Issue 10 - Offscreen Magazine

OffScreen
For the art of production design
Issue 10: August/September 2009
TELEVISION • FILM • THEATRE

Welcome
Game shows are back! In this
issue we hear from Anna Solic,
former TV designer now award
leader for TV and film set design,
at the University of Glamorgan.
she heralds the return of the
game show and what she feels is
the resurrection of Saturday
night television.
Saturday night has always been
television’s jewel in the crown, a
unique night when the whole
family, historically, gathered
around the television to be
entertained.
Public taste for entertainment
has changed over the last
decade, with more choice
available from pay-per-view,
games consoles, cinema,
cheaper DVD’s etc. so the shows
are ever changing to capture this
fickle audience.
Anna puts the genre into
historical perspective and how it
is time that light entertainment
and the game show genre was
given the industry credit it
deserves.
Dominic
Editor
Dominic Tolfts
07973 898986
dom@offscreenmagazine.co.uk
Co-editor and advertising manager
Christopher O'Toole
07790 696498
chris@offscreenmagazine.co.uk
Copy editor and co-ordinator
Tayyaba Irtizaali
Contributors
Barbara Brunner
Remus Grecu
http://remusgrecu.wordpress.com
Website
www.offscreenmagazine.co.uk
Email
mail@offscreenmagazine.co.uk
Designed by JAM
Contact David Shad on 07890 441480
16 28
HARDWARE
Our round up of new technology and
products
Page 6
Blitz adds the glitz to game shows
Page 10
Transparent LED systems by Elport
Page 16
Fountain Studio's new Apollo console
Page 30
Richard Martin Lighting profiles it’s
new stock
TOOLBOX
Special features on suppliers and art
dept. associates
Page 8
Great Hire has a vision
Page 17
RDW not only make sets, they make
sense
Page 28
Great Hire extends it’s stainless steel
range
Cover illustration: Remus Grecu is a Young Romanian
Artist who lives and works in both Stockholm and London He
also works in Television and Film. For more information about
his Art work and up coming projects,
email: remussuede22@googlemail.com
EDITORS PAGE 005
30
SPOTLIGHT
Page 18
DESIGN SPOTLIGHT - Anna Solic say’s
Saturday night’s alright
Page 22
Richard Greenough, production
designer and the lastest installment of
his memoirs
SCREENPLAY
Page 13
WELLBEING – sports therapist
Barbara Brunner asks “what is
stress?”
Page 26
SOUNDBITES - from Nina
STORYBOARD
Page 14
We begin to follow a unique new
production “Michael's Resignation”,
produced by Alex Cameron
All rights reserved. No part of OffScreen Magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any other form, of by any other means, electronic, mechanical photographic,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the owners of OffScreen Magazine.
Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material published in OffScreen Magazine.
However the owners cannot accept responsibility for the claims made by advertisers or contributors.
The views expressed are not necessarily those of the editors or the owners. Although all reasonable
care is taken of all material, photographs and transparencies submitted, the owners cannot accept
responsibility for damage or loss.
Please be responsible with this magazine and recycle once you have finished with it. But first,
remember to pass it on for others to read.
August/September 2009 OffScreen

008 TOOLBOX
We have a vision. We
want to make a difference
OffScreen August/September 2009
IN A world filled with mediocrity, we strive
to provide superior quality furnishings for
meetings and events. We believe in being
thorough and in listening to our clients.
We want your event to stand out in a
class of it's own.
We believe that such events are
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outstanding quality and strict attention to
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We will always be inventive. We will
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We will stay ahead, because you expect
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Greathire Ltd
Unit 4 Bago House
11 - 15 Chase Road
London
NW10 6PT
Tel: 0208 965 5005
Fax: 0208 965 6300
Web: www.greathire.co.uk

from sketch to studio
Scenery Contractors and steeldeck hire to the Television Film and Theatre Industry
Island Site, Eskdale Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 2RT
PHONE: 01895 233000 FAX: 01895 233001 estdales@btconnect.com
August/September 2009 OffScreen

010 HARDWARE
LEDWEB
Transparent
LED System
LEDWEB Transparent LED Screens
are a range of semi-transparent,
modular systems of LED panels,
perfect for displaying video and images.
Designed for stage shows, TV studios
and other commercial applications, they
closely integrate light, video and set
design, offering entirely new possibilities
for staging.
The screens are from 50% to 75%
transparent and allow light, air and
effects to pass through them, which
opens up a whole new range of options
for lighting design.
With a pixel pitch range from
37.25mm to 18.75mm, the LED Curtain
Screen range offers excellent resolution
without compromising on its light weight
and transparency. And with overall sizes
available at 18.75mm and beyond, they
are extremely versatile.
Key features
Extremely viewable: The LED Curtain
Screen range portrays seamless images
at 18 meters and beyond. Although still a
useful effect at shorter distances, a
simple rule of thumb is that in order to
see an un-pixelated image on an LED
video screen, you need to be at a viewing
distance of 750 times the pixel pitch. The
panels present a seamless image at
about 18.8 m (750 x 25 mm = 18.8 m)
or 61.5 ft.
Semi-transparent video: One truly
innovative aspect of LED Curtain Screen
Range is their transparency. The screens
are 50% transparent and allow light, air
and effects to pass through them. This
opens up a whole new set of possibilities
for lighting and stage designers. Dim the
panels and they seem to ‘disappear’,
revealing objects or performers placed
upstage. Light can be
projected from
behind and smoke
effects made to
emerge through the
screens.
In architectural
applications video
walls can be placed
OffScreen August/September 2009
behind windows to allow sunlight into
interior spaces.
Excellent image quality: With a 25 mm
pixel pitch, it offers excellent resolution
without compromising on its light weight
and transparency. A video wall’s
resolution is determined by its pixel pitch.
High resolution screens have a fine pixel
pitch, typically around 6 mm. Low
resolution screens can go up to 100 mm.
Ours have an ideal balance at 25 mm,
which means it remains lightweight,
transparent and relatively inexpensive but
is still tight enough to offer excellent
image quality.
Wide viewing angle: Another important
feature of the LED Curtain Screen has to
do with the pixel design. While most LED
screens use triangular configurations, the
LED Curtain Screen comes with elliptical
pixels. This offers a very wide, 110°
viewing angle, a feature that is especially
valuable for applications where you can
cover not only the front, but also the sides
where viewers tend to miss out.
Easy assembly: You can stack or hang
the LED Curtain Screen 16 units high and
as wide as necessary. With professional
waterproof connectors, connecting the
lightweight units together is simple and
the resulting structure is very sturdy. The
construction of the panels means they
are not affected by wind.
Designed for travel: The lightweight
units can tour 16 frames to a flight-case,
which means fewer flight-cases and a
reduction in shipping cost.
Worldwide compatibility: Each unit
contains a switch-mode power supply
that covers all worldwide voltages, so you
are always ready to go anywhere in the
world.
Application
Retail Stores: Flag-ship stores,
Malls
Public Venues: Airports,
Railway Stations
Entertainment: Clubs, Bars,
Casinos, Theatres, Cinemas
Events: Tradeshows,
Conference Centres
LEDWEB
Flexible LEDs
LEDWEB Flexible LEDs are constructed as
multiple pixels moulded onto a cable. Each
pixel measures 35mm in width and 55mm in
length. Our Flexible LEDs use the latest
‘point source’ LED technology. The
technology provides three primary coloured
LEDs in single package. The red, green and
blue light emitted from the LED is effectively
a single point of coloured light. This leads
to a Long lamp life, Low beam temperature,
Low power consumption, 16 million colours,
High colour purity, Excellent white tracking,
superb quality of colour mixture with none
of the chromatic aberration common to
earlier technologies.
Our Flexible LEDs have a novel design.
They receives power and data via a
miniature 6 pin flat cable. Each pixel is light
weight, allowing it to push fit into almost
any structure. A total of 40 pixels can be
driven from a single cable. Each pixel can
be either individually addressed or
controlled as a group.
Our Flexible LEDs are a perfect solution
for colour wall and video wall applications.
Their small size, low weight and low heat
allow it to be mounted into sets, walls and
other architectural features.
Combined with control system, Flexible
LEDs can display real time video in
combination with stunning visual effects.
In designing Pixel-Flex, Elport UK has
focussed on the task of perfecting the
colour mixture and also providing designers
with the widest possible range of colour
tones. The latter has been achieved by a
careful choice of LED primary colours. The
results are spectacular with a range of
colours that will make the
most demanding lighting
designer smile!
KEY FEATURES
Long lamp life, Low beam
temperature, Low power consumption, 16
million colours, High colour purity, Excellent
white tracking, superb quality of colour
mixture with none of the chromatic
aberration common to earlier technologies.
APPLICATION
Wrapped around columns, Retail window
displays, curved or even spherical video
walls...
Retail Stores: Flag-ship stores, Malls
Public Venues: Airports, Railway Stations
Entertainment: Clubs, Bars, Casinos,
Theatres, Cinemas
Events: Tradeshows, Conference Centres

August/September 2009 OffScreen

What is stress?
BARBARA BRUNNER on how to combat stress through exercise
STRESS is the body’s response to a situation that is
demanding and it can be acute (short-term) or chronic
(long-term).
Your brain will begin to produce higher levels of
adrenaline, cortisol and cortisone (to increase your heart
rate and breathing rate and redirect blood flow to the
muscles and brain instead of the digestive tract) and halt
the production of dopamine, serotonin and growth
hormone. These latter ones are necessary for the
control of appetite, mood and anger.
Most of the time, your body will recover quickly from
acute stress, but chronic stress is a lot more damaging
and has been linked to several health problems, including:
Disruption of sleep patterns/ Insomnia
Headaches
Stomach aches
Weight gain or Weight loss
Accumulation of fat around vital organs
High blood pressure (increased risk for heart attack
and stroke)
Type 2 Diabetes
Weak Immune System (susceptible to minor or major
infections)
Depression, Impulsive Behaviour and Aggression
The effects of Stress on the body can also lead people
to coping strategies that worsen their stress and their
health. For example, some people smoke, overeat, or
abuse alcohol or drugs as a reaction to stress. These
strategies may seem to temporarily relieve stress, but
they then contribute to overall poor health and risk
factors for disease.
So do NOT underestimate the effects of Stress!
Here’s to give you a few facts:
A person’s stress load is the total amount of physical,
psychological and environmental stress on his or her
body.
In the past 30 years this load on the human body has
quadrupled!
People in the developed world suffer from depression,
insomnia and anxiety, chronic fatigue, headaches,
digestive problems and general aches and pains.
People’s modern lifestyles have removed them from
nature and they have become divorced from its rhythms
and cycles, i.e. going to sleep when it is dark and waking
up when it is light.
In the developed world a lot of them suffer from
depression, insomnia, anxiety, chronic fatigue,
headaches, digestive problems and general aches and
pains.
In my last article I briefly mentioned that an active lifestyle
with outdoor physical activity is essential for our health and
wellbeing, something most of us have heard about.
BARBARA
BRUNNER
LSSM Dip.,
ACSM cPT
Barbara
graduated from
the London
School of Sports
Massage in
2004 and went
on to study with
the American
School of Sports
Medicine.
She runs a
private practice
in London and
specialises in
rehabilitation,
postural
re-education,
endurance
training and
nutrition.
She has been a
keen triathlete
for the past 6
years, competing
in Olympic and
Half-Ironman
distances, and
has a strong
background in
many other
sports, ranging
from gymnastics
to rock-climbing,
skiing and
wind-surfing.
WELLBEING 013
And here is why:
* It is beneficial to the brain (increases blood flow,
creates new nerve cells and connections, increased
production of chemicals like serotonin and dopamine
that help cognition and learning ability)
* the Heart grows larger and stronger
* the Chest cavity gets larger so the lungs can expand
further and vital capacity increases since more
carbon dioxide can be removed with each breath
* muscles get better at using fat for energy, they get
thicker and contract more strongly. Also, tendons and
ligaments grow stronger, cartilage within joints gets
thicker, so bones are less likely to jar or deteriorate
* your Bones get stronger
* body fat burns up faster even when at rest, which
means you’re a lot more likely to maintain a healthy
bodyweight
* your Blood pressure drops
* your Digestion will improve
* you Sleep better
* you’re less depressed, anxious or impulsive
* your Immune system will be stronger
* your Insulin levels don’t rocket up and down and
you’re more likely to have a better diet
* you have more motivation to stop smoking if you’re
keen to get fit
* you have better flexibility
* you have a better and healthy appetite
* you have a better social life
* you have a better body image and higher self-esteem
* you have REAL fun !
Getting back to point 2 I made last month “It’s relatively
cheap”: By investing a little money in spending time
outdoors having fun you’re very likely to save yourself a
LOT of money and other trouble by:
• Being more productive at work and taking less days off
work
• Not smoking, consuming excessive amounts of alcohol
or even drugs
• Not having to seek medical help on a regular basis
• Not having to cheer yourself up by going on regular
shopping sprees!
• Decreasing the likelihood of you suffering from
cardiovascular (heart problems, stroke), metabolic
(diabetes) or any other health problems
My last point was “It’s real FUN!”:
There is nothing better than being able to spend a day
out with friends enjoying all of nature’s wonderful things,
whether it’s warm, sunny or cold, you’ll feel truly
envigorated by all that fresh air and activity!!
So ditch the gymbag and get out there!
August/September 2009 OffScreen

014 STORYBOARD
Michaels
Resignation
We follow producer ALEX CAMERON as he
begins the journey of making ‘Michael's
Resignation’, a unique film project inspired
by and flying in the face of the credit crunch
“MICHAEL'S RESIGNATION” started as a
simple musing over email by
writer/producer Alex Cameron. Alex had
floated the idea of writing a drama around
the “credit crunch”, to which a friend, Rob
Fisher, flippantly suggested the “worker
slaughters his colleagues” storyline. It was
also mentioned that it was time for a good,
well produced camcorder-style flick to
appear again. When you put 2 creative
movie-obsessed visionaries in the same
room, it’s just a matter of time before a
mission presents itself.
Email replies went backwards and
forwards suggesting ideas, and a character
started to develop around the story. By the
end of the day, Michael Jones was born. An
ex-soldier recently returned from his tour of
duty in Afghanistan who completely loses it
and goes on a killing rampage in his office.
He would film it himself on a camcorder, and
the “real” footage would be sent around as a
marketing viral to promote it.
By the end of the second day, Alex had
written a full treatment (summary) of the
story divided into the typical 3-Act structure.
Michael had found his obnoxious fiancée
with his boss, and would get the gun from an
old army friend in East London. He was in
love with a girl at work, and the complication
would be that she wasn’t supposed to be at
work that day. The carnage resolution would
be unbelievably extreme.
It would be up to viewers to decide why
Michael did what he did: “His kill switch has
flipped and that’s it.” Reason was irrelevant.
Within 3 days, Alex had approached
several screenwriting communities on the
social networking site Facebook (as well as
contacting over 20 UK universities), and
created a new group of 60+ young writers
to write the script together online on the
website PlotBot.com. The response was
phenomenal as people flooded in, inspired by
the idea and hungry for an opportunity to get
OffScreen August/September 2009
a leg up into such a small world. A subsection
of around 10 writers formed the
backbone, led by action-nuts Neil Baker and
Richard Moir.
Within 7 days, 60% of the script was
done. On day 10, the whole thing was
complete and signed off by everyone
involved. The script was a mixture of
extreme action, fast-moving witty dialogue
and ranting monologue. At the end of
September 2008, in just a few weeks, one
of the most innovative and compelling
psychological thrillers of our age was ready
to be filmed.
More and more people became
fascinated with the project and started
reporting their own interpretations and
vision of the movie. It was clear that with the
right number of cameras to achieve wide
shot coverage, a professional Hollywoodstyle
production was possible on a very
small budget. The script-writing had set a
new tone for the project - not only should it
be to give new writers a leg up into the
world, but it should also be extended to
include actors, soundtrack artists and
production staff as well.
A week of roughly analysing the financial
and production requirements of the movie
led to an initial budget of £50,000 GBP
(revised to £18,500 in April 2009) 90% of
the costs were ruled out simply because
there was a way to get them for free - by
begging, borrowing or stealing, tweaking the
details (for example, borrowing a working
office and shooting on the weekend, hiring a
helicopter for £200), or simply just asking
people to believe in the film and get involved.
With Alex’s fundraising background, the
movie went onto the investment trail. First
up was an application to the Uk Film
Council’s New Cinema Fund for the cash,
and for certification for UK Film Tax Relief.
Several business angel groups, venture
capital companies and private financiers
were contacted. The screenwriters set out
to find “Michael” and put together audition
space, with the manager of the Italia Conti
drama school in London feeling utterly
bemused as no-one had approached him
with an idea like it before.
In the meantime, Neil Baker was loving
the idea of doing a sequel that was the
complete opposite to Michael - a girl who
went on a rampage of good, as “it would
demonstrate our range”. Alex wrote the
next in the series (“Salvation For April”), and
the writing group was approaching 100
regulars. 2 films became a series of 7, all
based around the credit crunch, and
tentatively titled “Multivalence” because of
their communal theme of exploring the
breakdown of false meaning in each
character’s life.
But in December, everything changed.
The approach to fundraising had to change
and follow the earlier precedent of
openness. Instead of asking a small number
of investors to part with an individual sum of
money, the film would go against the grain
and be opened up to the general public to
invest in (NOT donate to one-way) and make
them money when they were losing it
everywhere because of the credit crunch.
The response was incredible, with a long
flow of emails from people supporting the
“amazing” and “inspirational” idea.
Anyone could invest as little as £10 in the
movie by signing up online to make a
payment and receiving a certificate for 10
shares in the company by return. If the
movie made a 2:1 return (i.e. made
£100,000 in distribution), then they would
receive a cheque for £20 back in the post.
The project would give ordinary people a way
to make money as well as showing their
support.
Within 48hrs, Alex set up
MichaelsResignation.com with 30+ pages
and a back-office of online collaborative tools
to accomodate a few dozen people working
on it every day to promote the fundraising
with extensive industry databases. Through
integration with Google Checkout, the site
was able to receive investments in a matter
of days after the bank account was opened
in January 2009.
The future, and what happens now, is up
to you, the person reading this.
The funding, filming and distribution of
a unique movie (UK)
0845 862 3777
mrprodteam@gmail.com
www.michaelsresignation.co.uk

August/September 2009 OffScreen

016 HARDWARE
Fountain Studios
first in line for Apollo
CALREC AUDIO has announced the
first sale of its new Apollo console
to London-based The Fountain
Studios.
The 72 fader console will be delivered
in July and installed as the final part of a
complete HD studio investment
programme.
“We are delighted that the first ever
Apollo console will be installed at
Fountain,” said Calrec’s Business
development Manager Henry Goodman.
“Fountain is behind some of the biggest
live entertainment programming in the
UK, including “Britain’s Got Talent” and
“The X Factor” and we are proud to be
associated with them as they continue to
invest in their facility.”
Launched at NAB in April, Apollo relies
on Bluefin2 processing which provides
OffScreen August/September 2009
unrivalled resources at multiple sample
rates. At 48kHz, Bluefin2 gives Apollo up
to 1020 channel processing paths, 128
program busses, 96 IFB/Track outputs
and 48 auxiliaries. At 96kHz, Apollo
affords 510 channel processing paths,
64 program busses, 48 IFB/Track
outputs and 24 auxiliaries.
Apollo is also equipped with a dedicated
integrated router so that its I/O functions
can be performed by Calrec’s nextgeneration
networking system, Hydra2.
Hydra2 uses high capacity 8192 x 8192
cross-point routers and makes available a
variety of I/O. Console routers can also
be connected together to form large
networks.
Mariana Spater, MD Fountain Studios
said, “After an extensive review of the
options for 5.1 sound, we believe that
the new Apollo console best fulfils our
broadcast requirements for the future.”
The Fountain Studios is an
independently owned television studio
located in Wembley, north-west London.
The company has constantly upgraded
the facility since they purchased it in
1993, which at 13,000 square feet is
the largest single fully-equipped television
studio in Britain, and has full HD
capability.
Kevin Emmott
Marketing Co-ordinator, Calrec
DDI: +44 (0) 1422 841310
Fax: +44 (0) 1422 845244
E: kevin.emmott@calrec.com
Wendy Mattock
Bubble & Squeak (for Fountain)
T: +44 (0) 20 7287 4656
E: wendy@bubblesqueak.co.uk

TOOLBOX 017
We not only
make sets, we
make sense!
RDW has a experienced, dedicated, talented team of
craftsmen with over 35 years experience in the TV
and Film Industry. We have provided countless
productions with their scenery needs at both studios and on
location.
We can provide all your construction needs either from
our spacious and well-equipped workshop or out on location.
Our Workshop comes fully stocked with a full timber, metal
and paint shop manned by professional and talented full time
and freelance film crew, new paint frame with the highest
level scenic painters on hand and a new CNC Router which is
capable of cutting the most intricate designs and fretworks
saving you time and money and not to mention we also have
our own transport to get you sets to you wherever you are.
Situated in Park Royal West London, we are perfectly
situated for all major studios and
exhibition facilities. Not only that, but
our sister company Stockyard Prop
Hire is right next door providing
architectural scenery props and
backcloths - well we can really start
saving you time and money.
And we think that makes a lot
of sense!
RDW Recognises that
production requirements have
changed with today's budgets. No
longer are studio builds the main
stay of construction companies
and more and more you ask for a
team to be available and flexible enough to provide backup
cover to service your production on locations up and down
the country. We can provide a team wherever and whenever
required, this helps your budget as you pay for what you use,
but with the full back up of our complete workshop and
machinery.
Why not look into RDW as your dedicated construction
team for your future productions and see what we can offer
you first hand. Either call us on 0208 965 4413 or why not
pop in meet the team and view the workshop at Unit A,
Genesis Bus Park, Rainsford Road, Park Royal, NW10 7RG.
We aim to provide you with the most cost effective set
construction that works with your script and budget so check
out some of our past triumphs on our website
www.rdwscenery.com which is going live within the next 2
weeks and will show you some of our history.
August/September 2009 OffScreen

018 SPOTLIGHT
Saturday
night’s alright
We are currently in a state of Light Entertainment nirvana. Thanks to Simon Cowell
and the genius at Talk Back Thames, the genre has been resurrected and reshaped
with a respectful salute to its roots in variety theatre. By ANNA SOLIC
The X Factor unashamedly
popularised Saturday night
television again, and forged a
path in a then dismal dirge of Saturday
night viewing. It was a front runner for
the resurrection of Light Entertainment,
and brought glamour and competition to
our screens, with a winning combination
of celebrity, public, and public opinion.
Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing on Ice,
I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and
Britain’s Got Talent were all produced for
a Saturday Night audience that was
hungry for spectacle and entertainment.
Opportunity Knocks, produced by
Associated Redifussion for ITV, in 1956
turned Saturday nights into compulsive
family viewing and was the first
successful television talent show to
utilise audience opinion in the form of the
OffScreen August/September 2009
‘clappometer’. This invention gauged the
success of the contestant from the level
of clapping of the studio audience, and
involved the audience like never before.
The interaction of the audience has now
been assimilated into our television
essentials, whether on Game Shows,
Talent shows or reality TV.
Light Entertainment and particularly
Game Shows have always been the
platform for controversy, and Saturday
Night scheduling was the place to do it.
Double your money and Take Your Pick,
in 1955, were Game shows that gained
great publicity due to the sums of prize
money available. both were initially
produced for radio and transferred to
TV.
Similarly The Price is Right
unashamedly celebrated consumerism
as the core of the format, and
contestants acquired success through
guessing the price of everyday objects.
No intellectual skill was involved in the
success of the game and the contestant,
and at the time this was a great novelty.
It was also the first Game Show to involve
vocal and physical audience interaction,
as the contestants were picked from the
audience to ‘Come on Down’. The Game
Show had now evolved into a form which
celebrated ordinary people and being
part of the audience was the only criteria
for potentially being a winner.
Britain’s Got Talent seems a natural
progression in Light Entertainment
evolution, as it upped the stakes in every
way possible; it has combined spectacle
and national identity with an over riding
sense of democracy. This is particularly
>>

August/September 2009 OffScreen

020 SPOTLIGHT
>> evident in the judging process ‘The
audience is the fourth judge’. BGT has
also recognised that being socially
inclusive is a terrific marketing strategy,’
there are absolutely no rules, any talent,
any age’.
The talent show’s premise that the
public are the performers, the judges,
and are also driving the content, has
given the show incredibly high viewing
figures; The 2009 final having the
highest TV audience for five years, 19.2
million viewers. The Price is Right
engaged the public in a similar way to
BGT, as it opened its doors to everyone.
The audience in Britain’s Got Talent,
whether in the public audition, the studio,
or at home are visibly engaged in every
part of the process, and the gap between
audience, participant and celebrity has
been made ever closer with contestants
potentially entering the world of
professionals.
It is evident that its roots are based in
Variety Theatre, though it might be
debated that it’s real roots are from
nineteenth century Paris and the
spectacle of the Grand Guinol. Here a
series of short plays featured subjects
that were considered inappropriate for
mainstream theatres, they shocked,
thrilled and contained graphic scenes of
horror, sex, and incredulity. Our
primetime television has revelled in
exposing the diverse and sometimes
vulgar talent of the nation in a format
which places break-dancing seventy year
olds, overweight exotic dancers, child
singers and animal acts directly in
competition with each other and has
turned a 19th century sub culture into
our primetime.
The controversy surrounding
contemporary talent shows appears to
drive the viewing figures, and we can
debate our moral viewpoint as we watch
through vulgar fascination at the
ridiculous, humiliated and inept;
Celebrities eating live insects to boost
their public profile, contestants with a
visible lack of talent being groomed into
believing they could possibly have a
professional career. Scandal
surrounding tele-voting and alleged
rigging of winners.
For a format to succeed on
mainstream tv on Saturday night it has
to address the zeitgeist of the nation.
OffScreen August/September 2009
Saturday
night
television
has
regained
the
prominence
it deserves
Britain’s Got Talent has indeed done this,
through recognising that there is a great
deal of value and power in popular
culture. Power makes points, and we all
know what points make….
Images and catchphrases from
successful LE and Game shows have
been assimilated into our everyday
language and culture. X Factor is now an
adjective; Leslie Crowther has been
parodied as a generic Game Show host
which has even been characterised in
the children’s programme Sesame
Street as Guy Smiley, and we will always
remember that Huwie Green meant
everything ‘most sincerely folks’
There has always been a great level of
nostalgia for GameShows and in 2005
and 2007 TalkBack Thames produced
GameShow Marathons where original
formats were revived with celebrity
contestants. These included Bullseye,
Family Fortunes, Play Your Cards Right
and The Price is Right. Their success
recognised the appeal of the original
formats with the earliest from 1956
Take Your Pick.
The stakes are high for any
programme to succeed on Saturday
nights after the hysteria and controversy
evoked through this years Britain’s Got
Talent. It has created a benchmark for
Saturday night television that celebrates
and values popular culture. If proof were
‘‘‘‘
needed of the power of Cowell, the delay
of ITN News at Ten by several minutes
due to the final of BGT would be evidence
enough. The dispute over whether Hollie
Steele could restart her performance
was one of the most highly charged
moments in Light Entertainment history,
as Cowell promised ‘I will find the time’.
Tonight’s the Night and currently
Totally Saturday are both sailing in the
wake of a very large boat, both have
adapted audience participation and
interaction to some success. Tonight’s
the Night has a high impact production
design, with heart rendering life stories
of the audience members interspersed
with strong vocal performances form
John Barrowman. Totally Saturday
implies in the title that we, as an
audience already know what to expect
from a Saturday night programme, and
is referring to the history of Saturday
night tv.
The resurgence of interest in Light
Entertainment has been provoked by the
X Factor and the wave of talent shows
that it spawned. It has also recently been
recognised and supported by an industry
which has previously barely valued it. In
2008 Bruce Forsyth was awarded a
BAFTA Fellowship for his ‘outstanding
body of work as the ultimate all round
entertainer’. Bruce Forsyth has travelled
through the history of Light
Entertainment, from presenting Sunday
Night at the London Palladium in1958,
Play Your Cards Right to the current
success of Strictly Come Dancing BBC.
This was an unprecedented gesture by
BAFTA who hadn’t previously recognised
the significance of Light Entertainment. It
could be argued that it was prompted by
the overwhelming public appeal for the
genre and it’s high profile in current
television.
Saturday night television has regained
the prominence it deserves and we, as
viewers and contestants, can ride this
emotional rollercoaster with perfectly
formed teeth, a song in our hearts
knowing there’s a place for us.
Thank you Simon Cowell x
Anna Solic, Award Leader TV & Film
Set Design, Cardiff School of
Creative and Cultural Industries, The
ATRiuM, The University of
Glamorgan

022 SPOTLIGHT
The life of
a designer
RICHARD GREENOUGH'S memoirs of his life as a production designer
RICHARD GREENOUGH spent 35 years working for
the BBC and ATV, between 1948 – 1983, now in
his 80’s he has written his memoirs about his life
working in the fledgling years of our great industry.
This is the latest part of our serialisation of his
professional life as a designer.
O
On the 22nd October 1949, I designed what I
believe to be the first Saturday night series (or
situation comedy) “Family Affairs”, with Heather
Thatcher and Michael Shepley as the mother and
father, which was done in Studio B and produced by
Michael Mills. It ran for 14 episodes until the 18th
February 1950. Another series, “The Inch Man”,
ran for 8 episodes from the 8th December 1951
to the 26th January 1952, again in Studio B.
“The Pickwick Papers”, a Saturday night serial in
seven episodes, was produced in Studio A by
Douglas Allen, from the 6th December 1952 to the
17th January 1953. This had a number of prefilmed
inserts. I have in my possession all the
scripts, prop lists, working drawings for the
scenery, studio camera plans etc. for this series,
including the Design and Supply Allotment forms
which ranged from £60 to £80 per episode (but
sadly I have no photographs).
The best remembered Saturday night serial and
the last I was to do from Alexandra Palace was
“The Quatermass Experiment” which was done live
in six episodes in Studio A from the 18th July to the
OffScreen August/September 2009
26th August 1953 with Reginald Tate, Duncan
Lamont and Isabel Dean, produced by Rudolph
Cartier and written by Nigel (Tom) Kneale. My
assistant on this production was Stewart Marshall
who took the design credit on episodes 2, 4 and 6.
On the 13th August 2003, the National Film
Theatre showed the first two episodes, which had
been “tele-recorded”. This was a process, I believe,
of using a film camera and filming off the face of a
television screen. The quality was very poor and
certainly not good enough to use for transmission
at that time. A play “It Could Happen Only In Paris”,
which went out live on 1st May 1955, was telerecorded
and this was used for the repeat on the
1st June 1955. I believe this was the first time.
At the end of 1950, the BBC started to use
Lime Grove Studios, Shepherds Bush, which had
been film studios. The BBC converted them to
Television Studios, putting in control rooms and
technical areas.
I designed the first show out of Studio G, and I
think the first out of Lime Grove. This was “Gala
Variety”, which included Tommy Cooper, on the
23rd December 1950, directed by Michael
Mills. His P.A. was Yvonne Littlewood, who went
on to be a light entertainment producer and
director in her own right.
The next show in this studio, which I also
designed, on the 26th December 1950, and
repeated on the 1st January 1951, was
“Cinderella”, with Jack Hulbert, Sally Ann Howes >>
‘Elizabethan
Evening’, Studio E,
17 November
1953

The Quatermass Experiment
August/September 2009 OffScreen

Back Projection used in ‘Band Show’, 17 September
1951
OffScreen August/September 2009
BBC
TELEVISION
STUDIOS:
LIME
GROVE

and Kathy Moody (Lady Grade), produced by
Walton Anderson.
At Lime Grove, we had four studios. G, on the first
floor, used mostly for light entertainment, was 104
feet long and 43 feet wide, but for threequarters of
its length only 34 feet wide (it was slightly ‘L’ shaped).
This was a vast improvement on the studios at
Alexandra Palace.
The other studios at Lime Grove were, on the
second floor, D, 74 feet by 55 feet maximum, E, 57
feet by 61 feet maximum and a small studio, H, on
the first floor opening off Studio G, where “The Grove
Family” was produced, 60 feet by 30 feet, with a
small additional area at the door end. All dimensions
given are the usable setting area.
There was also on the first floor Studio F, which
had a water tank (floored over) around which on
the ground floor were the dressing rooms. This
studio, which was the biggest, as it was under
both Studio D and E, was now used as a scenery
store. The designers and producers had their
offices in houses in Lime Grove, which backed
onto the studio. We continued to use the
studios at Alexandra Palace until at least
October 1953 and I think we must have
continued to use the scenery workshop and store
scenery there until late 1953 or early 1954 when
we moved into a purpose-built building which was
the first phase of New Television Centre on Wood
Lane, White City, built on part of the site of the
1911 White City Exhibition. Here the designers
and producers had their offices, also the scenery
workshop, scenery store and the scenic artists’
paint frames for backcloths. In May 1955, when I
left the BBC, they had not started to build the
Studios.
At Lime Grove we now had room to use Back
Projection so it was often no longer necessary to
have blown up photographs for backgrounds for
documentaries such as “London Town” and “About
Britain”. Projection was often used in Light
Entertainment shows in place of painted
backcloths.
In late 1953, the BBC took the Shepherd’s Bush
Empire, designed by Frank Matcham, and opened
in 1903, to be used as a television studio, known
as the Television Theatre. The first show I can find
to be transmitted from there was Jimmy Jewel
and Ben Warris on the 14th November 1953. At
SPOTLIGHT 025
that time, only the stage was used, which had a
rake with a run-out for the camera over the stalls.
The proscenium is 30 feet wide with a fairly deep
stage. The dress circle and upper circle (?) were
used for the audience. The stage was about six
feet below street level which meant that all the
scenery had to be dropped down from the dock
doors.
The first series of six Morecambe and Wise
shows, called “Running Wild”, started on the 21st
April 1954. I designed the fourth on the 2nd June.
They were not the success they were to become
later on.
Early in 1955, in the Television Theatre, I designed
a Bob Hope Show. As it was for transmission only in
America, it was shot on film cameras.
Note the television technique of using three
cameras on Bob, also the two men holding a large
‘Idiot Board’ on which the script was written and
from which he read. His technique was so good that
the viewer at home did not realise he was doing this.
Part of the reason for this was that the scriptwriters
were re-writing up to the time of recording, so Bob
would not have time to learn it. Frequently, instead of
one board in the middle, there would be two sets
placed each side. It was directed by Bill Ward. In
1956, when Bill and I had moved to the Commercial
company, ATV, we there made the next Bob Hope
Show.
Sadly, in November 1952, Peter Bax, Head of
Design, died. He was replaced in 1953 by Richard
Levin who had worked with Hugh Casson designing
the 1951 Festival of Britain.
I resigned from the BBC on the 31st May 1955 to
go to Commercial Television, ATV, as Head of Design.
Michael Yates left to go to Associated Rediffusion
(AR) and Timothy O’Brian to ABC, both as Head of
Design.
During the seven years that I was with the BBC, I
designed, or was responsible for, over five hundred
productions. They were all transmitted live, as were
the shows I later did for ATV, and I did not believe
that any of them had been recorded. However, I now
discover that some were, such as the first two
episodes of “The Quatermass Experiment”, the Gala
Variety, December 1950, the rehearsals for which
had been recorded on a 16mm film camera by one
of the engineers, and then later at least two of the
Sunday Night at the Palladium shows.
August/September 2009 OffScreen

026 SOUNDBITES
‘’ NINA at STOCKYARD with yet more crackers
Quotes of the week
OffScreen August/September 2009
1. Q – Hi its stockyard just calling to confirm the bench you are
wanting to hire, you have said in your email its 9ft 4 but I cant
find one of that measurement in that style they are all 7ft.? A
– Oh it’s definitely there, I measured it using my own feet! 2. Q
– Hi it’s………..I am calling to “OFF HIRE” my items I have on hire
from you from today. A – Ok no problem are they coming back
today? Q – No, but I want to stop the hire charge now and then
return them when I can within the next 2 weeks. A – Humm, it
doesn’t really work like that I’m afraid! 3. Q – Hi is that Stockyard the “hire
company”? A – It sure is. Q – Jolly good I would like to “purchase”
some of your stock for my new house in France! 4. Q – Have
you got a mock wrecking ball please? A – Yes its 4ft and is
still a little heavy. Q – Great I am going to use it to
smash some females to pieces with this weekend!
(Ladies steer clear of this man at all
costs)! 5. Q – Do you stock any Fake
Coffee Beans? A – No Sorry - could
you not use real ones? Q – No they
are not doing the right thing in the
water!

+44 (0)20 8941 4500
www.annavalley.co.uk
Delivering your vision ..........
August/September 2009 OffScreen

028 TOOLBOX
Greathire extend their
contemporary stainless
steel furniture range
LONDON (30 July 2009) Greathire Ltd, is
delighted to announce that they have
extended the range of their ever popular
stainless steel furniture.
Following demand, www.greathire.co.uk
have added three new designs to their
current range which bar/poser/table
range, all of which are versatile, the
curved unit, being suitable for a bar,
reception desk or exhibition display
stand.
The poser tables are 54cm in diameter,
which leaves ample space for candles or
flowers, as well as drinks and elbows.
One curved stainless steel section is
just over 2 metres on the outside edge,
mix it with straight bars, or end units,
available from 1m - 20 metres, depending
OffScreen August/September 2009
on pieces chosen.
The www.greathire.co.uk web site
shows the styles of stainless steel, which
can have over
50 interchangeable Plexiglas colours,
linking to your clients theme, or corporate
colours.
Rental cost for the poser are £40, the
bar is from £140 based a 24-hour period.
Greathire will deliver and install all
furniture for your event.
Greathire provides unique and
innovative event rental furniture. For more
information about the stainless steel bars
or poser tables, or to schedule a showing
please contact Aundrea Insinna at
Greathire Ltd 0208 965 5005, or email
to info@greathire.co.uk

August/September 2009 OffScreen

030 HARDWARE
Richard Martin Lighting
increases its hire stock
OffScreen August/September 2009
Richard Martin Lighting has
invested further in the latest
innovations on their hire list by
recently purchasing Chroma-Q Color
Block 2 and GLP Impression XL’s in
chrome.
The Chroma-Q Color Block 2 was
introduced by AC technologies and once
used by several LD’s on their shows, Lee
Allen on Blue Peter, John Ford for Dave
Davey on Paul O’Grady, Roger Williams
on Know It All and Chris Kempton on
Jonathan Ross all agreed that the
fixture was something they would happily
continue to use. RML took the decision
to purchase the fixtures and hire them
out as kits which consist of 5 individual
blocks which can be joined to form a
1.2m strip if required. The product
offers modularity and versatility with
new single colour RGBA optics, 530
lumens output (almost double the
original model) and theatrical grade
dimming.
Again by responding to demand RML
have also decided to purchase a number
of GLP Chromed Impression XL’s.
Following the success of the exclusive 6
month deal RML had with GLP,
purchasing a significant number of the
Chromed standard Impressions, they
were soon had enquires to provide a
Chromed version of the XL Impression to
their clients. The light offers 240 LEDs
making the light output almost 3 times
as bright but keeping the same quality
and all other advantages of the
impression.
Kerry Murphy
0208 965 3209
kerry@richardmartinlighting.co.uk
www.richardmartinlighting.co.uk

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