Film Tech Pioneer Jean-Marie Lavalou Dead at 76

Jean-Marie Lavalou, co-inventor the world’s first remote-control camera system, which gave birth to more fluid crane shots and a new world of creative possibilities for motion pictures, died in Paris on July 15. He was 76. The cause of death was a stroke, according to Lavalou’s former business partner Adam Samuelson. Born into a well known family of camembert cheese makers in Normandie, Lavalou’s career took its tech twist when he met inventor-partner Alain Masseron. In the 1970s, the duo devised unique camera movements while making a film inside a submarine during their national service in France. This eventually led… Read Full Article