Ross Lowell

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ross Lowell (born July 10, 1926 in New York City , New York - † January 10, 2019 in Pound Ridge , New York) was an American inventor , cameraman , photographer , lighting technician and entrepreneur .

In 1959 he developed the Gaffer Tape , which has since been used worldwide mainly in the field of stage and event technology. In 1980, Lowell was awarded the Academy Award for Technical Merit for developing compact lighting for filming .

Life

Lowell served as a photographer in the US Navy during World War II . In 1948 he began studying at UCLA's film school .

From the 1950s he was involved in filming various film and television productions. During the several months of filming the 1957 documentary The Delinquents: The Highfields Story , which was created for Walter Cronkite's CBS series The 20th Century in an institution for juvenile offenders, Lowell, at the request of producer Stephen Fleischman , had to install the technology required for the lighting so that it would not hinder the day-to-day operations of the institution. Lowe combined a lamp base and grab handle with a ball joint that could easily be clipped to suction cups or other fastening devices. He later developed the system further.

Shortly thereafter, he founded the company Lowel-Light Manufacturing, with which he mainly manufactured lighting for the film industry. After John Alcott had explicitly praised the technology produced by Lowel-Light in an interview with American Cinematographer in March 1976, sales rose sharply.

Lowell also needed an adhesive tape that was strong and heat-resistant, but could still be removed quickly and without leaving any residue. He finally discovered the Permacel tape manufactured by Johnson & Johnson , the adhesive surface of which he combined with a silver fabric. This resulted in the Gaffer Tape , which developed into a worldwide standard tool in the field of stage and event technology.

At the 1980 Academy Awards , Lowell was awarded the Academy Award for Technical Merit for the development of compact lighting equipment for motion picture photography . In the same year he and his wife Carol Lowell were nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Film for Oh Brother, My Brother . The 16mm short film showed the daily interactions and conflicts of the first two sons of the family.

In 1987 he was awarded the John Grierson Gold Medal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers for his achievements, inventions and innovative developments in the field of light lighting and mounting equipment (“In recognition of his many achievements, inventions, and innovative developments in the field of lightweight lighting and grip equipment. ").

Lowell was also an avid photographer . His photographs were exhibited in 2010 in his home town of Pound Ridge , among others .

He died on January 10, 2019 at the age of 92. Ross Lowell, who was married a total of four times, left behind his wife, a daughter and three sons, ten grandchildren, and a sister and two nieces. Two of his sons are the filmmakers Josh and Brett Lowell , who have made a name for themselves primarily through numerous climbing documentaries.

Filmography (selection)

camera operator

  • 1964: To the Fair! (Documentary)
  • 1964: On the Trail of the Iguana (documentary)
  • 1965: William Faulkner's Mississippi (documentary)
  • 1966: The Bell Telephone Hour (TV series, 1 episode)
  • 1966: A Year Toward Tomorrow (documentary)
  • 1967: While I Run This Race (documentary)
  • 1967: The Rock (short film)
  • 1967: Operation Dirty Dozen (documentary)
  • 1968: Petulia: The Uncommon Movie (documentary)
  • 1970: The Balloon Tree (short film)
  • 1973: The World Turned Upside Down (documentary)
  • 1979: Oh Brother, My Brother (short film, also screenplay, production and direction)
  • 1985: The Women of Summer (documentary)

Director

  • 1964: On the Trail of the Iguana (documentary)
  • 1970: The Balloon Tree (short film)
  • 1979: Oh Brother, My Brother (short film, also screenplay, production and camera)

font

  • Matters of Light and Depth: Creating Memorable Images for Video, Film, and Stills Through Lighting . Lowell Light Manufacturing, 1992, ISBN 978-1879174030 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Jeff Loch: A Tribute to Ross Lowell: Founder of Lowel-Light and Inventor of the Gaffer Tape . In: cinema5d.com, accessed March 13, 2019.
  2. The Delinquents. Part 2, The Highfields Story / CBS News . In: media.dlib.indiana.edu, accessed March 13, 2019.
  3. a b c d e f Rhett Bartlett: Ross Lowell, Oscar Recipient and Inventor of Gaffer Tape, Dies at 92 . In: The Hollywood Reporter, February 26, 2019.
  4. ^ Ross Lowell: Confessions of a Lighting Designer . In: American Cinematographer, Vol. 60, No. October 10, 1979.
  5. a b Ross Lowell . In: awardsdatabase.oscars.org, accessed March 13, 2019.
  6. ^ The John Grierson International Gold Medal Award Winners . In: smpte.org, accessed March 13, 2019.
  7. Fauer: Ross Lowell Opens "Time Trails" Photo Exhibit . In: fdtimes.com of May 2, 2010.
  8. ^ Holly Hughes: Obituary: Ross Lowell, Founder of Lowel-Light and Creator of Gaffer Tape, 92 . In: pdnonline.com from February 20, 2019.
  9. Abbey Smith: Storytellers: Josh & Brett Lowell of Big UP Productions . In: inclined.americanalpineclub.org of December 21, 2012.