Born in Massachusetts, USA. He was cinematographer for WANDERER OF THE WASTELAND (1924) and then, on the staff of Technicolor, he consulted on the color techniques for the first Technicolor feature, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.'s THE BLACK PIRATE (1926). Ball was one of the 36 founding members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927. He died of carbon monoxide poisoning in 1951, a suicide.  Special Award 1938: For his outstanding contributions to the advancement of color in Motion Picture Photography. Winner presented a Scroll. 1 Special Award