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Member LoginVale: Milton Ingerson OAM ACS
Adelaide - 27 September 2005
Milton has had a long association with the ACS.
In 1980 Milton was one of the main shakers in a move to re-establish a South Australian Branch of the Australian Cinematographers Society and in 1982 was elected the second President of the new State Branch. Later that year he also became an Accredited Member (No. 127).
Since then he worked continuously as an active and innovative Vice President of the SA Committee. All this was warmly recognised in 1987 when he was awarded the first life membership of the ACS South Australian Branch.
In 1991, Milton was elected Federal President and served the Society in this capacity for a record 12 years. Milton’s 40 year contribution to the Australian Film Industry was recognised in the 2002 Australia Day Honours when he was awarded an Order of Australia Medal.
Flashback
from Australian Cinematographer - Issue 18
Milton Ingerson was born in Hindmarsh, South Australia and his early ambition was to become an engineering draftsman. He studied at Thebarton Boys' Technical School, where he excelled at drafting and technical drawing. A company seeking junior staff would often approach "Thebby Tech" to see if they had any students with the talents necessary to fill a job they had available. This is how Milton started his first job at twenty one shillings a week in late 1943
Photography had been one of Milton's hobbies and now that he was earning money it allowed him to buy some equipment and set up a dark room in the family bathroom (to some displeasure of his mum, dad and big brother). Milton promised the bathroom would be kept clean and tidy, and that their displeasure would be soon overcome by lots of lovely family groups and portraits hanging on the walls.
Milton expanded his photography hobby into a small, on the side business, doing weddings for friends and relations. This was the start of his photographic career. As it grew it allowed him to resign from the drawing office of Kelvinator Aust. And set up a career as one of Adelaide's leading wedding photographers.
In 1955 Milton set up a small studio at No. 9 North Terrace, Adelaide. Business was reasonably brisk in those days as marriage was popular amongst the early twenties set. More turnover was needed and so he went searching for a better paying and more stimulating use of his camera eye and found advertising.
Advertising might claim it found him - no matter, it was a great combination and it clicked! Business boomed. He moved to a suite in Franklin Street, Adelaide and transformed it into a studio complex... complete with spacious dark rooms. The business became a partnership, with Bill Arnold, another top gun commercial photographer.
In 1959 TV came to Adelaide and things changed. Bill concentrated on the stills department and Milton went into learning about film and making commercials with a 16mm Bolex. Business expanded and he was joined by a shy, retiring apprentice Max Pepper whose musical abilities and natural skill as a sound engineer added extra brilliance to the team. They bought new Arriflex 16mm and 35mm cameras and offered a fast, first class, fully integrated, commercial production service. Because Milton Ingerson Productions set a very high standard of independent film production his company became the benchmark for creativity, quality, value and professionalism.
In 1972 the company moved to new premises in Dunn Street, North Adelaide, offering him the challenge of designing his own motion picture studio and it became Adelaide’s best facility – 50 X 30 stage, recording studio, editing suites, theatrette, production offices, dressing rooms and the kitchen sink. He now had enough spare cameras and gear to provide an equipment hire service. It was at this studio that so many promising young filmmakers got their early training and a healthy dose of Milton's elixir of excellence.
Milton enjoyed producing and was responsible for the production of many internationally acclaimed gold award winning documentaries.
In 1980 Milton was one of the main shakers in a move to re-establish a South Australian Branch of the Australian Cinematographers Society and in 1982 was elected the second
President of the new State Branch. Later that year he also became an Accredited Member. Since then he has worked continuously as an active, innovative Vice President of the SA Committee. All this was warmly recognized in 1987 when he was awarded the first life membership of the ACS South Australian Branch.
In addition to this workload Milton is enjoying a record term of ten years as National President. The latest acknowledgement of Milton’s 40 year contribution to the Australian Film Industry was in the 2002 Australia Day Honours when he was awarded an Order of Australia Medal.