Page 10 - RD_2023-09

TV was confined to
the studio with
outside broadcasts
requiring an
expensive and
cumbersome OB
Van. News, current
affairs and
commercials were
shot with 35mm
movie cameras in
Britain and the
Empire with some
16mm being used
for documentaries.
In America the
advantages of 16mm
were quickly
appreciated with
B&H Filmos and
Bolex H16 cameras in great
demand. The weak link in
the chain was the telecine
equipment required to
convert the film image to a
scanned TV signal. Some
image quality was lost in the
process.

The rapid expansion of
16mm in TV was an
exciting time for those of us
who had some experience
with its use, to the extent
that a couple of my mates
struck gold in a big way
thanks to their knowledge and experience. I too found my future was further enriched
with an offer to join Crawford Productions as senior film editor on their pioneering TV
series Homicide and others that followed together with editing and directing the
company’s documentaries. All the location work was shot on 16mm Film.

Above: Again in the early ‘60s this modified 16mm Auricon Cine Voice single system sound camera
with 400 Ft. magazine could record either optical or magnetic sound in a fully blimped body complete
with a Zoom Lens, revolutionized documentary and TV news production. How I lusted after one of
these.

10 REEL DEALS September 2023