In memoria Dr Charles Swartz (1939 - 2007)

The sad news has reached me that Dr Charles Swartz has passed away. I had the privilege to know him through his running of the Digital Cinema Lab (DCL) that was part of the Entertainment Technology Centre (ETC), as well as contributing to his book 'Understanding Digital Cinema'.

Charles was one of those exceptional people that was not only thou roughly knowledgeable about digital cinema but also a supremely nice guy who would always have time for you. He had been battling cancer for over a year, though according to the website set up by hid friends and colleagues (http://www.charlesswartz.org/) he had seemed better recently. He had attended the 2k-4K demo last year at the Pacific Theatre, which was fittingly the last major event at the DCL, where he had devoted so much energy to advancing the cause of digital cinema.

Coming so soon after Lasse Svanberg's death, the digital cinema world in both Europe and America have been deprived of leading figures and I have lost another friend. Like Lasse, Charles also had a hands-on background in film (his IMDB credits). I remember the story he told me of how he and Stephanie, his wife of many years, renewed their vows, as well as the tales of the haunting of the Pacific Theatre by Jack Warner. I hope Charles' own ghost will rest because his spirit will be with me and everyone else who knew and worked with.

Variety has posted a fne article about Charles: Entertainment industry veteran Swartz dies. Amongst the many things I did not know about him was that he co-founded Dimension Pictures. The article gets it spot on when it says that "Swartz was admired as a mentor and a diplomat with a knack for resolving thorny arguments." Very true.

The Hollywood Reporter has posted a fairly bland article about Charles (Digital cinema educator Charles Swartz dies). The article in the LA Times is much better (Charles Swartz, 67; took film to the digital age), not least as it quotes some of the colleagues that knew him best:

"He was one of the fathers of digital cinema," said Jerry Pierce, senior vice president of technology for Universal Pictures. "Charles played an important role in bringing people into the same tent to nudge digital technology in the right direction."

Bob Lambert, senior vice president of worldwide technology strategy for the Walt Disney Co., called Swartz "a leader, a visionary and a collaborator" whose skills as a filmmaker and educator helped him broker understanding between the technical and creative sides of the business.

Amen to that. Memorial donations can be made to Save the Redwoods League, or the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.