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T R (Ted) Parvin (born November 25, 1930) is an American film maker and writer.

His career in motion pictures spanned 42 years -- beginning as a wardrobe man, camera operator, makeup and specials effects artist, transportation manager and grip, and culminating as a script writer, producer and director. He worked on more than 200 motion pictures, for both screen and television, including the production of more than 20 movies such as Romancing the Stone, Return of a Man Called Horse, Around the World in Eighty Days, Caveman, Volunteers, Wagons East, and classic westerns such as The Culpepper Cattle Company and Rio Lobo.

He also supervised the development of numerous shooting schedules and budgets, working as a partner in AMPO Productions, Inc., which prepared these materials for studios and independent production companies such as Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Carolco and Paramount.

Now retired from filmmaking, Parvin has turned his attention to writing. He recently completed a novel based on the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, and he has begun work on a second novel based on the involvement of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s Administration in the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920.

Parvin has also led an effort to establish the Northwest Film Institute (NFI), a graduate-level educational institute in the field of the moving image, film and digital video production (see more about NFI below).

Filmmaking Influences
Parvin’s participation in the filming of Psycho and The Birds gave him the opportunity to work with Alfred Hitchcock, and with the director's help, he began to broaden his understanding of film making. His work on The Wrath of God, Flight of the Doves, and Soldier Blue, with director Ralph Nelson, taught him about lighting, cinematography and story. Working with Otto Preminger on two of the director/producer's films gave him an in-depth knowledge of producing; and with his involvement as writer and producer of Meteor, starring Sean Connery and Natalie Wood, he emerged with a full working knowledge of motion picture making -- from concept to delivery of a completed film.

Filmmaking Philosophy
“Filmmaking,” says Ted Parvin, “is at best a marriage of artistic endeavor and responsibility to the investor.” According to Parvin, any filmmaker worth his salt will soon learn to appreciate this fact at an early stage in his or her career. As a forty-two year veteran of the film industry, Parvin understands both the drives and the dreams of persons connected to a venture, which bring to fruition a project and makes it a satisfying piece of entertainment.

Admittedly from the “old school” of filmmaking, Parvin feels that his responsibility to a film extends beyond the obligation to its investors. “I think filmmakers also have a responsibility to their audience,” Parvin says. “One good reason is that we deal with a medium that influences public opinion. We have such a tremendous impact that failing to realize this borders on the criminal.”

Northwest Film Institute (NFI)
While working on Hawaii for the Mirish Brothers, Parvin met Max von Sydow, who told him about the way a person enters the film industry in Sweden. The actor told him that aspiring film makers must work in all departments before being granted admission to their chosen fields -- a philosophy that, to this day, is Parvin's guiding principle for learning about motion picture making. It was with that guiding principle in mind that Ted Parvin conceived of the Northwest Film Institute -- a graduate-level educational institute in the field of the moving image, film and digital video production. The NFI’s vision is to develop and nurture future leaders in the art of the moving image through the unique combination of an experienced core faculty, a hands-on curriculum, and an internship placement program.

In a two-year program, students will train in the fields of Motion Picture Production, Directing, Cinematography, Screen Writing, Editing and Art Direction. All courses will be taught by masters of their respective crafts. The first year will be devoted to the fundamentals of these six areas. Students will see a project through from conception to production. The second year will be spent in a supervised placement with a film in production. On graduation day, NFI students will know they are well-prepared for the challenges of careers in filmmaking.

NFI is positioned to be on the cutting edge of the film making industry. Bringing together the wisdom and hands-on experience of motion picture industry veterans with an eager audience of young filmmakers sets NFI apart from other film schools. Who better to share their insights and lessons than those who have labored on films? Too often film schools resort to book learning and lack the insider’s knowledge of life behind the scenes. NFI will bring the real world demands of the industry into each classroom and sound stage. Now Parvin’s legacy – beyond his films and writing – may be to enable his peers to share their knowledge and experience with a new generation of writers, directors, producers, editors and cinematographers.

Works
Films (with release dates, positions, production companies, and directors)

• Around the World in Eighty Days, 1956, Costumer, Michael Todd Productions/United Artists, Michael Anderson

• D-Day the Sixth of June, 1956, Costumer, 20th Century Fox, Henry Koster

• Psycho, 1960, Costumer, Paramount Pictures, Alfred Hitchcock

• Wild Seed, 1965, Costumer, Universal, Brian Hutton

• Hurry Sundown, 1967, Costumer, Warner Bros., Otto Preminger

• Skidoo, 1968, Costumer, Paramount Pictures, Otto Preminger

• A Man Called Gannon, 1968, Costumer, Universal, James Goldstone

• Rio Lobo, 1970, Costumer, CBS Studio Center, Howard Hawks

• Little Faus and Big Halsey, 1970, Costumer, Paramount Pictures, Sid Furie

• A Man Called Horse, 1970, Costumer, Cinema Center/Sandy Howard Prod., Elliott Silverstein

• Soldier Blue, 1970, Costumer, Avco Embassy Films, Ralph Nelson

• Flight of the Doves, 1971, Costumer, MGM, Ralph Nelson

• The Wrath of God, 1972, Costumer, MGM, Ralph Nelson

• The Culpepper Cattle Company, 1972, Costumer, 20th Century Fox, Dick Richards

• The Last Detail, 1973, Costumer, Columbia Pictures, Hal Ashby

• The Devil’s Rain, 1975, Production Associate, Sandy Howard Productions, Robert Fuest

• Return of a Man Called Horse, 1976, Associate Producer, United Artists/Sandy Howard Prod., Irvin Kershner

• Meteor, 1979, Producer, Warner Bros./Seven Arts/AIP, Ronald Neame

• Caveman, 1981, Production Manager, United Artists, Carl Gotlieb

• Deadly Encounter (TV Movie), 1982, Unit Production Manager, EMI Television, William Graham

• Romancing the Stone, 1984, Production Consultant, El Corazon Prod./20th Century Fox, Robert Zemeckis

• Volunteers, 1985, Associate Producer, HBO/Silverscreen Partners, Nicolas Meyer

• Little Treasure, 1985, Associate Producer, Carolco, Alan Sharp

• Hot Pursuit, 1987, Producer, RKO/Paramount Pictures Release, Steven Lisberger

• Wagons East, 1994, Production Manager, Carolco, Peter Markle

Publications

• Author of Mexico: A Film Production Manual, a fully crossed-referenced, 417 page publication for film and television production in Mexico.