Category Archive for "FBTH" | The Elstree Project

Elstree Centenary Documentary Premiere: TOMORROW

Posted on October 3, 2014 by howard in FBTH | Comments are closed

Tomorrow we present the result of four years of filming interviews and one year of putting together our documentary. The first two public screenings of From Borehamwood to Hollywood: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Elstree are taking place at Borehamwood's Ark Theatre at 15:00 and 20:00. The screening has been sponsored by Elstree Studios, and so the tickets are free! We really hope our first audiences enjoy the film and that it encourages more people to find out about the history of Borehamwood and Elstree's film studios. After the first two screenings, we are screening the film at the University of Hertfordshire's Weston Auditorium, on November 13th. This screening will be followed by a Q&A with the crew and some contributors. We hope more venues will be interested in screening the film too, and so watch this space for screening updates!...

One Month to Go: Elstree Centenary documentary world premiere to take place on October 4th

Posted on September 6, 2014 by howard in FBTH | Comments are closed

There are just four weeks until the world premiere of our documentary! From Borehamwood to Hollywood: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Elstree is in the last stages of editing, though we still have a couple more interviews to film - including a special interview tomorrow with British Muppeteer Louise Gold! The film tells the story of 100 years of film and television production in Elstree and Borehamwood. Covering the founding of Neptune Studios, talkies and Hitchcock at Elstree Studios, the backlot of MGM-British studios, Lew Grade and ATV, the loss of British and Dominion's studio, Roger Moore's exploits in The Saint, the LucasFilm era at Elstree, Danziger's studios, the demolition of MGM, the Gate and part of Elstree Studios and the current studios and their exciting future prospects. You can book tickets now from www.thearktheatre.co.uk - there are screenings at 15:00 and 20:00, and tickets are FREE!

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The Elstree Project to present their work to the BECTU History Project

Posted on May 20, 2014 by howard in FBTH, Filming, News, TEP USA | Comments are closed

Tomorrow morning Bob Redman, Howard Berry and University of Hertfordshire student George Nicholls are attending a meeting of the BECTU History Project. BECTU (the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union) runs the largest oral history project in the world related to film and television production and post-production, with over 650 interviews recorded since the History Project began. The trio will be talking about the recent interview recordings conducted by The Elstree Project, including our trip to California in December last year, the ongoing centenary celebrations, and the forthcoming documentary. They also hope to share information about the way in which the interviews are conducted and the recent collaboration with the Google Cultural Institute. After the meeting, Howard and George are to visit the BFI to meet and film an interview with Senior Curator of Silent Film, Bryony Dixon. Bryony has researched the Neptune Film company, which opened the first studio in Borehamwood in 1914....

From Borehamwood to Hollywood film trailer now online, cast and crew, topics

Posted on May 11, 2014 by howard in FBTH, News, TEP | Comments are closed

This week the trailer for Howard Berry's documentary for the centenary of filmmaking in Borehamwood and Elstree went online. From Borehamwood to Hollywood: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Elstree tells the story of the studios in the two towns from the opening of Neptune Studios in 1914 right through to the present day success stories of the BBC Elstree Centre and Elstree Studios. Topics include the silent film era, Hitchcock's "Blackmail", the fires at British and Dominions and EMI Elstree Studios, the arrival of commercial television, Lew Grade's ATV and ITC Entertainment, ABPC, Stanley Kubrick, EMI Films, Danziger's New Elstree Studios, The Gate Studios, MGM-British Studios, the financial slump of the early 1970s, the arrival of LucasFilm, The Muppet Show, Star Wars, the BBC and EastEnders, the closure of Elstree Studios and the S.O.S. campaign and the rescue by Hertsmere Borough Council, recent successes including Big Brother, The Worlds End and Strictly Come Dancing. Interviewees include cast, crew...

The Elstree Project films with actress Barbara Windsor MBE

Posted on May 2, 2014 by howard in FBTH, Filming, News | Comments are closed

On April 17th, The Elstree Project team, including Paul Welsh MBE and Bob Redman from Elstree Screen Heritage, and Howard Berry, Kim Akass and three students from the BA (Hons) Film and Television programme in the School of Creative Arts, spent a day filming at both Elstree Studios and BBC Elstree Centre with actress Barbara Windsor MBE. The morning was spent recording links and voice-over narration for a new documentary, commissioned by the BFI, for the centenary of filmmaking in Borehamwood this year. The documentary, titled From Borehamwood to Hollywood, has been written and directed by Howard Berry, Senior Lecturer in Post-Production, and features exclusive interviews with Sir Roger Moore, Walter Murch, Steven Spielberg, Christiane Kubrick, Brian Blessed and a large number of crew members from productions in the studios of Elstree and Borehamwood. The School of Creative Arts research department and Media Research Group have been supporting the production of the film, in partnership with Elstree Screen Heritage. In...

Documentary production update

Posted on March 26, 2014 by howard in FBTH, Filming, News | Comments are closed

We're progressing well with the centenary celebratory documentary, From Borehamwood to Hollywood. Last week we confirmed an interview with the Senior Curator of Silent Film at the BFI and also the possibility of including clips from some very early silent films from Neptune Studios. We have contacted several cast and crew members from productions made at the studios of Elstree and Borehamwood, with a request for them to participate in the documentary and also be part of The Elstree Project and give us an interview. The film also now has a page on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), with potential cast and crew information. To find out more visit the page we have created for the film, here....

New documentary gets underway, celebrating 100 years of filmmaking in Elstree and Borehamwood

Posted on February 6, 2014 by howard in FBTH, Filming, News | Comments are closed

Yep, you read that correctly! We are into production on a very special documentary - celebrating the centenary of filmmaking in Elstree and Borehamwood. The film will be called From Borehamwood to Hollywood: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Elstree.

We are aiming for a 90-minute film, which will tell the story from the opening of the first studio in 1914 to the present day. Content will include interviews filmed for The Elstree Project, but we will also be specially filming additional material exclusively for this documentary.

We are also planning to have a very special person provide the narration for us. So watch this space for news and updates, and we are going to dedicate the middle blog section on the front page to news about the film and its progress.

Our release date is September 2014, so we have a lot to do!

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Category Archives: FBTH