Christopher Chapman | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1927-01-24)January 24, 1927 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | October 24, 2015(2015-10-24) (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1954–1976 |
Christopher ChapmanCM RCA (January 24, 1927 – October 24, 2015) was a Canadian film writer, director, editor and cinematographer. Best known for his award-winning 1967 short filmA Place to Stand, he also pioneered themulti-dynamic image technique used in films and television shows.[1]
Chapman was born inToronto, shortly after midnight on January 24, 1927, and just minutes after his twin brotherFrancis. Christopher and his twin had four elder siblings, Philippa, Howard, Robert, and Sally. Another brother, Julian, died in infancy.[1] They were children of distinguished architect Alfred Hirschfelder Chapman (ofChapman and Oxley) and concert pianist Doris Chapman.
In the 1950s, Christopher spent a year in England designing cars for theFord Motor Company before returning to Canada and becoming a filmmaker.[2]
Chapman was married to Barbara-Glen Chapman (née Kennedy), his wife of 44 years. He died at the age of 88 on October 24, 2015, at his residence in ReachView Village, a long-term care facility inUxbridge, Ontario. The Chapmans had one son, Julian, who is a former Deputy Commander of4th Canadian Division,Canadian ArmyBrigadier General.[2]
Over his career, Chapman made approximately 40 films for television, theNational Film Board of Canada, theatrical release, tourism organizations, science centres, and international expositions.[1] Chapman's first film,The Seasons, won theCanadian Film Award (CFA) for Film of the Year in 1954.[3]
In 1965 Christopher and Francis Chapman jointly won theCanadian Film Award forBest Colour Cinematography at the17th Canadian Film Awards forExpedition Bluenose.[4]
Another of his films to win theCFA Film of Year was his 1967 short,A Place to Stand, which also received twoAcademy Award nominations in 1968, winning the one forBest Live-Action Short.[2] The film, commissioned by theGovernment of Ontario, featured Chapman's innovativemulti-dynamic image technique (or 'the Brady Bunch effect'), wherein moving panes of moving images are used within the single context of the screen. Over a year of filming, Chapman shot 70 kilometres (43 miles) of film, which he then edited into 18 minutes, though the images moving across the screen were the equivalent of an hour and three-quarters of film.[5] The process exhausted Chapman and he was still unsure of using it until its first screening occurred: "There were a couple ofstenographers, who were eating their lunch watching the screening, and they were agog," Chapman said. "But I wanted to run. I was exhausted and thought it was a failure, but a chap grabbed me as I was going out the door. He'd been standing at the back of the screening room and said he was blown away by it. It wasSteve McQueen."[5]
In 1968, McQueen starred inThe Thomas Crown Affair, directed byNorman Jewison, a film that used Chapman's split-screen technique. Jewison added the multiple-image sequences into the film after seeingA Place to Stand.[5] Over the years since, many films and television series have used the technique, with the most recent known to be the American series24, which, by using the technique, documented the simultaneous actions of its characters.[6]
In 1970, Chapman directed a film for theHudson’s Bay Company, calledImpressions, as part of HBC's 300th anniversary celebrations.[7][8]Impressions, another film of Chapman’s to use his multiple-dynamic technique, follows the HBC's 300-year history using both historic and modern images: iconic images of thefur trade are paired with modern department stores; scenes of farming are shown with oil production are seen, and so on.[8]
In 1984, Francis and Christopher Chapman collaborated on a three-dimensional nature film for the nascentScience North.[9]
| Year | Film | Type | Awards and nominations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | The Seasons | Documentary short | Won:Film of the Year (6th Canadian Film Awards)[3] |
| 1963 | Lewis Mumford on the City
| Documentary short | |
| 1964 | The Persistent Seed | Documentary short | |
| 1964 | Magic Molecule | Documentary short | |
| 1964 | The Enduring Wilderness | Promotional film | Produced for the National Parks Branch by the National Film Board. Chapman credited as "Photographer".[10] |
| 1967 | A Place to Stand | Documentary short | Won: Film of the Year (20th Canadian Film Awards)[2] Won:Best Live Action Short Subject (40th Academy Awards) Nominated:Best Documentary Short Subject (40th Academy Awards) Nominated: Best Short Film (Chicago International Film Festival)[11] |
| 1970 | Impressions[7][8] | Promotional film | |
| 1976 | A Sense of Humus | Documentary short | |
| 1981 | Kelly | Narrative feature |
In addition to his film honors, Chapman was appointed a member of theOrder of Canada in 1987 and awarded aDoctor of Laws byRyerson University in 2000. Chapman served as president of both theRoyal Canadian Academy of Arts and the Directors Guild of Canada. He was also a member ofThe Arts and Letters Club of Toronto.[2]