The Cine Technician (1943 - 1945)

THE CINE-TECHNICIAN The Journal of The Association of Cine-Technicians >rial & Publishing Office: 9, BROMEFIELD, STANMORE, MIDDLESEX. ;rtisement Office: 5 & 6, RED LION SQUARE, LONDON, W.C.I. Telephone: EDGWARE3119 Telephone: HOLBORN 497* Associate Editors : Darrel Catling, Sidney Cole, George H. Elvin, Kenneth Gordon, Frank Sainsbury. m ber Forty-two, Volume Nine May — June, 1943 Price One Shilling DESERT VICTORY A shortened version of the script for the i66th programme in the B.B.C. series, Into Battle, interesting not only as a tribute to the A.F.U. but as an example of a radio script. F/U Drum Roll and " Lillibullero " : Down For : Announcer: Into Battle! The fighting spirit of the United Nations ! Up " Lillibullero " and Out : Announcer: This week nearly every cinema in the country is showing a film which records the Eighth Army's victorious pursuit of Eommel from El Alemain to Tripoli. It is called Desert Victory, and it shows every phase of the battle as seen through the lenses of some thirty cameramen of the Army Film and Photographic Unit who were always in the front line. But behind the film lies a story which the camera could not record — the story of the cameramen. F/U Tanks Moving: Add Dive Bomber: Whistle: Tankman 1 : " What are those two chaps doing out in the open ? ' ' Tankman 2 : " They're taking pictures." Tankman I: (surprised contempt) "What!" Peak Stuka Dive : Stuka Receding : Tankman 1 : " Looks like one of them camera chap's has got it." Tankman 2: "Come on — we'd better go and give him a hand." Metal Lid of Tank Thrown Back and Fade : Tankman 1 : (fade in) " Where's it got you, mate? " A.F.U. 1: "It's nothing much. Where's Jack?" A.F.U. Serg. : (come in) " Here I am. Let me give you a hand . . . ." A.F.U. 1: "No — look after the camera, will you? " Tankman 2: "Don't you worry — we'll look after your pictures, chum." Narrator: The cameraman went back to the base hospital and three weeks later he was out again taking the shots you see of the battered nces of El Agheila. All through the Battle of Egypt Army cameramen were attached to every arm of the Forces that seemed likely to yield the pictures for which the world was waiting — the pictures of Britain's Army in attack. But the work of the A.F.P.U., as it is now called, didn't start with the battle of Egj-pt. Individual cameramen had been working with the Army before Dunkirk, and it was after that that an official unit was formed. Although there were many fewer cameramen then than there are now they were' with Wavell's thirty thousand in the beginning of 1941. During the advance a cameraman and two others were heading west in a car towards a small coastal town where they expected to find British patrols. As they entered the town .... F/U Car Engine Running : A.F.U. 2: " My God! The place is stiff with Italians. The boys can't have got here yet." A.F.U. 3: " Well, we can't go back now, what are we going to do about it ? " A.F.U. 2: "Put a good face on it, I suppose. We'd better find the Italian CO." Car Speeds Up : Narrator: An Italian conducted the three men to his commanding officer. They announced that the British Army was outside the town and called upon the garrison to surrender. To their immense surprise the Italian CO. at once gave in, and so, repeating that their Anu\ was about to enter, the three Englishmen left their prisoners to make a tour of inspection. F/U Noise of Smashing of Wood : Metal : Distant Explosions : A.F.U. 3 :" It ciMt ainh Looks as ii they'd mi up their minds to get out." A.F.U. 2: "And they're not going to leave much tor us. ( lan'1 we stop them destroj ing everything? " A.F.U. 3: " We can try. Ill talk to the officer. (rather slowly and clearly) Captain, you understand English?"