Fascinating Photo! The Iconoscope Tube In Action…

Here is the heart of early electronic television cameras. This photo, taken by Andreas Fininger, shows an image bring projected into the lens, and then displayed on the plate of the Iconoscope tube. You can actually see the scanning beam in process. Thanks to J P Auger in Canada for sending this!

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Ever Seen A Marconi Mark IV In Color?

Having just posted the story below of the Mark IVs at Television City, I thought I would add this color photo of my Mark IV. Although CBS painted many of their cameras Navy Grey, I think the one in that photo is still it’s original color. This is the original Champagne color of these great cameras. This is the first Marconi model with handles and they were the same color as the camera, but on later models like the Mark VII color cameras, the handles had a brushed aluminum look.

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The Story Of The Ruby Slippers, Part 3 & 4

The discovery came in the spring of 1970…here is the story!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8TrN-RGLOg PART 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKebFys0Vt0 PART 4

The Story behind the most famous pair of slippers ever made.

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While I’m At It…

Since I just posted the 1948 color photo below of a WGN TK10, I thought I would follow it it up with a shot of the only known surviving camera from the original 8 that WGN bought in 1948. This camera came to me about 2 years ago and I am very glad it is still in such good cosmetic condition. Unfortunately, most of the insides are missing, but I’m quite happy to have such an iconic camera from such a pioneering station. It’s a great piece of history!

RCA TK10 from WGN

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Something You Rarely See…

This is a rare color photo of an RCA TK10 at WGN in Chicago. This is one of 8 the station bought when they went on the air in 1948 and it could be the camera I own. The reason I wanted to post this was to show the original factory look. For some reason, many people think the red stripes were added at the stations…probably due to the fact few color photos exist of these great cameras. By the way, the first TK10s were made in December of 1946 and were the second Image Orthicon cameras on the market…the first was the RCA TK30 that came out a few months before the TK10. The reason the TK30 was released first is because the military wanted a field camera, which the TK30 was, but it was also widely used in studios too.

Rare 1948 color photo of TK10 and “Hi Ladies” host Tommy Bartlett

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The Story Of The Ruby Slippers, Part 2

In this great 4 part documentary, we learn the incredible story of the most famous slippers ever made. In this part, we discover how they were found and who found them! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tk8neCC3go

The story behind the most famous pair of slippers ever made.

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This Is FASCINATING!

The Story Of The Ruby Slippers, Part 1

In this great 4 part documentary, we learn the incredible story of the most famous slippers ever made. Who made them, how many pair were made, how they were lost, how they were found, who found them and where they are now. Each pair is now valued at over a million dollars each. In this part, you’ll see some great behind the scenes shots of ‘The Wizard Of Oz’ in production. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lHrgBbr6PY PART 1

The story behind the most famous pair of slippers ever made.

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The Debbie Reynolds Collection Tour

A year or so ago, Debbie sold about half of this collection at auction for several million dollars. I think this video was done before that as I see some pieces that were sold, but this is a wonderful look at a one of a kind collection. Thanks to Debbie Reynolds, much of this great treasure has been saved. I wish they showed all the Cleopatra wardrobes in this piece. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1skfMz9QU0

Tour of the Debbie Reynolds Collection including the Ruby Red Slippers from The Wizard Of Oz and the famous white Marilyn Monroe dress from The Seven Year Itch

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Live Eye…First Of The Live TV Vans

WTVJ in Miami purchased its first “Live-Eye” Truck in 1975. Built by the O.J. Ferrell Company, and modified by the engineering staff, the truck was considered to be “State-of-the-Art,” and once boasted doing 11 news stories in one day. WAGA in Atlanta also bought Live Eye trucks in 1975. Although the RCA TK76, the first true self contained ENG camera was still a year away, Ikegami and Ampex had hand held video cameras. There were a few small Ampex and RCA portable tape machines, but with no editing ability. I’m sure there were a few station built live vans starting to appear, but I think the Ferrell company’s vans were the first to be specially modified for live TV.

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The Wide World Of Broadcast Formats

There are three main television standards used throughout the world.

NTSC – National Television Standards Committee
Developed in the US and first used in 1954, NTSC is the oldest existing broadcast standard. It consists of 525 horizontal lines of display and 60 vertical lines. Only one type exists, known as NTSC M. It is sometimes irreverently referred to as “Never Twice the Same Color.”

SECAM – Système Électronique pour Couleur avec Mèmoire.
Developed in France and first used in 1967. It uses a 625-line vertical, 50-line horizontal display. Different types use different video bandwidth and audio carrier specifications. Types B and D are usually used for VHF. Types G, H, and K are used for UHF. Types I, N, M, K1 and L are used for both VHF and UHF. These different types are generally not compatible with one another. SECAM is sometimes irreverently referred to as “Something Essentially Contrary to the American Method” or “SEcond Color Always Magenta.”

PAL – Phase Alternating Line
Developed in Germany and first used in 1967. A variant of NTSC, PAL uses a 625/50-line display. Different types use different video bandwidth and audio carrier specifications. Common types are B, G, and H. Less common types include D, I, K, N, and M. These different types are generally not compatible with one another. Proponents of PAL irreverently call it “Perfection At Last,” while critics of its enormous circuit complexity call it “Pay A Lot” or “Picture Always Lousy.”

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Network Notes…

On October 4, 1950, Atlanta was finally able to bring live network shows to Georgia via the new coaxial cable. Before the AT&T connection, network shows came in the mail as kinescopes and films.

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New Video Tour – Ellerbee Camera Collection

It’s been a couple of years since the last video tour, so here’s a new version. Last time, there were only 12 cameras on display…now there are 16 on display and that’s about all that my space can handle. To you pros, this may look a little crude, but I’m using a little Sony photo camera while walking and narrating which is no easy trick. This is take 52,456. :>)

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Totally Television!

This is an illustration Ampex commissioned for one of the NAB shows. The art is by Jack Davis who you may remember from your MAD Magazine reading days.

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When Was The Last Time You Saw This?

The NAB’s Code Of Good Practice started around 1952 and lasted till the early 80s. I read a lot of it this morning and frankly, I would love to have parts of it back! Specifically the part that limited commercials! The best part of that section limits advertising to 6 minutes per hour in A and AA time. During Christmas and election times, you could go to 8 minutes per hour. With the Code back in place, most of the 800-Sue-Someone spots, the Viagra and big pharma spots and the, ‘but wait, there’s more’ spots we see would be long gone. Ahhh…the good old days!

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Ted…How The Character Is Done

Before you go to the video of how Ted is animated, a word about Ted’s Oscar appearance.

The segment you saw that night was actually taped in mid-January. People in the Dolby Theater just saw Wahlberg standing next to an empty stool as Ted and Wahlberg presented an Oscar.

Incorporating 3D character animation into a pre-recorded movie or television show is one challenge, but integrating an animated character into a live-broadcast in front of a global audience is quite another.

Behind the shenanigans of the world’s favorite crass teddy bear were the same visual effects and character animation artists responsible for his creation in the film. Blair Clark of Tippett Studio perfected the illusion alongside Seth MacFarlane, telecast director Don Mischer and the Awards broadcast team.

For the filming of the segment, a duplicate of the Academy Awards stage was constructed at CBS Studios, with lighting and cameras situated to match the Dolby Theater set up. The feat involved planning exact camera positions so that the animation, rendered using Dell Precision workstations, would integrate seamlessly on Oscar Night with Wahlberg and the show audience. With five nominees in each category, Tippett artists created 10 different outcomes in just a four-week production schedule. As the winners were unknown before the envelope was opened, Mischer and his team sat at the ready to push the button for the correct winner during the live broadcast. Thanks to Don Langford for the story idea.

http://bit.ly/HorncH – Ted Trailer! http://bit.ly/clevvermovies – Click to Subscribe! http://Facebook.com/ClevverMovies – Become a Fan! http://Twitter.com/Cl…

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