Tag: MFA

Machine Bays

PV016Photo by Paul Vanezis, no reproduction without permission.

This photo is of the machines bays on the right hand side as you walked into the VT area from the main post production corridor at Pebble Mill. The jackfields contained most of the connections between the VT area and the other parts of the building.

The door to Dub 1 is on the left hand side at the back of the shot.

The photo probably dates from the late 1990s.

Thanks to Russell Parker and Stuart Gandy for adding information to this post.

Ray Lee added the following information on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page: ‘As Stuart says this was the VT Bays area just outside Dubbing 1. There were a stack of VHSes and the bottom LH rack I believe was Vision distribution amplifiers, (there is another set at the top of the middle bay). The panel below the monitor was a routing panel, but I can’t remember whether that was just for the VHSes and monitor, or whether it could also select other destinations as well. This was part of the re-engineered VT area when SDI (Serial Digital Interface) had been installed for routing combined sound and vision around the VT Suites. These 3 bays were the analogue vision and sound distribution, when separate non embedded audio and vision were needed. I think the black box top left was a stereo PPM.

 

Pebble Mill Signs – from Russell Parker


Photos by Russell Parker, no reproduction without permission.

The first sign used to hang in MFA (multi format area) of Post Production, where tapes and film would be transferred. I don’t know what the machine was that the sign was pointing out the dangers to, nor what the ‘liquid’ was, but I love the dramatic nature of it!

The second sign obviously was displayed on the BBC Birmingham Club, which was a separate single storey building over the brook from the main Pebble Mill block.

The sign may have been referring to the film processing equipment, which was run by Alan Barnby and John Brian.

It’s reassuring to know that these little bits of history were not consigned to landfill when the building was demolished – but live on to be enjoyed!