The stress given to film directors and stars in current academic cinema studies unjustifiably ignores the artistic contributions of cinematographers. Frequently, cinematographers are responsible for much of the artistic expression and inventiveness in films. Although determination of the extent of the cinematographer's contribution is difficult, it is possible to assess the frequency with which cameramen are credited for their contributions to award-winning films. A survey of 339 of the "best" feature films produced between 1930 and 1964 indicated that writers, directors, and editors were credited more frequently than cinematographers. It also indicated that a relatively small group of "top" cameramen were acknowledged as contributing to the "best" films of the period. (CH)