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Post by Neil Hendry on Sept 6, 2015 10:39:07 GMT
Just a reminder that some companies (BBC especially though not exclusively) often referred to all recording of TV (film or VT) as telerecording so that Wembley studio conversion could have been for film recording, VTR or both. Thanks for the comment Brian - I wasn't aware that the BBC and others used the term telerecording in a more general way. I have some information from an ABC cameraman who discusses 'telerecording' from his perspective which will add to this discussion. |
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Post by Neil Hendry on Sept 6, 2015 10:40:47 GMT
I've carried out a bit more research on the background of the Wembley Studios and RTV programme production in the 'early years' by RTV. Timeline Summary - Key Dates
1954 - RTV awarded franchise for London weekdays 1954-1955 - Wembley Studios and Television House acquired 22 September 1955 - RTV's first broadcast 1956 - The Ampex VRX-1000 becomes the world's first commercially successful Video Tape Recorder (VTR) 1956 - Wembley Studio 3 closed and later converted into a 'telerecording area' 29 May 1957 - RTV Hong Kong begins broadcasting 27 December 1957 - Peter Sellers double-bill broadcast in London (Snowball/Birdwatcher) The information below provides a bit more background on all of this. Wembley Studios - BackgroundThe Wembley studios started film production in 1927. When RTV was awarded the London weekday franchise by the ITV in 1954 they initiated purchase of the studios, completed in either late 1954 or early 1955. RTV's first broadcast was on 22 September 1955. Bit more information here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_Studios"The site was first owned by British Incorporated Pictures in 1927, but various projects were short-lived and the American Fox Film Company leased the studio for the production of their 'quota quickies' at the facility, prior to acquiring the studio outright in 1936. A change in the law in 1938 led 20th Century Fox to use other studios, but they retained ownership and Fox leased their Wembley studios to the military (during the war) and intermittently to independents.
The television studios were built by Associated-Rediffusion and opened in 1960. Their size and unique design attracted worldwide attention. Associated-Rediffusion were ITV weekday broadcasters for London."
Redeveloped is probably a better term than 'built'. Origins of RTVBit more on the origins of RTV here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITV_(TV_network)#Historyen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated-Rediffusion#FormationThe origins of ITV lie in the passing of the Television Act 1954, designed to break the monopoly on television held by the BBC Television Service.......The first six franchises were awarded in 1954 for London, the Midlands and the North of England, with separate franchises for Weekdays and Weekends. The first ITV network to launch was London's Associated-Rediffusion on 22 September 1955, with the Midlands and North services launching in February 1956 and May 1956 respectively. Following these launches, the ITA awarded more franchises until the whole country was covered by a regional station, totalling fourteen, with all stations launched by 1962.
RTV - Production In The Early Yearsen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated-Rediffusion#Studios"The company's administrative headquarters and transmission facilities were at Television House in Kingsway, London. Most programmes were produced at Wembley Studios in north-west London. However, a small basement studio at Television House, Studio 9, was occasionally used for current affairs programmes and was home to Ready Steady Go! during its first few years."
So it seems likely that Peter Sellers double bill was produced at Wembley Studios. The extract above states that transmission facilities were at Television House in Kingsway - which raises the question of whether the Peter Sellers double bill (Snowball/Birdwatcher) could have been transmitted live. Did RTV have transmission facilities at Wembley Studios - or was it used for production only? If it is the latter, it would suggest that the plays would have had to have been recorded for transmission later. As mentioned in previous posts, VTR technology became more widely available in 1956 for TV networks. But there would have been a period of transition to this format and I've not seen any evidence that RTV had that capability in 1956 or exactly when they obtained it. Did they have VTR in time for Peter Sellers double bill - broadcast on 27 December 1956? What is known is that RTV had film capability at the outset, when they started broadcasting on 22 September 1955. Telerecordings - ABC + ITN and RTVHere's a bit of background from the practices at ABC in 1961 - from one of the cameramen involved - and his use of the term 'telerecording': "At that time video recording tape was relatively very expensive and many programmes were re-cycled very quickly as overseas sales were not a big deal. Remember that at that time 405 lines was the transmission standard, tapes did not copy very well and most sales were on 16mm telerecordings, in themselves not very good !
Iris/ABC did not have telerecording kit and I would suspect they were done at ITN who were very big into film ( for portability ) and telerecording at the time."
He mentions ITN having 'telerecording kit', which in this context at least seems to suggest it's more than just film or VTR recording capability; that's it's the transfer of VTR tapes into a film format. ITN were based in a studio at RTV's headquarters - Television House in Kingsway, London. Perhaps this influenced RTV's decision to close Studio 3 at Wembley in 1956, for conversion later into a 'telerecording area'? |
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Post by Neil Hendry on Sept 6, 2015 10:41:22 GMT
More information on where RTV kept it's archives. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated-Rediffusion#StudiosTelevision House had been known as Adastral House when it was the headquarters of the Air Ministry. This gave its name to A-R's logo, the 16-point Adastral Star, which appeared not only at the start and end of each commercial break but also between each advertisement. (The motto of the Royal Air Force is "per ardua, ad astra" - "through adversity to the stars".) The station's archives were also kept at these properties, with the original programme library situated on the roof of Television House with some storage in the film vaults at Wembley Studios. |
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Post by Ken Griffin on Sept 9, 2015 9:16:05 GMT
As mentioned in previous posts, VTR technology became more widely available in 1956 for TV networks. But there would have been a period of transition to this format and I've not seen any evidence that RTV had that capability in 1956 or exactly when they obtained it. Did they have VTR in time for Peter Sellers double bill - broadcast on 27 December 1957? The answer is no. VTR technology was initially the sole preserve of US television networks. The original Ampex standard could only accommodate monochrome 525-line pictures. The technology subsequently had to adapted for colour and other line standards. Colour came first as several US networks were clamoring for it and then attention shifted to export orders. The first European Ampex units were purchased by none other than Rediffusion. The units arrived in the UK in May 1958 and were very quickly commissioned. Its first VTR transmission was an episode of This Week. Prior to this, the only VTR units in Europe were the BBC's VERA prototypes. In terms of ABC and telerecording, I think the production staff member you spoke to is mistaken. ABC had telerecording facilities from the outset - that's why, for example, some pre-1958 Armchair Theatres still survive. While ITN did have extensive telerecording facilities, they seem to have been of the quick and dirty kind due to the requirements of newsgathering and stock footage sales. |
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Post by Neil Hendry on Sept 9, 2015 13:05:00 GMT
The answer is no. VTR technology was initially the sole preserve of US television networks...... That's great information - thanks for sharing Ken. It certainly helps with filling in some of the gaps on this thread for that period. When you mention, 'some pre-1958 Armchair Theatres still survive...' were those episodes recorded by ABC on film? Assuming ABC didn't have VTR then either? I think the comment from the ABC contact was referring to telerecording of VTR episodes (to enable the VTR tapes to be reused). I understand telerecording is open to interpretation as a term as highlighted by Brian in an earlier post. missingepisodes.proboards.com/post/133927/thread |
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Post by Ken Griffin on Sept 9, 2015 19:59:04 GMT
When you mention, 'some pre-1958 Armchair Theatres still survive...' were those episodes recorded by ABC on film? Assuming ABC didn't have VTR then either? They were telerecorded off-air from live transmissions. I don't think that ABC had VTR facilities until 1959. |
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Post by Peter Stirling on Sept 9, 2015 22:43:38 GMT
As mentioned in other threads I think?- the independent producer Harry Towers (Towers of London Productions) had the wheeze in the early 50s that he could make cheap feature films by using the multi camera electronic studio environment and then telerecord to 35mm film for cinemas. To pass them off that they were more expensive than they were, he experimented with an early form of HD which in this case was special Pye cameras that could resolve 1000 lines or more.
When ITV started he found a ready made market for them and many of these were used in the early Television Playhouse series....so maybe something to be considered with the Peter Sellars' plays... or not?
Regarding Armchair Theatre in the 1950s -some of them must have been pre-recorded before transmission as a couple of them got banned from transmission? Lord Arthur Saville's Crime was a hasty replacement for 'Three on a gas ring' which was banned.
Another telerecording/VTR tale.......RTV made a VTR of the opera version of 'Turn of the Screw' , they also made a 16mm TR for viewings outside the studio. However the first telerecording was deemed as a unsatisfactory quality so they made another. The first recording was supposed to have been junked.
The VTR was played out on transmission on Xmas Day 59 and then Boosey &Hawkes (who owned the music rights) said they had only paid for one viewing and consequently the VTR was erased and the telerecording junked....meanwhile the original unsatisfactory telerecording had found its way into private hands and survives to this day.
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Post by Neil Hendry on Sept 10, 2015 11:58:04 GMT
The information on when VTR technology arrived is the UK and when RTV (and ABC) started using it for recording/ transmission is really useful. Thanks.
Peter - the information on RTV's 1959 production of The Turn of the Screw also confirms what I understand of their shift in practice with the introduction of VTR technology. That programmes were recorded and broadcast from the VTR tapes, but that 16mm telerecorded copies were also being made at the same time for the purposes of archiving/ overseas sales. More on this below. This seems to tie in with the closing of Studio 3 at Wembley in 1956 so that it could be converted into a telerecording area. Thanks also the information on mid-50's ABC's Armchair Theatre productions. Be useful to know more about the format in which they were recorded/ transmitted - given that they were pre-video. If the Peter Sellers double-bill from 1957 was also recorded, might it be in a similar format?
This all helps in trying to understand more about how the production, recording (or not...) and transmission of RTV programmes changed over time - and the various practices and formats involved.
Pre-VTR and VTR Eras at RTV
There seems to be the pre-VTR era at RTV (up until May 1958) and the VTR era (post May 1958). I am still trying to find out more about how RTV operated before they started using videotape. These notes refer more to the VTR era.
With the arrival of VTR the way programmes were recorded and broadcast changed. Videotapes were also being used for transmission purposes.
If a programme was to be preserved then, it had to be copied to film before the videotapes were wiped/ reused. This seems to be why most of the RTV archive material that has survived from the VTR era is on 16mm film rather than videotape.
[BTW I know that some ABC shows were still transmitted live in the early 60's but many of these were also recorded at the same time onto videotape].
ABC TV used Global Television Services (GTS) for overseas sales of their programmes in the 60's. GTS were a subsisidiary of RTV and so of course also acted on behalf of RTV for their overseas sales. For overseas sales the programmes needed to be transferred onto film so that the format was compatible for transmission in other countries that didn't use our 405 lines standard. Even though the quality of these film copies was not always great! (see the anecdotes below).
[It's possible that ABC TV used the services of RTV to carry out the transfer of their videotapes onto 16mm film - co-ordinated by GTS - but I still need to find some evidence for this. The comment below by the cameraman mentions that Iris Productions (subsidiary of ABC TV) didn't have telerecording capability in the early 60's - the term telerecording used here for videotape to 16mm film transfer].
Although the following anecdotes are from staff at ABC TV, they may help with understanding how shows were recorded/ broadcasted when VTR technology arrived.
1. Camerman at Iris Productions/ ABC TV
"I joined Iris Productions [subsidiary of ABC TV] at Teddington in June 1960 and I have (very !) vague memories of the early Avengers series. They were before Howard Steele’s rebuild and were almost certainly shot in what was latterly Studio 2.
At that time either Mike or myself would have recorded them and I’m pretty sure they were shot ‘as live’ for transmission fairly soon after the recording ( for some programmes the same day was not unusual ). At that time video recording tape was relatively very expensive and many programmes were re-cycled very quickly as overseas sales were not a big deal. Remember that at that time 405 lines was the transmission standard, tapes did not copy very well and most sales were on 16mm telerecordings, in themselves not very good!
Iris/ABC did not have telerecording kit and I would suspect they were done at ITN."
2. Boom Operator - Iris Productions/ ABC TV
And some recollections sent to me by a boom microphone operator at Iris Productions/ ABC TV on recording The Avengers Series 1:
"Because we recorded those early episodes either on Telecine or very early 2" video tape recorders, if ANY mistake occurred during any one act (about 15-20 minutes) we had to go back to the start of that act all over again, particularly as the cost of cutting (with an anti-magnetic razor blade) that tape (which cost around £80 each then) then made that tape unuseable in the future! Ah! Those were the days, when actors and technical staff did all that they could to ensure that the very first 'transmission take' was perfect!"
Timeline Summary - Key Dates (Updated)
1954 - RTV awarded franchise for London weekdays
1954-1955 - Wembley Studios and Television House acquired
22 September 1955 - RTV's first broadcast
1956 - The Ampex VRX-1000 becomes the world's first commercially successful Video Tape Recorder (VTR)
1956 - Wembley Studio 3 closed and later converted into a 'telerecording area'
29 May 1957 - RTV Hong Kong begins broadcasting
27 December 1957 - Peter Sellers double-bill broadcast in London (Snowball/Birdwatcher)
May 1958 - First European Ampex units - purchased by Rediffusion - arrive in the UK and are very quickly commissioned. RTV's first VTR transmission was an episode of This Week
[1959 - ABC now have VTR capability]
December 25 1959 - RTV transmit 'Turn Of The Screw' recorded on and transmitted from VTR/ tape.
2 x 16mm telerecorded copies made of the show by RTV. One destroyed/ one survives in a private collection
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Post by Neil Hendry on Sept 12, 2015 9:20:31 GMT
1. London Playhouse, ITV Television Playhouse + Peter Sellers Double Bill ('Snowball/ Birdwatcher')RTV (then Associated-Rediffusion) produced - mainly - 60 minute plays which were transmitted weekly on Thursdays between 9-10pm. These RTV's plays were part of the originally titled "London Playhouse" (29 September 1955 to 1 March 1956). The programme then changed it's name to ITV Television Playhouse on 8th March 1956 (ITV Television Playhouse listed occasionally as 'Television Theatre'). The plays for ITV Television Playhouse were produced by Associated-Rediffusion (name changed to Rediffusion London in 1964) and various other ITV regions. In total it ran for 12 seasons until 1966-1967. The Peter Sellers Double Bill was part of the ITV Television Playhouse Season Two and was transmitted on 27 December 1956. What's interesting is that the BFI hold several of RTV's early London Playhouse productions from 1955-1956 and these are all recorded on 16mm and 35mm film BW positives and negatives - which seems to suggest that these TV plays at least were pre-recorded before transmission. Whilst it's not proof that the Sellers plays were also recorded before transmission - it strongly suggests that they would have been too. This also seems to tally with the fact that the Wembley Studios were mainly used for production and Television House, Kingsway was used for transmission. Example of one of these early London Playhouse TV plays:The Inward Eye - Broadcast 10 November 1955 (BFI have 16mm and 35mm in their archive) --> collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150473003The BFI also hold several of RTV's ITV Television Playhouse plays from 1959. These are obviously post-Sellers double bill and after RTV had acquired their first VTR's in May 1958. These TV Play archives are in 16mm and videotape format: A Bit Of Happiness - Broadcast 24 April 1959 ( BFI have Umatic Low Band - Video - 405 in their archive) --> collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150050189Oggie - Broadcast 13 November 1959 (BFI have 16mm combined in their archive) --> collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150028919The website links below list all the plays for the first two seasons. The site has data/ listings on all 12 seasons. London Playhouse - Season One - 1955-1956--> ctva.biz/UK/ITV/ITV_TelevisionPlayhouse_01_(1955-56).htmITV Television Playhouse - Season Two - 1956-1957 (containing Peter Sellers episode) --> ctva.biz/UK/ITV/ITV_TelevisionPlayhouse_02_(1956-57).htm___________________________________________________________ 2. RTV Opening Night Footage - 22 September 1955
Other example of early programmes recorded onto 16mm and 35mm film - these from RTV's first night of broadcast The BFI hold Associated-Rediffusion's (RTV's) original footage of ITV's Opening ceremony entitled 'The Ceremony at the Guildhall' on 16mm and 35mm film --> collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150677741The BFI also holds Associated-Rediffusion's (RTV) original footage of ITV's Opening Night entitled 'Gala Night at the Mayfair' on 35mm film --> collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150677795___________________________________________________________ 3. Double Your Money - Broadcast 19 September 1955 The information below is about another early programme and the archive formats - held by the BFI. Double Your Money was a quiz show with Hughie Green) Trying to 'build a picture' of how the early programmes were produced/ recorded/ transmitted by RTV - to see how they could have survived/ been archived: Some evidence that RTV had telerecording capability in 1955: --> collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150001509 35mm Original Negative - Safety - Sound - 2518 Feet - Stock date: 1955 - - C-44384 35mm Original Telerecorded Negative - Safety - Mute - 2518 Feet - Stock date: 1955 - - C-44385 ___________________________________________________________
4. RTV ArchiveSo from the very outset (i.e. opening night on 22 September 1955), RTV were telerecording live transmissions onto film or recording programmes on film beforehand for transmission later. When the VTR technology arrived at RTV in May 1958, it seems that they had also invested in the capability of 'telerecording' the videotapes onto 16mm film - for the purposes of archiving and/ or overseas sales by their subsidiary - Global Television Services. The extent to which their programming was recorded/ archived onto film is another question that needs answering - but it seems clear that they viewed much of their output as an asset to be kept, rather than as 'disposable' television. How long this archived material was kept by RTV is yet another question! Were there periodic clear-outs of archived material at RTV, even before they joined with ABC TV to form Thames TV in 1968? We know that the RTV archive material which did survive to 1968 was largely saved due to the efforts of John Johnson - who worked for Global Television Services (a subsidiary of RTV). John Johnson had been told by RTV that he could save the archive as long as it didn't cost RTV/ BET (RTV's parent company) anything! John Johnson arranged for the RTV archive to be transferred to a warehouse in Chiswick, but he still had to find a creative way for RTV to pay for the storage without them knowing! The payments were hidden within the accounting for 'overseas sales' - which was the responsibilty of Global Television Services. When Global Television Services was closed in 1971, John Johnson had to find a new home for the archive as he no longer had the power to divert funds to pay for the warehouse. In 1972 he approached the BFI and after lengthy negotiations, persuaded them to take a certain percentage of the archive. What happened to the remaining material that the BFI didn't take is the big question. Chris Perry of Kaleidoscope mentioned this to me which is particularly interesting: 'John Johnson always hinted that 'shedloads of film' was taken away privately rather than be junked but I don't know how true that was.' See post: --> missingepisodes.proboards.com/post/133530/thread___________________________________________________________ 5. Useful RTV Information With History + Early TV Schedules/ Listingswww.78rpm.co.uk/ar.htmwww2.tv-ark.org.uk/itvlondon/rediffusion-main.html
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Post by Richard Marple on Sept 12, 2015 20:58:19 GMT
I did wonder if AR/RTV recorded some of the earlier material to film so it could be shown by other ITV companies who couldn't show it when networked due to an opt-out or something similar.
Also maybe they were looking to the USA where many older programmes were already being syndicated in off-peak slots & assumed there was a market for this with the other companies.
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Post by richardfitzgerald on Sept 12, 2015 23:54:06 GMT
This thread prompted me to buy the online version of The Kaleidoscope ITV drama guide (something I should have done years ago and which I would highly recommend to anyone else who hasn't yet bought a copy). While the Sellers episodes are listed as junked, there is no indication of what format they were originally shown in i.e live or pre-recorded. But a separate entry for the Play of the Week strand gives a tantalising piece of information from producer & director Peter Graham Scott's memoir:
So the Sellers plays also directed by Peter Graham Scott two months later could theoretically have been telerecorded even if they had been mounted live to air.
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Post by Neil Hendry on Sept 13, 2015 6:45:56 GMT
I did wonder if AR/RTV recorded some of the earlier material to film so it could be shown by other ITV companies who couldn't show it when networked due to an opt-out or something similar. Also maybe they were looking to the USA where many older programmes were already being syndicated in off-peak slots & assumed there was a market for this with the other companies. Yes, these are good points Richard and I am sure AR/RTV viewed their output as an asset that could be sold within the UK to other ITV regions as well. Whether this happened with the very early RTV programmes - when ITV had only 'just started' - needs a bit more research. But RTV was a commercial company whose board of directors would have had to answer to their parent company BET. That's why I am not surprised that there is increasing evidence that early programmes were recorded. RTV had to focus on revenue generation as well as producing great programmes. AR/RTV and the other ITV RegionsI carried out a search for 'Television Playhouse' on the BFI Advanced Search. It brings up numerous listings of plays produced by several different ITV regions - all for the Thursday 9pm-10pm slot of ITV Television Playhouse. It seems that the original title of 'London Playhouse' covered plays just produced by RTV and broadcast to the London Region. In March 1956 the programme changed it's name to ITV Television Playhouse - which is significant as other ITV regions then started producing plays as well as Associated-Rediffusion. It reflects a more collaborative approach between some of the regions. See: --> ctva.biz/UK/ITV/ITV_TelevisionPlayhouse.htm"Rotating contributions by Granada/ Associated-Redifussion/ ATV for the ITV network..."These plays were then shown in these other ITV regions as well as RTV's London area. Other regions in the ITV network may also have included the plays in their programming but this needs more research. The transmission times seem to be the same across the regions which either suggests that several copies had to be made or they all used some kind of network feed - but I am not sure whether that would have been possible across a number of ITV regions? Peter Sellers double-bill was produced and broadcast in Season Two - after the programme had been renamed as ITV Television Playhouse. It was produced by AR/RTV but it is quite possible that it was also shown in other ITV regions as well. This is only one example, but I know that ABC and others also produced programmes which were shown by other ITV regions - either at the same time or later. USA and Overseas
Your mention of the USA market potential reminded me of a message I received from a former ABC Cameraman - commenting on programmes from the late 50's/ early 60's "...not surprised that these programmes are surfacing in the States – they would probably have been the only customers at the time as they had a voracious appetite for programme time even then!" Add to that the involvement of RTV's subsidiary - Global Television Services (GTS) - who were responsible for their overseas marketing and sales. GTS were certainly active in the early 60's - it would be interesting to know when the company first formed and started operations. Also worth bearing in mind that RTV also set up the first commercial TV station in Hong Kong - which opened in May 1957. And that other countries - including those in the Commonwealth - were all developing their fledgling TV services at this time as well. There is a lot of evidence, for example, of many RTV programmes airing in Australia The demand for programmes to fill air-time was certainly not just a domestic issue and the global potential market was developing fast. |
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Post by Neil Hendry on Sept 13, 2015 7:35:12 GMT
This thread prompted me to buy the online version of The Kaleidoscope ITV drama guide (something I should have done years ago and which I would highly recommend to anyone else who hasn't yet bought a copy). While the Sellers episodes are listed as junked, there is no indication of what format they were originally shown in i.e live or pre-recorded. But a separate entry for the Play of the Week strand gives a tantalising piece of information from producer & director Peter Graham Scott's memoir: So the Sellers plays also directed by Peter Graham Scott two months later could theoretically have been telerecorded even if they had been mounted live to air. Thanks for the heads-up on The Kaleidoscope ITV Drama Guide. That's a really interesting piece of information Richard. So assuming Peter Graham Scott was not mistaken, all RTV programming/ transmission prior to 10 October 1956 was live and - in some instances for which we have evidence - telerecorded onto film. Also interesting to see that early on, RTV were using recorded programmes for repeats. The BFI hold RTV plays from London Playhouse Season One (1955/1956) that are on film so we know that they were telerecording their plays in 1955 - and it seems now that these early plays were transmitted live. So yes, there is every chance that the Sellers double-bill could have been pre-recorded for transmission on 27 December 1956 or - as you say - at the very least, telerecorded from live transmission. |
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Post by Neil Hendry on Sept 13, 2015 9:47:20 GMT
Redifussion - Wembley Studios Visitor Booklet (Published April 1967)This original document - reproduced on the Transdiffusion website - gives a fantastic snapshot of RTV's technical and operational capability in 1967. The website is well worth a visit: --> www.transdiffusion.org/Links and extracts from the articles below. Inside Wembley Studios - Part One--> www.transdiffusion.org/2004/01/01/wembley1Extracts: "Rediffusion Television receives no public funds, the programmes being financed entirely by the sale of advertisement time. Advertisements appear between programmes and in natural breaks within them. They may not occupy more than 10% of all transmission time."
RTV also derived income from overseas sales/ programme sales. and: "The company’s headquarters are at Television House, Kingsway, in central London where there are four small studios used mainly for current affairs programmes and also for continuity and programme promotion. Most drama, entertainment, educational, religious and children’s programmes are produced from five television studios at Wembley. This booklet, intended for the guidance of visitors to the Rediffusion Television studios at Wembley, describes their history and gives an account of the production facilities they now contain."and: "The life of Wembley as a film studio ended in January, 1955, when it was taken over by the new television company. In nine months the old film studios, with the scenery of “The Ship That Died of Shame” still strewn over the floors, had to be converted ready for the start of Independent Television in London in September, 1955. Buildings were pulled down and others erected in their place. Television control rooms were built across the centre of the biggest stage to form studios 1 and 2. Electronic television cameras and telecine facilities were installed, everything being linked together by more than 20 miles of sound, vision and control cables. Studios 1 and 2 were finished by the beginning of September, and two more studios were in service by the end of the year."
and "Since then many additional improvements have been made to the production facilities at Wembley. Four mobile outside broadcast units are housed here, while modern videotape and tele-recording facilities enable the most economical use to be made of the studios. The most ambitious extension was the 14,000 square foot studio 5 which first went on the air in June, 1960. With space enough to contain a complete circus ring, a dance floor, a full-scale orchestra, and an audience of 500, studio 5 has been the scene of many of Rediffusion Television’s major productions. This studio, one of the world’s largest specially built for television, has an unusual design. It can be used in two ways: either as one huge studio with up to eight cameras directed from a single control room, or as two self-contained studios, 5a and 5b. When this happens two massive 25-ton steel doors are lowered at a speed of one foot per minute. The connecting side doors are closed, and each sound-proof section can then be used independently for two quite separate productions."
Interesting to note that they mention 'modern videotape' and 'tele-recording facilities' in the same sentence 'enable the most economical use to be made of the studios.' This seems to emphasise their preference to the reuse of videotape for programmes - after the transfer from video to film. This process is emphasised again when they refer to overseas sales of by Global Television Services of programmes ' recorded or are on film'. See further down this post for more detail. Also interesting to note RTV's collaboration with the US on certain productions: "Rediffusion Television and Talent Associates have combined to produce major television dramas for screening in this country and in the United States in colour."
and: "James Mason (who worked as an unknown at the old Wembley film studios in the 1930’s) starred in a Rediffusion production of John Le Carre’s “Dare I Weep, Dare I Mourn” which was shown in colour in the U.S.A. and ranked at No. 15 in the TAM Top Twenty ITV Programmes of 1966."
There is also reference to the series The Informer - of which only 2 episodes are known to have survived and are held at the BFI. This is the subject of this thread: --> missingepisodes.proboards.com/thread/5285/informer-queryInside Wembley Studios - Part Two--> www.transdiffusion.org/2004/01/01/wembley2Interesting to note the reference to their capability of producing programmes to various international standards: Production FacilitiesSTUDIO 1. 80′ x 55′ working height 16′ (4,400 sq. ft.) STUDIO 2. 80′ x 41′ working height 16′ (3,280 sq. ft.) STUDIO 4. 74′ x 42′ working height 11′ (3,108 sq. ft.) "Each of these studios is equipped with four 4 1/2″ image orthicon cameras."STUDIO 5. 140′ X 100′ WORKING HEIGHT 40′ (14,000 SQ. FT.) "Studio 5 can be operated separately as two self-contained studios (5a and 5b) by means of a sound proof steel partition which can be raised or lowered in 30 minutes...."
and: "There are eight 4 1/2″ image orthicon cameras which, in addition to 405 lines, can also be operated on the American 525 line or European 625 line standards. Fitted throughout are 21″ programme monitors which are switchable to the three different standards (405, 525, 625 lines)."
STUDIO 3 was converted into a telerecording area in the late 50's The booklet also contains detailed information on the location and capability with regards to: Telecine"There are four machines at Wembley and seven at Television House"Telerecording"The Wembley telerecording unit can record either on 16 mm (one channel) or on 35 mm (two channels)."Videotape Recording"Rediffusion Television has four multi-standard Ampex VTR machines at Wembley and two additional machines at Television House."Outside Broadcast"Four mobile control rooms are based at Wembley. Four cameras are available with each control room."Transcription"This unit provides for the editing of 1/4 inch magnetic tapes and has disc cutting equipment for 78 rpm discs."
Sound"Equalisation and limiter/compressor equipment are available. There is a large sound effects library and also a good music library."
Film"All film facilities are at Television House."A Note On ITV - ITA, ITV and RTVThe following extract is taken from Part Two of the article. Extract: "The ITA have appointed 14 different programme companies to produce the programmes of Independent Television. In the three largest areas of population – London, the Midlands and the North of England – four companies divide between them the task of providing programmes. In each of the 10 other areas a single company is responsible for the full week’s programmes.
Since 1955 Rediffusion Television (originally Associated-Rediffusion) has been providing the London weekday programmes of ITV. Together with the three other major companies in London, the Midlands and the North (ATV Network, ABC Television and Granada Television) Rediffusion provides a network service of programmes which are seen in the 10 smaller regional areas. Many of these programmes are recorded or are on film and are distributed overseas by Global Television Services (3 Vere Street, London, W.1) acting as agents for Rediffusion Television."
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Post by Neil Hendry on Sept 13, 2015 9:58:17 GMT
Bit more general background on Wembley Studios. This article appeared in Fusion, the Associated Rediffusion House Magazine, issue 19 June 1961. Alan Wallis takes a humorous look at the wonders of Rediffusion’s Wembley Studios for the benefit of the inhabitants of RTV's headquarters at Television House. --> www.transdiffusion.org/2004/01/01/backattvh |
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