add site
services
publishers
database
health videos
toolbar
stats
live show
health store
more stuff
JOIN/LOGIN
| advertise add site services publishers database health videos
| | about toolbar stats live show health store more stuff JOIN/LOGIN |
Norman McLaren, CC, CQ (11 April 1914 – 27 January 1987) was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).
[edit] Early lifeMcLaren was born in Stirling, Scotland and studied set design at the Glasgow School of Art. His early experiments with film and animation included actually scratching and painting the film stock itself, as he did not have ready access to a camera. His earliest extant film, Seven Till Five (1933), a "day in the life of an art school" was influenced by Eisenstein and displays a strongly formalist attitude. McLaren's next film, Camera Makes Whoopee (1935), was a more elaborate take on the themes explored in Seven Till Five, inspired by his acquisition of a Ciné-Kodak camera, which enabled him to execute a number of 'trick' shots. McLaren used pixilation effects, superimpositions and animation not only to display the staging of an art school ball, but also to tap into the aesthetic sensations supposedly produced by this event. [edit] Professional careerAfter finishing his studies in Glasgow and making a few films in London, McLaren moved to New York City in 1939, just as World War II was about to begin in Europe. At the invitation of John Grierson, he moved to Canada in 1941 to work for the National Film Board, to open an animation studio and to train Canadian animators. During his work for the NFB, McLaren created his most famous film, Neighbours (1952), which has won various awards around the world, including the Canadian Film Award and the Academy Award. Besides the brilliant combination of visuals and sound, the film has a very strong social message against violence and war. In addition to film, McLaren worked with UNESCO in the 1950s and 1960s on programs to teach film and animation techniques in China and India. His five part "Animated Motion" shorts, produced in the late 1970s, are an excellent example of instruction on the basics of film animation. [edit] Personal lifeMcLaren was gay. His longtime companion was Guy Glover, whom he met at the ballet in London in 1937. The two were together until McLaren’s death.[1] In spite of the allegations of his monogamy and faithfulness, it appears McLaren's mind may have been elsewhere. It seems that he wrote a series of letters to Willard Maas. In those letters it appears that Norman may have used many metaphors and double entendre to express, as well as share mutual secrets of concerning both of their being homosexuals.[citation needed] It is unknown as to if there was any physical relationship between McLaren and Maas or if this correspondence was merely a purely platonic mutual admiration. [edit] Awards and achievementsMcLaren is remembered for his experiments with image and sound as he developed a number of groundbreaking techniques for combining and synchronizing animation with music. The National Film Board honoured McLaren's genius by naming its Montreal head office building the Norman McLaren Building. The Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, which is home to the NFB, has also honoured McLaren by naming a borough district after him.
In 1968 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and promoted to Companion in 1973. In 1982, he was the first anglophone to receive the Prix Albert-Tessier, given to persons for an outstanding career in Québec cinema.
In 2006, the Film Board marked the 65th anniversary of NFB animation with an international retrospective of McLaren's restored classics and a new DVD box set of his complete works.
In 2009, McLaren's works were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme, listing the most significant documentary heritage collections in the world, joining such works as the Gutenberg Bible and The Wizard of Oz.[2] [edit] Awards for McLaren's films
[edit] Award nominations
[edit] See also[edit] References
[edit] External links
Categories: Anglophone Quebecers | BAFTA winners (people) | Canadian animators | Canadian experimental filmmakers | Canadian film directors | Cinema pioneers | Companions of the Order of Canada | Genie Award winners | Knights of the National Order of Quebec | LGBT directors | LGBT artists from Canada | People from Montreal | People from Stirling | Quebec film directors | Scottish film directors | Scottish immigrants to Canada | Stop motion animators | Visual music artists | Directors of Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award winners | Drawn on film animation | 1914 births | 1987 deaths | |||||||||||||
| ↑ top of page ↑ | about thumbshots |
