Behp0424-peter-bucknall-summary
SIDE ONE
Born 1926, prep. school then went to Bryanston where he met Basil Wright and continued his early interest in films. At 17 ½ joined Navy and went on photographic course, left the Navy in 1949 and approached Basil Wright and joined Realist Films as his personal assistant at £3 a week. Spent those early weeks looking after Basil’s dog, eventually went into cutting room where he was drilled in routine by Cliff Boot. He talks about meeting John Alderson who came into the cutting room with a load of film which he had shot in British Guinea (bauxite) with cameraman Reg Hughes. Talks about Reg, who had a very successful Stills studio before the war, in Streatham, and Reg’s work whilst in the RAF. Then reverts back to his own time at Realist, with Dillon Barry, John Armstrong, Adrian Jeakins, Alex Strasser. Reg was offered a job as director, cameraman for a film in the North West frontier and asked Peter to go as his assistant. Reg insisting that they had to have sound. He describes the system they took “Scophony Baird using ¼ inch tape with paper backing (1949/50).
On their return the Church Missionary Society as a cameraman in South India, then another as director in Nigeria. After that he freelanced then worked on a film about Hull docks as assistant cameraman to Billy Williams, Ron Bicker and Ron Paynter. After that went with Reg Hughes as his assistant on a Marshall Plan film. Then he worked as Production Manager on a film for the American army in 1954 on a film Military Communication in the Field. Then in 1955 Athos Films was formed by Reg Hughes, Peter and Bert Eggleton, with a close relationship with Film Centre. They landed a good series of films with BOAC (pre British Airways) and followed by a series of corporate sponsored films and from 1955 to 1965 they had a full order book. They moved from Soho to Hanwell with their new name Athos Film and TV Facilities, with 12 cutting rooms mainly used by the BBC and they had their own dubbing facilities.
SIDE TWO
He then talks about other films and the work they carried out for the MOD; however they did have several unsuccessful ventures: competition became fierce when video arrived, and about this time the BBC gave them 9 month’s notice that they were taking all their work back to Lime Grove and Ealing. They had to get rid of their Hanwell premises and Athos had to find other work. Reg Hughes had made a highly successful series of films for BBC English by Television. He then goes on to talk about other interests and his grandmother and her sisters.
SIDE THREE
[recorded 21 Jan 1998]
Talks about his days at Realist in much greater detail, about his duties as an assistant editor, about the equipment in use, about arrangement of soundtracks prior to a dubbing session, also about music and composers. Talks of the Director in the cutting room and disagreements between Editor and director. He talks about working in Africa as an assistant cameraman, describing the equipment used and film stock. He talks about the arrival of Kodachrome 16mm stock and its use. He talks about the use of film to show off the stained glass in a church in Fairford, Gloucs (he had forgotten the location) St Mary the Virgin. To film this he describes how two 16mm Kodak specials were mounted side by side, one negative for immediate use, and the other as a safety negative. Talks about cameras in use generally.
Goes back to talk about Realist, where he learned about budgeting, and Athos when it was being formed, and one of their first films.
SIDE FOUR
He talks about making corporate films – example, the Hawker Siddeley film made in the mid 1970s, the necessary sound research and a good solid writer with names.
Finally he describes the ending of the Athos Hanwell enterprise.
