Category: Photos

Camera Crew and the Nike Crane

Photographs by Bhasker Solanki, no reproduction without permission

The top photo features camera operators Philip Thickett and Alan Duxbury. The lower photo features camera operator, Keith Froggatt.

If the photographs are from The Various Ends of Mrs F’s Friends, then they date from 1981.

The following comment was added on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

James French: ‘That is a Nike crane from London. It only came up a couple of times. I’m guessing this is from ‘The Various Ends of Mrs F’s Friends’ directed and choreographed by Gillian Lynne?’

 

Pebble Mill at One – flower power

Photo from Lynda Kettle, no reproduction without permission

A Pebble Mill at One item, with production design by Lynda Kettle.

Gail Britt left the following comment on the Pebble Mill Facebook page: between 1972 and 75 l worked as a props buyer then scenic painter. I think l made the flowers, they ring a distant bell!

 

Glass Shot – The Long, The Short and The Tall by Andy Woodhouse

Programme making continually evolves taking advantage of new technologies and processes. Such evolution allowed many previously studio-based drama productions to move to location-based. During a location shoot a very wide angle shot may be required, one that includes unwanted scenic elements. A modern production can employ low-cost off the shelf software to remove the unwanted elements.
Studio-based drama productions made before the low-cost tools had to use a different approach, painting out the unwanted elements as the pictures were captured and recorded. The following picture shows part of a set in Pebble Mill Studio A that required such a wide shot. At the top of this picture we see the studio lights and at least one scenery winch. These elements were removed from the recorded TV camera pictures by using a “glass shot”.

Photo by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission.

A TV camera is placed outside the physical set, the lens angle and focus are set. A large piece of clear glass mounted in a solid wooden frame is placed between the camera and the physical set, as shown in the following picture. The areas of the scene that are to be hidden are masked out by painting the required content onto the glass.

Shows the camera at the left side, with the artist, Steve Mitchell, painting onto the glass to add the scenery extensions. The artist’s monitor showing the composited image is just to the left of centre. Photo by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission.

 

The large EMI 2001 TV camera is just at the left of the picture centre. Just to the right of the camera is the high quality TV monitor the artist uses to check the composited image. Two artists are working on the painting. One paints the scenery on the front of the glass, the second paints an opaque mask on the rear of the glass to ensure solid details in the painted area are not diluted by any light falling onto the rear of the glass.The picture below shows more detail of the scenery that is being added to the scene. If the glass is moved, or the camera moved or otherwise adjusted, the entire paint process has to be restarted.

Cutout in the scene cloth, the glass in the frame, and the two artists at work. Photo by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission.

The final picture shows more detail of the painted scene elements. The tops of the trees are aligned to the trunks on the picture of the physical set.

Detail of the painted glass. Photo by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission.

The glass scene painting is a highly skilled job, any error would break the illusion of a full physical set in the studio.
Andy Woodhouse

The Long, The Short and The Tall – Andy Woodhouse

As part of my training in 1979, I was attached to the technical team of a couple of productions including a drama, a BBC Schools’ production of The Long, the Short and the Tall recorded over 3 days at Pebble Mill. The producer/director was Ron Smedley. Key acting cast is listed at https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b73aef97d. The episodes were subsequently transmitted as a single play. More details at IMDB https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13411812/?ref_=adv_li_tt. I can recall the lighting director was Barry Hill, the technical manger was Ron Irvine, the sound supervisor was Alastair Askham, and the vision mixer was Mark Kershaw.

The production was divided into 3 half-hour transmissions, each episode was allocated one studio day and recorded “live to tape” multiple times. Ron Smedley wanted the uninterrupted action from the stage play to be available in this TV production, enabling the actors to react better to the rapid dialogue segments. The production used a single set that occupied most of the floor area in Studio A, including a jungle setting at the rear of the hut. One shot in the programme needed a wide shot of that jungle and the entrance to the hut, but the camera shot would have included a lot of the lighting rig, so a glass shot was created to hide this unwanted area.

by Andy Woodhouse

Hut interior (right) and jungle (left). Floor at edge of hut is quite crowded with technical kit. Photo by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission

Multiple sound booms and camera cranes in use. Photo by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission.

Close positioning of the cameras and sound booms on the floor. Photo by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission.

Shows size of jungle area, and use of bounced light for the hut interior. Photo by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission.

Shows the camera at the left side, with the artist, Steve Mitchell, painting onto the glass to add the scenery extensions. The artists monitor showing the composited image is just to the left of centre. Photo by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission.

Cutout in the scene cloth, the glass in the frame, and the two artists at work. Photo by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission.

Detail of the painted glass. Photo by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission.

 

Lesley Weaver left the following comment on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Lovely to see this production pop up. I worked on it, I was assistant to the lovely Make-up Designer Carol Churchill, and I looked after actor Micheal Kitchen who I remember as being really nice.

 

Countryfile Shoot – photo from Mel Stevens

Photo by Mel Stevens, no reproduction without permission

Director Mick Murphy, in blue shirt, with Countryfile presenter, Roger Tabor. Possibly Keith Schofield on camera. PA on the ground is Carolyn Smith. The woman in yellow shirt is the researcher.