1941 - Elstree Studios In June last year at Elstree, an exhibition celebrating one hundred years of film and TV opened at the Community Museum to guide visitors from 1914 right through to the present day. Not many of you will be aware of Elstree's filmmaking history, which set off to rival that of Hollywood.
theelstreeproject.org/ shows the story of the 100 years of Elstree and Borehamwood's studios.
Close to the beginning of the Great War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918) in what was then the small village of Boreham Wood in Elstree parish, the Neptune Film Company set up a small studio.
theelstreeproject.org/ shows the story of the 100 years of Elstree and Borehamwood's studios.
Close to the beginning of the Great War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918) in what was then the small village of Boreham Wood in Elstree parish, the Neptune Film Company set up a small studio.
In what is thought to be the UK’s first ‘dark stage’ they used a gas-powered generator rather than sunlight through glass. The method made lighting more reliable. Here, some of the first silent movies such as The Harbour Lights were shot.
When Neptune went into liquidation after just two years, others stepped in with ambitions for the booming genre of film. Over the next two decades the original buildings were expanded by a series of film companies.
In 1926 British National Studios was built on 40 acres of land in Borehamwood's High Street, creating the foundation for today’s Elstree Studios.
When Neptune went into liquidation after just two years, others stepped in with ambitions for the booming genre of film. Over the next two decades the original buildings were expanded by a series of film companies.
In 1926 British National Studios was built on 40 acres of land in Borehamwood's High Street, creating the foundation for today’s Elstree Studios.
Elstree Film Studios entrance When my husband and I moved to a flat there 1999, I landed a job as hostess in the catering section of the studios. I served food to the Hoobs staff, a puppet children's tv program of Jim Hanson. At the time, the studios were thriving. A white marquee for functions occupied the area in front of the building. Other productions then were the Tweenies, (children's television made with live characters), Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and the very first Big Brother. Later, I enjoyed serving the many personalities, great or auxiliary, who treated me as an equal, and felt they were all my friends. My co-worker Jose, also worked as head waiter at the local Hilton . We served breakfast, lunch, and even catered for evening functions like the Oscars.
It would take too long to mention all the rises and falls of these studios. How movie studios expanded into other sites, broke new ground, attracted the biggest screen stars and best directors, not to mention overblown budgets, disasters and closures, which make a story just as exciting as the best plots of the thousands of films and TV shows they have produced.
I'll be back with more, seeing as it's close to home—within walking distance if you're fitter than I am at the moment.
Lines from my poem, Flower on a Cliff, the title of the unpublished story of my life.
The seed settled overnight
A wind gust forced it tight
The moisture from the ocean
Gave magic to the potion. ©
Films are a kind of magic because the skill of all involved light the imagination.
Can you name your favorite old film? Mine is Ivanhoe, which I saw in 1956 as a 14-year-old in Melbourne, Australia.
It would take too long to mention all the rises and falls of these studios. How movie studios expanded into other sites, broke new ground, attracted the biggest screen stars and best directors, not to mention overblown budgets, disasters and closures, which make a story just as exciting as the best plots of the thousands of films and TV shows they have produced.
I'll be back with more, seeing as it's close to home—within walking distance if you're fitter than I am at the moment.
Lines from my poem, Flower on a Cliff, the title of the unpublished story of my life.
The seed settled overnight
A wind gust forced it tight
The moisture from the ocean
Gave magic to the potion. ©
Films are a kind of magic because the skill of all involved light the imagination.
Can you name your favorite old film? Mine is Ivanhoe, which I saw in 1956 as a 14-year-old in Melbourne, Australia.
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