Lenny Lipton
Encyclopedia
Leonard "Lenny" Lipton is a well known author
, filmmaker and stereoscopic vision system inventor.
Lipton wrote the lyrics to the song Puff the Magic Dragon as a 19-year-old at Cornell University
. He graduated from Cornell University
where he majored in physics. The song was a hit in 1963 for Peter Paul and Mary. Two of Lipton's books, The Super 8 Book (San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books
. 1975) and Independent Film Making (San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books, 1972) have become known as classics in the world of independent filmmaking.
Lipton is also a prolific filmmaker, having independently produced 25 films, including Far Out, Star Route and Children of the Golden West. Lipton has been granted twenty-five patent
s in the area of stereoscopic displays.
He has written many articles and four books, three of which were published by Simon & Schuster
, including Independent Filmmaking, which was the standard text on the subject for twenty years. In 1982 Van Nostrand Reinhold
published his book, Foundations of the Stereoscopic Cinema
, which provides a wide ranging analysis of many stereoscopic topics. The book's primary focus is the stereoscopic cinema, however the book's many background sections are equally relevant to the many different types of stereoscopic display devices available today. This book provides a wealth of information for both the novice and also those already active in the field of stereoscopic imaging.
He has also been a contributor to national magazines such as Popular Photography and American Cinematographer
. He is a member of The Society for Information Display
, the Society of Photo-Instrumentation Engineers, and is a Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
, and a former chairman of its working group that established standards for the projection of stereoscopic theatrical films.
. His films have been shown on PBS, Italian Television, and the BBC
.
In his role as a filmmaker, on two occasions, he was a representative of the U.S. Department of State to countries in Latin America
.
in 1980, and created the electronic stereoscopic
display industry. He is the most prolific inventor in the field and has been granted twenty-five patents in the area of stereoscopic displays. In 1996 he received an award from the Smithsonian Institution
for this invention of CrystalEyes
LCD shutter glasses, the first practical electronic stereoscopic product for computer graphics
and video applications. StereoGraphics was acquired by Real D Cinema
in 2005.
Lipton served as Chief technical officer
of RealD
through 2008 and has 31 patents in the field of stereoscopy and another 40 pending applications. The RealD 3D system now showing in theaters uses technology he invented. It is based on the push-pull electro-optical modulator called the ZScreen
. More recently, he left RealD to start a new venture, Oculus3D, that has developed a low-cost 3D theatrical format that works with the installed base of 35mm movie projectors.
He has lived in California since 1967, and now makes his home in Los Angeles with his wife, three children and pets.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, filmmaker and stereoscopic vision system inventor.
Lipton wrote the lyrics to the song Puff the Magic Dragon as a 19-year-old at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. He graduated from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
where he majored in physics. The song was a hit in 1963 for Peter Paul and Mary. Two of Lipton's books, The Super 8 Book (San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books
Straight Arrow Press
Straight Arrow Press is a publishing company that publishes the periodicals Us Weekly and Rolling Stone....
. 1975) and Independent Film Making (San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books, 1972) have become known as classics in the world of independent filmmaking.
Lipton is also a prolific filmmaker, having independently produced 25 films, including Far Out, Star Route and Children of the Golden West. Lipton has been granted twenty-five patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s in the area of stereoscopic displays.
He has written many articles and four books, three of which were published by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
, including Independent Filmmaking, which was the standard text on the subject for twenty years. In 1982 Van Nostrand Reinhold
Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia
Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia is an encyclopaedia published in the United States. Currently in a three volume 10th edition, it was published in two volumes for editions 6 to 9...
published his book, Foundations of the Stereoscopic Cinema
Foundations of the Stereoscopic Cinema
The Book Foundations of the Stereoscopic Cinema is the essential book on three-dimensional filmmaking. The book has dramatically affected the way in which films are made and thought about...
, which provides a wide ranging analysis of many stereoscopic topics. The book's primary focus is the stereoscopic cinema, however the book's many background sections are equally relevant to the many different types of stereoscopic display devices available today. This book provides a wealth of information for both the novice and also those already active in the field of stereoscopic imaging.
He has also been a contributor to national magazines such as Popular Photography and American Cinematographer
American Cinematographer
American Cinematographer is a monthly magazine published by the American Society of Cinematographers.American Cinematographer focuses on the art and craft of cinematography, going behind the scenes on domestic and international productions of all shapes and sizes...
. He is a member of The Society for Information Display
Society for Information Display
The Society for Information Display is an industry organization for displays, generally electronic displays such as televisions and computer monitors. SID was founded in 1962. Its main activities are publishing technical journals and running Display Week, its main conference, held in May each year...
, the Society of Photo-Instrumentation Engineers, and is a Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE , founded in 1916 as the Society of Motion Picture Engineers or SMPE, is an international professional association, based in...
, and a former chairman of its working group that established standards for the projection of stereoscopic theatrical films.
Filmmaker
Lipton independently produced twenty-five short films between 1965 and 1975, all of which are in the collection of the Pacific Film Archive of the University of CaliforniaUniversity of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
. His films have been shown on PBS, Italian Television, and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
In his role as a filmmaker, on two occasions, he was a representative of the U.S. Department of State to countries in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
StereoGraphics
He founded StereoGraphics CorporationStereoGraphics
Lenny Lipton founded StereoGraphics Corporation in 1980 to market 3D Computer Display technology. Based in San Rafael, CA1982 patent "Stereoscopic television system" the first flicker-free electronic stereoscopic display...
in 1980, and created the electronic stereoscopic
Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2-D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3-D depth...
display industry. He is the most prolific inventor in the field and has been granted twenty-five patents in the area of stereoscopic displays. In 1996 he received an award from the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
for this invention of CrystalEyes
CrystalEyes
CrystalEyes - LCD shutter glasses originally made by StereoGraphics came out in the mid-1980s.-History:Invented by Lenny Lipton was originally marketed by StereoGraphics Corporation that he founded in 1980-External links:*****...
LCD shutter glasses, the first practical electronic stereoscopic product for computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
and video applications. StereoGraphics was acquired by Real D Cinema
Real D Cinema
RealD Cinema is a digital stereoscopic projection technology made and sold by RealD Inc. It is currently the most widely used technology for watching 3-D films in theatres.-Technology:...
in 2005.
Lipton served as Chief technical officer
Chief technical officer
A chief technology officer is an executive-level position in a company or other entity whose occupant is focused on scientific and technological issues within an organization....
of RealD
RealD
RealD Inc. is the company that develops the RealD Cinema technology, used for projecting films in stereoscopic 3D using circularly polarized light. The company was founded in 2003 by Michael V. Lewis and Joshua Greer. Between 2005 and 2007 the company purchased StereoGraphics Inc...
through 2008 and has 31 patents in the field of stereoscopy and another 40 pending applications. The RealD 3D system now showing in theaters uses technology he invented. It is based on the push-pull electro-optical modulator called the ZScreen
ZScreen
ZScreen is a push-pull electro-optical liquid crystal modulator that is placed immediately in front of the projector lens or computer screen to alternately polarize the light from each video frame...
. More recently, he left RealD to start a new venture, Oculus3D, that has developed a low-cost 3D theatrical format that works with the installed base of 35mm movie projectors.
He has lived in California since 1967, and now makes his home in Los Angeles with his wife, three children and pets.
Lenny Lipton Movies Work
| Title | Year | Duration | 16mm | S8mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adirondack Holiday | 1975 | 17 min | x | |
| Below the Fruited Plain | 1966 | 9 min | x | |
| Children of the Golden West | 1975 | 59 min | x | |
| Cornucopia | 1968 | 8 min | x | |
| Doggie Diner and The Return of Doggie Diner | 1969 | 7 min | x | |
| Dogs of the Forest | 1972 | 5 min | x | |
| The Dunes of Truro | 1966 | 7 min | x | |
| Far Out, Star Route | 1971 | 64 min | x | |
| Father's Day | 1975 | 9 min | x | |
| Happy Birthday Lenny | 1965 | 8 min | x | |
| Hilltop Nursery | 1975 | 24 min | x | |
| Ineluctable Modality of the Visible | 1966 | 9 min | x | |
| The Last March | 1970 | 11 min | x | |
| Let a Thousand Parks Bloom | 1969 | 27 min | x | |
| Life on Earth | 1972 | 58 min | x | |
| LP | 1969 | 33 min | x | |
| Memories of an Unborn Baby | 1966 | 4 min | x | |
| My Life, My Times | 1955–1970 | 11 min | x | |
| Nadine's Song | 1975 | 12 min | x | |
| People | 1969 | 3 min | x | |
| Powerman | 1966 | 5 min | x | |
| Revelation of the Foundation | 1975 | 68 min | x | |
| Show and Tell | 1968 | 24 min | x | |
| The Story of a Man (Going Down in Flames) | 1975 | 11 min | x | |
| We Shall March Again | 1965 | 8 min | x | |
Patents
External links
- Lenny Lipton, Official Website: LennyLipton.com
- RealD 3D
- Lenny Lipton, Real D CTO, bio (Lenny Lipton no Longer works at Real D)
- Stereoscopic Displays and Applications Virtual Library
- Oculus 3D
- Who is Lenny Lipton? About Inventor and Chief technical officer of RealD through 2008