8mm Forum: World Wide Pictures (UK)

»	8mm Forum » 16mm Forum » World Wide Pictures (UK)

UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!

Author

Topic: World Wide Pictures (UK)

Paul Mason
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 540
From: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
Registered: Nov 2013

posted January 29, 2015 03:42 AM

I showed a film called "Power to the People" last weekend about the UK electricity grid made by World Wide Pictures in 1986 on behalf of the Central Electricity Generating Board - the predecessor of the National Grid company. Directed by Peter Hopkinson it is a competent if unexciting film but with much archive film included. Surprisingly World Wide Pictures is still in business having been founded in 1942 around the same time as Greenpark Productions and others. It must have been one of their last 16mm films before the changeover to video. Does anyone know any later World Wide films made on film?

Here is a link to their website (being reconstructed at the moment):
http://www.worldwidepictures.tv/

[ January 29, 2015, 07:50 AM: Message edited by: Paul Mason ]

--------------------
Paul.

| IP: Logged

Paul Mason
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 540
From: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
Registered: Nov 2013

posted January 29, 2015 07:49 AM

I found out more about Peter Hopkinson (1920-2007). He had an interesting career including shooting for "Desert Victory" in 1942, the March of Time series and World Wide Pictures in the 60s. He also wrote books about his experiences. See article by Kevin Brownlow.

http://ukapress.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=102

--------------------
Paul.

| IP: Logged

Adrian Winchester
Film God

Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004

posted January 31, 2015 01:28 PM

Interesting - 1986 is certainly late for the UK although 16mm was hanging on better elsewhere. In the USA some educational-type libraries even had additions in the early 1990s.

If no one can help, perhaps you could try asking WWP themselves. You could even say that if they have too many old 16mm prints cluttering their stores, you could assist by removing some! Judging from what comes up for sale, I'm sure that some people have successfully made similar approaches!

--------------------
Adrian Winchester

| IP: Logged

Paul Mason
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 540
From: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
Registered: Nov 2013

posted February 01, 2015 09:11 AM

Thanks for your reply Adrian. When I started my working life in 1977 my employer still favoured 16mm projection for staff training but within 5 years the films they had were lying unused in a store cupboard. I did ask the training dept if they wanted to dispose of them but they said no. Playing safe coupled with inertia I suppose. My impression is that schools, companies and so on changed over to video from the early 80s in the UK as with groups up to 10 or 15 a large tv was adequate. Of course 16mm films were available on video cassette by then as well.

--------------------
Paul.

| IP: Logged

All times are Central

Printer-friendly view of this topic

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2