Director and cinematographer Ron Johansson, director and cinematographer who served as national president of the Australian Film Directors Association from 2008 to 2022, passed away on Saturday at the age of 75.
Ernie Clark paid this tribute to friends and colleagues at ACS, which were reissued with permission from IF.
It is a great sadness to acknowledge the passage of the Ronald Jeffrey Johansson Ohm ACS.
Ron was a highly loved, highly respected and longtime ACS president for 14 years from 2008 to 2022, and five years of national vice president and past Queensland president for over 10 years. Certainly extraordinary dedicated service!
Ron was the driving force behind establishing the first ACS National Headquarters in North Sydney in 2010. He was extremely proud to be one of the dedicated members who helped make the clubhouse come true. He did this not for personal recognition, but for the future of society, its members, the Australian cinematography.
Ron helped expand ACS recognition on the world stage, becoming the second ACS president to serve as the International League of Nations, the director of cinematography, who is Igar’s Australia representative, and ultimately became co-chairman in 2021.
Ron helped make ACS more inclusive. By working with other Australian guilds to bring our industry together and make it the best. He made ACS more welcoming to everyone and worked hard to implement changes to improve ACS. He made society a truly national by establishing branches in every state and territory. He also pushed the process to upgrade our website and led the publication of a 288-page book on Australian film history. This was published in 2012.
Ron is a greater, deeper, more caring, generous soul than life, and has been a mentor to many over the years, and he has always helped him, whenever and whenever. Many of his mentees have gone on to promising careers, achieved recognition from their peers, and have won numerous awards along the way.
Ron was born and raised in Melbourne and was able to self-deprecate for his academic achievements at the age of 16 in 1965, but he managed to secure his job as a naive message boy at Crawford Productions. In ’67 he was employed as a camera assistant in a senior film at St Kilda, then promoted to camera operator, and became a lighting cameraman before going to freelance around 1970. He moved to Brisbane in 1976 and worked for many large TVCS and DOCOS.
Then, in 1980 he started the successful production company Rory PolyPicture Company in Brisbane, where he served as director/DOP for many high quality TVCs in Australia and around the world. Working with Ron is said to be an absolute joy. It’s so much fun. Who knew that work is so much fun while making great images and stories? It was impossible not to be with Ron and have a good time!
His outstanding work in these years was recognized by him with many important awards, including three national ACS Gold Tripodes, numerous state Gold ACS Awards, four New York Festival International Advertising Awards, three Mobius Awards, two Cannes Awards, and more. Ron received ACS Certification #212 in 1992, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005 and was awarded a Life Membership in 2007. In 2014, he was honored for his OAM for mentoring and service to the film industry.
Under Ron’s leadership, ACS was recognized at the 2014 Byron Kennedy Awards. This was the first time an individual has been recognized, and this honorable recognition highlighting the ACS situation within the Australian film industry.
In 1999 he was awarded a special Kodak Award for his services to the film industry. In 2004, Queensland’s new filmmaker, the Kinnetton Award, was given to him for his contributions to the Queensland film industry, and in 2009 he became inducted into the Queensland Advertising Hall of Fame.
In 2015, he was awarded the Ron Windon ACS Contribute Award, recognising his enormous service to society and industry in general. Yet, with all these admirations, Ron remained a humble man.
This recognition was all due to his love for the art of cinematography that gave him a great career and life. He had a “can” attitude, an positivity that encouraged others to “do”, achieve, and travel with him. Ron knew he wasn’t perfect, but boy, he certainly did his best!
Ron had an infectious character that attracted people from every course of life to him. He made people feel easy and comfortable with his evil and very quick sense of humor. It’s not always politically correct. I asked a professional comedian to comment on his quick wit.
For Ron, family was everything. He was a loving partner, a proud father, and an interesting and caring grandpa. “Family” contains so many strong friendships, where he often showed his loyalty, kindness, generosity and consideration. His loyalty didn’t know the boundaries, including continuing to support his beloved football team, Essendon, and powerful bombers, that he wanted to call them, even if he wasn’t that strong! He said he couldn’t understand rugby league.
Ron is survived by his wife Linda, his amazing mother Edna, his younger brother Alan, his wife Julie and his family, Ron’s children Shannon and Kelly, his partner and four grandchildren. I know his family will miss him a lot. I don’t know if you know other people who have a lot of enthusiastic friends. He is loved, respected and admired by many.
Dear Ron, we will miss you, it is time to cut through the light meters and rest in peace.
Adieu, my very good friend.
