Focus documentary series GTV9 1957

At GTV, Channel 9 Melbourne, it was decided to start a 15-minute documentary programme.   From time to time, we would receive film for the news service with enough material to make a much longer story.  It was felt that these items would be a a good source of material suitable for a news/documentary programme.  In addition, there were many subjects that could be specially assigned.

Colleagues: Charles Ridley – Movietone

Charles A. Ridley joined Movietonews before the Second World War.  He was an editor and an expert in the art of manipulating movie film negative to produce a print that was totally different in its action from the original negative.  The most famous of his creations was that of the German Army on parade in front of Hitler marching to the music of the Lambeth Walk. It was released by Spectator Films as “Germany Calling” and distributed by the Newsreel Association and is known today by several names, as a result.  At Movietone it was titled, “Hitler Assumes Command – German Troops Do The Lambeth Walk”, and ‘Hock Der Lambeth Valk‘ in the Pathe Gazette. This has been described as “Possibly the most famous piece of newsreel of all time”.

The Birth of United Press Movietone Television

In the early 50s, we only had one television broadcaster.  The Conservative Government had approved the establishment of a commercial television broadcaster.  This was due to start in September of 1955.  However, in 1954, BBC television did not have a news bulletin as we know them today.  They assumed that most people would gather their news from the radio, and this was probably true.

At some stage they introduced a television news programme that consisted of the Ten O’clock News from BBC radio with a caption card.

Knowing that ITV was on the horizon and ITN was to be created, the BBC decided to do something about it.

The Animated Bird ABV2

One day at ABV2, I was looking at some rushes of a film that Russell Hurley had directed with a man from the Bristol-based B.B.C. Wild Life Unit.  He had come to make a film about Australian birds.

It was obvious that the cameraman would be former Disney man Frank Few (click on the link for my article on Frank).  Frank had developed a method of shooting birds without scaring them off.  He would find his bird, start shooting and then with the camera “on” switch locked into position, he would attempt to retire away from the bird so as not to scare it.

Flight of the White Heron 1954

In December 1952, Spyros P. Skouras, President of 20th Century Fox, and Earl Sponable, Fox’s head of development were in Nice, France, where they witnessed a demonstration of an anamorphic lenses put on by its inventor Professor Henry Chrétien.  They were impressed.

Out of sync again 1967

In the Spring of 1967, Dick Clark, head of UPIN, called me into his office and told me that our landlords, Rank Laboratories were in a spot of bother and that Dick had told them that I could solve their problem.

On to directing at ABV2 1958

On arrival at the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Ripponlea, as Acting Senior Film Editor, I found that the editors at ABV2. were not required to participate in the planning of any filming that they would have to edit.  They complained to me that they were having to “rescue” too much material.  One producer had belonged to a 8-mm cine club while most of the others had been radio producers.

From guest contributor Derek Evans: New Decade Film & Video 1968-1971

New Decade was founded by Stanley Marks along with his father John Marks in the early 1960’s and were located on the top floor of 12, Orange Street just off the Haymarket in London.
I had known Stanley from British Movietone and maintained contact with him while working at Southern Television.

The Prudential Trophy England v Australia 1972

I was to make a thirty-minute film of three matches – the first of which took place at Old Trafford on 24th August 1972, followed by Lords on the 26th and Edgebaston on the 28th, a bank holiday Monday.  I raised the crew which consisted of Pat Whitacker, Martin Rolfe, Tony Mander, his soundman Sid Squires, and Rory (Lewis) McLeod.

Tile Factory 1959

(photo courtesy of Jens Rost) In 1959, Les Hendy, ABV2’s Senior Cameraman, came to me one day with a proposition.  He had been approached to make a short film for a company down the Nepean Highway.  He had spoken to John Cameron to get permission.  Cameron could not see any reason why it should not be done.  He was not going to advertise that it was going on, but he thought that it might add something to the prestige of the Commission of it were done.