As the founding director of the National Film and Television School (NFTS), Colin Young helped develop the talents of generations of budding film and television makers between opening its doors in 1971 and his retirement in 1992.
His own experience of the motion picture industry was – by this time – broad, having worked at various times as a critic, cameraman, editor, writer, director and producer. He graduated from St Andrews University and then the University of California, Los Angeles, making the move into teaching there during the late 1950s, and rising through the faculty to eventually serve as Dean of Arts.
Young was a passionate proponent of observational documentary, a style of filmmaking he helped pioneer, in which the director allows the subjects to speak for themselves on camera without the need for passing commentary upon proceedings. His work and teaching inspired such established documentary makers as Nick Broomfield, Kim Longinotto and Molly Dineen, who have all duly noted his influence upon them.
The respect with which he was held in the industry is reflected in the awards he received during his career. These included BAFTA’s Michael Balcon Award (now called the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award) in 1984; the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1987; a BAFTA Fellowship in 1993; and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Independent Film Awards in 2000. He was also presented with an OBE in 1976, with a CBE following not long after his retirement in 1994.
After he was invited to set up the NFTS in 1970, the first intake of students in September 1971 numbered just 25. The numbers grew year on year, and by the 1990s the original four departments in production, camera, editing and sound had been joined by the other key disciplines of directing, documentary, animation, screenwriting, composing and production design. By the time Young stood down, 16 departments were devoted to instilling his principles of craft to more than a hundred students, an impressive achievement that stands as his most enduring legacy.
