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Post by Philip Hindley on Oct 29, 2009 11:37:20 GMT
I read somewhere sometime back that it was common practice that a guy used to take photographs off a TV screen with pretty good results. I think some of these have been used as the only surviving bits off lost tv programmes such as A for Andromeda,those photos in the Penguin book of THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT are they from telesnaps or rehearsals? There was only the one photograph of the thing in Westminster Abbey for years, until an edition of TV ZONE some years ago featured another shot of the thing, where did this originate from? could there be more shots of the thing?  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2009 11:43:17 GMT
I've no idea as regards specific Quatermass photos but the person you are probably referring to is John Cura, who was the man to hire if you wanted off-screen stills of a production. Many were taken over the years (I doubt anyone has a full list of what he did) including a wide variety of BBC series. Many have been used over the years in reconstructions of Doctor Who stories in cases where only audio survives.
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Post by Greg H on Oct 29, 2009 12:37:24 GMT
I suppose its an interesting thought. Do we know what year Cura started offering his services to the industry? i didnt think he was doing it as early as the Quatermass experiment, but I could be wrong.
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Post by Philip Hindley on Oct 29, 2009 16:36:32 GMT
Ah... thats the guy, thanks for your help anyway.
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Post by Jonathan E Coley on Oct 29, 2009 16:44:44 GMT
He was working as early as the quatermass experiment, and its almost certain he would have taken them, but its also almost entirely certain that they were destroyed along with the rest of his archive after his death.
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Post by Greg H on Oct 29, 2009 17:21:09 GMT
What an immense pity. Its a shame there wasnt some way for his stuff to be archived, but it would have been difficult to find them a home I expect and their value probably wouldnt have been realised. John cura was independent wasnt he? I didnt know he was making telesnaps that early. You learn something new every day  Who knows. Cura sets do turn up from time to time dont they. It would be almost too good if they turned up for some of the missing Kneale programs........ |
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Post by StevePhillips on Oct 29, 2009 22:45:10 GMT
If you want the full chapter-and-verse on Cura, get the omnibus issue of "Nothing At The End Of The Lane" ( www.nothing-lane.co.uk/omnibus.php) and you'll know everything you need to know.... |
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Post by Richard Bignell on Oct 30, 2009 8:11:50 GMT
I suppose its an interesting thought. Do we know what year Cura started offering his services to the industry? i didnt think he was doing it as early as the Quatermass experiment, but I could be wrong. Cura first started taking his tele-snaps in 1947. And thanks for the magazine plug, Steve!  Richard |
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Post by John Green on Mar 1, 2015 15:46:22 GMT
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Post by johnstewart on Mar 1, 2015 17:57:41 GMT
I read somewhere sometime back that it was common practice that a guy used to take photographs off a TV screen with pretty good results. I think some of these have been used as the only surviving bits off lost tv programmes such as A for Andromeda,those photos in the Penguin book of THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT are they from telesnaps or rehearsals? There was only the one photograph of the thing in Westminster Abbey for years, until an edition of TV ZONE some years ago featured another shot of the thing, where did this originate from? could there be more shots of the thing? So far as I know they were actually taken off the live broadcast off screen of 'Quatermass experiment'. A selection were published in the centre spread of a paperback I recall being out in the 1980s which had a blue cover. They included shots of the astronaut with disfigured arm hiding in vegatation on an island and the complete giant creature engulfing Westminster Abbey. That was the cut up rubber glove write Nigel Kneale said he manipulated offscreen for the effect. At least we know those shots survive even if the negatives were later destroyed. Apparently John Cura was a freelance hired in to photograph telesnaps offscreen of productions so they were available for sale to Directors or programme producers who worked on them. Amongst the other programmes I've seen telesnaps of are early editions of 'Z Cars', various 1968-69 entries to the Schools series 'scene' and 'Dr Who'. He photographed every 'Who' episode up until 'Mind Robber', so the telesnaps cease for most of Troughtons third season. That's why we have the others though. Apparently he took telesnaps of series 3 of 'Out of the unknown' also, but these had disappeared from Producer Alan Bromlys collection when it was later researched. Some of the 'Z cars' and 'scene' are also missing entries. |
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Post by George D on Mar 1, 2015 21:41:15 GMT
If the quarter mass book publisher had telesnaps,perhaps they should be reached out to?
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Post by Richard Bignell on Mar 1, 2015 21:49:04 GMT
If the quarter mass book publisher had telesnaps,perhaps they should be reached out to? They're not tele-snaps. |
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Post by johnstewart on Mar 4, 2015 20:28:24 GMT
Thanks, wasn't aware of that but I assumed they were as they appeared to depict the Actors in action and make up? Would I be right to assume then they were taken either during the broadcast or last camera rehearsal before broadcast?
Seem to think the paperbacks were published by Pan books or a subsidary. I believe they were 3. I had the first c. 1982. They covered the 3 1950s Quatermass shows.
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