Videos – Page 12 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Tour of Vision Area on CMCR9

Specially shot video of Steve Harris, giving a tour of the restored 1969 outside broadcast scanner, CMCR9. The truck was BBC Pebble Mill’s original CM1, and became BBC Manchester’s North 3. Steve is the owner of the scanner and has restored it with fellow enthusiasts over the last few years. The video was filmed at a history of communication exhibition held at Salford University in October 2012.

photo by Ray Lee

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:

Keith Brook:’Good to put a face to Steve’s name. Although he’s right about the diminishing knowledge base, there are still loads of engineers about and I think this might be an opportunity to match-make. Jenny Brewer has the names of many who meet monthly at Selly Park.’

Malcolm Carr demonstrates the EMI 2001 camera

Cameraman Malcolm Carr demonstrates the EMI 2001 camera from pebblemill on Vimeo.

Specially shot video with cameraman Malcolm Carr demonstrating the EMI 2001 studio and outside broadcast camera. The camera dates from the 1970s, and was a favourite amongst cameramen.

The camera was on display at a history of communication technology exhibition held at Salford University in October 2012.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:

Peter Poole: ‘I used these cameras when on attachment to Norwich as a Tech Op. Like most of their equipment they were in poor condition. I spent hours trying to line them up. But the pictures still looked poor. I was glad to get back on sound!’

Alan Griffiths: ‘Nobody seemed to mind if you spent two days lining them up properly. Nowadays there would be an inquisition if it took that long!’

David Short: ‘Used this camera at TV Centre. A cameraman’s camera, if ever there was one. Everything in the ‘right’ place. A joy to operate.’

Keith Brook: ‘Well done Malcolm, good demo. If I may add a comment.

Probably because of time, he missed an important point about the shot box and its use on drama.

There were six buttons, with the ‘middle’ four generally set-up to represent ‘natural’ lens angles, 9deg, 18deg, 24deg and 36deg which gave you CU, MCU, MS and MLS. All the cameras, each day, were set up on the same chart.

In a fast cutting sequence, this was the only way to accurately change shot sizes and still match the other cameras.

Without that shot box, we wouldn’t have been able to shoot drama anywhere near the standard we did. For example, we did Poldark, a 50′ costume drama, in 50′. Yes, really. Manually zooming would have created so many retakes that the rhythm of the drama would have been lost, the momentum would have gone and we’d have been there all night.

Incidentally, those lens angles, 9deg etc, were exactly the same angles as the four lenses on the old black and white cameras thus allowing the skills to transfer easily.

Thank you EMI, for understanding cameramen. And thank you Malcolm.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘EMI were very good with TV camera design.In Southampton news we had the little brother of the one Malcolm was demonstrating , the 201… we had two operators there working three cameras so they had to be literally ‘handy’!’

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Jerry Clegg talking about the Scanner CMCR 9

Jerry Clegg in CMCR9 from pebblemill on Vimeo.

Specially recorded video with Jerry Clegg, who used to be a sound assistant on North 3, the outside broadcast scanner, which was Pebble Mill’s original CM1. The scanner was built in 1969, and I think started life in London, before coming to Pebble Mill. Jerry describes how some of the equipment on the truck works.

The scanner was restored recently by its owner, Steve Harris, and a group of enthusiasts in Manchester, including Jerry. The truck was on display as part of a history of technology exhibition in October 2012, at Salford University.

Pye Camera Demonstration

Pye Camera demonstration from pebblemill on Vimeo.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Specially recorded video of former BBC Manchester cameraman, Malcolm Carr, demonstrating the Pye outside broadcast camera.

The video was recorded at a history of technology exhibition in Salford in October 2012. The restored outside broadcast scanner, CMCR9, built in 1969, which was Pebble Mill’s original CM1, before becoming BBC Manchester’s, North 3, was on display at the exhibition, and the Pye camera was part of this exhibit.

Keith Brook (Scouse) posted the following comment on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:

‘Great to see Malcolm again. Last time I saw him he was gainfully employed with 360 media, the joint venture between Granada and BBC Manchester. We were in the canteen at GTV and he was keeping his head down to reach retirement without any problems!! My memory of those Pye cameras was that on really hot days, the sides had to stay up to give ventilation, otherwise they’d overheat!!’

Renovation of CMCR 9 – CM1/ North 3

Photo slideshow of the renovation, by Steve Harris and friends, of the OB scanner CMCR 9 built in 1969, which was Pebble Mill’s CM 1, and then became Manchester’s North 3.

Photo by Ray Lee