Timesheet – Reaching for the Skies

Charles White's timesheet

Charles White’s timesheet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

This timesheet is from Charles White, who was involved in the post-production of the documentary series: Reaching for the Skies, a history of flight. The twelve part series was transmitted in Sept-Nov 1988. It was a co-production with John Gau Productions, the series producer was Ivan Rendall, with different episodes being produced and directed by different people, including Tony Salmon and Dennis Adams. The editors included Greg Miller and Mike Duxbury.

The timesheet shows an over 80 hour week for Charles, meaning that he would have accrued an awful lot of overtime payments, or time off in lieu!

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

Jane Green: ‘I have my Clothes Show and Howards’ Way timesheets. 20 hours days filming – no joke!’

Ruth Barretto: ‘I can remember the days when I used to process all of productions timesheets and Expenses. 4 consecutive days in excess of 12 hours and on the 5th day 4 hours then you earn a day off in lieu…. Oh so sad that i still remember that!!!’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘I can imagine the hours as it was a big production. I worked on it for a few days filming at RAF Coningsby on tornadoes. It was fantastic.’

Victoria Trow: ‘Long hours? Over 100 one week on the dreaded Witchcraft. But nobody ever minded over time – time and a half + less than 10hr break….. Those were the days. My first job at Pebble Mill – in a portakabin with Fiona Haigh syncing up the rushes.’

Mark Heslop: ‘108 hrs on same series, unfortunately no proof, but everybody worked stupid hours on that programme.’

Rosalind Gower: ‘I’m still rather horrified he was scheduled a 60 hour week! I know we all worked crazy hours when we had to but it does seem very wrong that he was officially down to work for five consecutive days of 12 hours per day, big production or not.’

Birmingham Club Sports

photo by Charles White, no reproduction without permission

photo by Charles White, no reproduction without permission

Photo by Roger Mulliner, no reproduction without permission

Photo by Roger Mulliner, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo of editor Charles White about to play tennis at the opening of the tennis courts at the BBC Birmingham Club. It is Nigel Chapman who is cutting the red and white safety tape ribbon.

Charles is wearing a BBC Birmingham Club T-shirt, as shown in a different colour way above.

Charles White adds the following information:

‘The Birmingham Club, after much heated debate with the committee and the football team, decided to spend 13 grand on the construction of the 2 hard-courts, which replaced the run-down courts over by the creche. Whether we ever got the money back is debatable, but about 20 regular players used the courts in the summer evenings and even at lunch breaks. Opened in 1993 I think.’

The following comments were added on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

Alan Fortey: ‘I think you’ll find the first the football team knew about it was seeing bulldozers digging up the pitch. One of the biggest white elephants in the Club’s history!! Still gets to me.’

Conal O’Donnell: ‘It’s certainly Nigel Chapman -he opened a tennis court & closed a radio station (C&W).’

Personnel Department Memo

Memo from Personnel CW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

Memo from Mary Mallet in Personnel to film editor, Charles White, about the need to produce his birth certificate due to joining the BBC Pension Scheme.

I particularly like the sarcastic tone of the first line!

Thanks to Charles for sharing the letter, and keeping it safe!

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

Louis Robinson:  ‘In the awful, awful days of the bloodbath that was the “Pamela Armstrong Show” Mary Mallett saved my sanity. Caught between two warring factions of management, she convinced me not to resign and leave. For that I am forever grateful.’

Mary Sanchez: ‘Hey! I worked on Pam Armstrong show ! Hilarious ! I’d only been at the Beeb a few weeks and this show was a real eye opener!’

Stuart Gandy: ‘Andy Tylee was the ‘personnel officer’ which was what they were called in those days, who I was assigned to when I joined.’

Marie Phillps: ‘Yes Stuart – Andy knew every member of staff he was responsible for and introduced many innovations including Career Development amd workshops for we “penpushers” to better understand the pressure and timescales faced by programme makers
I loved my morning Vision Mixing ! He gave me lots of confidence and is owed much by many. Still my Second Son!’

Andrew Godsall: ‘That is fabulous! I recall my first personnel officer at the BBC back in 1977. I was 18 and had no idea that I could just behave normally and didn’t have to bow and scrape to authority…she told me how she hadn’t really wanted to recruit me as she thought I should have gone to university instead! Then we talked about jazz and how much she loved it. Hardly any work talk at all!’

Pete Simpkin: ‘They certainly don’t make them like Mary in this sophisticated age!!’

Post Production Christmas Party

Mark Heslop, Ingrid Wagner, Stan Treasurer, Greg Miller

Mark Heslop, Ingrid Wagner, Stan Treasurer, Greg Miller

Jonathan Birkett, Victoria Trow, Roger Mulliner, Ian Bellion

Jonathan Birkett, Victoria Trow, Roger Mulliner, Ian Bellion

Ian Bellion, Peter Gower, Charles White, John Rosser, Mike Duxbury

Ian Bellion, Peter Gower, Charles White, John Rosser, Mike Duxbury

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Shirley O’Mara, no reproduction without permission.

Each year the Pebble Mill Post Production department held its own Christmas party. These photos date from the late 1980s, when the department descended on the Forbidden City Chinese Restaurant for its festive treat!

Please add a comment if you can identify any of the missing names.

Regional Editing Allocation Sheet

allocation for regional editing in PSC suites CW

Thanks to film editor Charles White for sharing this document, and for keeping it safe since 1987!

This document shows the allocation of regional editing suites in summer 1987.

The programmes listed are the regional opt documentaries. These were weekly, 30 minute programmes about all sorts of subjects of interest in the Midlands. They included regional versions of shows like Crimewatch. The standard editing day seems to be 8.30-16.30.

Each programme had a separate programme number, which is shown under the episode title.

Ros Gower adds the following information: ‘The initials show who was producing and directing the programmes – KW Katie Wright, JC John Clark, DN David Nelson, MD Mike Dornan, RG – me, Ros Gower. Not sure who CC was. I can remember all of them! The one with my initials against it, and presenter Mike Dornan’s, was a doc we made in Shropshire at Condor Hall, an amazing school for deaf blind children.’

The final column shows how the programme was made e.g. studio, PSC (portable single camera), TK (film transfer), VT (videotape editing).