Film cans in New Zealand?

[Ed Brown]

i saw this report on a web site that this guy checked the NZ archives and found the film cans that once contained moonbase and ep 7 marco polo, but the contents were some other NZ show, did anyone think to check the records for the epiodes of the other show, maybe the Dr Who epidodes are in the cans of the epiodes found in the who can's, if u know what i mean?

[ethantyler]

This has been discussed before and I believe that most people agreed that it's likely the film cans were reused after the prints were destroyed.

[Jon Preddle]

ethantyler said:

This has been discussed before and I believe that most people agreed that it's likely the film cans were reused after the prints were destroyed.

The NZBC reused film cans over and over again over the years (and we're talking 25 years here boys and girls - 1960 to 1985!), and sometimes without changing the stickers or labels on them, so it's impossible to accurately trace the movements of the films within...

Jon

[Jeff Stone]

That doesn't mean the episodes weren't misfiled somewhere else in the place in other cans, of course.
It's entirely possible one or both are still there to this day. But we won't go down that road again, coz I nearly gor crucified last time I suggested having a bloody good hunt for them.

[B Thomas]

Jeff said:

That doesn't mean the episodes weren't misfiled somewhere else in the place in other cans, of course.
It's entirely possible one or both are still there to this day. But we won't go down that road again, coz I nearly gor crucified last time I suggested having a bloody good hunt for them.

...and as you may recall Jeff, Graham Howard did just that when he discovered the cans back in 1990. In addition he and Jon have spent hundreds of hours checking and re-checking NZBC/TVNZ (paperwork, artifacts, stock, you-name-it) many times over the last few years. Chances are: they're gone. Deal with it.

[Jon Preddle]

Jeff said:

That doesn't mean the episodes weren't misfiled somewhere else in the place in other cans, of course.
It's entirely possible one or both are still there to this day. But we won't go down that road again, coz I nearly gor crucified last time I suggested having a bloody good hunt for them.

"Still there to this day..." Still where? The warehouse in which the film cans were held back in 1990 has long since gone. TVNZ does not broadcast from film anymore (they haven't done so since 1985). They have no need to store film; they would have other uses for the space.

But it's possible, even if remotely, that some films were - how shall we say it politely - taken and now reside in private hands. But you have to realise that NZBC handled hundreds of thousands of films over a 25 year period, and they processed only 170 episodes of DW - some 0.03%!

I wouldn't even know where to begin to calculate the odds of how many other DWs might have survived!

Jon

[LanceM]

Very slim chances I would guess. But then who thought in december of 2003 that in the next few months a episode of the Daleks Masterplan would be recovered. That story was only sold to a handfull of nations, and the BBC destroyed thier masters. Yet we still have three episodes to watch and enjoy. Sometimes the impossible becomes possible, it is the fans and film collectors who make this happen.

Lance.

[Scott J.]

lancem said:

Very slim chances I would guess. But then who thought in december of 2003 that in the next few months a episode of the Daleks Masterplan would be recovered. That story was only sold to a handfull of nations, and the BBC destroyed thier masters. Yet we still have three episodes to watch and enjoy. Sometimes the impossible becomes possible, it is the fans and film collectors who make this happen.

Lance.

A handful of countries??
Only Australia and they never actually screened it surely or do you know something we don't?

[Wright Blan]

skarofighter1 said:

lancem said:

Very slim chances I would guess. But then who thought in december of 2003 that in the next few months a episode of the Daleks Masterplan would be recovered. That story was only sold to a handfull of nations, and the BBC destroyed thier masters. Yet we still have three episodes to watch and enjoy. Sometimes the impossible becomes possible, it is the fans and film collectors who make this happen.

Lance.

A handful of countries??
Only Australia and they never actually screened it surely or do you know something we don't?

According to the rumour mill around here, Boise Boy just might!

[Jeff Stone]

"Still there to this day..." Still where?

I don't bloody know where, do I?! You're the supposed expert, Jon. Sheesh. This may come as a shock, but I don't actually keep tabs on the status and locale of TVNZ's archive depositories!!

But it's possible, even if remotely, that some films were - how shall we say it politely - taken and now reside in private hands.

Call it what it is. They were stolen. And thank God they were. Imagine that, everyone; thieves rescuing fools from their own shortsightedness. Now that's black comedy for you. Speaking of comedy, I will never forgive the BBC for wiping Not Only But Also....that'll never turn up.

I wouldn't even know where to begin to calculate the odds of how many other DWs might have survived!

My repsonse to this is: why bother? If they exist, they'll turn up. If they don't, they won't. Statistical analysis in this case is not only pointless, but impossible. ;D

[Nicholas Cook]

I will just watch a recos instead

[Jeff Stone]

Chances are: they're gone. Deal with it.

Er, yes, Bevan. Deal with it. Riiiight.

I dunno about you, but the fact that TVNZ has probably long since thrown away those DW prints is not something I lose a great deal of sleep over. Not sure how to 'deal with' something so staggeringly trivial, really. They're very probably gone, yes, but until someone goes and has a look, we'll never know. Kudos to Jon and company for their dilligent efforts, but all the paperwork in the world will not find a film can no-one knew still existed stuck behind a filing cabinet or put in the wrong tin. And don't try and tell that hasn't happened, coz it has.

I'm actually a really nice guy in person, honest. Ask any of my one friend.

[B Thomas]

A really nice guy maybe - but one with a short memory...

Defcon3, Wellington, 1993. Someone crashed a hotel room with socks from hell. Just ask Ian MacLean...