The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

July, 1953 THE CINE-TECHNICIAN 89 TECHNICIANS' CORONATION TRIUMPH BRITISH technicians received world acclaim for their coverage of the coronation : black and white newsreels, and the three colour films produced of the event were highly praised. Three colour films produced were : the J. Arthur Rank film, A Queen is Crowned, in Technicolor; A. B. Pathe's Elizabeth is Queen, described as in " Warnercolor," photographed on Eastman colour negative and printed on Eastman colour positive; and British Movietone's Coronation Day. The speed at which the films were processed and prints supplied was an all-time record for colour. A brief account of the handling of A.B. Pathe's Elizabeth is Queen gives a good idea of the work involved, and the magnificent achievement of A.C.T.'s members in all Labs. Negative started to arrive at the Laboratories from noon on the day of the Coronation, and continued to come in in batches until approximately 7 p.m. The total footage shot was approximately 20,000 feet. All this was developed immediately on its arrival with the last piece coming off the machines at 9 p.m. Black and white rush prints were made of the complete footage and delivered to Associated British Pathe at intervals by special transport. During the waiting period, prior to the arrival of the black and white cutting copies, the negative was broken down to individual scenes and catalogued ready for negative cutting. Associated British Pathe carried out the editorial work of their first section in one of the Laboratory cutting rooms, and handed over this first cut section of black and white cutting copy with astonishing rapidity, and was with us for negative cutting at 10 p.m. The negative was cut and grading commenced, and soon afterwards the first section was being printed. Further sections of finished cutting copy were sent to the Laboratories at intervals until the final portion arrived at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, 3rd June. The first complete copy of the film was seen by Denham at 7 a.m. Thursday morning, and a full copy was screened for the producer, Mr. Howard Thomas, at 8.30 a.m. at the Laboratories. This was then taken to London and screened there at 10.30 a.m. for the Associated British Pathe executives, Sales Department and Editorial Department. This same copy was later shown to the Press. The release schedule was based on a good many assumptions, and virtually seemed an impossible task, but three further copies were delivered before noon on Thursday, followed up by 19 further copies which were delivered early on Friday morning for the London Newsreel theatres, and a further 42 copies the same day. Saturday's deliveries amounted ACT ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING — > to 88 copies, and Sunday's were 101, making a total of 254 copies in what amounted to four days and nights. This more than took care of the immediate wants of the Distribution Company and gave them an easy twelve-hour lead on what they anticipated. During the next three days the remaining 160 copies were delivered, which brings it to a grand total of 410 copies printed and processed in seven days and nights, using well over 2,000,000 feet of Eastmancolor print material. The technicials of Denham Laboratories have every reason to be exceptionally proud of this achievement, for it may be truly said that to have done this in black and white would have been a creditable effort, but to have done it so successfully in colour, and with such excellent colour quality, is truly amazing. For the record, Cine gives a provisional list of technicians responsible for the J. Arthur Rank film, A Queen is Crowned (full credits for all films will be published later) : Producer: Castleton Knight; Assistants to the Producer: Roy Drew (Editorial), Harold Bromige, Humphrey Fisher; Camera Crews: Geoffrey Unsworth, John Ian Gordon Craig, Neil Binney, Stanley Sayer, Derek Whitehurst, H. Kotze, Rodney Anstiss, Eugene Hague, John Jordan, Hubert Salisbury, Ernest Tiley, Kenneth Gray, Alexander Thomson, Cyril Knowles, Ernest Day, James Body, John Marlow, Leslie Werschker, Cedric Williams, Anthony Lewis, Peter Allwork, Ron Cross, Walter Pink, Charles Smith, Frank Kingston, James Welch, Michael Brandt, Peter Nash, James Bawden, Denis Bartlett, Anthony Spratling, Peter Cannon, John Prynne, Ron Miller, Peter Harman, Peter Saddington; Titles and Special Effects: A. Urry; Editorial: Sid Stone, Geo. Clarke, Stephen Rowson, John Morris, John Lodge, Martin Harris, W. Rowe, J. J. O'Kelly, T. Pullen; Sound: Ken Cameron, Ron Abbott, A. Witcomb, Reg. Margheritas, A. Bushnell, P. Jeffrey, C. Bouvet, D. Hurring, H. Benson, Jock May; Projection: S. Hawkins, W. Lomas; Editorial: A. Casselden, K. Moffat, R. Floyd. A 3-D film in Eastmancolor of the Coronation procession was made by A. B. Pathe in association with Stereo-Techniques, for inclusion in a film Coronation England. Shape of things to come was perhaps indicated by the experimental television transmission of the Coronation in colour to the Children's Hospital, the result of a tie-up between Paramount subsidiary Chromatic Television Laboratories, and Pye Limited. Pictures were received on TV. sets, and on a large screen. Reports suggest that the colour was vivid on the small screens, but less clearly defined on the large screen. Determination .