Catch up on Previous Converations

Lens Change on shot – On Purpose

From one of very first “Conversations” on the Tech Ops web site – the one on zoom lenses:
Zoom Lenses:

Peter Fox

“… I can recall Cream in TC on a one off (for me) Tony Palmer and Crew 15. Memorable because I broke my mechanical Varotal doing fast crash in/out zooms onto members of the group from a vantage point on the gallery, and being given a turret as a replacement.

That was frustratingly unexciting until I developed a wonderfully anarchic scheme of waiting till I was cut to and then doing a lens change. ….

…I can’t remember ever personally needing or using that technique ever again which was probably a great relief for engineers and viewers alike. …”

Alec Bray

Well .. possibly Tony Palmer liked it, ‘cos it was used on Joe Cocker on “How It Is” – a clip attached (and from a low angle) – anyone own up? Sorry sound guys – this was a screen grab from iPlayer and as such I never expected to get ANY sound!

Here is the appropriate snippet:

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The same “Sounds of the Sixties” from iPlayer has The Who doing “I can see for Miles” (Bill Jenkin said that it had gone from YouTube).

The cameramen must have used TTH Varotal zooms (or another mechanical zoom) for these programme sequences as I don’t think that any servo zoom would crash zoom that fast.

In past discussion of The Nice performance (also included in this edition), the speed of VM was discussed – I wonder if it was all done on the faders, as the cut buttons were clunky to operate (as I recall – oh from a perspective of 50 yrs … and out of the industry.)

Programme:

Hip to the Trip
“Sounds of the Sixties”, Original Series Episode 8 of 10
This edition features psychedelia and counter-culture, with performances by The Who, Pink Floyd, Joe Cocker and the Greaseband, the Nice and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Patrick Heigham

Speaking of fast VM, going back to the first Proms appearance of the John Wilson Orchestra (MGM Celebration) I learned that there were 1500 cuts in the 2hr concert. The sound balance was great and I gather the PA, at rehearsal was knocked out by the live sound she heard.

The use of zoom lenses in TV wasn’t bad for boom ops, as we had a monitor to look at. It was awful and difficult in my time in films, as there were no monitors until video assist came in, and one had no idea of the size of the shot.

Working in docs with Betacam zoom lenses, my colleagues and I developed a return feed into our umbilical sound cable to the camera, and used a Panasonic 3″ monitor in the pocket of the mixer bag!

Aspect Ratios

Another “Conversation” on the Tech Ops web site concerned Aspect Ratios (actually, a recurring theme):
Aspect Ratios – Again

Patrick Heigham

A late comment.

I never saw “2001…” on a big screen, but I did see “…Magnificent Men…” at the Dominion, Tottenham Court Road. That was a single projector to a very wide screen. Maybe an anamorphic 70mm print?

The Bradford Museum a few years ago had a working 3-strip Cinerama theatre.

After working on “…Fiddler…” the crew were treated to a screening at the Odeon Haymarket – and that was a 70mm print. The original capture was 35mm but not sure if it was anamorphic.

“007 The Spy Who Loved Me” was 35mm anamorphic because it was Roger’s first squeezed shoot and the opening title had to be reshot for format. Whilst on that film, I was asked by production if it might be possible to shoot an insert for a “This Is Your Life” as the producers of that TV programme had discovered that there was a 2nd unit camera crew around in Sardinia. I had to say that the cameras were unblimped, but put far enough away with long lenses and blankets over, I could probably get useable sound – I had a kit with me. Oh! and they were anamorphic, we had no straight lenses. Didn’t hear any more!

Ally Pally

Mike Jordan

Not many of us will probably have worked there (though I did do a school visit to the news report once and vaguely recollect a visit to the frame room once after joining the BBC) but interesting stuff with a few nice photos.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31441233

Also a onetime colleague sends this link:

http://markpadfield.com/marconicalling/museum/html/objects/ephemera/objects-i=855.002-t=2-n=0.html

All about the inside of AP.

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