We are delighted to have filmed an interview today with Tim Rose — animatronic character designer, puppeteer and performer. Tim worked on a number of films at Elstree Studios from when he helped the Muppets to learn to ride bicycles on The Great Muppet Caper, to performing as the iconic character Admiral Akbar in Return of the Jedi. Jim Henson invited Continue Reading
We’ve really been busy and within a week we are pleased to announce the latest interview for The Elstree Project – number 78, featuring none other than Bradley Walsh, the much-loved host of The Chase. During our conversation, Bradley spoke about his time at Elstree Studios, where he’s worked for 10 years – a full tenth of the studio’s incredible history. He reflected Continue Reading
The Elstree Project recorded it’s 76th interview, and on this occasion our guest at Elstree Studios, was the prolific record producer, musician and songwriter Trevor Horn CBE — formerly of The Buggles. Most famously known for their song Video Killed the Radio Star, which also had this distinction of being the first played video on MTV when it launched, another Continue Reading
Having been on a filming hiatus for the past few years — while we made our very successful feature documentary HER NAME WAS MOVIOLA, we are delighted to be back filming new oral histories once again… and who better to kick off with than the brilliant, legendary Muppetteer and performer of Gonzo the Great – DAVE GOELZ! We filmed our Continue Reading
On Sunday 7th, Bob and I travelled into London to record our 55th interview as a project! We are so lucky to have had the opportunity to film with Louise Gold. We spent just over two hours with her, and asked her about her time working at ATV Studios in Borehamwood when she worked on The Muppet Show. Louise told Continue Reading
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 Continue Reading
Yesterday we visited Elstree Studios to record an interview with actor Simon Pegg – star of the Star Trek and Mission: Impossible franchises. We had a great time talking about the filming of The World’s End – the final film in the unofficial “Cornetto trilogy” – which was made locally in Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City, and used Elstree Studios for the studio based Continue Reading
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 Continue Reading
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 Continue Reading
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 Continue Reading