Issue 43 - The Association of Motion Picture Sound.

The Newsletter of the
Association of Motion
Picture Sound
ISSUE 43
WINTER 2002
CONTENTS
-2
SUSTAINING MEMBERS
NEW MEMBERS
-3
125 YEARS
OF RECORDED SOUND
-4 & 5 NAGRA V MEETING
& CAR BOOT SALE
-6
TIPS & HOT TIPS
-7
LETTERS / S.O. REMINDER
-8&9ANTIQUES SOUND SHOW 2
- 10 & 11 CINERAMA AT 50
- 12 to 14
CAUGHT ON CAMERA
- 15 HEARING DOGS
- 16 MIC IN PICTURE CARTOONS
- 17 to 22 CHRISTMAS FUN & FAYRE
- 23
OBITUARIES
-24
GERRY HUMPHREYS
PRESENTATION
& AGM REMINDER
SEASONS GREETINGS
TO
Christmas
Special
ALL AMPS MEMBERS
& FRIENDS
This Newsletter is edited by Bob Allen and Keith Spencer-Allen and is published by the Association of Motion Picture Sound for
distribution to all members. AMPS can be contacted through Brian Hickin, The Admin Secretary, 28 Knox Street, London W1H
1FS. Membership enquiries to Patrick I Heigham, AMPS Membership Secretary, c/o 28 Knox Street, London W III IFS. Any
communications with the AMPS Newsletter should be addressed to The Editor, AMPS Newsletter, Old Post Office Cottage, Old
Post Office Road, Chevington, Suffolk IP29 5RD, or Fax 01732 779168, or Email: editor@amps.net
FELLOWS
MEMBERS JOINING SINCE SEPTEMBER 2001
Don Banks
Tony Bell
Simon Clark
Bernardo Costa
Felicity Cottrell
Philip Crisswell
Christian Czako
Mick Glossop
Jim Guthrie
Jeff Hawkins
Tim Hodge
Chris Hollebone
Gareth John
Clifford Jones
Srdjan Kurpjel
Nico Louw
Clive Mitchison
John Pearson
Sion Tammes
Richard Vaughn
Boom Op
Boom Op
Production Mixer
Boom Op (Portugal)
Foley Artist
Sound Editor
Boom Op
Sound Designer
Equipment Designer
Production Mixer
Production Mixer
Sales & Marketing Consultant
Boom Op
Re-recording Mixer
Sound Designer/Composer
Production Mixer (South Africa)
Re-recording Mixer
Production Mixer
Re-recording Mixer
Sound Supervisor
Full
Full
Full
Associate
Full
Full
Associate
Full
Full
Full
Full
Affiliate
Associate
Full
Full
Full
Full
Full
Full
Associate
Les Hodgson
Gerry Humphreys
Peter Musgrave
HONORARY
MEMBERSHIP
David Bowen
Claude Hitchcock
Brian Marshall
John Murphy
Keith Pamplin
AMPS Council Direct
We've recently added a new AMPS
email address to make it easier for
members wishing to make
suggestions to, or ask questions of,
AMPS Council directly. You can now
use council@amps.net
AMPS SUSTAINING MEMBERS
AKAI PROFESSIONAL
www.akaipro.com
RG MEDIA
www.rgml.co.uk
AMS NEVE
www.ams-neve.com
ANVIL POST PRODUCTION
www.anvil-post.com
RICHMOND FILM SERVICES
RPS DATA PRODUCTS (UK)
www.rpsdataproducts.co.uk
AUDIO DEVELOPMENTS
www.audio.co.uk
AUDIO Ltd
www.audioltd.com
DE LANE LEA SOUND CENTRE
www.delanelea.com
DOLBY
www.dolby.com
DSP Ltd
www.teddington.co.uk
DTS
www.dtsonline.com
FELTECH ELECTRONICS
www.feltech.co.uk
FOSTEX
www.fostexdvd.net
GEARBOX
www.gearbox.com
MIND THE SOUND
www.mindthesound.com
NAGRA
www.nagra.com
PINEWOOD STUDIOS
www.pinewood-studios.co.uk
PROTAPE
www.protape.co.uk
RYCOTE
www.rycote.com
SENNHEISER
www.sennheiser.co.uk
SHEPPERTON STUDIOS w
ww.sheppertonstudios.co.uk
SOLID STATE LOGIC
www.solid-state-logic.com
SONY BROADCAST & PROFESSIONAL UK
www.pro.sony-europe.com
SONY CINEMA PRODUCTS
www.sdds.com
SOUND STATION w
ww.editstation.com
TECHNICOLOR FILM & IMAGING
www.technicolor.com
TELEFILM VIDEO SERVICES
www.telefilm.co.uk
TWICKENHAM FILM STUDIOS www.
twickenhamfilmstudios.com
We are pleased to welcome ProTape as a new
Sustaining Member. Fuller details follow next issue.
Unfortunately, we lose dB Post Production, a stalwart of
the post community and strong supporter of AMPS,
following their cessation of trading. We would like to
wish all their staff the very best for the future.
125 YEARS OF RECORDED SOUND 1877 - 2002
December 24th, 1877, Thomas Alva Edison of
Menlo Park, New Jersey, USA, filed the first patent
application for a Phonograph or speaking machine USA patent # 200521. The patent describes a
cylinder
recording system
and is generally
regarded to be the
prime invention of
sound recording.
By the time of
ding, the Edison
Labs had already
succeeded in
making the
described machine
work, the first
recorded
dale type of recording was that unless the pressure
was just right, the stylus tended to jump from hill to
hill. As a result the sound was reproduced Iinco
rrectly, plus after a few playings, the grooves
suffered considerable damage,
causing high background noise.
Chichester Bell (cousin of
Alexander Graham Bell) and
Charles Tainter, in 1886, patented
the Graphaphone, based on the
same principle as the Phonograph
but substituting a wax cylinder for
the tin foil which resulted in much
better quality.
Then, in 1887, Emile Berliner
produced the Gramophone using
zinc discs coated with wax and
later vulcanite. The lateral cut,
constant depth grooves of Berliner'
voice being
s systems eliminated the hill-andSound was first recorded on the Phonautograph of Leon Scott
Edison saying "
dale bouncing problem of Edison's
Hello" and
tin foil.
Both these advances pressured Edison to produce
"Mary had a little lamb" (August 12th, 1877)
"The principle of the Phonograph was so simple it improved cylinder-based equipment. Although he
went on producing cylinder recordings until 1929,
is surprising that it had not been invented much
discs won in the end, mainly due to the
earlier", stated one account of the event. In fact it
virtually had been.
development of
Twenty years earlier
methods of
producing disc
in 1857, Frenchman,
copies pressed out
Leon Scott, using a
from metal masters,
machine he invented,
a process that was
and called the
impossible with
Phonoautograph,
cylinders. The
recorded- sound wave
pressing technique
traces on smoked paper
meant that
wound round a cylinder
recordings of
(See John Aldred's
popular music
Good Idea At The Time
could be supplied
item P16, Newsletter
quickly and cheaply
23). Edison's machine
to buyers. From that
was almost an exact
time on record
copy of Leon Scott's
production grew
Phonoautograph, the
quickly to become a
only real difference
major industry,
being that Edison used
So the
tin foil in place of
Phonograph like
smoked paper. While
many of the other
Scott's recording could
inventions
only be looked at, the
credited to Edison,
continuous indentation
such as the light
made by the voice
bulb (Swan), and
actuated stylus on
moving pictures (
Edison's tin foil could,
Friese-Green), was
by returning the
only an
cylinder to the start
improvement of
position, be
Scott's basic idea.
For Americans he
replayed through the
may be the
mouth piece.
The Phonograph
struggled to survive,
treated as a toy of casual interest, a primitive juke
greatest inventor of all time but for me, a good
box and a rather unreliable dictating machine,
business man he may have been but never the less a
suffering open hostility from stenographers.
rogue thief of other's ideas and efforts.
BOB ALLEN
One problem with the cylindrical tin foil hill-andThomas Alva Edison with his first commercial phonograph in 1878.
The external socket can also be used for a noise
reduction unit or other auxiliary equipment. An
RS422 connector on the side is used in the factory to
test the recorder under computer control. This in
future, when the proposed software becomes available,
will be used to enable the machine to be remotely
controlled, if required. Input filters are flat, LFA (Low
Frequency Attenuation), and speech
The analogue line output is by 2 XLR connectors;
digital output by XLR AES-3, headphones by 1/4
inch stereo jack; and timecode in/out by 5-pin Lemo.
There are several battery options. The machine is
THE NAGRA V MEETING - 23/7/2002
Despite a sense of disappointment amongst
production sound mixers that the Nagra V was only a
two-track digital sound recorder, 33 AMPS members
and friends turned up to the demo at Twickenham
Studios.
The presentation was well made by Ken Fooks, one
of the recently redundant 2000 from Marconi, now a
member of Nagra Kudelski (GB) Ltd's sale staff. John
Rudling who we now all recognise as `Mr Nagra GB',
our local expert on Nagra products and problems, (if
any that is), was also in attendance.
By way of introduction to his presentation, Ken said
that the Kudelski engineers wanted to design and
manufacture a lightweight portable digital recorder
that was easy to use and location friendly. It had to be
a quality product, rugged and reliable in the expected
Nagra tradition. Flexibility for audio, film and TV, and
reasonably future proof, were also design
requirements.
Ken didn't have a definitive answer to the question
on everyone's lips "Why only two tracks?" The only
reason he could give was "That's what the designers
in Switzerland decided it should be". However, he
explained that in bolting the ORB drive on top of the
deck, besides being easy to load the disk and replace
the drive in the event of failure, it could eventually be
replaced with any future changes of format or media,
including the provision of multitracks. He pointed out
at this time too that changing the drive in the event of
a mishap took only 15 minutes, simply by undoing
five bolts.
The Nagra V is a digital recorder using removable
hard disks, recording 24-bit linear PCM data at 44.1
kHz or 48kHz sampling rates, delivering two hours of
stereo per 2Gb ORB disk. 88.2kHz and 96kHz
sampling rates are also available if required.
Confidence playback is assured by permanent readafter-write data verification. An internal buffer
prevents errors caused by shocks received during
recording and playback.
There are four microphone channels, each
switchable to either track, and T and 48V phantom
powering are included along with an MS decoder.
There is also a stereo line input. Richmond Film
Services have developed a Radio 5 Line Box which
can be connected into an extension socket on the
machine, thus allowing the use of two radio mics.
Ken Fooks displays the innards
delivered with a Lithium Ion battery but battery packs
to hold 8 `D' cells or NiCads are available as extras.
The Lithium Ion battery pack will give 7 hours of
constant running, and the 8 `D' cell pack 5 hours.
The mains unit/charger can also be used to power the
machine. There is also a 4-pin XLR on the side which
can enable powering from an NP1 video camera
supply. Should the battery fail during recording,
synch and other function information will not be lost,
as an internal Lithium battery will supply the
functions during battery changing.
The film/video version includes a timecode device
and internal chase synchronisation for all standards PAL, SECAM, NTSC, 24f/s, 25 f/s, 29.97 f/s,
wordclock.
The menu-assisted set-up of all the operating
parameters is made using the second function push
buttons on the front panel, in conjunction with the
LCD display. The use of this type of push button
ensures that once set they stay that way and
programmes can't be upset in the event of accidental
knocking.
A rotatory selector switch controls the main functions
of the recorder in keeping with traditional Nagra
ergonomics. When the machine is switched on it has
to verify that the disk is up to speed. While booting up
it has a 10 second pre record buffer which is useful
in preventing loss of the beginning of sounds,
otherwise lost in the run up. Similarly there is a buffer
which can be set up to delay switchoff after the
switch on the machine has been operated.
Ken and John went into great details about the
possible transfer functions as applied to non-linear
editing requirements and much discussion followed.
4
THE BIG SOUND CAR-BOOT SALE
The idea of a car-boot sale for members to trade
off their surplus equipment has been `kicked
around' for several years and there doesn't seem to
be any particular reason why it was considered to
be a good idea to go ahead with such an event this
year. It can't be said that it was a great success
but even so it was far from a failure.
Eleven vendors turned up with a good array of
merchandise, most of it used but some new, and
some quite antique. The main problem was
the lack of customers, although the twenty or so
who attended, did make purchases and seemed
pleased with their bargains.
An Attentive audience
The presence of a group from Soho Images and
their favourable comments re post production and the
Nagra V were most helpful.
The two machines on show were opened up for
internal inspection and those present were able to get
a hands-on feel of the machine and to ask their own
individual questions direct to Ken and John.
Altogether with the refreshments provided, an
odd sip from the paying bar, and a good
discussion, it was a very informative and social
evening. Yes, those who didn't show up missed
another good and useful meeting.
The Nagra V film/video digital sound recorder
complete with timecode, Lithium Ion battery, mains
power supply/charger, carrying strap, and soft case,
weighs 7lbs (with battery) and is priced around £5,
400. A 2.2Gb ORB disk is also included. Extra
disks at present cost approx £29 but prices are
expected to fall.
For any errors or omissions in the above report
blame Bob Allen
Foot Note : For a more detailed technical report
read Hugh Robjohns article in Line Up magazine
June/July 2002, page 24.
For more Nagra 5 information call Nagra Kudelski (
GB) on 01727 810002 or visit the website - www.
Nagra.com
(More pictures of the event can be found on page 12)
The venue, Twickenham Studios covered car park apart from being a little underlit was ideal, especially
if the weather had been like so much of the past
summer, rainy and wet. One drawback was the lack
of catering. It would have been good to have
provided tea, coffee and biscuits to make it a more
social affair. However, a number of more
experienced car-boot sale attendees provided
themselves with Thermoses and sandwiches, while a
few of the venders offered cans of `nectar' to their
prospective customers.
Those I spoke to during the sale, both
vendors and customers, thought the event was a
good idea and hoped that the Association would
consider it being an annual event. The Council is
looking into ways and means of improving the idea,
perhaps upgrading the event to a `Sound Fair' and
besides the sale of members' used gear, invite new
sound equipment dealers to attend. The
Council would welcome ideas from members.
Publicity is another serious question to be sorted out
- a fair, or whatever it's called, isn't any good without
lots of customers.
Not only the vendors, who turned unwanted items
of gear into cash, benefited but also the Hearing
Dogs Charity with donations of £40.48, the proceeds
from Nigel Woodford of Richmond Films rummage
sale, and £55 from David Hahn from the sale of
specially recorded, relaxedlistening cassettes. Many
thanks to them both, and also to Gerry
Humphreys and Twickenham Studios for the use
of the car park
See you there next time.
BOB
ALLEN
(More pictures of the event can be found on page 13)
5
HOT TIPS
TIPS FOR DOCO RECORDISTS Good
advice from Pat Heigham
A GUIDE TO GOOD SOLDERING
1/ Before commencing any soldering, ensure that the
soldering iron is supported away from the table
top, work bench, carpet etc., as a hot iron can
quickly cause serious damage. Using a soldering iron
holder is recommended. Ensure that the soldering iron
is of sufficient wattage to tackle the job as insufficient
wattage will mean insufficient heat and hence a
substandard result.
2/ As you begin soldering, ensure that your soldering
iron tip is always completely clean and lightly coated
with solder. If working for a long period the
soldering iron tip should be cleaned periodically.
3/ When soldering printed circuit boards: bring the tip
into contact with both copper track and
component lead at the same time. Heat these for
about two seconds and then apply solder to the
joint - not to the tip of the soldering iron.
Remove the iron as soon as solder flows over the
connection. Allow the joint to cool completely for a
few seconds undisturbed.
If soldering any sensitive components, or anything
that is plastic-based and may be affected by heat, use a
heat sink between the joint to be soldered and
the component, to reduce to heat reaching the
component.
When mounting individual components on to a
printed circuit board, the leads must be passed through
the holes from the top side of the board. Before
soldering the leads to the copper track underneath,
ensure that the leads are passed right through and the
component is sitting neatly on the board. Transistors
and capacitors should not be placed down flat on
the board, but should sit 2 or 3mm above it,
supported by their own leads. After inserting the leads
through the PC board, bend them over so the
component won't fall out as you turn the board over to
solder.
4/ When soldering two wires together: If possible,
twist the wires together, heat the joint for 2 seconds,
and then apply solder to the joint. Remove iron
as soon as solder runs smoothly around the wires.
Again, allow a few seconds to cool undisturbed.
5/ To remove solder from a PC board: The simplest,
quickest and easiest methods are to use either a '
Solder Sucker' desoldering tool, or a
desoldering 'strip' (or braid).
In the case of the Solder Sucker, apply a hot
iron to the joint being desoldered, depress the
plunger and quickly position the sucker tip onto the
molten solder. Release the plunger immediately by
pressing the release button, and the solder will be
drawn up into the sucker, leaving the joint clean and
free of solder. Clean out the sucker barrel.
With the 'Desoldering strip', first position the braid on
the joint to 'be desoldered. Next, place a hot iron onto
the braid. As the solder underneath melts, it is
drawn up the braid by capillary attraction,
leaving the joint solder-free. Cut off the now
soldered-up end of the braid and discard it.
O Want to save space in your packed
microphone case, when flying your kit around
the world?
- Don't include the jewel case in which your
hypercardioid mic was supplied
- Rig the mic as normal in your windshield
and suspension.
- Fill the Windshield completely with
polystyrene packing chips, all around the
mic and suspension.
- Take a plastic bag to store the packing
material for the return trip
Remove packing before use (otherwise you
get funny noises!)
0 When making up equipment lists for foreign
country entry:
- NEVER refer to your hypercardioid mic as '
shotgun' or 'rifle' mic, Similarly, DO NOT
call the handgrip, a 'pistol' grip.
- Border Guards may have little English
but they can recognise the above words and
you may find yourself delayed with a
microscopic inspection of your kit.
I have an amusing story involving "snake arms"
for an Elemack dolly. The Swiss border guard
thought it might be livestock, and insisted on
examining said item of bent metal. It could have
been funny, except that the Italian entry post, ten
yards down the road was in imminent closure
mode, well it was supper time(!) and the said
article was in a box, under ten lengths of track.
100 YEARS AGO
2002
- The camera Dolly was first used at RW
Pauls studio in New Southgate, London
And Coming Up In 2003
- Poulsen's telephone answering machine
- First `Western' film -'Kit Karson The
Pioneers' This was made before `The Great Train
Robbery which is generally claimed as the first
Western (but who really cares?)
- First Tour de France
- First complete opera recorded on disc - Verdi's
Ernani, by the Italian Gramophone Co. There
were 40 single sided discs. Can any reader supply
information on disc size and speed. Twelve inch
discs were introduced in 1903.
Some items can remain hot for a long time !!
6
A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
Dear Readers
contributions from Hon Member John Aldred, and
Firstly our apologies for failing to get an Autumn excellent articles from John Rodda, Stuart Moser,
Issue out to you.
and Jim Betteridge, we've had very little solid
Unfortunately our schedules for the past twelve material supplied. Promises, yes, but no fulfilment. months
went badly astray due to Bob's prolonged We know that members have livings to earn and stay in New
Zealand during the early part of the year, that in today's Film & TV Industry, the excessive
and Keith having to meet publication d e a d l i n e
daily hours and problems encountered are most
g
pu ca n
es for
stressful and far from conducive to writing articles for
writing and other work by which he earns his living. the Newsletter. But you do have days off, so couldn't "
Excuses, excuses, excuses", we hear you chorus,
you spare us a little time to write about those stressful
"We want our Newsletter!", so we do hope that the
working days?
extra pages in this Christmas Issue will help placate
The Newsletter pages are yours to voice your
you all and that if we endeavour to get the special
opinions or complaints, and ask questions that other
Sound Editing issue, we have planned for the Spring, members might answer for you. out on time we will be
forgiven.
Christmas 1998 was the last time that we wrote to
It's Christmas time again, another year passes by.
you readers. Besides wishing Season's Greetings we Your Editors wish you all a very Happy Christmas
renewed our requests for more participation in
and a most prosperous 2003 (with lots of interesting
providing material for newsletter pages.
jobs that you can write and tell us about . )
During
the
last
four
years,
apart
from
regular
Keith & Bob
A
reminder
from the Membership Secretary...
And a Member's letter...
---....................................................------------Dear Editor
SUBSCRIPTION INCREASE 2003
Another good copy of the Newsletter - it was
particularly striking how Bob showed such
modesty as he turned away to record his nearnaked guests by the pool !
About 30 of us have spent that last couple of
years making a small, but not insignificant
35mm feature film, which due to financial
reasons (we're funding it ourselves!), is slowgoing. However, we thought that salvation was
at hand when, in November 2001, we got
involved with the Government's DCMS (Sale
& Leaseback Scheme) through a broker called
Aventine, in Soho. Bob Allen's article on the
CGGB meeting with the Minister, has dotted a
few i's for us. Up until April 2002, the
payback promises were such that we had several
luminaries on board, and the money to pay for
them and all the audio post production
processes. Then coincidentally, when the
CGGB meeting was going on, we learnt that
the broadcasters effectively downed the whole
enterprise by deliberately screwing the
DCMS system. Having played entirely by
the rules for a couple of years, all our sale
and leaseback arrangements suddenly ground
to a halt. We have struggled ever since. Could
Sandy, Graham and Peter Hodges let me know
the contact name at the CGGB so we genuine,
hard-up film makers can attempt to revive this
very precious support.
Paying members will have been advised that the
Council reluctantly decided to apply a small increase to the
2003 Annual Subscription rates, applicable to all categories
of membership except Overseas and Student. It is worth
noting that there has been no increase since 1997.
In keeping with the stated aims of the Association to
enable the furtherance of member's knowledge, this year
has seen an increase in the number of useful and wellattended meetings dealing with new aspects of audio in the
motion picture industry.
In particular there was: a brainstorming session with the
designers from Fostex; a seminar on Audio File Interchange;
introductions to DVD, and Steinberg's Nuendo system; a
presentation of the Nagra V digital recorder; an open
discussion on the merits or otherwise of multi-track
acquisition; and a look at the new variable frame rate Hi-Def
camera from Panasonic.
Screenings in Theatre 7 this year were temporarily
suspended due to its workload, but we look forward to their
resumption by kind permission of Graham Hartstone
and Pinewood Studios following a refurbishment of the
Theatre. Other venues in London and Shepperton kindly
made their facilities available to us during 2002.
Members who have not yet sent back their Standing
Order Authority to amend payment for next year are asked
to do so as soon as possible. If it has been mislaid,
please request another one from the office (020 7723
6727) or by e-mail to membership@ amps.net
Your sincerely
PETER EDWARDS Arms
BCA Film & Television, Wokingham
7
THE ANTIQUES SOUND SHOW
THE LEEVERS RICH
SYNCHROPULSE PORTABLE
RECORDER
Many AMPS members will probably never have
heard of the Leevers Rich Synchropulse 1/4 inch
magnetic tape recorder, let alone have used one.
Developed in the UK during the late 1940s by
sound engineer Norman Leevers it was the first really
portable location synch recording system available in
the UK.* The principle of the synchronisation system
was 1/2-track recording on 1/4 inch tape using the
upper track for audio and the lower to record a
synchronisation signal.
The channel came in two metal cases. One case
was a two input microphone mixer unit connected by
two short cables to the other case containing the tape
deck and main amplifier. The standard model was
designed for use with seven inch spools. The mixer
weighed 17 kilos and the recorder 24 kilos.
50Hz supplying the camera motor. This system
also enabled multiple cameras to be used.
In the 1960s, an automatic transfer system was
devised which eliminated synch errors caused by
inattentive transfer operation. By this time however
the Nagra III was on the scene and 1965 more or
less saw the demise of the Leevers Rich for
production recording.
* Single system newsreel outfits were at times used
for location shooting and RCA had a fairly
portable photographic recorder but it needed a
suitable motor for interlocking with the film
camera which requited heavy duty batteries and
usually a rotary converter.
The deck was driven by a variable speed DC motor
and the power supply for amplification was derived
from a built-in motor generator supplied by a 12 volt
heavy-duty accumulator.
The recorder had four heads - erase, audio record,
pulse record and audio replay. The tape ran at a
nominal 15 in/s. Speed control of the deck was done
manually and judged by means of a 50Hz
stroboscope marked on the surface of a tape driven
roller. When the machine was used on interiors with
mains lighting, the speed could easily be set. However,
for exterior use, the machine operator had
to use a 50Hz tuning fork which had shutters fitted
between the prongs. To set the speed, the operator had
to twang the prongs of the tuning fork and view the
strobe through the shutters, adjusting the motor speed
until the strobe striations stood still.
Synchronisation was achieved by the means of
make-and-break contacts fitted to the film camera in a
position that closed the contacts once per frame. The
contacts on the camera were connected to the recorder
by means of an extension cable. The makeand-break
action of the camera contacts acted as a switch,
controlling the outputs of a 1000Hz oscillator in the
recorder , thus producing bursts of 1000Hz tone which,
when applied to the pulse recording head, provided a
speed reference of both camera and recorder on the
tape, along with the relevant audio.
For transfer to 16 or 35mm sprocketed film, the
synchropulse recording was played off a Leevers Rich
deck, the output from the synch track fed to an
oscilloscope where the pulse was displayed in
conjunction with a fixed constant 24fps or 25fps
reference. The play-off deck was variable speed and
the transfer operator, by means of motor speed
control, kept the pulse from the tape displayed on the
scope lined up with the fixed reference display. If the
camera speed varied, so would the pulse on the tape and
the transfer operator would have to gently adjust the
play-off deck speed to keep the two pulse images
displayed on the scope, in step.
If the film camera was mains powered, then an
electronic switch of the ring modulated type could
be used so that the 1000Hz tone was pulsed by the
8
THE PERFECTONE EP6A
The Perfectone EP6A first appeared in the late
1950s. It was the original all-transistor portable
machine, expressly designed for synch shooting (The
original Nagra III was for non-synch reportage. The
application of a pilot head was a later development).
The recorder weighed 15 lbs including twelve D size
rechargeable NiCad cells for power supply. It
measured 13 x 9 x 4.5 inches. At tape speed of 7.5
in/s it met the then CCIR specifications. Signal-tonoise
55dB. Harmonic distortion at 100% modulation better
than 2.5%. Speed variation not exceeding 0,15%,
Wow RMS value better than 0.8%. Flutter RMS value
better than 0.006%. Frequency response f l dB
between 80Hz and 8kHz; +1, -4dB between 40Hz and
12kHz. The four head assembly - erase, pilot, record
and replay, was mounted on a removable headblock.
There was one low impedance microphone input
and provision for a line level input. Monitoring was by
headphones, wither direct or from the replay head.
There was also a built-in miniature speaker for replay
checking. Recording level and battery condition were
displayed on a suitable meter mounted on the front
side of the machine. It used 5 inch tape spools giving
a recording time of 15 mins at 7.5 in/s using standard
play tape. Start, stop, fast forward and rewind, were
operated by push buttons on the front of the deck.
The working principle of the synchronising system
involved the recording in push pull of a 100Hz
frequency, generated by suitable device on the picture
camera, onto the edges of the 1/4 inch tape. The audio
signal was contained within a 200 mil width track
between the pilot edge tracks.
For transfer to sprocketed film a special synchroniser
power amplifier was required. It's function was to
amplify the 100Hz pilot output from the tape to
supply the sprocketed recorder motor with 220 volts 3
phase, the 100Hz frequency thus governing the speed
of the motor and turning the sprocketed recorder at the
same speed as the picture camera during shooting.
The system was flawed. Should the picture camera
speed fluctuate, then those fluctuations would be
duplicated by the sprocketed recorder motor and thus,
on reproduction at constant speed cause noticeable
pitch changes in the recorded sound. The system
worked OK if synchronous mains motors drove the
camera but remember crystal control for battery driven
cameras was yet to come. A further problem was
transfer could only be done at a studio that had made
the necessary investment in the special synchronising
amplifier. There could also be a problem should the
edges of the 1/4 inch tape become damaged during
spooling or through any other cause.
When it first appeared. the EP6A was much admired
when it first appeared by most people in the movie
business for its size and quality - "A studio recorder in
a brief case". Perfectone also produced a three input
transistorised microphone mixer in a case matching
the EP6A recorder in measurements and appearance,
also powered by twelve 1.5 volt D cells. However, due
mainly to the complication of the transfer
synchronisation system, the EP6A failed to
compete with the Nagra's much simpler method.
The BBC Film Unit did take up the Perfectone
and used them for location work for many years. If
I remember correctly the story going round at the
time was that Kudelski wasn't prepared to modify
the Nagra III to suit the BBC's in house
synchronising system but Produits Perfectone were
prepared to modify the EP6A - so the BBC bought
Perfectones.
The Perfectone three channel mixer was adapted
for use as a studio floor mixer by Tony Lumpkin's
ABPC (EMI) sound department.
Had the synching system been more flexible I'm
sure the Perfectone EP6A would have given the
Nagra III a good run for its money.
Footnote: Produits Perfectone of Bienne,
Switzerland also built an excellent 35mm
sprocketed magnetic recorder and associated
sound channel.
Next issue: John Aldred shows us early sprocketed
mag recorders
9
50th Anniversary of First Public Showing
The first Cinerama programme, This Is
Cinerama, opened at the Broadway Cinema in New
York on September 30th 1952, and shortly after
at The Casino in Shaftesbury Avenue, London.
This was some fifteen years after Fred Waller's
first experiments in 1937 with three cameras and
giant curved screens. Progress during WWII was
held up while Waller developed an air gunnery
trainer for the US War Dept, based on his three
camera technique.
When he resumed work on his Stereoscopic film
presentation ideas, he realised that to be
successful, it would require sound that equalled
the grandeur of the pictures.
Enter Hazard Reeves of Reeves Soundcraft
Corporation who took on the development of a
multichannel stereophonic sound system. After
trials with three, then five and six channels, the
system ended up using seven. Channels one to five
were the behind screen speakers; six and seven
were for auditorium left and right respectively but FRED WALLER A
were also patchable to rear wall left and right
CINERAMA INVENTOR
speakers. There was no control track, the patching
was done for every screening by control engineers
following the cue sheet supplied with the
programme being shown.
At the risk of showing my age, I admit that I saw
This Is Cinerama at the London Casino. I was
bowled over by the roller coaster ride and like the
rest of the audience, gripped the arms of my seat.
But it was the sound that really gobsmacked me. It
was as if there really was a giant orchestra up
behind the massive screen. This was the very first
stereophonic sound I had ever heard and I don't
believe, even to this day, that I've heard better in a
cinema. Perhaps like all memories of first time
pleasures, I'm exaggerating, but it was really great.
Cinerama can still be seen and heard in the UK at
the National Museum of Photography Film and
Television in Bradford, where there are regular
showings of a restored print of This Is Cinerama
and of other Cinerama productions.
BOB ALLEN
HAZARD REEVES
CHECKS THE
PERFORMANCE
OF THE
CINERAMA `
SOUND HEAD'
Foot note : See What Is Cinerama?
AMPS Newsletter No 11, September 1994.
10
AMPS MEETINGS
Nagra V & 2-4-6-8
Pictures by Patrick Heigham
12
PICTURES
Sound Car-Boot Sale
13
Pictures by Brian Simmons
PIX `N' MIX
Where else but Holland ?
Carillon in New Zealand
Old boom op sparring partners - veteran
DoPs help Eric Cross celebrate 100th
birthday; LR (back) Dougie Slocombe,
Freddie Francis, Alex Thompson, (front)
Jack Cardiff, Eric Cross, Ossie Morris
AMPS member Phil Cartwright
enlists the help of a local boy
Hogarth's `Outraged Musician' - London
streets just as noisy even in bygone days
Behind those shutters ?
16
As AMPS' adopted charity celebrates an anniversary Jenny Moir of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People
relates the background to the organisation
HEARING DOGS FOR DEAF PEOPLE
CELEBRATES 20 YEARS
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a national charity
that trains specially selected dogs to alert deaf people
to everyday household sounds that the rest of us
take for granted. These sounds include the
telephone, doorbell, cooker timer, alarm clock, baby
cry, call help as well as the danger and emergency
signals such as the smoke alarm and
danger, emergency and alarm. However, a dog that
has been specially trained to alert their owner to
everyday sounds by touch and then either leading to
the sound source of lying down to indicate danger
can change all this. Hearing dogs provide their deaf
owners with greater independence, confidence and
security as well as the benefit of companionship.
Mike Sullivan (62) of Bristol is just one of the
hundreds of deaf people to have had their lives
changed by a four-legged assistant. "Twenty years
fire bell.
ago I suffered a head injury in
The Charity was founded
a car accident and I gradually
back in 1982, and as part
started to go deaf which has
• their 20th anniversary
become worse over the years. I
celebrations they launched a
could no longer hear the
brand new look at Crufts
telephone or doorbell, and my
Dog Show in March. As
confidence was nil.
well as unveiling a smart
"When I first met Flint, it was
new logo, the colour of the
love at first sight - we bonded
dogs' coats were changed
straight away. Now she alerts
from yellow to burgundy.
me to these sounds and others.
One of the reasons behind
She gets me up in the mornings
the change of colour was to
and accompanies me wherever I
distinguish hearing dogs
go, and because people see her
from pet dogs and other
hearing dog coat they realise I
non-assistance dogs that also
am deaf. Then they ask me all
sport yellow jackets.
about her. She is a wonderful
companion and my life has
Another major event for
changed immensely since Flint
the Charity this year was the
has been with me."
official opening of their new
Mike Sullivan with Hearing Dog, Flint
Each hearing dog costs
training centre in
Buckinghamshire by their
Patron, HRH The Princess Royal. She spent over
£5000 to train, and as Hearing Dogs for Deaf People
three hours talking to both staff and recipients, met
receives no government or lottery funding, the
several hearing dogs..
Charity relies solely on the generosity of the public to
After 20 years the Charity remains committed to raise enough money to continue training rescue and
taking as many dogs as possible for training from donated dogs.
rescue centres and unwanted litters. At present 75%
To date the Charity has placed nearly 900 hearing
• the dogs that Hearing Dogs for Deaf People takes
dogs with deaf people around the UK, and with the
on come from this background - many of them
opening of their new training centre their hope is to
having survived the most traumatic of starts
train even more hearing dogs so that more deaf
including being thrown out of moving cars or
people can enjoy the many benefits they bring. In
being abandoned in cardboard boxes. These waifs
summing up, Len Arming says of his hearing dog
and strays very often go on to be the most loyal,
Myra, "Someone once asked me once what I would
loving companions and assistants to deaf people
do if I could choose between getting my hearing
around the UK.
back or keeping Myra. I told them I'd rather stay
One in seven of the adult population have a deaf than lose her."
significant hearing loss, and as deafness is an
To find out more about Hearing Dogs for Deaf People,
invisible disability, many deaf people have feelings
• isolation and loneliness as well as social alienation. please contact their headquarters on 01844 348100 or visit
their website: www.heating-dogs.co.uk.
Not only are they cut off from the sound of
conversation but also from the signals of
The AMPS Kennel Fund
Progress Chart
£0
£1,000
£2,000
16
£3,000
MIC IN PICTURE
The clips of cartoons on these pages are from a
collection titled Movies Movies Movies - An
Entertainment (?f Great Film Cartoons, edited by S
Gross. It's a very witty collection of laughs at the
film industry.
As I browsed through it, my eye was caught by
the presence of microphones drawn in several of
the cartoons. While they played no special part in
the jokes, I was interested to see how close the
artists had got to drawing what they must have
seen on locations they had visited.
The collection was published in 1989 but the
cartoons must have been collected over a
considerable period of time. I began to think that it
might be possible to date the cartoons showing
microphones by identifying the drawn
microphones and the years they were in use. The
following pictures show my guesses.
The cartoon clips are only details from the full
drawings and not intended to give away the joke
made in the full cartoon. For that you'll have to
borrow or even buy the book.
BOB ALLEN
EARLY 1930s WESTERN ELECTRIC
CONDENSER
Cartoonist : DICK OLDEN
Cartoonist : SERGIO ARAGONES
1940s
RCA UNI-DIRECTIONAL MI 3043
16
Cartoonist : EVERETT OPIE
Cartoonist : SERGIO ARAGONES
Cartoonist : CHARLES RODRIGUEZ
1960s
ELECTRO-VOICE MODEL 327 WINDSCREEN
FOR EV642 CARDILINE MICROPHONE
1970s
SENNHEISER 805 IN WINDSCREEN
1990s
THE MIC IS ANYONE'S GUESS. THE PICTURE IS
OF A TRAINING UNIT AT WORK. BY THE WAY
THE POLE IS HELD THERE CAN'T HAVE BEEN A
QUALIFIED SOUND INSTRUCTOR PRESENT
`EL GORDO' CHRISTMAS LOTTERY
December News Item: "Last Saturday, primary
schoolchildren chanted the winning number for the
one and a half million dollar first prize in the
Spanish National Christmas Lottery, `El Gordo' (the
Fat One), whose total payout of twelve hundred
million dollars is the biggest jackpot on Earth".
El Gordo was created in the 18th century in 1763
during the reign of King Carlos Ill by the then
Minister of Finance, who thought it would be a good
way of collecting taxes. And he was so right! Last year
about 450,000,000 Euros was received by the Treasury
from the sale of tickets, and 5,000,000 Euros given
away as first prize! Although this first prize is pretty
handsome, the remaining prize money is divided
amongst a large number of tickets so as to spread the
wealth. Tickets cost 20 Euros each, but you can buy a
one tenth share for 2 Euros or combine with your
friends to buy a whole ticket. A bar and its patrons
could hold one ticket, or members of social club. One
year it was the staff at El Corte Ingles, the famous
Spanish department store, who won first prize. The
store had to close early because nobody returned to
work after lunch!
Each year December 22nd is Christmas Lottery day in
Spain, when the draw for 'EI Gordo' takes place.
From Sam onwards the whole of the population has
one eye on the television screen to find out who has
won first prize. This annual event takes place in the
auditorium of a Madrid cinema, suitably adapted for
the occasion. A large Bingotype sphere contains all
the ticket numbers on wood balls about the size of a
table tennis ball, whilst a smaller sphere contains all
the prize monies also on wood balls. The
schoolchildren are all neatly dressed, and sing out the
drawn numbers into their radio microphones. Each
pair of balls is threaded on to two skewers rather like a
barbeque, and an official carefully closes each pair of
skewers when they become full with 12 balls.
Whenever a skewer becomes full, the boys and girls
rotate and a new team takes over. One year a student
dropped one of the balls into the poinsettias in front of
the stage, but an official quickly retrieved the ball so
that the draw could continue.
When a ball is drawn coinciding with a large prize
is drawn, both balls are taken to a side table to be
examined by scrutineers. They also have a small TV
camera on their table so that a close-up of the
winning number and it's prize money can be
screened nationwide. No cheating here. The
photographs show the draw for the third prize last
year, which was almost 433,000 Euros or 72,000,000
Pesetas. Sometimes it is several hours before the first
prize is drawn, but the children who draw winning
tickets are treated like celebrities, and given TV
interviews! Due to the complex rules of El Gordo, up
to 1000 people could have a claim to part of the
prize. All the winners are posted on the internet
during the evening of the same day, and on the
following day all the newspapers contain a full list
of winners that covers several pages and takes some
reading.
The lottery certainly brings excitement to Spain at
Christmas time, but it can also cause psychological
and economic problems. Some winners have been
known to become addicted to gambling, ending up
in a far worse financial situation than before. Other
winners cannot conceive that they have won, and
their minds become blocked. It is not always known
immediately who the top winners are, but as soon as
the locations become known con men and others
move in to `advise' the winners about what to do
with their new found wealth.
If El Gordo fails to make you a millionaire
overnight there is always `El Nino', `the little one',
which is another, smaller lottery that takes place in
January. Not long ago a ticket seller in a small
mountain village decided he could make a bit of
extra money by not handing in some of the stubs of
the tickets he had sold. Unfortunately for him one
of these tickets was a winning number, and when the
corresponding stub could not be found, the ticket
seller had also disappeared. He was found later
hanging from the branch of an olive tree!
.1011N ALDRED
18
CHRISTMAS FABLES AND LEGENDS
Christmas fables and legends - you know a little hit about each them, but perhaps you will discover
something you didn't know you didn't know. Chris Coffey of the St Helens Film Society thought our
members might be interested in the following facts he gathered for the Sutton Historical Society.
Christmas Day, the 25th December is almost
certainly not the day on which Christ was born, as is
popularly supposed. The date, the day of the Winter
Solstice, was chosen by the Church in AD 440, but it
had been a time of festival amongst heathen peoples
since ancient times. In AngloSaxon England, the year
began on
25th December, but from the
late 12th Century until the
adoption of the
Gregorian Calendar in 1752,
the year began on Lady Day,
the 25th March. The Winter
Solstice is currently around
the 22nd December, when the
sun reaches its extreme
southern
point on the shortest day of the
year.
The Roman festival of Saturn was held in December
and the temples were decorated with greenery. The
Druids were associated with Mistletoe while the
Saxons used Holly and Ivy. These customs have
transferred to the Christian festival. The Holly, or
Holy-Tree, is called Christ's Thorn in Germany and
Scandinavia following its use in church decorations
and putting forth its berries about Christmas time.
The decorated Christmas tree was found in Roman
times, and was introduced into England from
Germany soon after Queen Victoria's marriage to
Prince Albert. Santa Claus and his reindeer came to
England at the same time.
Ivy is dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of
wine, with the notion that it is a preventative of
drunkenness. In Christian symbolism ivy typifies
ever-lasting life, due to its remaining continuously
green.
The custom of decorating churches and houses
with holly at Christmas time is of great antiquity. It
is held to be unlucky by some to bring it into the
house before Christmas Eve.
Mistletoe is a parasite that grows on various trees,
such as the apple, and was held in great veneration
by the Druids when found on an oak tree. There
was a tradition that it's the tree from which the wood
of Christ's cross was made. Because of the connection
with the human sacrifices of the Druids, it was
excluded from church decorations.
Kissing under the Mistletoe dates back at least to
the early 17th century. The correct procedure is
that a man should pluck a berry from the mistletoe
when he kisses a girl under the mistletoe, and when the
last berry is gone there should be no more kissing.
Yule or Yuletide is taken from an Icelandic word
which was the name of a heathen festival at the winter
solstice. The Yule log was a large log of wood,
formerly laid across the hearth with
great ceremony on Christmas Eve,
and lit with a brand from the
previous year's log. There
followed drinking and
merriment.
Santa Claus is a
contraction of Santa
Nikolaus, the patron saint of
German children. His feast day is
6th December, and a vigil
is still held on that date in some
places. The custom used to be for
someone, on 5th December, to assume the costume
of a bishop and distribute small gifts to `good
children'. The present custom, introduced into
England from Germany in about 1840, is to put toys
and other small presents Into a stocking late on
Christmas Eve, when the children are asleep, so when
they wake on Christmas morn they find the gifts brought
by Santa Claus.
A Christmas Box is a gratuity given on St Stephen's
Day, better known as Boxing Day. Boxes placed in
churches for casual offerings used to be opened on
Christmas day, and the contents, called the `dole of the
Christmas Box', or the `box money', were distributed
the next day by the priests. Apprentices also used to
carry a box around to their masters' customers for small
gratuities. The traditional piggy bank, pig-shaped moneyboxes, were formerly of earthenware or glass. Such
money boxes, with a coin or coins inside, were given to
apprentices in Tudor times as Christmas Boxes.
WCT Dobson, R.A. is regarded as having sent the first
Christmas card in 1844. Sir Henry Cole and JC Horsley
produced the first commercial Christmas card In 1846,
although it was condemned by temperance enthusiasts,
because members of the family group in the centrepiece
were cheerfully drinking wine. After Tucks, the arts
printers, took to producing them in the 1870s, they came
into vogue.
St Wenceslas, born in AD 907, was a Bohemian
martyr-prince latterly made famous by the 19th
century carol. He was noted for his piety but was
murdered by Boleslav, his brother, in AD 929.
XMAS BOOK LIST
Audio & Hi-Fi
Handbook
Revised Edition
edited by Ian
Sinclair
Published by
Newnes ISBN
075064975-5
Price £ 30.00
STILL MORE
MOVIE
CLICHES
In courtroom dramas there is always a surprise
witness
In horror movies young women are required to
investigate strange noises in their most revealing
lingerie
All police investigations require at least one visit to a
strip club
An action movie hero shows no pain while taking a
ferocious beating but will wince when the leading
lady tries to bathe the wounds
One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of
killing all of them that 20 men shooting at and killing
one man.
Sound Design - The Expressive
Power Of Music, Voice and
Sound Effects
Edited by David Sonnenschien
With sound becoming more
important in cinema exhibition
and DVD release, Sound Design
offers user-friendly knowledge
and stimulating exercises to help
compose a story, develop
characters and create emotion
through skilful creation of the
sound track. Psychoacoustics, music theory, voice
study and analysis of well-known films expand
perception, imagination and the musical skills of
the reader.
Focal Press ISBN 0941188264 £15.99
Conversations With Wilder
by Cameron Crowe
Faber & Faber ISBN 0571203868 £
27.99 (hardcover), £12.99 (soft)
Stanley Kubrick - A Life In Pictures Christine
Kubrick with a foreword by Stephen Speilberg
Little Brown ISBN 0316860522 £25.00 hard
cover
Movies Of The Nineties
Jurgen Muller
Taschen £20.00 softcover
o
a
Stripping to the waist makes a man invulnerable to
bullets
In detective capers there are always 21 hours of
darkness for every 15 minutes of daylight
In psychological thrillers, the female lead is always
sleeping with the killer
The more the male and female in the script hate each
other the more certain it is the story will end with them
madly in love
The Eiffel Tower can always be seen from every
window in Paris
A cough is the first sign of a terminal disease
A single match is always sufficient to light up a room
the size of the Albert Hall
Any person waking from a nightmare must sit upright
in bed and scream
Every morning American mothers make huge
breakfasts that no one in the family has time to eat.
In contemporary dramas everyone has a deep dark
secret from the childhood
In war films, the soldier who shows a picture of his
family or girlfriend back home, is a sure goner
Bombs must incorporate timing devices with large
electronic readouts allowing at least one character to
remark, when the hero disables it, "Phew, that was
close!"
20
Merry Christmas
AND WITH DINNER
Hot Christmas Toddy
Great after coming in from the cold
1 shot Irish Whiskey
5 oz boiling water
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Combine ingredients in heated mug. Garnish with
slice of lemon. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg
Festive Mulled Wine
Traditional Winter Warmer
1 orange
1 lemon
2 bottles of red wine
4 cloves
4 oz sugar
6 tablespoons of water
pinch of mixed spice
Pare the rind from the orange and lemon. Place
rinds in a saucepan with the other ingredients and
simmer gently for 5 minutes.
And when everybody's good and warm, what
about a cocktail ?
Egg Nog I egg
1 teaspoon sugar
1 part dark rum
1 part Cognac
2 parts Bourbon
4 parts single cream
Don't add ice. Shake all ingredients together.
Place in fridge for while to cool.
Alaska Surprise
A true flavour of Xmas
1 part yellow Chartreuse
6 parts Gin
1 twist of lemon
Shake together with crushed ice. Strain off into
cold glasses
Garnish with twist of lemon
If dry Vermouth is substituted for the Chartreuse,
add an olive and you have the perfect dry Martini.
The old rule of matching the colour of the wine
with the colour of the meat is still a good idea.
However, these days if s not necessarily Philistine to
drink what pleases you if the food and wine taste
good together.
For your traditional Christmas turkey or goose,
any of the Chardonnay or Merlot varieties will bring
out the best in the meal.
Remember to uncork reds and let them breath at
room temperature for at least half an hour before
serving.
Christmas pud is good with either Sherry or Port
and both are ideal with cheese but camembert and
brie should have Champagne
The Ultimate Cheesy Xmas Gift
Looking for gifts for computer buff friends?
Then how about a video CD of Watching Paint
Dry, or Watching Grass Grow? But better still a
salivating pint of Guiness Being Poured? Sound
just the thing ?
For more info try ex-boom op, Steve O'Brien's
web site www.cheesystuff.com for details of all
the stuff that you never knew you needed.
21
BILLY WILDER (1906 - 2002)
Directing Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Film director and screen writer Billy Wilder (
92), who died earlier this year, brightened the
film scene for more then 60 years, not only with
his scripts and movies but also with his witty
spontaneous satirical and sarcastic quips about
the film industry and the people in it.
On Marilyn Monroe....... Anyone can remember
lines but it takes a real artists to come on set and
not know her lines and give the performance she
did.
I have never met anyone as utterly mean as
Marilyn Monroe. Nor as utterly fabulous on the
screen and that include Garbo
On television.......... A 21 inch prison. I'm
delighted with it because it used to be that films
were the lowest form o f art. Now we have
something to look down on.
Said about him.... Harry Kurmitz : Let's face it,
Billy Wilder at work is two people - My Hyde and
Mr Hyde.
And the wife always has the last word Long
before Billy Wilder was Billy Wilder, he
thought he was Billy Wilder
SOME OF WILDER'S
CREDITS AS DIRECTOR
LOST WEEKEND (1945 -Oscar)
SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1954)
SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
THE APARTMENT (1960 - OSCAR)
THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1969)
About himself and his work
I have two commandments. The first nine are
Thou Shalt Not Bore. The tenth is Thou Shalt
Have Right To The First Cut.
In certain pictures I do hope they will leave the
cinema a little enriched but I don't make them pay a
buck and a half and then ram a lecture down their
throats.
Wilder won six Oscars - two for Direction and
four for screen plays.
RICHARD HARRIS (1930 - 2002)
The close-up us such a valuable thing - like a
trump at Bridge
You watch; the `New Wave' will discover the
slow dissolve in ten years time.
Today we spend eighty percent of our time
making deals and twenty percent making
pictures.
Johnny, keep it out of focus. I want to win the
foreign picture award.
Titism has taken over in this country but Audrey
Hepburn single-handed makes bosoms a thing of
the past. The director will not have to invent
shots where the girl leans forward for a glass of
scotch and soda.
After listening to Cliff Osmand signing for a
part You have got the ear of Van Gogh for
music
The only Greek tragedy I know is Spyros
Skouras (one time head of 20th Century Fox)
On Chaplin.... When he found a voice to say
what was on his mind, he was like a child of
eight writing lyrics for Beethoven's Ninth.
Memorable jibes
Richard Harris on Charlton Heston ... He doesn'
t think he is just an actor. He thinks he is the entire
production.
Charlton Heston on Richard Harris... I found
him an erratic personality and a pain in the
posterior.
Richard Harris on Michael Caine... Michael Caine
is an over fat flatuant windbag now masquerading as
a guru passing off his vast limitations as pious
virtues.
22
OBITUARIES
KEN BARKER
ROD HULL
Ken Barker sadly died on 13th February
2001 at the age of 83.
Ken joined Pinewood as a projectionist in
August 1946, and was promoted to sound
camera operator in 1955. At that time he was
recording the daily sound from the shooting
stages in one of the small 35mm recording
rooms in the first floor of the Sound
Department. Also enjoying the pleasures of
recording on location, (on 35mm magnetic)
for many of the films based at Pinewood in
the late 50s and early 60s.
In 1965, Ken moved into the dubbing
theatre as assistant dubbing mixer, working
with both Bill Daniels and Gordon
McCallum.
During the next few years. Ken was
upgraded from time to time to mix various
films. It was at that time we first worked
together when I was his Sound Camera
Operator in Channel 1.
1969 saw his permanent promotion to
mixer in Theatre One where he went on to
notch up numerous credits. I joined him as
2nd assistant dubbing mixer, and I owe the
valuable experience of my early learning
curve to him and Otto Snel (1st assistant
dubbing mixer at the time).
I can recall in one twelve month period,
around 1970/71, when Theatre One with Ken
at the helm, mixed more than 20 films. His
total credit list numbers over a hundred,
including two James Bond films, Live And Let
Die and The Man With The Golden Gun, as
well as such classics as The Great Gatsby,
Sleuth, Bugsy Malone and Educating Rita.
Ken retired in 1983, to pursue his favourite
pastimes, fishing and ham radio. He lived
locally and we often met for a Guinness and a
chat about the old days. I have fond memories
of my early experience at the desk with Ken,
who always seemed in a cheerful mood with a
pun or humorous quip in times of stress.
It was typical of Ken that no one knew he
was ill. A sad loss of a prolific technician.
It is with great sadness that I have to inform
the membership that Rod Hull passed away at
the beginning of June, after a short illness.
Rod started his career as a 16-year old
apprentice working with John Rudling (now
Nagra UK) at Marconi Labs in 1959. From
there he moved to Livingston Labs where he
worked alongside David Lane servicing the
newly introduced Nagra III. Following the
demise of Livingston Labs he joined Hayden
Labs where he was responsible for setting up
the new West End service department for
Nagra products.
Rod's next career move was to Preview 2
where he set up the agency responsible for
sales and service of the new Sondor 16mm
mag film machines. In the mid 80s he joined
me at De Lane Lea as senior studio
maintenance engineer where his unique skills
were invaluable. In the early 90s Rod left for a
short period to become the UK agent for
MagnaTech, responsible again for sales and
service. However after about a year he
rejoined me at De Lane Lea where he remained
until 1998 when the sale of the company
brought about his redundancy.
For the next two years, Rod worked as a
freelance engineer until his failing eyesight
forced him into early retirement. He then
moved to Somerset to live with his son and
daughter-in-law, where his health continued
to decline leading to his untimely death
shortly after his 59th birthday.
Rod, I know, will be sadly missed by his
many friends and colleagues in the industry as
will his legendary mathematical and design
skills. For me, Rod was not only a colleague
he was also a great personal friend.
I am sure the membership will join me in
extending our condolences to Rod's family.
NORMAN BROWN
GRAHAM V HARTSTONE
23
FELLOWSHIP FOR GERRY HUMPHREYS OBE
Sandy MacRae, AMPS Vice Chairman, at a short
ceremony before the Nagra V meeting at
Twickenham Studios, presented Gerry Humphreys
with his certificate of Fellowship of the Association.
The award was to have been announced and
presented at the last AGM but
and for the last seven years, Studio Manager. In
1995 he was awarded an OBE for services to the
British Film Industry.
Gerry was a member of the original AMPS
working party, putting in many hours on the
formation of the Association. A founder member,
unfortunately Gerry
was unable to attend.
This meeting was the
first suitable occasion
since then to get hold of
the busy Gerry.
The Citation reads as
follows
The Council of the
Association o f Motion
Picture Sound are
pleased to award a
Fellowship of the
Association to Gerry
Humphreys.
Gerry Humphreys
has had a distinguished
career in motion
pictures, primarily as a Re-Recording mixer. A well
known industry database credits him on 230 varied
motion picture productions, from Sound Recordist
on Roman Polanski's Repulsion, to Re-Recording
mixer on Franco Zeffirelli's Brother Sun Sister
Moon; and on comedy from Blake Edwards' Return
of the Pink Panther to Richard Attenborough's
biography of Chaplin. He has been with
Twickenham Film Studios, for over 35 years,
holding several positions including Head of Sound,
he was later elected to the
AMPS Council at the first
election, holding the job of
Membership Secretary. He
later became AMPS'
second Chairman, an
appointment he carried out
with great competence,
stepping down only when
his external studio
management commitments
precluded his taking such
an active role on the
Council. During that time,
and subsequently, Gerry
has
continued his support of AMPS with generous
provision of hospitality and venues at Twickenham
Studios. for both Council and General Meetings.
It was the hard work and foresight of the
founding members of the Association that have
resulted in the success that AMPS has become.
For these reasons we award Gerry Humphreys
this Fellowship.
AMPS Council
February 10th, 2002
TO ALL AMPS MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
A
HAPPY
PROSPEROUS
2003
AND
THE COUNCIL
FROM
AND
THE EDITORS
24