What do abbreviations like A.C.E. and A.S.C. mean in movie credits?

I always see initialisms after people's names in film credits. Are these ranks (like Associate, Assistant, Executive), or do they signify membership in some guild or some kind of certification?

What do abbreviations like A.C.E. and A.S.C. mean in movie credits?
A.S.C = American Society of Cinematographers


A.C.E. = American Cinema Editors





Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing itself. The society is not to be confused with an industry union, such as the I.A.T.S.E. (specifically the Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG)) of which an editor might belong.





The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. It is not a labor union, and it is not a guild. Membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with distinguished credits in the film industry. Not all cinematographers can place the initials A.S.C. after their names. ASC membership has become one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a professional cinematographer, a mark of prestige and distinction.[1] The ASC currently has approximately 340 members.

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