NJ
Neil Jones
Founding member
In films with a similar effect its usually done by magnets (indeed the entire "'ghost' writing on the blackboard" scene in the film Matilda was done this way).
IS
Ended up watching some sketches from late 70s comedy End of Part One earlier. This is one of the highlights... Nationtrite
VM
A release of both series is available for £2 from Network if you're interested. https://networkonair.com/bonkers/1637-end-of-part-one-the-complete-series
VM
Another anniversary, not quite as significant: ten years ago today since the aborted BBC Two refresh that nearly did away with the box and would have introduced shortened programme titles like 'Mock the Wk'. After one ident aired at 6am, the whole refresh was abandoned (apart from an erroneous showing of Seascape at midnight). The surrounding presentation was tweaked and finally appeared in June 2009, lasting until… well, last Thursday!
FA
I always assumed the pencil was suspended by wires and shot against a blue screen, then the background keyed in afterwards.
As you see the back and top I assumed that it was a large prop with someone controlling it from underneath dressed in black against the background which the letters showing up because of some form of uv reactive ink. A very convoluted idea.
Slight tangent - does anyone know how they filmed the Magic Pencil sequences? It's baffled me for years...
I always assumed the pencil was suspended by wires and shot against a blue screen, then the background keyed in afterwards.
As you see the back and top I assumed that it was a large prop with someone controlling it from underneath dressed in black against the background which the letters showing up because of some form of uv reactive ink. A very convoluted idea.
SP
Back to everybody's favourite non-scheduled programming, this episode of IBA Engineering Announcements may clear up the question of how it was distributed, at least in 1990
Right at the end there is an apology for the non-appearance of the previous week's programme in the Midlands, due to "an overnight problem at Central's studios", which seems to be pretty categorical evidence that it did indeed go via the regional contractors.
Right at the end there is an apology for the non-appearance of the previous week's programme in the Midlands, due to "an overnight problem at Central's studios", which seems to be pretty categorical evidence that it did indeed go via the regional contractors.
AG
Well they where ahead of their time it seems, with ITV and BBC One now having end-boards featuring the programme name as huge as possible.
Well they where ahead of their time it seems, with ITV and BBC One now having end-boards featuring the programme name as huge as possible.
IS
Right at the end there is an apology for the non-appearance of the previous week's programme in the Midlands, due to "an overnight problem at Central's studios", which seems to be pretty categorical evidence that it did indeed go via the regional contractors.
Unless it didn't go through them and the problem was with the thing that enabled it to go to air.
Although as it was on Channel 4, it presumably only went through the regional companies in the same way everything else on C4 did
Steve in Pudsey posted:
Right at the end there is an apology for the non-appearance of the previous week's programme in the Midlands, due to "an overnight problem at Central's studios", which seems to be pretty categorical evidence that it did indeed go via the regional contractors.
Unless it didn't go through them and the problem was with the thing that enabled it to go to air.
Although as it was on Channel 4, it presumably only went through the regional companies in the same way everything else on C4 did