Summer 2000 - The Association of Motion Picture Sound

t'-
The Newsletter
of the Association of
Motion Picture Sound
TSSUE 34
SUMMER 2OOO
CONTENTS
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AMPS website
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Dear Mernbers
Please accept our apologies
enjoy reading wltile basking in for not getting this Summer issue to you in time to
tlrc sun on the beaclt or by tlrc pool
Keitlt & Bob
AMPS SUSTAINING MEMBERS
AKAI PROFESSIONAL
wrvw.akaipro.com
AMS NEVE
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ANVIL POST PRODUCTION
AUDIO DEVELOPMENTS
u'n,w.audio.co.uk
AUDIO Ltd
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DE LANE LEA
SOUND CENTRE
DOLBY
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DSP Ltd
www.teddington.co.uk
DTS
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FELTECH ELECTRONICS
www.fehech.co.uk
FITZROVIA POST
PRODUCTION
HARRISON
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NAGRA
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2
PINEWOOD STUDIOS
RICHMOND FILM SERVICBS
RPS DATA PRODUCTS (UK)
lvwrv. rpsdataproducf s.co. uk
RYCOTE
\\,\\.\1'. rycolc.com
SEI\NHEISER
rvwrv. sennhei ser. co. uk
SOTID STATE LOGIC
n, rvw. sol id-state-l osi c. corr
SONY BROADCAST &
PROFESSIONAL UK
\vww. pro. sony-eut ope.coln
SONY CINEMA PRODUCTS
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SOUND DESIGNERS
www. sound-desi sners.co. uk
TECHNICOLOR
wrvw" technicolor.com
TELEFILM VIDEO SERVICES
www.teletilm"co.uk
TWICKENIIAM FILM STUDIOS
wr'vw. twickenhamfi lmstudios. com

PRO TOOLS DEMO FORAMPS MEMBERS
Many thanks to Ian Sylvester of DAT for hosting
what was a very successful Pro Tools demo in their
5.1 equipped preview theatre, and to Giles Farle
and Jed Allen from Digidesign for an excellent
presentation.
Digidesign's Pro Tools is a digital sound editing
and mixing package based on either a Mac or PC
computer. It has for some years been a main
contender in its field but it is increasingly becoming
something of a de facto standard in America for
sound design and general preparation work.
The Avid/Digidesign Combination
Originally designed as a music production tool, its
expansion towards film and television postproduction
was assured when Digidesign was
incorporated by Avid
Technology back in
1995. The recently
launched Version 5 is
he first release of
Pro Tools to
consciously address
the needs of the postpro
industry.
In an increasingly
competitivefield
Avid still holds the
lion's share of the
professional nonlinear
picture editing
market, especially at
the top end. Often these days sound to be
edited/mixed for television or film is imported
directly from the Avid picture editing system using
OMF 1 (Open Media Framework Version 1). The
Avid editor simply hands over a hard disk
containing all his/her roughly edited audio, which
can be read directly by the digital audio workstation
'DAW). Thus, no need for the conform.
Different digital audio workstations deal with
OMF 1 imports with varying degrees of success,
including abject failure. One limitation is that,
although it does include cue in/out fades, the OMF
1 export does not convey cue levels, so they arrive
on your DAW's screen at the level at which they
were recorded into the Avid. Also, converting the
OMF 1 file format into the native format of your
DAW (necessary to see the waveform display) can
take hours for a big file set. Not ideal.
A key feature of Pro Tools is its full compatibility
with Avid's sound and picture files. Via OMF 2
(the new improved version) the picture editor's
hard work (including levels) can be imported into
Pro Tools in seconds. It's important to point out
that for this to work, you need the sound to have
been recorded into the Avid properly in the first
place. This is not rocket science but does need care
and consideration. Currently Avids can only edit to
frame accuracy (insufficient for fine editing) and
the need for proper audio post is not diminished.
The levels and fades set by the picture editor seldom
make it to the final mix, but to have a rough outline
mix appear on your screen in seconds is handy.
You can, by the way, still conform from an EDL if
you like and indeed it's useful to have an EDL
along with the OMF for reference and to conform in
anything that might be suspect or would be better
taken directly from its original source. At the
acquisition end of the chain, Pro Tools (like many
other svstems) can read certain hard disk-based
location recording devices, such as Deva - but that
discussion is for another day.
As well as the sound, the picture from the Avid
can also be included on the same (or different) hard
disk and displayed on a coilrputer or video monitor
(depending on your
hardware). The quality of
the picture is variable
from uncompressed
(better than DigiBeta) to
basic QuickTime. You
can then locate instantly
to any point in the
programme, sound and
picture. There are even
plans afoot to allow the
sound editor to make
basic edits to the picture.
This is not the revenge
we've all been hoping for
but rather is intended to
allow 1 lth hour picture cuts to be accomrnodated
quickly and easily.
The Virtual Rack
Another attractive feahrre of Pro Tools is the
availability of rackfuls of auxiliary processing
equipment from famous names (Aphex, Dolby,
Focusrite Lexicon, TC etc) in purely software form.
These are known as plug-ins and are said to offer
the same level of performance as their originals but,
because there's no hardware involved, they're less
expensive. We were, for instance, shown how
VocAlign ( a development of the original WordFit
program) can be used to help fit an imperfect ADR
take to an original - very impressive.
For many operators, one of the main drawbacks
of the system has been its reliance upon standard
computer hardware for the human interface -
QWERTY keyboard, mouse, drop-down menus,
etc. Convoluted multi-kev kevboard shortcuts have
evolved to execute the sirirpleit function and boggle
the simpler mind. Version 5 features a new one
key/one function layout, still using a QWERTYstyle
keyboard, but clearly labelled and much
simpler to use.
This certainly helps with editing, but Pro Tools is
also a sound mixer. For years you either had to use
the mouse to grab one or more virtual faders on the
+

(Pro Tools demo report conlinued)
screen or use a rather primitive MIDI fader box - far
from satisfactory. Long in the making, Digidesign
finally brought out a fully operational version of
their hardware interfacein 1997. Called ProControl
it looks much like a modern digital mixer with
faders, a display, illuminated buttons and a jog
wheel. ProControl allows all editing and mixing
functions to be controlled in a more traditional way.
It'is, though, just a control surface, with all the
digital and analogue audio electronics being
contained in a range of rackmount hardware, ideally
safely out of the way in a machine room somewheie.
New Standard Post, in California, are even prepping
and mixing mainstream features entirely in Pro Tools
from the editing and tracklaying right through the
dub to the final mix using four sets of 32-channel
Pro-Controls. All sound and picture is stored on a
vast central server (a single set of hard disks) which
can be accessed simultaneously by any number of
editors, limited only by the speed of the server
which currently allows up to nine users. The idea is
that everything gets recorded only once; avoiding
lots of transfers and re-recording.
One facility that Version 5 is still without is
multiple levels of undo (it only has one level). The
problem, say Digidesign, is that with such a
complex multi-faceted system, it's hard to know
how to apply the undo: which bit of what you just
did do you want to undo? To put in a full facility
with a menu, etc, running in realtime, would
apparently slow the system down considerably.
There are third-party software add-ons that will
execute progressive saves in the background, so you
can always go back to 'n' minutes ago - depending
on how often you have it set to save. You would
then end up with a history of your project's progress
in the form of perhaps hundreds of saves by the end
of a project - a nice security blanket but no
replacement for undo. Apparently Digidesign is to
address the issue very soon.
A New Tool For A New Job
I've always been put off by the apparentfiddliness
of Pro Tools as compared to most dedicated
svstems: there alwavs seems to be so much
informaiion on the ,"r""n at once and so many
screens to lose yourself in. ProControl and Version
5 has done a lot to address this" but even so for
cutting and pasting and roughly levelling out,I still
think my Akai DD1500 is hard to beat. For many
jobs the rest can be done by any one of the many
excellent stand-alone digital (or digitally controlled)
mixers on the market. As the sound editor/mixer's
job gets more complex, however, a simple cut and
paste system appears increasingly limiting and the
scope of something like Pro Tools becomes more
meaningful. With the arrival of inexpensive ADSL
(fast Internet connections), we're likely to see
increasing use of tie net for audio and video file
transfer. Computers are well set up for that. There is
also a vast array of third-party programs that can be
brought into play once your audio is in the system.
File format, sample rate and bit depth are all less of
a problem with such an affay of tools at your
disposal, and these factors are even more important
for anyone working on projects for CD-ROM, DVD
or the Web - and that could be a lot of us as time
goes on. Also, as newer, faster computers come to
market, your system can benefit from increased
performance with minimum outlay and
inconvenience. And if you are indeed sending a
project down the line for a colleague to work on
(possibly on the other side of the world), it would
be very convenient to be able to send the sound,
picture and all the mixing, effects and processing
that goes with them as one integrated package.
Equally, the same data could be put to a single Data
DAT or DLT and courier'ed to its destination. This
is truly 'total recall'.
Clearly there are other computer-based systems
out there that also offer a great deal, often for less
money, but none I'm aware of offers the same
compatibility with Avid or the same level of
sophistication and inclusiveness as Pro Tools. I say
all this as one always deeply suspicious and
resistant to non-dedicated systems. My Mac
manages to act up at least once a fortnight and I
don't know a serious/honest computer user who
wouldn't say the same. To a large extent this could
be because I'm forever updating this or that and
using it for many different applications. [f you were
a serious Pro Tools user. we were told. vou'd be
careful to avoid the use of the system foi non-Pro
Tools applications (or at least use a separate system
disk). With a system like this, the already vitally
important need for efficient and reliable archiving
becomes life-or-death. That central s€rver is very
big basket piled high with every single one of your
precious audio eggs; and if you're opening yourself
to the Internet and the world of viruses...
Shortly after this discussion, the demo system
crashed. This, we were told was because a
prohibited combination of keys had been pressed
which was really asking for trouble. Hmm. The
advantages of Pro Tools are many but, as with any
computer system, you'd want to get in the habit of
pressing that Save button on a regular basis. In
balance, though, it does seem to have a lot going for
it.
JIN4 BETTERIDGE
4
WAIVT TO SEE .{T[PS COUNCIL
AT WORK?
The AMPS Council would like to remind members
that they are welcome to attendcouncilmeetings as
( non-v otin g ) o b s erv er s. Me etin g s ar e he ld on the
secondTuesday of the month at arotating list of
venl4es, fromTpm. More details, please contact
Brian Hickinat the AMPS ffice.Tel/Fax:02A
772 3 6727 : Emailampsffice@ tinyonline.co.uk.

RYCOTE'S
International Sound Forum
In mid June, Rycote hosted a Sound Forum in
Gloucestershire. A group o.f international attdio
professionals convened for a series of talks on issues
relevant to lrscation recording for motion picture
and broadcast television. AMPS' member lan
Riclnrdson was there . This is his report,
Friday, 16th June t/r/,,4,#i6:!tyi.$;., t &WK&,
of Wolec Electronics (Rycote dealers as rnrell as other
sound related equipment in Belgium). We were joined
for that evening by Martyn Richards of Filmtech and
Tom Cryan from Audio Developments. Quite a varied
range of talent!
It is always surprising.how quickly time goes
Fy yft"n
one is enjoying oneself! And, sure enough. midnight
turned up and the general consensus rvas that in order
to keep a clear head we shouldn't spend too Iong at
the barl
2000 - "a date to ?.i..,r. Iw:\wfu, wl:I."#y: The Forum proper
remember" rememtler'. mv my Tl;:' ,i,r" ', i* ;ry:'ffiW "#tiW.- was due to kick oif ut u
, ; 1";_..:;"wffi ili'ffJ,i was uue t() Krcr( L[r at a
diary said. Weit ttre { .. . & ir"t+::16 ;i;;g*# sensible 9.30am. which
event sturted the ;*;i- i;# ;;;i,11 ,: .f ; *}{WL _ ffi{-I gave everybody time to
evening before rvith **ffi ' J l,:, ' i
lrave.I chat over
gueStSarivinginffi|a;*n..ilWf&*T'-#:iT{1',,Ri::'tl"'n"*
little groups. The
-\E\#,#id*
event-beingRycote.s#.ffi1lffi4#A*reMffichairedthe.morning
SoundFoiumatthet:'tma'513f'"K**'.1@',,W:-ffi-hsessionrvhichbegan
Hatlon court Hoter
Robin, Vivienne's
right hand man, (wel,
wurrrdrr dLtu4rrJ.""oo
at the hotel entrance * i'*y;ir';t"u"r"
*i[T]:ir'"il:';Jl-
greeting us as we Morning session : from left - .lackie Green {Audio Technica US), Jdrg Rolf had us all laughing
irrived]It was a
Wuttke (Schoeps), Rolf Meyer (Sennheiser), Dave ]v'lalham (Universitr- at some of the time
sunny evening, and I of York), SlepLtcttt Peus (Neunnnn)' trodden concepts of our
felt that the most ecological mode of transport was Audio industry and the inaccurate perception of
my motorbike; if it had been raining, it would have various people and bodies to them. One amusing storybeen
the Volkswagen - so much for environmental was of an ongoing project that Sennheiser are involved
concerns! After a quick freshen up it rvas tally ho to in, namely monitoring gas pumping stations. Skilled
the bar. It doesn't matter whether you're from engineers can tell, just by standing close to the station
Belgium or Bolton the lure of the bar is second only and listening to the sounds emanating from it, whether
to sex it seems! Thursday evening had been put there is a problem with a pump and/or valves and how
aside for an informal getting to know each other, potentially serious it is. The human ear and brain is a
which proved perfect. The weather was perfect and formidable tool. But with the growth in the number of
most of us, drink in hand wandered outside to enjoy these stations there aren't enough engineers to go
the glories of the re iffii- ftrt royn!. So_Sennheiser were
crowd, and therefore
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business but never
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ap.preciated this and so came that even the indoor
this first evening was a L to R : Dave A,tulhatn, lvfulhatn, Vivienne Dyer, Robin Williams Willtams
versions were to be put in
chance to put names to Rycote windshields, so they
faces. The only problem was that nobody had put could be seen!!!Yes it's a mad world we live rn - more
on their name tags, myself included! So it came of that later. Sennheiser, like many companies, feel our
down to "I'm [an, who are you?" This netted a future lies in our children and how they view their
group of varied persuasion, among whom was, Tim future. It's reassuring to find companies such as
White a recordist who champions IMAX features, Sennheiser investing in children. The demand for
Alex Bemardi of Katamount Enterprises in Canada quality sound both in music and speech based
{if you're ever on location in Canada, Alex can entertainment is paramount to our survival. Sennheiser
always help you out with information and
is to be commended in every respect in involving
equipment), father and son Edgar and Filip Peeters children in developing an awareness of sound and the
D
5
--
-

( Rvcote Fctntm continued )
partit plays in our lives, and hopefully choose it as
a career! The next speaker was Stephen Peus from
Neuman Microphones, who to put a fine point on
it, explained that to match the sensitivty of the ear,
microphones have to be very special instruments
indeed. I bet that the majority of us pull our
favourite microphone out of the case at the start of
the day and give no thought as to how precise the
engineering is and how much research has gone
into the materials used. The effectiveness of the
human ear always leaves me in awe! After a
welcome coffee break Jorg Wuttke, Schoeps' guru
whom I am sure evervbodv has at least heard of.
gave a talk about his favourite subject 'Windscreens
for everybody'!
Oh, how naive
we all are! Stuff
the microphone
into a ball of
foam and wind
noise disappears.
Well I know
none of us
actually do that
do we? No, we
all invest in
Rycote baskets,
windjammers et
al, but how many
of us realise the
importance of
removing the
horrendously
expensive foam
windgag first? An enlightening and amusing talk to
say the least! Last to take the stand was Jackie
Green, Vice kesident of Product Development at
Audio Technica. Jackie's chosen subject was one
which interests us all, Radio Microphones, and not
a windgag in site! Jackie's talk emphasised all our
concerns with regard to the frequency licensing
anangements, admittedly in the USA, but given the
present climate of 'sell anything if you can raise
cash' soon to hit our shores. In any case it's not a
rare event for us to work in the states is it? We all
know the problems that Radio Microphones present
us with not least the strange birdies which come out
of nowhere to ruin that perfect take! I have to tell
everybody that life is going to get worse. Not just
in the States but over here as well. Digital isn't the
answer in fact it's part of the cause. Soon, maybe
in the next couple of years, the lottery for
frequencies which we have always regarded as our
own will be put up for sale. These will go to the
highest bidder (of course) and who is that, well by
present indicators it will still be the Mobile Phone
networks! They are ravenous for frequencies, and
prepared to pay a kings ransom, witness the last
round!And these networks use digital
transmissions. The problem with a digital
transmission is that there are NO gaps to put an
analogue signal in,let alone a digital one. So no
frequencies, no radio microphones, I have to say
at this point in Jackie's talk, a little cheer went up
from the clutch of Location Mixers that made up
part of the audience. Sadly reality is with us all
and we know that our job, like it or not, relies on
radio microphones no matter how much we hate
them. The truth is that unless someone listens to
us and our cause, we won't be able to use them.
Sad fact but true. Television and corporate events
will come to a grinding halt as when that faithful
Micron or Audio is plugged in all you get out is
digital hash! We all know that government bodies
should listen to minorities, and the entertainment
industry is a
minority in this
game, but when
money talks, only
money listens.
Jackie related the
problems as they
appear in the
States, but we all
know it's here in
Europe as well.
We all thought that
Sony and Time
Warnerwere big
corporations but it
seems in this garne
they are tiddlers.
Incidentally in the
question time after
Jackie's talk, these
views were echoed by Rolf Meyer. At this point
lunch was declared, and we adjourned to the
restaurant where a sumptuous buffet had been
laid on.
After lunch we all assembled, this time chaired
by Rycote's tame guru, Chris Wolf. Chris made
the sensible suggestion that as the sun had now
come round as was turning the room into an oven
with all the windows wide open, we keep strictly
to the timetable! This was the half of the day
where location recording came to the front row,
and Florian Camarer, a surround sound Recordist
at ORF, Austrian Broadcasting Corporation to
you and me, gave a fascinating talk on the
problems of recording surround sound in the
field. If it wasn't enough keeping quite in front of
the microphones when trying to record a
wildtrack Florian has it behind if you see what I
mean. Tales from the Arctic and Antarctic
abounded. Its so quiet you can hear a Polar Bear
fart at 4OO metres, or so I'm told! Most of his
problems came from other people's jackets
rustling, usually because the person inside it was
breathing! Jumping over moving ice flows may
sound fun but carrying tens of kilograms worth
thousands of pounds gives it another dimension.
D
Chris Wolf opens the allernoon session: from left - Florian Camarer
(sound mixer, Austrian tsroadcasting ORF, Chris Wolf, Malcolm Johnson,
Marc Ulano CAS (sound mixer US.,\)
6

Interestingly Florian's wish list includes a Deva with
at least 2 more tracks. I second that!
Malcolm Johnson, the retired head of BBC
Television OB's, gave a resume of his life at the Beeb
warts and all! Very amusing anecdotes with much
laughter. Following on from Florian's experiences
with surround sound recording, Tim White, of
IMAX Recording fame, related some of his
nightmares starting with, as he described it, a 1960
Diesel Peugeot starting in the morning and never
warming up, and that's the IMAX camera!!! tn his
early days he strapped rwo HHB DAT machines
togefher, added radio microphones, a Soundfield
microphone, and jumped into a helicopter - that was
his portable rig! On Tim's next IMAX feature, Deva
comes into play. Like Florian, Tim has a wish list
which contains a 6 track Deva. One factor that he has
to contend with is the fact that the camera IS king, no
question. So it's a tribute to Tim that so much
original dialogue was used on his last feature, some
4OVo.
Llst up was Mark Ulano whose career spans a couple
of decades, and is interspersed with such notables as
Stuart Little, Jackie Brown, Austin Powers and of
course Titanic for which he won an Oscar. The most
reassuring thing is that no matter what you are
working on, the problems are the same the world
over! On Titanic for instance, Mark wasn't the first
choice, his call came when the Mexican sound crew
walked off the set! He had no idea what Titanic was
going fo be about, and arrived when they were
shooting a playback scene and the playbick operator
was not having a GOOD day. He recalls that he got
up to go to the aid of the playback operator and
arrived seconds before Jim Cameron, who quickly
appraised what Mark was about, turned on his heals
and went back to the comfort of his director's chair.
A,s Mark says he must have done something right!
The shoot went on for another nine months with
some takes involving the submerging of the set and a
reset taking six hours.Now you don't call "Ready
when you are Mr DeMille" after that shot! Radiomicrophones
featured heavily in Mark's line up for
Titanic, especially for the booms. The sheer size of
the set and the dangerof cables made this choice
inevitable. Bearing in mind what was said earlier
about frequencies, shoots like Titanic would be in
jeapody. Mark's concerns were all too obvious.
I remarked at the start that it's a mad world we live
in. This forum poured a little sanity on that. When
there are people in our industry who devote so much
time, effort and resources finding solutions to the
varied problems that are manifesily conquerable but
are of our own making, it's a pure delight to be
associated with a company that has spent time and
effort conquering a natural phonomina - WIND! Well
done Vivienne and Robin for a very enjoyable and
worthwhile weekend. There may not be anotherfor
quite a time. I hope the wait willnot be too long.
IAN RICHARDSON
,n" u",on.,
s. ...e & ndu5ry
"u,",,.'&,'-?',rr
III
NATIONAL MUSEUM
PHOTOGRAPHY. FIIil TELEVISION
PICTUREVTLLE . BRADFORO
Ihe Nlt ona f'l!5eum of Phoiography
F lnr & fe evrs on ,s par t of the Netronal
i'iuscrir of Srrcncc & lndustry
NOISEGATE - An Immersive Re-
Synthesis Of Audio And Video.
Members, especially those in the north, may
get some fun out of a visit to this exhibition at the
National Museum of Photography, Film and
Television in Bradford between 28 July and 10
September. Designed by Kurt Hentschiager and
Ulf t angheinrich, who specialise in aural and
visual environments using a technique of
'synthetic granulation' (signal processing), the
exhibition creates audio-visual environments that
bombard spectators with sounds and images.
Drawn through a darkened corridor towards
mysterious sounds and flickering lights, visitors
to Noisegate are immersed in a multimedia
environment. Six immense video projections,
each a storey high, are suspended in a dark,
cavernous space and the gallery filled with a
bombardment of discordantly rhythmic, gutwrenching
sounds of pure intensity. Let
spectators tre warned!
For further information, please contact Emma
Burrows at the NMPFT onol2742Q33I7. or
Email eburrows @ nmsi.ac.uk.
THtr BRADFORD COMPLEX
While on the subject of the National Museum
of Photography, Film and Television, AMPS'
members, especially those in the north, should
know that it's notjust a centre for exhibits and
exhibitions. Regular programmes of films old
and new are run throughout the year in the
Pictureville and Cubby Broccoli Cinemas. There
is the IMAX Cinema where all the larest IMAX
films are screened, and there are regular
performances of the restored originil threeprojector
Cinerama production with stereo
sound,Iftis is C inerama.
For sustenance and refreshment there's the
Intermi ssion CafeiRestaurant, open from
Tuesdays to Sundays, 10.00 - 5.30, quality
cuisine at affordable prices; also the Pictureville
Cafe/Bar, open daily,5-9 pm, informal
surroundings to enjoy pre-show drinks, meet
friends orjust relax.
lnterested? Then if you live in West Yorkshire
you can receive theirmonthly programme
brochure free. Call them on O12742A33fi.If
you live elsewhere, the brochure will cost f3.50.
Look them up on www.nmpft.org.uk.

THE NAGRA : "IT WILL RECORD"
A personal tribute to Stephan Kudelski
When writing the citation for Stephan Kudelski's
AMPS' Honorary Fellowship Award, I became
aware, as far as I could ascertain, that no sound
man or woman who used Nagras to make their
living, had ever paid public tribute to him. So I,
being one of those guilty of this appalling
oversight, decided I'd better make some sort of
attempt to correct the situation.
For neigh on 35 years,
worldwide, Nagras were taken
for granted as the best and most
reliable way of recording motion
picture production sound on
location and in the studio, be it
for features, commercials,
documentaries or TV movies.
From 1961, by using a Nagra,
good quality synch sound could
be recorded wherever a 16 or
35mm camera could go. The
days of sound trucks with
sprocketed film channels and
banks of heavv dutv batteries
were numbered.
The documentary and short
film industry were first to see the
Nagra' s potential. Documentary
film maker Derrick Knieht
speaking recently of
documentary film making in the 1950s said that
they couldn't afford synch sound and for their
tracks, had to make do with a few library sound
FX. The Nagra changed all that. Very soon after
it's introduction, on documentaries and TV current
affairs programmes, there was no silent shot -
sound turned on everything. A sound recordist
with Nagra slung over the shoulder, a good
microphone, handheld or on a short pole, could
cover everything in camera range. Documentary
crews working together became extremely skilled
in this style of shooting, never missing a turnover
or a clapper. Sound for documentaries became
'realistic' rather than 'creative' as it had had to be in
the past due to the lack of truly portable camera and
sound equipment.
The introduction of the Nagra as a recorder for
recording synch sound was not greeted with loud
acclaim in the feature film industry. The sound
departments of the major studios were not
convinced thatll4' tape was suitable forfeature
film production. The Lrevers Rich Synchro Pulse
1/4" method for synch recording had been tried but
had a wobbly reputation, due mainly to crews
forgetting to plug up the synch cable. [t was used
by TV film units reasonably successfully but in the
feature studios relegated to location use only,
where the then policy was to post synch all sound
recorded outside the walls of a sound stage.
The 60s saw an increase in the number of
independent producers setting up to make feature
films on location without using facilities from the
major studios. The Nagra came into its own.
Facilities companies were set up to hire out camera
and sound equipment. But the astute freelance
sound mixers splashed out and bought their own
gear. The outlay for a Nagra 3, AKG or Sennheiser
mics plus cables and a few other
accessories was not prohibitive,
especially when compared with
Westrex sprocketed ma gnetic
channels and WE or RCA
microphones as used by the
major studios. With his own
equipment the mixer could know
the gear was in top condition and
also be adding to his income the
rental charge negotiated with the
production company. Work for
freelance crews at that time was
reasonably plentiful for the good
guys, thus the gear was an
excellent investment, rental
earnings being better than the
going interest rates form banks
and buildins societies.
The economical advantages to
both producers and equipment
owners were considerable but the
technical advantages were phenomenal - high
quality sound, extreme portability, astoundin g
reliability, simplicity of operation, and all at a
reasonable cost.
Very soon all documentary and independent
features were being recorded on Nagras but it took
at least five years before the major studios sound
departments accepted the Nagra. Besides technical
apprehensions there were crewing worries, not by
the union, but sound camera operators feared that
producers would question their necessity.
Freelance sound mixer Dudley Plummer who
took delivery of his first Nagra 3 in 1961, probably
the first in the UK, told me how on a job that took
him to Shepperton Studios, covering a film star
profile story, one of the resident floor mixers
snarled at him with curled lip "Oh, you're one of
those chaps who carries it all on your back and
needs a 1 ton generator to get a 50 cycle pulse!".
Many reputable sound people said the Nagra would
never get anywhere. How wrong they were.
From the start of my motion picture sound
recording career I have always been interested in
'natural sound'. Fortunately in my first job with the
New Zealand National Film Unit during WWII, I
was given every encouragement to pursue that
interest by providing realistic sound effects tracks
for many of the'Weekly Review' items and
documentary films produced during the seven years
that I was employed there.
8

The main difficulty then was the portability of
equipment. Magic magnetic TI4" tape !141'!t_",
anived. As a recorder I had to use a 100oft 35mm
newsreel film camera with a glow lamp up the
back, focussed on to the main sprocket. The
accompanyingvalve amplifier required a 6 volt
car battery for the filament supply and 360 volts
of B batteries were needed for the plate supply
and glow lamp power. The amplifier and B
batteries were contained in a heavy duty case
approximately 7" x 18" x 30". I can't remember
the total weight of the camera and sound gear
except that it was bloody heavy. However in
those youthful enthusiastic early days, weight
didn't seem to be a problem. What a difference a
Nasra would have made but that was still 20
yeis into the future.
- I bought my first Nagra 3 in January 1964,
although I had used one on several occasions
before that, rented from Edgar Vetter, who like
Dudtey Plummerhad the imagination to see the
Nagra's potential. It cost f34O plus 13 guineas
for an ATN power supply unit. A little later on I
bought a BM microphone mixer unit and a DH
speaker amplifier. I already had a pair of AKG
D25 mics and two pairs of RCA BK6lavalier
mics that had been part of my lrevers-Rich outfit.
So now I was equipped with a recording
machine that I could carry almost anywhere slung
over my shoulder, able to record music (even
bells) let alone good dialogue and all manner of
natural sound effects.
Besi des countless documentaries, short fi lms,
commercials and episodes of TV Series, 42 of the
54feature pictures I recorded production sound
for were recorded on Nagras (3,4.2,45). During
all those productions, using over 200O 5" spools
of tl4' tape, my Nagras never failed me.
I would like to say an enormously grateful
public thank you to Stephan Kudelski for
desi gning and manufacturin g recording machines
that for 28 years of my career enabled me to
produce quality results without undue wory or
hardship, and added greatly to my financial well
beins.
And why shouldn't all producers whose movies
were recorded on Nagras and all production
mixers who used Nagras, along with facilities
companies that rented out Nagras, also extend
grateful thanks to Stephan Kudelski and the
people he employed in his factory manufactg.tttg
lhe precision recording equipment produced by
Kudelski SA in Lausame Switzerland.
Footnote: Nagra becrtme a lulme as well known as
Kodak but unlike Kodak it was a proper word
chosen by Stephan Kudelski from his rwtive
Polish language, meaning "It will record".
Another fact for Michael Caine to add to his
collection of 'not wnn\i people know that"
BOB AI-I,EN
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.."*:i#,
ffi'
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il:
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The Newsreel souncl-o n-film o tillit
Side view of wall catr,era showing glov lamp
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ffi a \ryi
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A 1960s Nagra 3 outfit as rented out lty location
sound.facilities. Cant you list the gear?

THE, I{AGRA SAGA
A chronologY of achievement
(edited from Nagra {/SA's website)
1951 Stefan Kudelski, a physics student at what is
now the Swiss Federal institute of Technology,
Lausanne, working at home in his spare time, built the
first Nagra portable self-contained audio recorder.
This prototype was followed by several Nagra
machines manufactured with the modest means then
available to the young inventor. Two Nagra recorders,
purchased by Radio Geneva, were taken on the Everest
expedition led by
Raymond Lambert.
Professor Augustine
Piccard used another
during his deep sea dives
in the bathyscaphe
Trieste, and the French
radio stafion Europe 1
acquired a machine for
its news gathering.
1957 The Nagra III. a
transistorised tape
recorder with electronic
speed control, was
launched. For the first
time ever, a unit weighing
model no bigger than a
wallet, is received
enthusiasticallv bv Sound
recordists.
1961 Invention of the
Neopilot system
1964 At this time
Stefan Kudelski's
workshop was located in
Paudex, to the east of
l-ausanne. A subsidiary is
opened in Renens, and a
large plot of land
purchas'ed at Cheseauxsur-Lausanne
for the
building of a new
factory.
1968 Stefan Kudelski'
Kudelski SA.
1970 - 1977 Several Nagra models are launched into
the market: Nagra 4.2 for the cinema, the Nagra 45
(stereo) for film and record industries, the Nagra Sl
for acoustic instrumentation use, the Nagra IS for
reporters in the field, the Nagra E for low budget
professional users, and the miniature Nagra SNST for
security applications.
1977 The Nagrafax, a meteorological
receiverirecorder system, designed specially for use by
both commercial and private vessels was introduced.
This system soon became standard on-board
equipment for ocean-going ships.
1978 This year sees the introduction of the Nagra TI
'instrumentation recorder.
X980 Kudelski SA takes its first step into video with a
portable professional standard 1" C format video
recorder. An agreement is signed with Ampex for
marketine the
Ampex/N-agra \zPR-S. A
small studio machine, the
Nagra TA , derived from
the Nagra TI joins the
product range.
1987 Kudelski SA and
Honeywell Inc (USA)
sign a cooperation
agreement for the
development of a
rotating head data
recorder (RTU) for
instrumentation
applications.
1988 Development
begins on the Nagra-D
digital audio recorder
only five kilograms could
be relied upon to
Nugra I
produce recordings of the same quality as those
achieved by the best non-portable studio recorders. 1989 Canal + decides to replace all of its decoders
1960 The Italian Radio & Television Corp (RAI)
with the Decodex system, developed by NagraVision.
purchases about one hundred Nagra III machines for
This division of Kudelski SA is formed to carry the
the Summer Olympics in Rome. Kudelski is producing
responsibility for all pay-TV activities, Canal + (Spain)
adopts the NagraVision system during this year.
480 recorders vearlv.
The Nagra SN, a new .i......::, n990 The NagraVision
system is adopted by the
German 'Premiere' TV
channel. Development of
the Nagra-D 4-channel
digital recorder intended
for the music and
cinema industries near
completion.
1991 Andre Kudelski
takes over leadership of
the company and is
appointed president of
Kudelski SA. The
millionth decoder built
under license from
NagraVision leaves the
Nogra II factory. The Nagra-D
development team is reinforced and the first industrial
s private company becomes prototype is made ready.
t99Z The Nagra-D is officially launched at the AES
Convention in Vienna. Nagra Kudelski GmbH
(Munich) becomes a fully owned subsidiary of
Kudelski SA and Nagra Kudelski (GB) Ltd (trndon)
is formed.
t0
()tu' tlnnks to John Rudling of Nagra GB for the piaures af
the Nagra I and II

LETTING OFF STEAM
AMPS Meeting at Twickenham Studios 717100
Sadly the turn out was very poor - about a
dozen, including our guests from New Zealand,
AMPS member Kit Rollings and his wife Lee.
Happily it was a high quality attendance and the
UK members made our guests feel very welcome.
There was a fine spread of Tony Luptons's tasty
sandwiches along with good red and white wine to
wash them down-
Kit and Lee,like most New Zealanders were
very sociable, mingling and talking easily with all
present. I had, that afternoon, driven them out to
Pinewood Studios where Graham Hartstone gave
most generously of his time, taking them on a
thorough, personally conducted tour of Pinewood
Sound Department' s state-of-the- art facil ities. Kit
was most impressed and so was Lee; being a
sound man's wife she comprehended most of the
goings on.
On our way back to the Twickenham meeting I
took them to see Denham Old Village, a time warp
curiosity for those who live in the UK but it is
exactly what every antipodean visitor expects an
English village to look like. During the journey
back they also got a good idea of London's Friday
night rush hour traffic.
Back to the meeting, we managed to get Kit to
talk to us about his work in New Zealand. He gave
a most interesting account of the New Zealand
National Film Unit where he started off in the
sound department in 1965. At that time the sound
department staff were allocated jobs and looked
after alJ the sound requirements for that production
ie production souhd, FX recording, post synch
when required, commentary recording, track
laying, final mix and transfer to photographic.
When the NFU ceased being, six or seven years
back, the studios and processing lab were sold and
Kit started out on his own as a freelance sound
designer. He set up a studio and cutting room in
the lower floor of his home situated on the hills
overlooking Wellington Harbour. He uses Pro
Tools and still treasures his veteran Nagra 45.
Although he is in far flung New Zealand (Sydney,
Australia, 1200 miles away is the nearest overseas
city) he is not in a backwater. Most of the big
equipment manufacturers have agencies in
Auckland or Wellington who are able to supply all
the latest gear and provide the know how to back it
up. If problems arise that can't be coped with,
there's always the internet to fall back on for direct
communication with the manufacturer.
According to Kit, there is a reasonable amount of
film and TV work going on in NZ. The big job is
local film maker PeterJackson's Trilogy of L,ord
Of The Rings-- three features shot back to back
involvins masses of dieital effects and crowds of
800 to 1OO0 extras. Peter Jackson seems to be New
Zealand's film wonder boy. He bought the NFU
studio complex and lab, saved the only surviving
70mm cinema in NZ. raised the monev for Lord Of
The Rings, and has invented a spokenlanguage for
the Hobbits.
Unfortunately Kit is not involved with the project
but we hope that when it comes to post production
his expert sound design talents will be called upon.
Other productions made in New Zealand and
aired in the UK by Channel 5 are Xena, Hercules
and Dtnk Knight. Xena and Hercules use NZ
production crews but post production is done in the
US.
With talk about Maori politics, non-linear
equipment crashes, tolerant attitudes to downtime
caused by crashes, the lasting life of ll4' tape,
digital tape and CDs plus other topics, a
delightfully relaxed, informal evening was enjoyed
by all who turned out as well as by our guests. Pity
you missed it.
BOB ALLEN
11
FROM HONORARY MEMBER
JOHN ALDRtrD
Congratulations on such a fine looking
Spring issue, and what an enhancement
colour makes, as well as a slightly stiffer
cover. Well done! What a change from the
1994issues of a few pages stapled together.
I was interested to read the item about
Doltry's 35 years of hard work. I first came
across a Dolby A-type unit whilst I was
working in Canada, and made several
generations of a magnetic recording without
any apparent deterioration. But my boss at
that time thought the unit was a waste of
money! Back in the UK I was involved with
all the preliminary tests which Dolby were
making on photographic film sound, and the
first Dolby Stereo recordings were quite
exciting. They also excited the SMPTE
Toronto Conference tn ITl2 where the
system was unveiled. Ray Dolby deserves
all the credit he has been given, but his film
man Ioan Allen should not be forgotten. He
was the engineer in charge of the film
programme, and his efforts have been
documented elsewhere as ['m sure you
know. He has been suitably honoured by the
BKSTS and the SMPIE, and I would like to
propose that his name goes forward when
AMPS are next considering Fellowships. He
was a member of the ISO film sound
committee when I was Chairman, and I
learnt a lot from him. I also helped him with
the Russians who hated all Americans - even
though Ioan is British.

JOHN BRAMALL HON AMPS
Members who knew him will be saddened by
the news of 'Bram's' death in July. During his
working life he was a well known and much
respected mixer.
Flowers were sent to Mrs Bramall on behalf of
AMPS members and a tribute to John will be
published in the Autumn Newsletter. If any
members wish to add their thoughts on John,
please forward them the the Fiitors
THE NEW FILM COUNCIL
April last saw the
establishment of the Film
Council - the new super-body
for the film industry. The
fourteen-member Council is
headed by Alan Parker and
John Woodward, Chief
Executive. The Council's
annual budget is derived from
the Treasury and the National Lottery and,
depending on the number of lottery tickets sold, is
likely to be in excess of f55 million. The Council
will take responsibility for the British Film
Commission (promoting inward investment), the
Arts Council of England's Lottery Film
Department (investing in fi lm production), British
Screen Finance (a publicly-supported investment
company which will become incorporated into the
Film Council later this year), and the British Film
Institute (BFI) which is an independent body
funded by the Film Council to deliver cultural and
educational opportunities for the public.
There are also eleven major initiatives, which
include a film training fund of f 1 million a year, a
film development fund with a budget-of f5 million
a year, a premier productionfund of f 10 million
annually, a programme to stimulate the export of
British films around the globe and expansion of
the British Film Office in Los Angeles as a
conduit for attracting inward investment and
promoting film exports.
We atAMPS wish the Film Council every
success and look forward hopefully to the
plentiful supply of work that will result from their
endeavours.
Look them up on www.filmcouncil.org.uk.
BAF'TAS BtrF'ORtr OSCARS
The BritishAcademy of Film A
and Television Arts (BAFTA) w!E
has announced that its next
E
Awards ceremony will be on U
BA FTA
Sunday 25 February 2001,
&
two months earlier than before
and one ahead of the
Hollywood Oscars. BAFTA hopes this
will make theirceremony aformpredictor
for the US Academy Awards, instead of
its current inevitable anticlimax after the bigger
Oscar-night show.
2lst TONMEISTERAGUNG
INTERNATIONAL AUDIO
CONVENTION
2+27 November 2000
Hanover Congress Centre
t2
The Tonmeisteragung is
renowned for its comprehensive
programme of lectures. Over 100
selected specialist presentations
cover the following topics:
MUSIC ACOUSTICS + ROOM ACOUSTICS +
LOUDSPEAKERS + SOUND REINFORCEMENT +
PSYCHOACOUSTICS + MICROPHONES &
RECORDING + MULTI CHANNEL SOUND + FILM
AND TV SOUND + VIRTUAL ACOUSTICS +
AUDIO QUALITY & AUDIO MEASURING
TECHNIQUES + DIGITAL STUDIO AND DIGITAL
RADIO + POST PRODUCTION AND ITtr{STERING +
AUDIO CODING & MEASUREMENT OF ITS
QUALITY + AUDIO ONTHE INTERNET, RADIO
AND MULTIMEDIA + ARCHIVING AND
RESTORATION
There is also a programme of demonstrations
and workshops, likely to include:
PRACTICAL SURROUND SOUND + MUSIC
RECORDING IN 3/2 STEREO + HIGH DEFINITION
AUDIO + AUDIO&THEINTERNET + DVD &
SACD + MULTICHANNELFORDVB +
LOUDSPEAKERS AND REPRODUCTION +
SOUNDFIELD ANALYSIS + THE VIRTUAL
MONITOR ROOM
Simultaneous translations from German into
English will be available for all specialist lectures
and round tables.
The Tonmeisteragung is considered one of the
more important forums for the professional audio
industry. It imparts a comprehensive overview of
the latest trends in product development, research
and application practice. About 5000 visitors are
expected this year. The convention programme is
complemented by an exhibition of professional
equipment, with over 25O exhibitors presenting
the product range of some 450 global
manufacturers.
lnok them up (in German) on www.tctnmeister.de

THE PINEWOOD STORY
The Autltorised History of The World's Most
Famous Film Studicr
by Gareth Owen with Brian
Burford; published Reynolds &
Hearn
This is the authorised
history of Pinewood, based
on the archive material held
by its owners, and the
memories of the legendary
stars and technicians whose
work has contributed to the
studio's global reputation. Author Gareth Owen
takes the reader inside Pinewood with over 200
stunning illustrations that show the growth of the
studio. The Pinewood Story offers an intriguing
behind-the-scenes glimpse of some of the best
known films and television programmes ever
Tade. The story is brought fully up-to-date with a
;oncluding chapter by Michael Grade.which
looks at Pinewood's exciting future under its new
owners.This book is the culmination of over three
years research, which has included unprecedented
access to the archives at Pinewood and numerous
interviews with many of the studios's luminaries.
AMPS members can obtain copies forf 19.OO
post free direct from Gareth Owen, Pinewood
Studios, Iver Heath, Bucks SLO ONH
THtr NATIONAL SOUND
ARCHIVE.
Based in the new British Library building at St
Pancras, The National Sound Archive (NSA) is
one of the largest in the world.
Plavbark, their newsletter-brochure, is in a
-folde-d,{5format
which opens out into a well-
,llustrated A4format. It is published three times a
year, with information on the NSA's current and
future activities; also included are short articles of
interest about the collections housed at St
Pancras.
The NSA also organises lecture programmes
and, from time to time, exhibitions of artifacts
from the collections which cover all types of
music, the spoken word, oral history interviews
and industrial and wild-life sounds.
Pla,back is published free of charge, so if you
are interested give them your postal details and
they will send it to you. For further information
contact:
The British Library National Sound Archive
96 Euston Road, London NWI 2DB.
Telephone: 020 7412 7440' Fax: 020 7412 7441,
E-mail: nsa@bl.uk
Why not take a look at their web-site:
www.bl. uk/coll ecti ons/sound-archi ve.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2
Having to be in London during the week of 26 July, I
took advantage of taking in the AMPS film show at
Pinewood's Theatre 7. Mission Impossible 2 is not
exactly my type of movie; those such asEmmn,
Elizubeth and Sense And Sensibitity are more to my
taste.
The ridiculous car chase near the start of the story
almost had me walking out, however I stuck it out and
was glad of it when the story reached Sydney,
Australia. Good use was made of the city and its
environs, this kept me sitting in my seat wondering
which location I would recognise next; what a welcome
change from New York and Los Angeles.
I'm not sure whether I kept up with the plot. Car
stunts, motorbike duels and other special-effects
sequences went on too long, so that when the story
resumed after each such episode I had to work out all
over again who was who and what they hoped to
achieve. The cliff-hanglng sequences (superb scenery)
and the ridiculous gun battle in the chemical factory
were beyond belief, but then it's only a movie.
There were several pleasant changes from the usual
present-day American movies: the lack of foul language
and profanities (though the female lead threw in a few
'bloodies' at the beginning, presumably to please
Australian audiences) - no nudity, and sexual
intercourse hinted at but not shown - and the dialogue
was mostly understandable.
I was worried about the damage done to, and the
writing-off of, prestigious executive cars. I hope that
when complete digitisation comes I'll be able to see an
end title telling me 'No motor vehicles were actually
damaged in this production.'
A11 in all,I'd rather see a British 'Bond' movie.
13
BOtsALLEN
FOR SALE
Flightcased fudb Ibdrynurc T/ficro' mfurer,6 into
2 with mono mix down. Limiter and parametric EQ
on main outputs. Ideal for getting rid of HMI head
whistle and generator noise - f,15OO.OO; Flight-cased
fudb Derdrynu* ?ho' mfurcr. 8 into 2,P&G faders
complete with high capacity battery and charger -
f650.00; Traklier rcauft @', modified to take 2
booms complete with large onboard accessories
box, radio mic aerial mast and canvas radio mic
pack on rear. Ideal for commercials or the smaller
drama - d425.OO;3sdin Fanamfu bosn (5ft to 13ft)
- f,125.0O; 3din nanamb mini boom pole (2ft to
6f0 - f 100.00.
Call Malcolm Davies - Tel: 01457 876163
STOP PRESS
Further sad news -
KEN CAMERON OBE, Hon AMPS, died
peacefully in his sleep on August 18th. A tribute
will be published in the Autumn Newsletter.

SIR JOHN GIELGUD 19O4-2OOO
DOYtrN OF DICTION,
Charge OfThe Light Brigade (1968)
Sound mixers who had the privilege of
working on movies with SirJohn Gielgud will
feel great sorrow about his final fade-out.
Throughout his long career I doubt whether he
ever spoke a word of dialogue that wasn't clear
and intelligible. I'm sure that no cinema goer, or
for that matter theatregoer, ever had to utter the
question every sound mixer dreads to hear,
"What did he say?"
I had the pleasure of recording him on three
feature pictures. His voice level control, precise
diction, neutral accent and the meaning given to
lines while playing scenes were always a
pleasure to hear in my headphones.
His professionalism and cooperativeness were
remarkable. There was not the slightest objection
to having to be fitted with a personal mic. on the
one occasion I had to use a radio.
His stamina was amazing he was in his
eighties when I worked with him. Early calls,
journeys to and from locations, tedious hold*
ups, long working days - he stood up to them
looking less tired and fraught than many very
much his junior in years.
Many stories about his social gaffes and
acerbic wit are now coming out in various
tributes. Two I like. It's claimed that once he
said to Elizabeth Taylor "I don't know what
became of Richard Burton. tr think he married
some terrible film star and had to live abroad."
The other story concerned his work in a Peter
Brook theatrical production. During a rehearsal
Peter broke off to put the cast through one of his
'Method'-type exercises, which Sir John felt
were a waste of time. Peter challenged the
players each in turn to make an action or sound
that would scare him. After individual horrific
screams, jumps and gestures it came to Sir
John's turn. He simply walked up to the director
and said quietly to him "We open in five days!"
He will be missed, but fortunately he has left
behind great performances in many classic
movies, so it will be a long,long time before he
is forgotten.
BOBAT-LEN
t4
EDWARD BERNDS 19O5-2OOO
PIONEER PRODUCTION MIXER
Ed lels l4elvvn Douglas li.sten
Edward Bernds, pronounced 'Burns', trained as
a radio operator in the early l920s. He was brought
from Chicago to Hollywood in 1928 by Howard
Campbell, the chief engineer of United Artists'
brand new sound department.
When he arrived Tlte lron Mask, starring Douglas
Fairbanks Sr, was in production at UA Studios.
Shot as a silent picture, UA realised that to meet the
new trend set by Warner Bros' Vitaphone Pictures,
sound would have to be added. They decided that,
in addition to a music score. thev would have
Fairbanks speak on-screen prologues to the first
and second parts of the film; recording these was
Ed Bernds' first production mixing job.
In his book Mr Bernds Goes To Hollr-wood, he
graphically describes going on to The lion Mask
set. He was stunned by what he saw: a huge set of
a Paris street, filled with people and lit with
hundreds of sun arcs. 'It was noisy and crowded;
there seemed to be a dozen things happening at the
same time . The stage was filled with the grinding
noise of the arc motors and the high-pitched whine
of the arc flames. I wondered how we sound
people could fit into that turbulent world and what
changes we would bring. For one thing, the sun
arcs would have to go.'
Bernds later moved to Columbia Pictures where
he became Frank Capra's regular production mixer
from 1930-1939, working on the now-classic
pictures It HappenertoniNtght (1934), Mr Deeds
Goes To Town (1936) and Mr Smith Goes To
Washington (1939). During this period he was also
writing scripts for the Three Stooges' 2-reelers,
then in l944he took over directins them - about
two dozen in all.
He didn't return to sound but became an
uncrowned king of B pictures, directing the
Blondie series, two Bowery Boys' movies and
such drive-in fodder as Rejorm-school Girls
{1957), Space Master X-7 (1958), Return Of The
Fty (rese).
He retired in 1965. His book Mr Bernds goes to
Hollywood (ISBN 0-8108-3602-5) is ajolly good
read if you can hold of a copy; Amazon UK have it,
but listed at{45.
BOBALI-I1N

ROBIN CLARKE
MUSIC EDITOR 1932 - 2OOO
Robin Clarke, one of the Association of Motion
Picture Sound's four Music Editor Members, died
aged 68 in Kingston-on-Thames Hospital on July
2Zfrom multiple myeloma. As a consequence of
the illness, which started last year and attacks the
immune system and bones, he had taken the
decision to retire from active film making. His
funeral was held at Leatherhead Crematorium on
August 1 and was attended by around seventy
people including several generations of family,
fri ends, nei ghbours, uni versi ty contemporari e s and
a sisnifican[ number of fellow editors and other
filni industry friends.
I met Robin in the summer of 1967, he was
Music Editor onChitty Chitty Bang Bang and I was
an employee of Anvil at Denham where.pre-sc.oring
sessions were in progress (I had in fact just joined
Anvil and this was my first experience of film
--,vork).
Born on January 5 1932 in New Malden,
Surrey, he was christened Christopher Clarke, but
was known by his family as Robin from his earliest
years. In 1945 he joined his brother, Graham, at
Charterhouse, followed by National Service from
1950 to l95Z,which as a commissioned officer in
the Royal Artillery took him to Malta and Libya. He
then went on a bursary to Magdalene College
Cambridge, achieving a degree in history. His wide
intefests included ornitholo gy, photo graphy,
walking, swimming, canoeing, reading, listening tc
music and conservation - especially the Kennet&
Avon Canal, the National Trust and RSPB. He had
a fine stamp collection and had completed a novel
just before he died. In 1973 he was jointly credited
for the screenplay for Tales From Beyond The
Grave (Kevin Connor's first directorial
assignment).
His ambition was to write and he was introduced
to the film industry by an uncle who edited a film
trade publication. One of his earliest jobs was as
second assistant editor onThe Indykillst"s (1955),
Ealing Studios'penultimate movie before exile to
Boreham Wood. For several years he was assistant
to Gordon Stone until Gordon's death in November
1964, working on many Disney projects during this
period. Perhaps Robin got his enthusiasm for poker
from Gordon; there were many card schools in the
cutting-rooms at that fime.
He was assistant to Carroll B Knudson, Music
Editor on Half a Sixpence (David Heneker, 1967),
this was quickly followed by the step up to Music
Editor onChit4, Chitty Bang Bang (Sherman
Brothers. 1968). Other credits as Music Editor
included Cross of Iron (Ernest Gold, 1977), Rock
Show for which he also had joint picture editing
credit (Wings, 1979), FlashGordon (Howard
Blake and Queen, 1980), Clash Of The Titans
(Laurence Rosenthal, 1981), Yentl (Alan and
t5
Marilyn Bergman & Michel Legrand, 1983), this
was the only otherfilm that I actually worked on
with Robin , Passage To India (Maurice Jarre, I9&+),
Revo lut ion (John Cori gliano, 1 985), Aliens jointly
with Michael Clifford (James Horner, 1986),
Batnwn (Danny Elfman and the artist at that time
known as Prince, 1989), Stepping Out (Kander,
Ebb, Matz, 1991), Blame It On the Bellboy (Trevor
Jones, I99I), 1492: Conquest of Paradise
(Vangelis, 1992), Tw elve Mo nkey s (Paul
Buckmaste r, 1995\, Restoration (James Newton
Howard, 1995), Donnie Brasco (Patrick Doyle,
1997) and Seven Years in Tibet (source
music.1997).
When we were working on Chitty Robin, Eric
Tomlinson and I had regular Monday dominoes
evenings usually atThe Swan in Denham and though
this was not for rnoney Robin seemed to manage to
play and simultaneously battle with a fruit machine
thus satisfying the gambler in_him.At this time he
was swimming regularly and had short cropped hair
that was in later years to progress into a greying
ponytail but always combined with a ruddy open-air
complexion. He confided in me once that though he
loved the outdoor life he met his match in Sam
Peckinpah who insisted, in winter when workrng at
Elstree, on having a barbecue outside the cuttingroom.
His super fitness in earlier days would burst
out in wrestling matches down the cutting-room
corridors with a young Tony Hunt, or in hauling
himself up onto the outside first floor gantry to reach
his Pinewood cutting-room, instead of using the
stairs. For a long time he had a battered VW with
canoe-carriers on the roof, and loved the Island at
Thames Ditton, where he lived for thirty-seven
years. I have many happy memories of visits there to
play Diplomrrc-y (a very complex and prolonged
board game requiring a large number of players).
This would involve parking the car nearby and
negotiating a pedestrian-only toll bridge to gain
access. The best way to approach his house was in
factby boat and over the years many of us did just
that. On one such occasion, when we were on
holiday on a narrow boat my children were
particularly impressed by the fact that there was a
large void under the house (in anticipation of
flooding the property was elevated on piers) that was
filled with canoes and other river paraphernalia.
Wonderful company: even at the end of a very
long day he could still be very witty, he was a
brilliant relater of long-winded jokes. Always
courteous and gently spoken, with a mellifluous
voice that was never raised even in tense situations
with all around him snarline. Robin was unmarried;
our sympathies go out to hii sister Alison Crane, and
older brother Graham.
So often when reading an obituary I wish I had
known the subject because they are portrayed as
such an interesting person. For those who did not
know Robin and have read this I hope that I have left
them with that impression; a true gentleman.
Tllvl BLACKIIAIvI

Bob Allen' s faithful friends
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