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]
Hayley's Home Movie - short film, Gail Singer 1987 - executive producer
No Way! Not Me - documentary short, Ariadna Ochrymovych 1987 - executive producer
For Richer, For Poorer - short film, Ariadna Ochrymovych 1988 - executive producer
A House Divided: Caregiver Stress and Elder Abuse - documentary short, Lyn Wright 1988 - executive producer
Peep and the Big Wide World - cartoons,
Kaj Pindal 1988 - executive producer
Imperfect Union: Canadian Labour and the Left, Part 1 - International Background, Canadian Roots - documentary,
Arthur Hammond 1989 - executive producer
Imperfect Union: Canadian Labour and the Left, Part 2 - Born of Hard Times - documentary,
Arthur Hammond 1989 - executive producer
Imperfect Union: Canadian Labour and the Left, Part 3 - Falling Apart and Getting Together - documentary,
Arthur Hammond 1989 - executive producer
Imperfect Union: Canadian Labour and the Left, Part 4 - New Party, Old Problems - documentary,
Arthur Hammond 1989 - executive producer
Media and Society: Advertising and Consumerism - documentary, David Adkin 1989 - producer
Media and Society: Cultural Sovereignty/Shaping Information - documentary, David Adkin 1989 - producer
Media and Society: Images of Women - documentary, David Adkin 1989 - producer
Transplant, the Breath of Life - documentary, Elias Petras 1990 - co-producer with Elias Petras
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - What Is a Documentary? Ways of Storytelling - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - Shaping Reality - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - The Politics of Truth - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - The Candid Eye? - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - Voices of Experience, Voices for Change Part 1 - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - Voices of Experience, Voices for Change Part 2, The Poetry of Motion - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Village of Idiots - animated short film, Eugene Fedorenko & Rose Newlove 1999 - executive producer
International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films,
Varna, Bulgaria: First Prize, Gold Medal, Popular Science, Documentary on Health and Ecological Subjects 1991
New York International Children's Film Festival, New York: Grand Prize Audience Award, 2002
References
^
abcCzach, Liz.
"John Spotton". Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from
the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
Note: From 1963 to 1969, two separate awards were consistently presented for colour and black-and-white cinematography. This distinction did not continue from 1970 on.
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]
Hayley's Home Movie - short film, Gail Singer 1987 - executive producer
No Way! Not Me - documentary short, Ariadna Ochrymovych 1987 - executive producer
For Richer, For Poorer - short film, Ariadna Ochrymovych 1988 - executive producer
A House Divided: Caregiver Stress and Elder Abuse - documentary short, Lyn Wright 1988 - executive producer
Peep and the Big Wide World - cartoons,
Kaj Pindal 1988 - executive producer
Imperfect Union: Canadian Labour and the Left, Part 1 - International Background, Canadian Roots - documentary,
Arthur Hammond 1989 - executive producer
Imperfect Union: Canadian Labour and the Left, Part 2 - Born of Hard Times - documentary,
Arthur Hammond 1989 - executive producer
Imperfect Union: Canadian Labour and the Left, Part 3 - Falling Apart and Getting Together - documentary,
Arthur Hammond 1989 - executive producer
Imperfect Union: Canadian Labour and the Left, Part 4 - New Party, Old Problems - documentary,
Arthur Hammond 1989 - executive producer
Media and Society: Advertising and Consumerism - documentary, David Adkin 1989 - producer
Media and Society: Cultural Sovereignty/Shaping Information - documentary, David Adkin 1989 - producer
Media and Society: Images of Women - documentary, David Adkin 1989 - producer
Transplant, the Breath of Life - documentary, Elias Petras 1990 - co-producer with Elias Petras
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - What Is a Documentary? Ways of Storytelling - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - Shaping Reality - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - The Politics of Truth - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - The Candid Eye? - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - Voices of Experience, Voices for Change Part 1 - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in Documentary - Voices of Experience, Voices for Change Part 2, The Poetry of Motion - documentary, David Adkin 1993 - co-producer with Michael Allder
Village of Idiots - animated short film, Eugene Fedorenko & Rose Newlove 1999 - executive producer
International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films,
Varna, Bulgaria: First Prize, Gold Medal, Popular Science, Documentary on Health and Ecological Subjects 1991
New York International Children's Film Festival, New York: Grand Prize Audience Award, 2002
References
^
abcCzach, Liz.
"John Spotton". Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from
the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
Note: From 1963 to 1969, two separate awards were consistently presented for colour and black-and-white cinematography. This distinction did not continue from 1970 on.