W
hile you may not be aware of this little known fact, a team of local volunteers and students have been working behind the scenes to capture the stories behind the films, quizzing the rigger to the make-up artist, lighting guys to script writers. This on-going oral history, The Elstree Project, is being created by the University’s Film and Television course, in collaboration with
Elstree Screen Heritage. Over the last year, these veterans of Elstree’s films and TV shows have been interviewed about their careers and life in the film industry, led within the University by Howard Berry, BA Film and Television Programme Leader. “You always hear about George Lucas and the stars, but there was a whole community of people in Elstree and
Borehamwood, making the props or helping in other ways.” says Howard. “These jobs have now changed or are being replaced by digital film making. This project is about preserving memories of what was.” Howard describes the 40 hours of footage already collected as a “living archive”, suggesting it could be used for a documentary or a book, with some clips already having aired on BBC Three Counties Radio. “There are moments when your jaw drops,” says Howard. “We interviewed an assistant studio manager – John - who worked at Elstree when the studio faced closure. He told us that a man turned up one day saying he had to look at the dressing rooms. John recognised him as being a demolition man - he was coming to demolish sets 7, 8 and 9, now where Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is filmed. “John ran across the road to the Borough Council and got a restraining order, but his story has never been made public. It was part of history and goes to show that everyone had a role in Elstree’s story.” The Elstree Project’s website contains interviews dating back to 2010, from the Kubrick Visions festival. Interviews with people who worked for the famous director of A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey have led to the project receiving recognition from ‘across the pond’, with Toy Story director, Lee Unkrich, following the filming. “He’s a huge fan of The Shining and we had interviews with people who had worked on it. He contacted us and asked if we had any more material.” Howard added: “We interviewed June, The Shining’s script supervisor. She was told by Kubrick to run through the lines with one of the actors. He refused and when it came to filming he didn’t know the lines. It’s the way she tells it that makes it great, she does a wonderfully funny accent!”
Bob Redman, co-founder of the project, said Kubrick Visions showed what could be achieved. “Kubrick is associated with St Albans, but he lived in Elstree for years. He made the majority of his films here, so we started to find people who had worked for him to tell the full story - geniuses are sometimes hard to work for, and we pulled back the veil a bit. Then we thought: Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg - they have books written about them, but no one tells what it was really like.”
Bob believes The Elstree Project is a chance to “fill in the gaps”, providing students with invaluable lessons. “It’s not a history lesson. It’s real. The technology may have changed, but the same lessons are there,” he said. “When we finish filming the students leave their equipment to ask questions. We eventually have to drag the interviewee away!” He added: “It’s a race to preserve this heritage, because when it’s gone, it’s gone. At a time when everywhere looks the same, it’s important to keep the things that make a place like Elstree unique. “In a dark room with the bright lights, an hour can feel like five minutes as you sit absorbed in these stories. They need to be passed from one generation to the next – and we’ve got to share them.” This is a feeling that Paul Welsh, chairman of Elstree Screen Heritage, shares. “My father was in sound effects and I was born and brought up in Borehamwood,” he said. “When you’re young, you don’t think about why your father is taking stuff from the kitchen to make sound effects for the latest James Bond movie.” Paul has been involved with the studios for the past 35 years, writing a weekly column about them for the local newspaper, arranging anniversary celebrations, reunions and royal visits. “If anything, one of my biggest regrets is not asking my father about his time at Elstree. When he died he took his stories with him, but now we have the chance to capture these stories while these people are here. That’s what we’re doing. Saving the past while it’s still here.” For more information about the project, please visit the website:
http://theelstreeproject.org/ f❵ Jo-Anne Rowney
Kelvin Pike, Camera Operator
Alf Newvel, Rigger
Johnny Goodman, Production Supervisor
Ron Punter, Scenic Artist
Neville Reid, Studio Manager (1996-2006)
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