Art. 22 – The election of the first Board of Directors was held at the Founding Assembly of the ASSOCIATION, and the Internal Regulations must establish the guidelines for the election of the other Directors for subsequent terms.
– 1st. The Board of Directors must announce, in the list for the members, the date of the General Meeting for the election of the new Board of Directors at least 150 days before the end of its term of office, and the election must take place, at least, 60 days after this announcement.
– 2nd The competing parties must be presented, in the list of Members, at least 30 days before the General Meeting, with the following composition:
-Board of Directors: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, all of the Effective category with at least four years of affiliation and with associative participation. The Board of Directors will be elected for a two-year term and will strive for gender, race and color parity. The Board of Directors, as a whole or individually, can only be re-elected for one consecutive period. (Article 15 of the Bylaws)
– 3rd For the election of the Board of Directors and Council, it will be necessary to participate in the General Assembly of at least 2/3 of the members able to vote (from the Effective, Active, Emeritus, Professor categories), and the party must be elected by 50% + 1 of the votes cast.
– 4th The election of the Board of Directors and Council will take place through a system of link to the voting ballot with the names of the COMPETING PARTIES AND THEIR COMPOSITIONS by electronic mail, to all members with the right to vote. After having cast the vote, the person will receive an automatic confirmation of their choice. The votes will not be disclosed to the other associates, and their accounting will be done by the IT hired by ABC with the supervision of the administration. In case of doubts regarding the counting of votes, only candidates for the presidency of the association may request the verification of votes, within a maximum period of 48 hours after the official disclosure of the result, always with the commitment to maintain the confidentiality of this information. ABC members are prohibited from publishing their votes (for example: posting photographs of the completed ballot on social networks and/or digital media) while the electoral process is in progress, which is subject to a penalty of termination of membership.
The questions and doubts of the electoral process will be decided by mutual agreement between the parties under the mediation of the Secretary, with she or he making the final decision.
Art. 25 – The Council, made up of 12 members, associates from the Effective, Active and Emeritus categories, all with more than 2 years of affiliation, will be elected for a two-year deliberative term with the main task of monitoring the budget, appraising the accounts, assist in the administration and approve, through voting, matters presented by the Board of Directors.
Art. 26 – The Ethics Committee, a consultative and collaborative instance of the Association, has the mission of ensuring compliance with the Bylaws and Internal Regulations, especially for matters of ethical decision and will be composed of all the members who held the position of President of the ASSOCIATION, more members of the Board of Directors in office with the right to use the ABC Acronym and women of the Council who have the right to use the ABC Acronym, until gender parity is reached.
The Ethics Committee will also be responsible for deciding, together with the members that already have the ABC Acronym of the Board of Directors and the Council, the criteria for indicating, evaluating and approving the use of the ABC Acronym, which will be regulated in the Internal Regulations.
Also, consider applications for admission of professionals to integrate the membership of the association and the change of categories.
MEMBERS:
Art. 4 – Individuals, artists and technicians in the departments of Cinematography and Audiovisual, can integrate the ASSOCIATION in the Professional Activities published in the Registration Form found on the ABC website.
All new requests to join the association will be approved by the Board of New Members, composed of 4 members of the Board of Directors, 4 members of the Council and 4 of the Ethics Committee, by a simple majority.
4 A- The proposal of association with ABC must be accompanied by the resume of the interested person and by a cover letter in the online form provided by ABC, by two Effective or Active associates with at least 3 years of Association for later approval by the Board of New Members.
The submission form must contain:
1. Applicant’s CV with Link to the Applicant’s Demo Reel.
2. Two Cover Letters containing the justification for the nomination, for the professional activity and the relationship with the applicant, if any.
4-B- The Board of Directors may send an invitation letter to a professional who considers it important to join the association. This would replace the letters of introduction from two associates.
– 1st Candidates in the Professor category are exempt from the requirement of cover letters, and must present a curriculum vitae and prove their teaching status (Article 35 of the Bylaws) in order for their application to be approved by the Secretary.
– 2nd Applicants in the Student category are exempt from the requirement of curriculum and cover letters, and must prove their status as a student in courses recognized by ABC. (Article 36 of the Bylaws) so that your request can be voted on by the Ethics Committee. It is the duty of the person associated in the student category to inform the secretary upon completion of their studies to proceed with the change of category to Aspiring.
– 3rd The association will take place in the following categories:
1- Effective (Article 32 of the Bylaws)
2- Active (Article 33 of the Bylaws)
3- Aspiring (Article 34 of the Bylaws)
4- Teacher (Article 35 of the Bylaws)
5- Student (Article 36 of the Bylaws)
6- Emerita (Art. 39 of the Bylaws).”
Only members who already exercise their professional role in cinematography that is of notable honorary importance to the Association can be considered Emeritus. The choice of the person who will become Emerita will be made through an indication made by a member of the Board, Council or Ethics Committee and subsequent voting by the entire Committee, requiring an absolute majority of votes for approval of the matter.
The Ethics Committee
Bylaws
Art. 26 – The Ethics Committee will be made up of all members who have held the position of President(e) of the ASSOCIATION plus members of the Board in office, and women of the Council who have the right to use the ABC Acronym, until a greater gender parity in the Ethics Committee.
The decisions of the Ethics Committee will be valid with approval by an absolute majority.
Concession and Use of the ABC Acronym
Only members in the Effective category, with a DRT Professional Registration and who have been part of our membership for at least 2 years and who have a clear professional contribution in their area of expertise and who are up to date (defaulting) with the Association.
The award of the acronym to professionals is the recognition by ABC of the trajectory of the person awarded.
This recognition takes place through:
1- The nominations of names to receive the Acronym must be made and formally justified by any member of the Collegiate, taking into account:
A) Contribution and participation in ABC activities and the professional’s commitment to the ethical values that govern our association.
B) Technical and artistic contribution of the professional, justified when nominated by a member of the Collegiate with criteria such as: nominations for the ABC Award, national and international awards, repercussion of their work with critics and the Audiovisual community, in addition to relevant highlights.
C) The announcement of concessions for the use of the Acronym ABC will be made once a year, on a date to be established by the Board of Directors.
2- The Concession of the Acronym will be decided by a Collegiate composed of the members of the Board of Directors + women members of the board + the former presidents – all with the Acronym, always seeking gender parity, with votes being optional.
The use of the Abbreviation ABC will be allowed as long as the person awarded remains associated and professional in the audiovisual technique in which he was distinguished with the acronym.
Professionals in the Emeritus category automatically earn the acronym.
Exceptional cases will be evaluated by the Collegiate.
The misuse of the Acronym by a member will result in expulsion from the membership, in addition to the adoption of appropriate legal measures.
If the misuse occurs by someone outside the association’s staff, the appropriate measures will be taken by the legislation in force.
Contributions
The contributions to which members of the Effective, Active, Aspirant, Teacher and Student categories are subject are as follows:
1. Admission fee.
2. Annual fee that may be paid in installments at the Board’s discretion.
3. Registration fees for courses, seminars, congresses and other special activities, if and when stipulated, will have their cost decided by the Board of Directors.
4. The cost of the previous items will be decided by the Board of Directors and Council.
5. As ABC’s Affirmative Inclusion Policy, the option of a 50% discount on the Associative Fee for 3 years will be provided for today’s minority groups: women, trans people, black and indigenous people and people with disabilities. This policy will exist until parity is reached.
Penalties for Default
Bylaws
Art. 42 – The following penalties apply to members of the Effective, Active, Aspiring, Teacher and Student categories:
I – suspension
II – termination
In the following cases:
Members who are more than one quarter late in their contributions will be suspended, and the suspension will be automatically revoked after payment.
Members who are more than one year late in paying their contributions will be automatically removed from the Membership.
The penalties referred to in the previous paragraphs will be applied by the Board of Directors.
Observing the following rules:
– It is the sole responsibility of the members to update their registration data online for the correct sending of the association’s billing communications.
– In case of non-receipt of collection, it is the sole responsibility of the members to contact the administration and find the means of payment by the due date. The Board of Directors will be responsible for notifying the list of Members up to 15 days before the expiration date.
– The late member will receive written notice (electronic or by mail) of the suspension of their benefits.
– Members who are more than one year late in paying their contributions will be automatically removed from the Membership.
– The Secretary must notify the member in debt by email or letter at least one month before the default completes four quarters.
– The Treasury may negotiate the installment of the debt for a period that does not exceed the period of default. Failure to comply with the deadlines established in the installment plan will result in the termination of the membership.
– In case of recurrence of default, membership in the Association will be definitively prohibited.
– The penalties referred to in the previous paragraphs will be applied by the Board of Directors.
Role of Each Member of the Board
ABC’s Secretary will be responsible for the membership, taking care of registration procedures, approval, admission, approval of the use of ABC acronyms, suspension and removal governed by the Internal Regulations in force.
ABC’s Secretary shall produce the Association’s Meeting Minutes and take care of their proper tax records.
ABC’s Secretary shall demand and supervise and have the Board and Council approve, by contract, the relationship of any company with ABC.
ABC’s Secretary shall supervise all matters relating to the Copyright of contributions made to ABC by members and non-members and shall use Legal Counsel to do so.
ABC’s Treasurer will be responsible for controlling the income and expenses of the current account of contributions from members, as well as for the ABC Reserve Fund, reporting to the Board of Directors and to the members of the Board and Commission of Ethic.
No member of the Board of Directors or Council may receive ABC’s pro-labore without the due approval of the majority of its members.
The President and Treasurer will not be able to use amounts from the ABC Reserve Fund without the proper knowledge of the entire Board and members of the Council and Ethics Committee.
Administrative Reports
The administrative reports will be presented every six months to the Board, Council and Ethics Committee.
Once a year, the Board of Directors will publish a statement of accounts, in the open list, for consideration by the members.
ABC’s Relationship with Companies
The following categories of legal entities that are members of ABC’s business partners can be created:
Maintainer
Sponsor
Co-Sponsor
Supporter
The relationship with legal entities will take place primarily within the scope of the Presidency, the Board of Directors and the Council.
By determination of the Board of Directors with its authorization, the members of the Work Groups will be able to make contacts and propose activities to individuals and legal entities.
The approval of events or any activities resulting from these contacts are the exclusive prerogatives of the Board of Directors.
ABC Lists
The Association will maintain lists on the Internet.
One of them will be exclusive to associates and Partners – as part of the corporate compensation – and another one open to anyone interested in cinematography, regardless of qualification, called INFORME ABC.
Provisional lists to attend events, Working Groups or permanent activities will have their creation determined by the Board.
It is forbidden in the lists:
– Broadcasting of subjects and themes other than cinematography.
– Commercial advertising of any nature.
– Political, ideological, religious or ethnic propaganda.
– Use of offensive or profanity.
– Posting pornographic messages and images or that offend religious, political, ethnic or racial beliefs or of any prejudiced or degrading nature.
– Use of pseudonyms that may confuse the origin of the message.
– Sign messages with company names and/or logos.
Members will be allowed to advertise their own equipment on the list, for purchase, sale or exchange, provided that they are in discrete quantities. What is announced must be negotiated off the list, directly between interested parties. For this purpose, the electronic address and/or telephone number of the offeror must be included in the advertisements.
Maintainers, Sponsors, Co-Sponsors and Supporters will be allowed to moderately advertise new equipment and services on the list.
In case of questions as to the nature of the message to be conveyed, the person must consult in advance and in particular the Secretary, who will inform the suitability or not for publication.
Members who are business owners in the area will not be able to advertise their company’s services and products on the list, as this procedure is configured as commercial advertising on the list, which is prohibited by this Regulation.
The Board of Directors may warn, suspend or exclude from the list and/or from the Association whoever violates the previous items.
The subscriber has the duty to previously examine the messages and files placed on the list, and make sure that they do not contain any type of virus.
Organization of Working Groups
The Working Groups will be integrated by the members without discrimination of category.
Any member can propose to participate in a Working Group.
It is up to the Board of Directors to approve or not the participation of members in the Working Groups.
Participation in a Working Group will be for an indefinite period.
Resignation must be reported in writing to the Board, which reserves the right to exclude members who, when registered, do not effectively participate in the Working Groups to which they are affiliated.
ABC Events
Events can be suggested by associated people, by the Working Groups and by the Board of Directors, the latter being responsible for the final decision on their realization.
The events can count on the participation, support, consultancy and assistance of third parties (individuals and legal entities), and it is up to the Board of Directors to study and regulate for each event, how this participation will take place.
In the events organized by ABC (even with the support of companies), participation will be exclusive to members and guests of the Board.
The organization and realization of each event must be published in the lists and the reservation for participation of each member must also be made by e-mail through the list.
The Internal Regulation of each ABC Week, ABC Award may be discussed by the ABC Week Working Group, but it will have to be duly approved by the Board, Council and Ethics Committee.
ABC Week, ABC Award budgets will be executed separately from the current account of contributions from ABC associates and amounts may only be withdrawn in emergency cases with due knowledge of the Board, Council and Ethics Committee