John Spotton

Person

John Spotton

Camera August 8, 1927

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

John Spotton was a Canadian filmmaker, cinematographer, and editor associated with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He played a pivotal role in developing the Direct Cinem…

IMDb

Known for

Popular titles

Buster Keaton Rides Again

Buster Keaton Rides Again

7.2 1965 Movie
Lonely Boy

Lonely Boy

6.0 1962 Movie
Nobody Waved Goodbye

Nobody Waved Goodbye

6.2 1964 Movie
Kainai

Kainai

1973 Movie
Memorandum

Memorandum

7.3 1967 Movie
Railroaders

Railroaders

1958 Movie
Toronto Jazz

Toronto Jazz

7.5 1963 Movie
High Steel

High Steel

7.2 1965 Movie
City Out of Time

City Out of Time

6.3 1959 Movie
Home Feeling: Struggle for a Community

Home Feeling: Struggle for a Community

7.0 1983 Movie
Peep and the Big Wide World

Peep and the Big Wide World

7.0 1988 Movie
The Back-breaking Leaf

The Back-breaking Leaf

9.5 1959 Movie

Biography

A closer look

Read full biography

John Spotton was a Canadian filmmaker, cinematographer, and editor associated with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He played a pivotal role in developing the Direct Cinema movement, contributing to documentaries that emphasized naturalistic and unobtrusive filming techniques. Spotton's notable works include Buster Keaton Rides Again (1965), a documentary capturing the making of Keaton's short film The Railrodder, and Memorandum (1965), which explores the Holocaust's impact on survivors. His contributions significantly influenced documentary filmmaking in Canada and beyond.

Filmography

Movies and shows, newest first

  1. 1988
    Peep and the Big Wide World

    Movie Executive Producer

  2. 1987
    No Way! Not Me

    Movie Executive Producer

  3. 1985
    Final Offer

    Movie Executive Producer

  4. 1985
    Pitchmen

    Movie Executive Producer

  5. 1984
    Abortion: Stories from North and South

    Movie Producer

  6. 1983
    Home Feeling: Struggle for a Community

    Movie Executive Producer

  7. 1983
    Prisoners of Debt: Inside the Global Banking Crisis

    Movie Executive Producer

  8. 1983
    Thanks for the Ride

    Movie Producer

  9. 1979
    Viking Visitors to North America

    Movie Producer

  10. 1979
    A Pinto for the Prince

    Movie Director

  11. 1974
    Circus World

    Movie Cinematography

  12. 1973
    Kainai

    Movie Director of Photography

  13. 1967
    Memorandum

    Movie Director

  14. 1966
    Never a Backward Step

    Movie Director

  15. 1966
    The White Ship

    Movie Editor

  16. 1965
    Buster Keaton Rides Again

    Movie Director

More credits
  1. 1965
    High Steel

    Movie Director of Photography

  2. 1964
    Nobody Waved Goodbye

    Movie Editor

  3. 1964
    The Hutterites

    Movie Editor

  4. 1964
    Legault's Place

    Movie Director of Photography

  5. 1963
    Toronto Jazz

    Movie Director of Photography

  6. 1962
    Lonely Boy

    Movie Editor

  7. 1962
    Runner

    Movie Director of Photography

  8. 1961
    Circle of the Sun

    Movie Director of Photography

  9. 1961
    The Days of Whisky Gap

    Movie Editor

  10. 1960
    I Was a Ninety-pound Weakling

    Movie Editor

  11. 1959
    City Out of Time

    Movie Editor

  12. 1959
    The Back-breaking Leaf

    Movie Editor

  13. 1958
    Pilgrimage

    Movie Producer

  14. 1958
    Railroaders

    Movie Director of Photography

  15. 1958
    A Day in June

    Movie Camera Operator

  16. 1957
    What Do You Think About... Being Different

    Movie Director of Photography

  17. 1953
    The Story of Peter and the Potter

    Movie Director of Photography

  18. 1952
    The Puppeteers

    Movie Director of Photography