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Post by stevej on Oct 12, 2018 18:03:23 GMT
I've been meaning to ask this for years! The clip below of Cilla performing 'Surround Yourself With Sorrow' (great disc!) on TOTP in 1969 features an optical effect where a graphic of a flower is lit in such a way as to 'animate' the petals and background in a very effective psychedelic way:
My question is how was this achieved? I've seen variations on this visual on various TOTP peformances of the late 6Os but can't figure out how they did it. Presumably two alternative lighting sources are used to produce the motion effect, but how was the transparency screen with the flower made to react to light in that way? I'm guessing it would have been an in-house creation by the BBC visual effects people and presumably therefore would be something comparatively simple and econmical to create.
Anyone know more?
Steve
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Post by Kev Mulrenan on Oct 12, 2018 18:17:52 GMT
Any help?
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Post by stevej on Oct 12, 2018 18:34:22 GMT
Hi Kev, yes I've seen that clip. It's fascinating isn't it? I think the difference is that on the Cilla performance, very specific areas of the graphic design are made to illuminate alternately, which I'm not sure the equipment in the TW clip could achieve from a distance. I'm hoping someone can explain!
Steve
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Post by Kev Mulrenan on Oct 12, 2018 19:02:11 GMT
The Roobarbs forum would be a good bet.
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Post by Sue Butcher on Oct 13, 2018 10:10:07 GMT
There's a similar effect in Yellow Submarine, "It's All Too Much" I think. My guess is the flowers were made of panels of polarised filter material set at different angles, illuminated from behind through a rotating polarised filter. Or it could have been done with coloured filters, this would look much the same in black and white.
Thanks for the clip, Kev. Wasn't Tomorrow's World great in them days!
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Post by stevej on Oct 13, 2018 12:01:26 GMT
My guess is the flowers were made of panels of polarised filter material set at different angles, illuminated from behind through a rotating polarised filter. I was thinking along similar lines, Sue. I'm sure that must be how it was done.
Nice to see the Tremeloes in what is no doubt a long lost TOTP performance on the TW clip!
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Post by petercheck on Oct 13, 2018 13:23:57 GMT
Nice to see the Tremeloes in what is no doubt a long lost TOTP performance on the TW clip!
This is a rehearsal for the 25-12-67 ‘Top Of The Pops’ episode. |
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SydV
Member
Posts: 203
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Post by SydV on Oct 13, 2018 14:33:23 GMT
A bit OT but it almost appears that if you were a British female artist with a few big hits in those days, you automatically got handed a TV series and guaranteed exposure on other shows such as TOTP for at least 5 years. Even Judith Durham got her own special as late as 1970 (nothing wrong with her but she wasn't exactly a big personality). If Sharon Tandy had gone around telling people she was British rather than South African, she'd have probably got one too. Julie Driscoll fronted a serious rock act for which she should have been almost completely ignored by TV like every decent rock artist was, save for an odd wiped appearance on "How it is" or "Colour me pop", but no - she ends up as the resident singer on David Frost's show. Of all the folk artists out there, they pick Julie Felix. Maybe the male artists (Cliff aside obviously) wouldn't have wanted to do it, but it's an odd phenomena of the period.
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Post by Greg H on Oct 13, 2018 17:10:18 GMT
Interestingly (to me anyway) as fan of both who and TOTPs, the effect mentioned by Steve looks suspiciously like the one used in the Tomb of the the Cybermen, towards the end of episode one, as I recall in the target practice room or whatever it is called. Similar sort of time frame as well.
I wonder if they were achieved the same way or if it is just a superficial similarity?
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Post by stevej on Oct 13, 2018 20:20:18 GMT
Nice to see the Tremeloes in what is no doubt a long lost TOTP performance on the TW clip!
This is a rehearsal for the 25-12-67 ‘Top Of The Pops’ episode. Thanks Peter! |
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Post by garygraham on Oct 14, 2018 6:28:16 GMT
It could be done with two slide projectors. Slides with an identical design in both but with different coloured areas. Then some sort of wheel spinning in front of the two lenses, masking out corresponding parts of each in turn.
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