Colin Archibald LowCMRCA (July 24, 1926 – February 24, 2016) was a Canadian animation and documentary filmmaker with the
National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He was known as a pioneer, one of Canada's most important filmmakers, and was regularly referred to as "the gentleman genius".[1][2] His numerous honors include five
BAFTA awards, eight
Cannes Film Festival awards, and six
Academy Award nominations.
Low studied graphic design and animation at the
Banff School of Fine Arts and then the
Calgary Institute of Technology. In 1946, while he was at the latter, the
National Film Board of Canada was hiring and put out a call for student submissions; one of Low's teachers suggested that he send in his portfolio and, a week later, he was hired by the prominent NFB filmmaker
Norman McLaren. McLaren placed Low under the tutelage of
George Dunning, who would act as his mentor for five years. To hone his animation skills, he was also put to work with NFB animator
Evelyn Lambart.[4][5]
Low was recognized as a filmmaker in 1949. In 1950, he was appointed Head of the Animation Unit. From 1972 to 1976, he was an executive producer for the NFB's Studio C; in 1976, he became Director of Regional Production. He would stay with the NFB for the rest of his life, making 203 films and acting as a researcher and advisor on many others. He officially retired in 1997, but continued to write about animation and large-format film, and to work on film projects.
Influence on Stanley Kubrick and Ken Burns
Low's 1957 documentary City of Gold made use of slow pans and zooms across archival photos and has been cited by
Ken Burns as a key inspiration for the so-called '
Ken Burns effect'.[6]
In 1960, Low and
Roman Kroitor co-directed Universe, capturing the attention of
Stanley Kubrick, who was preparing to make 2001: A Space Odyssey. Low was invited to work on 2001: A Space Odyssey but had to decline because he was making In the Labyrinth, a multi-screen production for
Expo 67. Some of his ideas and techniques were incorporated into Kubrick's film and Kubrick used the narrator from Universe (
Douglas Rain) as the voice of his
HAL 9000 computer.[7][8]
Challenge for Change
From 1966 to 1968, Low worked with the people of
Fogo Island, Newfoundland to shoot 27 films for the NFB's
Challenge for Change program, using media as a tool to bring about social change and combat poverty.[9][2]
IMAX
Low was involved in a series of firsts in the wide-screen genre. The experimental multi-screen production In the Labyrinth helped lead to the creation of the
IMAX format. Low co-directed the first IMAX 3D production Transitions for
Expo 86 in
Vancouver, and co-directed Momentum, the first film in 48 frames per-second IMAX HD for
Expo 92 in
Seville,
Spain.
In 2002, the Large Format Cinema Association presented Low and the NFB with its
Abel Gance Award for outstanding work in large format filmmaking.[11]
In 1997, Low was awarded the
Prix Albert-Tessier, given to individuals for an outstanding career in Québec cinema. In 2013, the
DOXA Documentary Film Festival created the annual
Colin Low Award, presented to the best Canadian documentary film in the festival program.
Low was a member of the
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and, in 1996, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to cinema in Canada and around the world, was invested as a Member of the
Order of Canada.
Personal life and death
Shortly after joining the NFB, Low met Eugénie (Jean) St. Germain in Montreal. They married in 1947 and had three sons. He was survived by his wife and sons when he died in Montreal on February 24, 2016.
International Film Festival of Man, Air, Water,
Versailles: First Prize of the Festival, 1972
International Review of Maritime Documentary / International Film, TV Film and Documentary Film Market (MIFED),
Milan: Jury Award - Gold Medal of the President of the Republic, 1972
International Craft Film Festival, New York: Award of Merit, 1976
International Festival of Television Programs of Folk Crafts (RADUGA),
Moscow: Diploma for Impressive Transmission of Deep Thought of Unity of the Sources of Folk Creativity, 1979
Festival international du film sur l'art,
Paris: Grand Prize for the Quality of the Image, 1977
Festival of Tourist and Folklore Films, Brussels: Prize of the Principality of Monaco for the Best Film Evocating the Past of a Region by the Means of Art, 1977
^"Age of the Beaver". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"Corral". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"Riches of the Earth". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"One Little Indian". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"The Jolifou Inn". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^
abMaria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards.
Stoddart Publishing, 2000.
ISBN0-7737-3238-1. pp. 33-35.
^"Gold". onf-nfb.gc.c. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
^"City of Gold". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
^"City Out of Time". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"A is for Architecture". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"Circle of the Sun". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"Universe". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
^"Hors-d'oeuvre". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
Colin Archibald LowCMRCA (July 24, 1926 – February 24, 2016) was a Canadian animation and documentary filmmaker with the
National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He was known as a pioneer, one of Canada's most important filmmakers, and was regularly referred to as "the gentleman genius".[1][2] His numerous honors include five
BAFTA awards, eight
Cannes Film Festival awards, and six
Academy Award nominations.
Low studied graphic design and animation at the
Banff School of Fine Arts and then the
Calgary Institute of Technology. In 1946, while he was at the latter, the
National Film Board of Canada was hiring and put out a call for student submissions; one of Low's teachers suggested that he send in his portfolio and, a week later, he was hired by the prominent NFB filmmaker
Norman McLaren. McLaren placed Low under the tutelage of
George Dunning, who would act as his mentor for five years. To hone his animation skills, he was also put to work with NFB animator
Evelyn Lambart.[4][5]
Low was recognized as a filmmaker in 1949. In 1950, he was appointed Head of the Animation Unit. From 1972 to 1976, he was an executive producer for the NFB's Studio C; in 1976, he became Director of Regional Production. He would stay with the NFB for the rest of his life, making 203 films and acting as a researcher and advisor on many others. He officially retired in 1997, but continued to write about animation and large-format film, and to work on film projects.
Influence on Stanley Kubrick and Ken Burns
Low's 1957 documentary City of Gold made use of slow pans and zooms across archival photos and has been cited by
Ken Burns as a key inspiration for the so-called '
Ken Burns effect'.[6]
In 1960, Low and
Roman Kroitor co-directed Universe, capturing the attention of
Stanley Kubrick, who was preparing to make 2001: A Space Odyssey. Low was invited to work on 2001: A Space Odyssey but had to decline because he was making In the Labyrinth, a multi-screen production for
Expo 67. Some of his ideas and techniques were incorporated into Kubrick's film and Kubrick used the narrator from Universe (
Douglas Rain) as the voice of his
HAL 9000 computer.[7][8]
Challenge for Change
From 1966 to 1968, Low worked with the people of
Fogo Island, Newfoundland to shoot 27 films for the NFB's
Challenge for Change program, using media as a tool to bring about social change and combat poverty.[9][2]
IMAX
Low was involved in a series of firsts in the wide-screen genre. The experimental multi-screen production In the Labyrinth helped lead to the creation of the
IMAX format. Low co-directed the first IMAX 3D production Transitions for
Expo 86 in
Vancouver, and co-directed Momentum, the first film in 48 frames per-second IMAX HD for
Expo 92 in
Seville,
Spain.
In 2002, the Large Format Cinema Association presented Low and the NFB with its
Abel Gance Award for outstanding work in large format filmmaking.[11]
In 1997, Low was awarded the
Prix Albert-Tessier, given to individuals for an outstanding career in Québec cinema. In 2013, the
DOXA Documentary Film Festival created the annual
Colin Low Award, presented to the best Canadian documentary film in the festival program.
Low was a member of the
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and, in 1996, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to cinema in Canada and around the world, was invested as a Member of the
Order of Canada.
Personal life and death
Shortly after joining the NFB, Low met Eugénie (Jean) St. Germain in Montreal. They married in 1947 and had three sons. He was survived by his wife and sons when he died in Montreal on February 24, 2016.
International Film Festival of Man, Air, Water,
Versailles: First Prize of the Festival, 1972
International Review of Maritime Documentary / International Film, TV Film and Documentary Film Market (MIFED),
Milan: Jury Award - Gold Medal of the President of the Republic, 1972
International Craft Film Festival, New York: Award of Merit, 1976
International Festival of Television Programs of Folk Crafts (RADUGA),
Moscow: Diploma for Impressive Transmission of Deep Thought of Unity of the Sources of Folk Creativity, 1979
Festival international du film sur l'art,
Paris: Grand Prize for the Quality of the Image, 1977
Festival of Tourist and Folklore Films, Brussels: Prize of the Principality of Monaco for the Best Film Evocating the Past of a Region by the Means of Art, 1977
^"Age of the Beaver". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"Corral". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"Riches of the Earth". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"One Little Indian". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"The Jolifou Inn". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^
abMaria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards.
Stoddart Publishing, 2000.
ISBN0-7737-3238-1. pp. 33-35.
^"Gold". onf-nfb.gc.c. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
^"City of Gold". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
^"City Out of Time". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"A is for Architecture". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"Circle of the Sun". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^"Universe". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
^"Hors-d'oeuvre". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2023.