Roger Tilton (1924-2011) was an American filmmaker and documentarian. Tilton has been recognized as a pioneer in the development of

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...

large screen film format due to his work in the

Omnimax IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...

format in the 1970s and 1980s.

Background

Roger Tilton was born in

East St. Louis East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

in 1924. During World War II, Tilton served as a combat merchant marine in the U.S. Navy. He received a Bachelor of Arts from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, a Master of Arts from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and a Master of Fine Arts from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. In the 1950s, Tilton taught film at Columbia University and the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

Career

In the 1950s, Roger Tilton founded a film company named Roger Tilton Films, Inc. Roger Tilton was an innovator in the development of Omnimax film technology. In 1968, Tilton was awarded at the

Atlanta Film Festival The Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) is a long-running, international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia operated by the Atlanta Film Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Started in 1976 and occurring every spring, the festival shows a ...

. In addition to his work in cinema, Tilton also directed advertisements for television.

Jazz Dance

In his 1954 film ''Jazz Dance'', Tilton attempted to illustrate jazz music through film. In 2002, David Butler wrote that Tilton conceived ''Jazz Dance'' "as a response to the fact that 'so many films on jazz have been phony, plaster-of-Paris glamorizations of jazz. What is needed is a film which will let people experience real jazz.'" The soundtrack to the film features American jazz musicians

Willie "The Lion" Smith William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholf Smith (November 23, 1893 – April 18, 1973), nicknamed "The Lion", was an American jazz and stride pianist. Early life William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholf, known as Willie, was born in 1893 in Goshen, ...

Pee Wee Russell Charles Ellsworth "Pee Wee" Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969), was an American jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but he eventually focused solely on clarinet. With a highly individualistic and sp ...

, and

Pops Foster George Murphy "Pops" Foster (May 19, 1892 – October 30, 1969) was an American jazz musician, best known for his vigorous slap bass playing of the string bass. He also played the tuba and trumpet professionally. Biography Foster was born to ...

Pilots North

Tilton's 1981 documentary ''Pilots North'' discusses

bush pilots Bush flying refers to aircraft operations carried out in the bush. Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways, frequently necessitating that bush planes be equipped with abnormally ...

in the

Canadian North Bradley Air Services, operating as Canadian North, is a wholly Inuit-owned airline headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. It operates scheduled passenger services to communities in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Nunavik region o ...

. Following its release, the

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...

wrote that Pilots North "recalls a bold era" with "breath-taking photography." The Edmonton Journal also celebrated the film for depicting how "pilot navigators challenged the elements to supply and service the inhabitants of the anadianNorth and open the way for present aerial routes linking Eastern and Western Canada with the North and Far South." ''Pilots North'' was narrated by Lanny Lee Hagen and Canadian aviator Stanley Ransom McMillan worked as a technical advisor for the film. The score to the film was written by Canadian composer

Tommy Banks Thomas Benjamin Banks (December 17, 1936 – January 25, 2018) was a Canadian pianist, conductor, arranger, composer, television personality and senator. Television and musical career Banks was the host of nationally - and internationally ...

Spiker

Tilton's 1985 feature film Spiker was a sports drama film centered on the United States Olympic volleyball team at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

Personal life

Roger Tilton was married to Pat Tilton. Roger Tilton passed away on 22 May 2011.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Roger Tilton obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilton, Roger 1924 births People from East St. Louis, Illinois American documentary film directors American_documentary_film_producers 2011 deaths United States Merchant Mariners of World War II Stanford University alumni Columbia University alumni University of Iowa alumni Columbia University faculty City College of New York faculty