Terry Lindfield

Gail Herbert, Patricia Mifflin, Terry Lindfield, Brian Watkiss AG-W

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

I have been asked to pass on the news from Steve McLaughlin, via John Birkill,  that Terry Lindfield sadly passed away last week from pneumonia.  He will be sorely missed with that infectious laugh that used to ring out down the corridors of Pebble Mill.
John confirmed that he was the Project manager, in the mid 1980s, at Pebble Mill for the transition from Quad to 1″.
The photo above was taken in 1985 when he was a guest at my wedding to Ivor.  Terry is second from right. (To avoid the quiz the others are from R-L Gail Herbert, Patricia Mifflin, Terry and Brian Watkiss).

He was quite a character that made his mark on Pebble Mill even though he was there for a short time along with Norman Hicks from London Special Projects Installation Dept.

Annie Gumbley-Williams

Ampex VR2000 2″ Videotape machine

JCB 30 25 10 76 JCB 30 22 10 76

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by John Burkill, no reproduction without permission.

These photos date from 1976, and show Ampex VR2000 2″ editing machines in VTB, with a 1/4″ machine between them for lifting off the audio when about to make an edit. In the top photo there is a 2″ editing block, used for cutting and splicing the tape. This was a difficult process, involving a microscope and iron filings, and just to complicate matters the audio and video were on different parts of the tape.

In both photos there is the obligatory VT pint of beer – meaning that the photos were probably taken after or during lunch!

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

Keith Brook: Lannin was the edit-block hero. Iron ‘powder’ was used to ‘see’ the frames, and thus the edit points. The beer was needed to wash down those particles that were inhaled. Apparently, water didn’t work at all. This was obviously a long edit because the beer’s flat.

Stuart Gandy: Lubrication of the working parts was essential in these machines. Beer was found to be the perfect substance.

Steve Saunderson: Can’t identify the machine, but it looks like a pint of Ruddles.

Jayne Savage: This is an Ampex VR2000 in VTB with a half drunk pint spoiling a perfectly good shot of a splicing block – Tim says. The splicing block lives on at the Drama Village.

How many VT boys does it take to move a Quad?

Photos from Mike Bloore, no reproduction without permission.

These photos were taken at the switch off of the last Quad suite at Pebble Mill, circa 1984.

Pebble Mill’s Videotape Editors were a group of highly trained and skilled professionals – but there were some problems where even they had to resort to brute force! PAs sitting on top of 2″ Quad machine I suspect made the task to shifting it slightly harder, but a whole lot more enjoyable!

Included are: Mike Bloore, Nigel Evans, Ian Collins, Jim Gregory, Steve Critchlow, Chris Glover, John Burkill, Brian Comley, Jon Parker – and sitting atop – PA Sue Williams.

The following information was added on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Ray Lee: ‘It is an Ampex VR2000, VTB Cubicle and on the 6th photo you can just see through the marley door into VTC which is clearly equipped at this time.’

Videotape in the 70s (part 3) – Ray Lee


Photo by Tim Savage, no reproduction without permission

VT Expansion

Around 1975/6 VTC was created. A pair of AmpexVR1200 were installed into the new area, but because there were only sufficient lines on the Comms router at that time for one more VT they shared a single source and destination route, and one control line. When working with a studio or outside destination, they only saw whichever machine was switched to line, which meant that for programmes like Midlands Today, one machine could be cuing the next item, while one was playing, but normally it would need a brief return to another source so that the machine to line could be switched prior to playing the next item. I had a fairly extended period working in VT after VTC was created, and even did some training of others including Tim Savage. At that time Angela Ripon was the main presenter on “Top Gear” which was frequently edited in VTC.

Soon after that the IVC 9000 Slant track machine was installed in the former Telecine viewing room. More and more programmes were using VT and so any viewing of film material took place either in the viewing theatre run by Stan Treasurer, or in the Telecine cubicles themselves. The IVC 9000 used 2inch wide tape like the Quad machines, but recorded the tracks diagonally across the tape. The tape also ran at half the speed that the Quad machines used, so could accommodate longer continuous recordings.

It was slightly less noisy than the Quad machines and had a much quicker start up mode. (I believe it could be synchronous in 3 seconds instead of 10). This machine was used extensively by Pebble Mill at One, but because there was only ever one machine, it still required a Quad machine to do edits, and also any material that was on slant track format tapes, could only be played on that machine, which rather limited its usefulness. The idea of obtaining a second machine for an edit pair never materialised, as by this stage the Ampex VPR2 machines were starting to be installed in London, and subsequently at Pebble Mill, and these had the advantage of seeing pictures in still frame and shuttle mode, which enormously improved the location of edit points.

Ray Lee

Ray added this additional information on the Pebble Mill Facebook page: ‘VTC was equiped with VR1200s which Paul (Vanezis) is quite correct were older machines (than the VR2000s). Pebble Mill had them 2nd Hand I think ex London when they were just starting to install VPR2’s at TVC as far as I recall.’

Falling on the Cutting Room Floor!

Photo by Tim Savage, no reproduction without permission.

Sometimes recording on 2″ videotape did not go well, and the programme ended up literally on the floor!

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

Lynn Cullimore: “but you brilliant VT men always sorted it out didn’t you? Little geniuses…when often it was directors and producers who got the credit.”

Keith Brook: “I bet that was a stunt to scare the xxxt out of a director. The accompanying words were ‘Ah, I think the machine has chewed the only copy of your programme’.”

© What Was Pebble Mill?