Colin Young

Colin Young, the Founding Director of the National Film and Television School, came to that position by a circuitous route. He was fond of quoting Heraclitus, "no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river, and he’s not the same man".    

Colin was able to guide a brilliant generation through the school, including Jim Morrison, Francis Ford Coppola, John Milius, Barry Levinson, Lawrence Kasdan, Haskell Wexler and Paul Schrader.

Roger Deakins not only shot for Michael but he made his own documentary on stag hunting in North Devon. The more perceptive of them realised that the generosity of a shared learning environment brought the greatest rewards. 

The truth of this approach was maintained over the years perhaps climaxing in the extraordinary team around Lynne Ramsay, which stayed together throughout her first features.

When the RCA offered a place to one of a pair of animators but turned down his partner, Colin sourced a rostrum camera and created an animation department to take them both. In this way Nick Park had somewhere to prove his talent, and Wallace and Gromit were born.

When Trevor Jones, studying music composition in York wanted to specialise in film music for his final year Colin created a scoring department, which now boasts an Oscar winner in Dario Marianelli amongst its graduates.

By the nineteen-eighties the Colin formula for success was paying off. Graduates were winning prizes around the world and the movers and shakers were offering to be involved. 

Stephen Frears acknowledged publicly that teaching was one of the few remaining honourable activities and was running regular workshops in direction. 

For members of his staff Colin’s inexhaustible support for students was often maddening since he always believed that developing a talent takes the time it takes. Much in the spirit of how many people does it take to change a light bulb in California?  Answer; none: if it wants to change it will change.