John Spotton

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John Spotton
Born(1927-08-08)8 August 1927
Died3 March 1991(1991-03-03) (aged 63)
Cuba
Occupations
Years active1947–1991
Awardssee below

John Spotton C.S.C. (January 1, 1927 - March 3, 1991) was a Canadian filmmaker with the National Film Board of Canada.

Contents

A versatile artist who worked as a director, producer, cinematographer and editor, Spotton was best known for his role in developing the Direct Cinema genre of documentary and in the application of those techniques in narrative fiction films, in particular Nobody Waved Good-bye (1964), in which he served as cinematographer and editor. [1] [2]

An early member of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), Spotton briefly working as a cameraman for a private company, joined the NFB in 1949 and worked there for the rest of his life, with the exception of a three-film stint with Parker Film Associates, and a two-year period in the 1970s when he worked with Potterton Productions.[ citation needed ] He was executive director of the NFB's Ontario Centre from 1982 until 1988. [1]

Until it closed in 2002, The NFB's theatre in Toronto was named The John Spotton Theatre. [1] Until 2017, the Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film was the 'NFB John Spotton Award'.

Personal life and death

Spotton drowned at the age of 64 while on vacation in Cuba. He was survived by his wife Doris.

Filmography

For the National Film Board of Canada [3] [4] [5]

Awards

The Hutterites (1964) [9]

Buster Keaton Rides Again (1965) [10]

Memorandum (1965) [11]

The Forest (1966) [12]

Never a Backward Step (1966) [13]

Thanks for the Ride (1983) [14]

Dad's House, Mom's House (1985) [15]

Final Offer (1985) [16]

Left Out (1985) [17]

The Umpire (1985) [18]

Mr. Nobody (1987) [19]

A House Divided: Caregiver Stress and Elder Abuse (1988) [20]

Peep and the Big Wide World (1988) [21]

Transplant, the Breath of Life (1990) [22]

Village of Idiots (1999) [23]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Czach, Liz. "John Spotton". Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  2. Wise, Wyndham (February 1, 2015). Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film. University of Toronto Press. ISBN   9781442656208.
  3. "Directors: John Spotton". onf-nfb.gc.ca/. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  4. "Producers: John Spotton". onf-nfb.gc.ca/. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  5. "Production Personnel: John Spotton". onf-nfb.gc.ca/. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  6. "Rivera". kinorium.com. Kinorium. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  7. "Sanchez". Kinorium. kinorium.com. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  8. "Ybarra". kinorium.com. Kinorium. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  9. "The Hutterites". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  10. "Buster Keaton Rides Again". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  11. "Memorandum". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  12. "The Forest". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  13. "Never a Backward Step". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  14. "Thanks for the Ride". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  15. "Dad's House, Mom's House". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  16. "Final Offer". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  17. "Left Out". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  18. "The Umpire". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  19. "Mr. Nobody". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  20. "A House Divided: Caregiver Stress and Elder Abuse". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  21. "Peep and the Big Wide World". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  22. "Transplant: The Breath of Life". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  23. "Village of Idiots". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2023.