8mm Forum: Bray Studios

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Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on May 12, 2013, 04:27 AM:

Well it looks like the home of Hammer Films is due for demolition.
Bray Studios,where the classic Hammer horrors were born is now under threat.

The showbusiness agent Neville Hendricks,who owns the site,is
building seven homes there as he has let the studios
run down for this purpose.I understand that there is a page on Facebook where a petition is underway headed by Terry Gilliam
and Richard O'Brien.A sad comedown for a World famous studio
that until very recently was still functioning.

[ May 12, 2013, 07:47 AM: Message edited by: Hugh Thompson Scott ]

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on May 12, 2013, 08:19 AM:

So truly sad, with such history there. (gee, someone ought to "sneak" into there and see if there are any old curios that should be rescued before it's just bull dozed. One might be surprised!) [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on May 12, 2013, 08:22 PM:

The petition can be found here - Hammer fans please sign: https://www.facebook.com/#!/savebraystudios?directed_target_id=106861216022812

Apparently there's plenty of evidence that the owner was refusing bookings - claiming the studio was fully occupied - in order to later claim that there wasn't enough demand to keep it going.

Posted by Thomas Smith (Member # 1889) on May 13, 2013, 01:39 AM:

Would this be allowed to happen in any other
Country apart from England this once great
Nation of owes is slowly getting worse

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on May 13, 2013, 04:48 AM:

Duly noted and signed Adrian,this petition doesn't need you to sign up to Facebook by the way, to anyone interested, and I ask
forum members to add their weight behind this,it's only a signature,but could save a much loved working film studio.

Posted by Guy Taylor, Jr. (Member # 786) on May 13, 2013, 06:27 AM:

Such a shame. Some scenes in Alien were also shot here; as was The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on May 14, 2013, 12:44 PM:

Ya know, when I first saw the topic "Bray Studios", my first thought was the Bray animation studio, which was one of the very first commercial animation studios in the U.S. which produced such early serialized animated series such as "Grouch Chasers" (that might be "Gloom Chasers"), and they produced animation from around 1910 to the late 1920's and might well have made it slightly into the 1930's.

Posted by Timothy Price (Member # 1832) on May 14, 2013, 01:09 PM:

Done deal! Thanks for the post. I've been introducing my son to some Hammer films. We watched The Hound Of The Baskervilles and The Mummy over the last few weeks. I'll give him a year for the Chris Lee Dracula films. Thanks again for the post.

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on May 14, 2013, 01:10 PM:

I would ask any forum members that have enjoyed Hammers
Films over the years, to add their names to the petition kindly
supplied by Adrian,that we try to keep an important piece of
cinema history alive. I would repeat that you DON'T have to
sign up to Facebook,only give your name & email address,
it is entirely free.Thankyou all.

Posted by Thomas Smith (Member # 1889) on May 14, 2013, 06:53 PM:

Just added my name to the petition

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on June 15, 2013, 03:44 AM:

Please don't forget ladies & gentlemem that this petion needs your support,you don't need to join Facebook,only add your name to
the list to try and preserve this very important Studio.

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on June 15, 2013, 12:10 PM:

Don't forget the majority of your Hammer Films wouldn't be here
without this working studio, please give your support.

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on June 15, 2013, 12:53 PM:

I would have to say in the last 12 months the Hammer Films have given me more pleasure than any other and have no hesitation than to endorse this to the limit. Click the like folks!

Posted by Bill Phelps (Member # 1431) on June 15, 2013, 04:22 PM:

I don't use facebook and have no interest in it but I would like to sign the petition...I clicked on the link but have no idea what to do. Can someone explain to me how to do it. I do not want to join facebook.

Thanks, Bill [Confused]

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on June 15, 2013, 08:54 PM:

No problem Bill, and thankyou for your support, click onto Adrians
link,scroll down until you come to "Save Bray Studios" left hand side , click
and you're there, thanks for your support Bill.

Posted by Bill Phelps (Member # 1431) on June 16, 2013, 01:43 PM:

Well I went to the link...there are tons of SAVE BRAY STUDIO's to click on and it just brought up nothing really. So I don't see anything to "sign"

Sorry, Bill [Frown]

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on June 20, 2013, 12:37 PM:

Hi Bill,just click on Adrians link & you'll be taken to the site, on the
left side of the screen are letters etc,scroll down and there are
some with a box saying about "saving Bray from luxury Housing Plan",click on
it and you'll be taken to the page to place your name etc,you
don't need to sign up to facebook.

Posted by Robert Crewdson (Member # 3790) on June 25, 2013, 04:36 AM:

Last I heard a few years ago was that Gerry Anderson took it over and was planning to make live action films there, older members will remember the TV series Space 1999. He has since died. We have lost so much in this country. I think it was MP Roy Hattersley who said we were very good at opening museums, showing everybody what we used to make.

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on June 25, 2013, 04:55 AM:

That is so true Robert,successive Governments have managed
to turn an innovative country into a Financial playground for
second rate Bankers & Estate agents.They keep telling us to look
to the future,which they make bleaker by the day,while systematically destroying our past.

Posted by Pasquale DAlessio (Member # 2052) on June 25, 2013, 08:01 AM:

Signed and small donation made. Best of luck to the studio.

Cheers!

PatD [Wink]

Posted by Robert Crewdson (Member # 3790) on June 25, 2013, 12:18 PM:

Very true Hugh, successive Governments, they have all let us down. Wikipedia says Hammer's last film production there was 1966, anyone know why they stopped. I remember their last ever productions The Hammer House of Horror, made for TV. One of my favourite films 'She', starring Peter Cushing was made by Hammer. This was a very impressive production to come out of a British studio at that time.

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on June 25, 2013, 04:53 PM:

Part of the reason they moved Robert was as you know, Hammer
were a very efficient studio,making more than one picture at a time and very quickly,
and so they utilised other studios, including Elstree. The other
part was that while at Bray,they were in partnership with
Columbia,although they also had a close relationship with ABPC
ABC Cinema chains as well. ABPC finally bought into the Hammer (Associated British Picture Corp. & Associated British Cinemas)
franchise with Hammer holding control.ABPC were influential in
their association with Hammer,which finally led to a deal with
20th Century Fox,just as Hammer's association with Columbia
was coming to an end,but it would cost them Bray Studios,
ABPC insisting that Elstree Studios be used instead.After "The
Gorgon" filmed at Bray in '63, Hammer shot the rest at Elstree.
Hope this helps.

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on July 04, 2013, 08:05 PM:

I'm sure there are folks out there that would give their support,
bar the "Facebook" tag, HAVE NO FEARS, I WAS THE SAME, I
DO NOT HAVE ANY RELATIONSHIP TO FACEBOOK, AND NEITHER
WILL YOU, PUT YOUR NAME TO THE LIST AND HELP SAVE YOUR BELOVED STUDIO FROM HARM.

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