making great images and stories? It was impossible to be with Ron and not have a good time!
His excellent work during these years earned him recognition with many significant awards, including three National ACS Gold Tripods, numerous State Gold ACS Awards, four New York Festival International Advertising Awards, three Mobius Awards, two Cannes Awards, and much more. Ron received ACS accreditation #212 in 1992, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005, and was awarded Life Membership in 2007. In 2014, he was honoured with an OAM for his mentoring and services to the film industry.
Under Ron’s leadership, the ACS was acknowledged with the Byron Kennedy Award in 2014, this being the first time a guild rather than an individual had been recognised, with this prestigious recognition highlighting the status of the ACS within the Australian film industry.
In 1999, he was presented with a special Kodak Award for services to the film industry. In 2004 the Queensland New Filmmakers ‘Kinetone Award’ was bestowed on him for his contributions to the Queensland film industry and in 2009 he was inducted into the Queensland Advertising Hall of Fame.
In 2015, he received the Ron Windon ACS Contribution Award, recognising his enormous service to the society and industry in general. Still, with all these accolades, Ron remained a humble human being.
All this recognition was for the love of the craft of cinematography that gave him a fantastic career and life, which he repaid in spades by giving back to the industry that he so loved. He had a ‘can-do’ attitude, a positivity which inspired others to ‘do’, to achieve and to be on the journey with him. Ron was aware he was not perfect, but boy, he certainly did his best!
Ron had an infectious personality that drew people from all walks of life to him. He easily made people feel comfortable with his wicked and extremely quick sense of humour, not always politically correct and often quite cheeky. I’ve had professional comedians comment enviously on his quick wit.
To Ron, family was everything. He was a loving partner, a proud father and a funny and caring grandpa. ‘Family’ also included so many strong friendships, where he often demonstrated his loyalty, kindness, generosity and consideration. His loyalty knew no bounds, including continuing to support his beloved football team, Essendon, the Mighty Bombers, as he’d like to call them, even when they were not so mighty! He said he could never understand rugby league.
Ron is survived by his wife Linda, his amazing mother Edna, his younger brother Alan, his wife Julie and family, Ron’s children Shannon and Kelly, their partners and four grandchildren. I know his family will miss him greatly, as will the many, many friends, colleagues and collaborators he has made over the years in the industry. I’m not sure I know of anyone else who has as many enthusiastic friends. He is loved, respected and admired by so many.
We will miss you, dear Ron, it is time to hang up the light meter and rest in peace.
Adieu, my very good friend.