Colin Low (filmmaker)
Colin Archibald Low ( born July 24, 1926 in Cardston, Alberta ) is a Canadian film director, producer and animator.
Life
Low grew up on a ranch in Western Canada and studied Fine Arts at the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Calgary Institute of Technology. He arrived in 1945 on a summer school program for the National Film Board of Canada, which was led at the time by Norman McLaren. At the NFB, he was initially responsible as a graphic designer for the subscription of movie titles. He went in 1948 for a short time to study in Sweden, but returned in 1949 back to Canada. Low was a film director and, in 1950 head of the animation department of Unit B of the NFB, which was again directed by Tom Daly. The Unit B was considered " world-renowned source of innovative films that have become classics of the documentary". The international success of the Unit B also scored Lows own animated film The Romance of Transportation in Canada, which received an Academy Award nomination and won a Golden Palm. In 1957, low shot with Wolf Koenig his first documentary Corral (1954 ); In 1957 with the City of Gold is a documentary film that won a Golden Palm as before The Romance of Transportation in Canada and was nominated for an Oscar. From 1964 Low worked as co- director at the experimental multi- screen movie Labyrinth, which caused a sensation at the Expo 67 and later as In the Labyrinth was worked up in parts for television. As a result, the worldwide interest rose to big screen formats; Labyrinth is considered as a guide for the development of IMAX and OMNIMAX ( IMAX Dome later ).
Low in 1972 executive producer of the studios C of the NFB and supervised to 1976 over 100 documentaries. From 1976 he was Head of Regional Production, the five production companies were subject in different regions of Canada.
Low always showed a great interest in new film technologies and saw his own films to experiment as an opportunity. In 1980, his first film in the big picture OMNIMAXX originated with Atmos. In addition, he was involved in the first 3D film Born of Stars (1985 ), was a director of the first IMAX 3D movie Transitions (1986 ), which ran in Vancouver at Expo 86, and led the first IMAX HD film Momentum ( 1992) directed. Critics praised him as a " tireless technological innovator and one of the true visionaries of the Canadian documentary. " For his contributions to the development of IMAX and large screen cinemas Low in 2002 by the Large Format Cinema Association ( LFCA ) was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Low was appointed in 1996 for " his outstanding contributions to the cinema in Canada and around the world," a member of the Order of Canada. In 1997 he was awarded for his cinematic oeuvre of the Prix Albert - Tessier. He is also a member of the Royal Canadian Academy.
Low officially retired in 1997 from the film business, but still occurs as a film producer in appearance and publishes articles on innovations in the field of film technology. Lows son Stephen Low is active also as a film producer.