Hammer Corner
Hammer Corner
Hammer Film Productions founded in 1948 quickly aquired a following with such films as The Quatermass Experiment (Val Guest 1954) and the follow-ups, Quatermass II (Val Guest 1956) and X the Unknown (Leslie Norman 1955). Later it found a niche in the classic horror series The Curse of Frankenstein (Terence Fisher 1957), Dracula (TF 1958), The Revenge of Frankenstein, (TF 1958), Brides of Dracula (TF 1960), Dracula Prince of Darkness (TF 1965), Frankenstein Created Women (TF 1967), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (TF 1969), Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (TF 1973); and prehistoric spectacles like One Million years BC ( Don Chaffey1970). Hammer were responsible for more than just horror flicks ! The Dammed (Joseph Losey 1960), Witchfinder General (Michael Reeves 1967) among a host of others, including films from Vernon Sewell, John Gilling, and Don Sharp. Freddie Francis, also responsible for directing some of Hammer's horrors (Dracula has risen from the Grave) and thrillers, became one of our most respected cinematographers (Elephant Man, Cape Fear, and in 1999, The Straight Story).
Early films were shot on a Vinten Everest, then from 1957 onwards most were shot in scope on an Arri 35mm. In 1959 Hammer acquired a Newall NNC, a British made version of the American Mitchell rack-over BNC developed in the late 1940s. The Newall has four 1000' mags, a studio motor and a 24v motor, but wasn't reflex or, due to Hammer's notorious stinginess, even endowed with a parallax viewfinder (there was a view finder attached to the blimp). Hammer mainly used it for reverse, stop frame, high speed or wild (non sync) exterior shots, where they couldn't use the 3-phase mains Arri. (see The Damned 1961, Quatermass and the pit 1967).
Hammer used the Newall for model and effects work right up to the early 70s, then with the demise of Hammer as a production company the camera, like most of their assets, went under the hammer at an auction held at Bray Studios.
The Newall continued to be used by several companies, into the 1980s, mainly for model animation. The pictures show it as it is today, with the original motors and standard Cooke lenses. It is unusual that a camera of this age is still original and complete, with none of the after market camera conversions that usually happen to cameras as film technology advances. It is still used occasionally for model animation work.
| Cooke speed Panchro
1" (25mm) f2 (sn 303131) Cooke speed Panchro 35mm f2 (sn 303336) Cooke speed Panchro 40mm f2 ELC (sn 304987) Cooke speed Panchro Series II 50mm f2 (sn 525681), aperture finger ring machined off. Cooke speed Panchro Series II 75mm f2 (sn 304987), missing serial. Cooke speed Panchro 100mm f2.5 (sn 302649) |
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  (1) Barbara Shelley, blimped Newall @ MGM Studios, Quatermass and the Pit (c 1959) (2)Newall & vinten dolly 2001 |
The Mitchell
BNC was the camera of choice for major motion picture production from just before
the beginning of World War II through to the advent of the Mitchell BNCR in
December 1967. The first was made in August of 1934, the second in August, 1935,
and third in January 1937. Because of the war, there was only one camera made
between 1939 and 1946, (serial no 18, in June of 1941). After the war production
by Mitchell Camera Corp. increased dramatically and by 1947 they were making
32 a year, (serial nos 32 through 64). The age of Hollywood in the 1950s' was
about to roll and a Mitchell BNC was still the camera of choice, but Mitchell
were unable to satisfy world demand and for several years a copy was made under
licence by Newall Engineering Ltd. in Peterborough, England. The Newall's were
built with noticibly different looking film mags, that were both heavier and
quieter than the American models, more suited to film sets than newsreel or
military uses, they use an elegant quick release mechanism on the mag door,
rather than the Mitchell screw action which sometimes needed a hammer to get
them off!.
Mitchell manufactured 364 BNCs, (#1-365, there is no #13), many now over 60
years old, are still the work horse of the animation and motion control industry,
renowned for the precision and accuracy of the film transport mechanism -better
that of many modern cameras. The reflex version, BNCR, was relativly briefly
produced (#107 appeared on e-bay in 2007) before being superceded by the last
Mitchell, the S35R, before Panavision aquired
the design for thier range of cameras.
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Bray Studios, Hammer reunion, July 2007:
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Someone
prommised to look through thier photos for me, but no-one, on the day, was
able to be specific about which films the Newall was used on, though likely contenders
(apart from The Damned, it's distintive film mag is clearly visible
in the bts photo above), seem to include Terence Fisher's Dracula, Prince
of Darkness.... I think it was Harry Oaks who said the camera was just used for special effects, and this angle was given credence by Leigh Took (Mattes and Minatures @ Bray) who leant me the old wooden legs and the sidefinder for the event.... the 100mm and 75mm lenses on the turret are screw fixed, the other 2 are the usual standard removable mounts. The 100mm and 75mm lenses would be the best for shooting matte paintings since they produces less distortion than wider lenses, they are mounted as a fixed lens so it would not accidentally move durring a shot or double exposure, a precaution that I think confirms the camera's main use. It also explains why Hammer owned the camera, a drama shoot might be done and over in 3 or 4 weeks (my estimate, don't actually have figures for Hammer... ) and it makes sense to hire a camera if this is all you are doing. The special effects take longer, require the camera to sit around unused... and maybe it's helpful if it is the same camera everytime... it becomes a known quantity in terms of it's capability and foibles, and it can be modified. The 100mm has no follow focus ring (odd for such a long lens if it were used on a drama set, it also means it couldn't be used if the camera was blimped). The 50mm has the front machined off, such that the focus distances have had to be re-engraved, it is the bottom lens on the photo with Maddy; the 100mm lens is closest to the motor, to the fore of the photo. However it clearly wasn't just used for mattes and stop-frame sfx, because of the motors. The 3 phase mains motor were used for sound sync (sound recorders used 3 phase mains too! according to the chap in the blue check shirt, (Bray bar and cafe.jpg), he was a Hammer focus puller/ cameraman), and the 12v motor is on the camera in the behind-the-scenes photo for "The Dammed". What bothered me for a while was that the lenses were standard spherical lenses (for shooting 3x4).. but Hammer films are anamorphic. The guy in the blue check came to the rescue here... Hammer's version of wide screen involved a separate anamorphic lens in front of the standard lens, with it's own set of focus adjustments (sounds like a nightmare). I did see another photo on the day, with another Newall, blimped and with a serial number clearly visible! but it was 200 and something... and I think the photo was taken at Elstree. So careful of blimped cameras and outside of Bray! ... which includes I guess, the picture with Barbara Shelley (although it appears to be the same, or similar, Vinten dolly she is sat on.... may have to, sadly, update the webpage). The stop frame motor (RQR built by Arthur Kingston) appears to be the original one supplied with the kit, it fits neatly into a drawer in one of the original flight cases. The flight case for the mains motor doesn't match the rest of the kit... it looks newer, and is tan brown not black. However, it is still marked Hammer, and numbered with the same stencil set... so perhaps just a later addition to the kit... but why? And one for Ray Harryhousen... might he have used the camera for One Million Years B.C. ? |
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Madeline Smith, behind the camera!
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