Lester Novros
Encyclopedia
Lester Novros was born in 1909 in Passaic, NJ, and died September 10, 2000. He studied painting at the National Academy of Design
in New York City
. He was also an active member of the Art Students League of New York
, and studied at the prestigious Prado Museum in Madrid
, Spain
. His curiosity in the study of movement lead to an interest in motion pictures. In 1936 he was recruited by the Walt Disney Company to come to Hollywood to work on feature animation projects. Novros was an "in betweener" on the Disney classic SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937), and received a credit for art direction for the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence of FANTASIA (1940).
In 1941, Novros left Disney to form his own production company, Graphic Films. That same year he joined the faculty of the Cinema Department of the University of Southern California
. Thousands of students took his course on "Filmic Expression" before his retirement in 1984.
Graphic Films found immediate success producing training films for the military during World War II
. As the USAF and NASA
emerged in the post war period, Graphic's expertise in animating the visual dimensions of space exploration played a key role in interesting the United States Congress
and the general public in supporting the country's first forays into space.
Among his many achievements, Novros may be most remembered as a pioneer in the large format and special venue film industries. Included in his filmography are numerous specialty films produced for World Fair Expositions, including several titles for the 1964 New York's World Fair, including Chemical Man for Abbott Laboratories, Reaching for the Stars
, for Lockheed Corporation
, and Voyage to America for the United States Pavilion. However, it was the 10-perf, 70mm film To the Moon and Beyond
, (produced for Cinerama Corporation) that caught the attention of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick
, who soon enlisted the creativity of Novros and his special effects team in the creation of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
(1968).
Novros's interest in large format film technology would lead him to produce some of the first Imax
/Omnimax Films, for the Reuben H. Fleet Space Center in San Diego, California
, including Voyage to the Outer Planets
, Cosmos: the World of Loren Eisley and TOMORROW IN SPACE (1982). In 1976 Novros won national acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for his documentary film
Universe
.
Novros's much sought after course at USC helped young filmmakers understand the relationship of color, light, movement and form as they specifically related to the film medium. Upon his retirement from USC, he continued to assemble his lectures into a textbook. Former student and friend George Lucas
penned these words for the introduction of the manuscript: "The first time I truly understood the unique quality of film was when I took Les Novros' class. Stressing that film is a kinetic medium, Les has kept the Eisenstienian flame burning at USC, and it is a tradition that has strongly influenced my work."
At the age of 91, Novros died in Sherman Oaks, C.A., after an extended illness.
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was also an active member of the Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
, and studied at the prestigious Prado Museum in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. His curiosity in the study of movement lead to an interest in motion pictures. In 1936 he was recruited by the Walt Disney Company to come to Hollywood to work on feature animation projects. Novros was an "in betweener" on the Disney classic SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937), and received a credit for art direction for the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence of FANTASIA (1940).
In 1941, Novros left Disney to form his own production company, Graphic Films. That same year he joined the faculty of the Cinema Department of the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. Thousands of students took his course on "Filmic Expression" before his retirement in 1984.
Graphic Films found immediate success producing training films for the military during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. As the USAF and NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
emerged in the post war period, Graphic's expertise in animating the visual dimensions of space exploration played a key role in interesting the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and the general public in supporting the country's first forays into space.
Among his many achievements, Novros may be most remembered as a pioneer in the large format and special venue film industries. Included in his filmography are numerous specialty films produced for World Fair Expositions, including several titles for the 1964 New York's World Fair, including Chemical Man for Abbott Laboratories, Reaching for the Stars
Reaching For The Stars
Reaching for the Stars is a 2005 Taiwanese drama broadcast by CTS. This drama casts Taiwanese girl-group S.H.E, Anthony Guo, Chen Zhi Kai, and many others. The soundtrack was released in late 2005, the female leads S.H.E also contributed to the soundtrack. Reaching for the Stars aired its pilot...
, for Lockheed Corporation
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
, and Voyage to America for the United States Pavilion. However, it was the 10-perf, 70mm film To the Moon and Beyond
To the Moon and Beyond
To The Moon and Beyond is the title of a special motion picture produced for and shown at the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair by Cinerama Inc. using a camera with a single fisheye lens and projected onto a dome screen...
, (produced for Cinerama Corporation) that caught the attention of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
, who soon enlisted the creativity of Novros and his special effects team in the creation of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
(1968).
Novros's interest in large format film technology would lead him to produce some of the first Imax
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
/Omnimax Films, for the Reuben H. Fleet Space Center in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, including Voyage to the Outer Planets
Voyage to the Outer Planets
"Voyage to the Outer Planets" was an early multimedia experiment combining Omnimax film, 70 mm film and Planetarium special effects. The special effects and stills on standard and zoom equipped slide projectors were provided by the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater, and their Spitz Space Transit...
, Cosmos: the World of Loren Eisley and TOMORROW IN SPACE (1982). In 1976 Novros won national acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for his documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Universe
Universe (1976 film)
Universe is a 1976 short documentary film directed by Lester Novros. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
.
Novros's much sought after course at USC helped young filmmakers understand the relationship of color, light, movement and form as they specifically related to the film medium. Upon his retirement from USC, he continued to assemble his lectures into a textbook. Former student and friend George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
penned these words for the introduction of the manuscript: "The first time I truly understood the unique quality of film was when I took Les Novros' class. Stressing that film is a kinetic medium, Les has kept the Eisenstienian flame burning at USC, and it is a tradition that has strongly influenced my work."
At the age of 91, Novros died in Sherman Oaks, C.A., after an extended illness.