My 4 and 6years old children (in 1991) thoroughly enjoyed the BBC's broadcast of the 6 episodes which make up the UK & US VHS releases, and we bought Mary Stewart's trilogy afterwards, to read the novels. So, DO remember you are watching a CHILDREN'S TV programme, not a $150,000,000 War and Peace starring Armhole BlackEgg, directed by Stefan PlayHill ! and also it was made 15 years ago. The young actors were inexperienced and in awe of the big names, and the post-production had to be rushed to meet a change in transmission dates by the BBC.
The story was originally shot as 6xhalf-hour episodes for UK children's TV on Sunday evenings. BBC-TV Children's Television cancelled the option with Noel Gay TV to fund filming of the next 2 Mary Stewart books, much to the dismay of exec prod. Bill Cotton,jr whose ambition it was to get the 3 books on screen.
I worked on the shoot as the video engineer.It was shot on an Ikegami 55L camera, on UK 625/50iPAL videotape(component Sony Beta-max) ,and the conversion of this to US 525/60iNTSC system did the effects picture quality no favours, especially on VHS releases. I have a tape of each; the photographic effects we achieved were ruined on both versions, compared to the original broadcasts, and the US version is the worst. It looked fantastic at the BAFTA pre-view screening on their video theatre projector in 1991. The shoot was in Wales, near Caernarvon, in May and June 1991, where it rained on 54days of the 56day shoot--there is one scene where you can see brilliant sunshine, while the Fire Service is off-screen drenching the actors/horses/camera for continuity! We all, actors/actresses/techies, worked an average 75hour/6day week for 9 weeks. The "Bull" scenes were montaged in post-production from footage shot during a 19hour day, quite an achievement in the days when digits where what you scratched with or picked your nose, and one's hands had to hold down 3 cameras on sandbags to keep their position "locked-off" at 4am, and there was no "effects preview" to check artist's position against bull position.
A great children's video, but no feature film! Worth a 7.
The story was originally shot as 6xhalf-hour episodes for UK children's TV on Sunday evenings. BBC-TV Children's Television cancelled the option with Noel Gay TV to fund filming of the next 2 Mary Stewart books, much to the dismay of exec prod. Bill Cotton,jr whose ambition it was to get the 3 books on screen.
I worked on the shoot as the video engineer.It was shot on an Ikegami 55L camera, on UK 625/50iPAL videotape(component Sony Beta-max) ,and the conversion of this to US 525/60iNTSC system did the effects picture quality no favours, especially on VHS releases. I have a tape of each; the photographic effects we achieved were ruined on both versions, compared to the original broadcasts, and the US version is the worst. It looked fantastic at the BAFTA pre-view screening on their video theatre projector in 1991. The shoot was in Wales, near Caernarvon, in May and June 1991, where it rained on 54days of the 56day shoot--there is one scene where you can see brilliant sunshine, while the Fire Service is off-screen drenching the actors/horses/camera for continuity! We all, actors/actresses/techies, worked an average 75hour/6day week for 9 weeks. The "Bull" scenes were montaged in post-production from footage shot during a 19hour day, quite an achievement in the days when digits where what you scratched with or picked your nose, and one's hands had to hold down 3 cameras on sandbags to keep their position "locked-off" at 4am, and there was no "effects preview" to check artist's position against bull position.
A great children's video, but no feature film! Worth a 7.
