The British Entertainment History Project

Forename/s:

Ronnie

Family name:

Whitehouse

Work area/craft/role:

Company:

Industry:

Interview Number:

426

Interview Date(s):

4 Feb 1998

Interviewer/s:

Alan Lawson

Production Media:

Audio

Duration (mins):

145

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Interview

Interview notes

RONNlE WHlTEHOUSE

[These are a mix of topics and film titles covered, and events that relate to them DS]

SIDE ONE
Kinsley, 1928..
Grandad on night shift Father brought us back to London Ranleigh Road School Moved around, dads work; 1941 bombing in London Docklands on fire; Back to Yorkshire

First day at school Dad bought caravan - Runnemede [Runnymede?]
1942 Left school Fulham Motor Repair Centre

Unhappy - surveyor Jack Chamberlain - Eric

Told I have a meeting at Shell Mex House

"ALL ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY" Horne Brothers [Clothing Store]

Alexander Wolcough Head of SFU [Shell Film Unit].

Edgar Anstey Animation Dept - Frank Rodker
Cutting Room - Sam Napier Bell, Alan Gourlay. - Film nitrate, metal transit cases - Holywood Moviola - Horses, 4 way synchroniser, bins with liners - paper clips, steel rule, lick, razor, cement - Cutting sea gulls

Neg Cutting - Miss Barnes; Bell and Howell Pedal Joiner
Projection - George 'spiv'

Films for Ministry of Information Locations - PRE-NATAL CARE; CIDER, hitch hiking. ASDICS a three hour epic directed by Alan Gourlay
Stanley Rodwell Lighting; Exposure; Silver; Debrie Super Parvo; Newman Sinclair; Grease the gate; Hand tests.

Cameras

Newman Sinclair, clockwork, oil industry 35mm standard Wratten ﬁlters, *G' "23A' Grads Looking at image on the ﬁlm, composing, focussing and exposure
Debrle Super Parvo; Fades and mixes in the camera Weather, sun
City and Guilds and Institute of British Photographers

1946 Call up, conscription. Coal mines Training Demob number
Back to SFU

1947, Joined RAF Photography Trade designated, RTO

1949, Back to SFU, Told job unavailable, but somehow I got back; Second Projectionist, with Douggie Sleight
Colour Film - Mirror shutter - Colour temperature, lights
Soon in the camera department: Sidney Beadle: Perfectionist, Dress emaculate, Tea Caddy, Time lapse, Fresnel lenses, Equipment
"HOW AN AEROPLANE FLIES" Vertical dive, Swindon
1952, 3D "POWER IN PERSPECTIVE"
Camera; Testing; Air-to-air; Alan Pendry; Sidney Beadle; Maurice Picot; Raymond Spottiswoode.
i963, "MILLE MiGLiA', director Bill Mason
Maurice Ford; B and H Eyemo; Practical jokes; Scratches.

1954, "RIVAL WORLD", directed by Bert Haanstra
Arriving Kenya -MAU MAU Prison Camp- Sid landing alone -Trunk of white Arrow shirts - Fridge- Getting back at night - Carisberg - Locusts, hoppers - air-to-air - Anson - turning point in my career -Alan Pendry, - appendicitus Studio -silk moth,- bees.
Nine International awards, seen by more people than any other Shell ﬁlm.
Bert Haanstra Inspired me - Camel shot - Mentor.
THREE PEOPLE HELPED ME IN MY CAREER, Gave me a Break: -

ALEXANDER WOLCOUGH TO BECOME A TRAINEE-

BERT HAANSTRA - TO BECOME A CAMERAMAN

GORDON BEGG - TO BECOME A DIRECTOR

I didn't get a break from the peopie I felt should have helped me.

1955/6, "HIGH SPEED FLIGHT SERIES", Directors Peter de Normanville and
Denn i s Sega11er
Colour schlieren [?]

SIDE TWO
Air-to-air - Eastman color at 40,000ft. Lancaster, - Meteor, - bends.-Supersonic pass - Peter brief for Hunter - Model shooting

Wally Veevers, Bill Warringham, Pinewood*

"TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH"

clouds on ﬁre. Mirage Fighter, Starﬁghter - Peter with the bombs
Kllkicker - Point Vulcan, "Strategic Air Command"
1957, "COLOUR SCHLIEREN" Directed by Peter de Normanville
5K bubble
1956, "SONG OF THE CLOUDS", directed by John Armstrong
Britanla t/o
1958, "COUPE DES ALPES 1958" directed by John Armstrong

Ford Zephyr rally car - Dean Delamont arrives, tests, G force. Refuelling at the start- Catching up the rally! "No brakes" - Hitting walls, vehicles 'G' force on camera Arrie stops on bends - Delerious Title scenes rally shooting,- Stelvlo
I960 Nervous breakdown Jungian analysis
Left Shell Film Unit to freelance - Samuelsons - Cygnet - Wine, parachute drop. - Random Films - Michael Brandt - Film Centre - David Cobham - Furlong Films -World Wide.

1961, "SINGLE BUOY MOORING SYSTEMS". SFU, Sarawak
MIRA on roof of camera car. - Shooting Motor Torpedo boat - Shooting Construction Shell Centre - Shooting International Six Days Trial, Isle of Man.
Company cruel to Sidney Beadle.

1965, "INVASION", Jack Greenwood, Merton Park Studios
Special Effects "

THE WINE FILM" with Sarah
Supplies - Filming without a lens
"THE STEEL FILM" with Peter Griﬂths
- Pylons - Crate on crane

1965, "UNDERWATER SEARCH" directed by John Armstrong
Sleeping on the oil rig in the Gulf

Land Rover breakdown in the desert with Ian Brundle, - Gattar.

WRITER/DIRECTOR

1967, "DEAD SAFE", producer Gordon Begg, Millbanh Films
Turning Point in mv career

Closed door - Zita Plaque Award

1967, "THE GARCHEY SYSTEM", Mathew Hall Gold Award, USIF. Chicago, USA.
1968, "MEXICO OLYMPICS", Samuelsons
Jesus - Horse Event -Gymnastic Final
1968, "FOCADAS PIPELINE" Nigeria, SFU - Pole vaulting - Mau Mau

SIDE THREE [?]
1970, "THE CHOICE", producer, Gordon Begg, Millbank Films
Taking over - Starting in Teeside - The synchronicity that made it possible - Gold Award
1971, "THE PROTECTORS", Robert Vaughan, 2nd unit director.
Cessna
1972, "MIRAGE" LE MANS GT FORD FOR GULF for Michael Brandt
1972, "COMMUNICATE TO LIVE", Basic Films,
Cutting problem - Gold Award, BISFA. [British Industrial & Scientific Films Association]
1973, "IT'S PEOPLE THAT CAUSE ACCIDENTS", director/producer, Ronnie W.
1973, "MAGNUM"
-Champagne
1973, "I'D LIKE TO WORK WITH BABIES", BBC - Without commentary - Angela at career interview
1974, "WE PLAY IT COOL", AGA, producer John Spencer
Comedian - Topless girl
1974, "ROUGH RIDER", AGA, Laurie Hardy-Brown,
Animals
1974/5, "FERENZA"
Car accident
"UNDERCOVER STORY"
BBC GOLF SERIES

SENIOR TOURNAMENTS, sponsored by Teachers
1980, "ALL ABOUT TIME", Rotary Watches
"AMAZING MORLD OF QUARTZ", Rotary Watches
Developed my invention

SIDE FOUR
1987, "CHANGING WORLD", Chase Manhatten Bank, Betacam.
1995/6, Research and wrote Screenplay "HIGH-WIRE" ...the Circus Movie!
1997, Wrote novel, "SOS STARSHIP-EARTH"
1998, Working: on ﬁnancing "HIGH-WIRE" ...the Circus Movie"
AMBITION To direct the movie from my novel.

[END]

Transcript

Biographical

RONNIE WHITEHOUSE Film Director
Ronnie Whitehouse joined Shell Film Unit as a ﬁlm trainee. He worked for six months In the various departments of ﬁlm production that made up what was the leading documentary ﬁlm unit In the country, and since the documentary movement was started In England by John Grierson, and since It was John Grierson who started the Shell Film Unit, one can say - the world. Ronnie settled In the camera department, and became a lighting cameraman - and then a director. During his eighteen years at Shell Film Unit, Ronnie was exposed to a wide range of subjects, locations and talented ﬁlm makers on a day-to-day basis. One of the Interesting things about making sponsored ﬁlms, is that one Is always In contact with the top expert in the subject, whether It Is the Head of Research, Chief Test Pilot, Rally Driver, Scientist, Chemist, whatever the subject, the sponsor and the ﬁlm maker need and get the best advice/consultancy available.
Some of the ﬁlms Ronnie worked on at Shell Film Unit Included; 'MILLE MIGLIA' the famous thousand mile race around Italy on roads open to the publlcl •RIVAL WORLD' a film shot In Africa about man's fight against Insects. Directed by Bert Haanstra, Ronnie ﬂew through locust swarms ﬁlming attempts to control these Insects by spraying with Insecticide from the air. 'HOW AN AEROPLANE FLIES' a series on the theory of heavler-than-air, low speed ﬂight. 'THE POLYOLIFINS'. This ﬁlm tells three stories of ways one particular group of plastics can be used. Directed by Alan Pendry. Photography by Ronnie Whitehouse 'COUPE DES ALPES' The Alpine Rally was one of the most hazarcjdus and gruelling car rallies In the world - 2,400 miles and ﬁve days and nights over the alpes of France, Switzerland and Italy. Ronnie ﬁlmed from a car driven by Dean Delamont of the RAC Competition Department. 'SONG OF THE CLOUDS' A John Armstrong ﬁlm about the romance and excitement of the dawning age of International air travel. Shared credit for photography. 'HIGH SPEED FLIGHT' a series on the theory of sub-sonic trans-sonic and super-sonic ﬂight. Flying out of RAE, Farnborough with the rAf, Ronnie was the ﬁrst cameraman to shoot Eastman Colour In the stratosphere.
RESUME Cont.
•UNDER WATER SEARCH' is a survey of Shell's world-wide activities and achievements In offshore exploration and production of oil.
•COLOUR SCHLIEREN'. For the 'HIGH SPEED FLIGHT SERIES' Sidney Beadle and Ronnie Whitehouse developed colour schlleren, a ﬁlm technique for showing super-sonic shock waves In colour in the wind tunnel. This ﬁlm, photographed by Ronnie, explains how It works.
Some of the ﬁlms written and directed by Ronnie Whitehouse; •THE MAPLIN PROJECT' for Shell International. This film Is about a multl-mllllon pound research programme to study the effect of releasing LNG and propane on the sea, simulating accidents, to analyse dispersion and ﬂame propagation, as part of their on-going safety research programme. 'DEAD SAFE' was a ﬁlm sponsored by IMI about safety In handling guns. For this ﬁlm, Ronnie received the 'ZITA PLAQUE' award - by the Screen Writers' Guild of Great Britain. 'THE CHOICE' sponsored by ICI. This ﬁlm on the environment, takes the view, that conservation Is not a ﬁght In which there will be winners and losers but one that we shall all win - or all lose. 'THE CHOICE' is ours. This ﬁlm received the GOLD AWARD for Outstanding Achievement In the Creation of Visual Communication at the United States Industrial Film Festival In Chicago, USA. "I'D LIKE TO WORK WITH BABIES", a ﬁlm for the BBC. It shows without commentary, the pressures and Inﬂuences on a girl leaving school In a Yorkshire mining village without qualiﬁcations. 'COMMUNICATE TO LIVE' was sponsored by British Telecom. It looks at the role of communication from primitive cultures, through art, music and science, to computer technology. This ﬁlm received the GOLD AWARD at the British Industrial Film Festival. THE GARCHEY SYSTEM', a new method of waste disposal. This ﬁlm won the GOLD AWARD for Outstanding Achievement In Visual Communication at the United States Industrial Film Festival In Chicago, USA. 'CHANGING WORLD' Is a training ﬁlm for Chase Manhatten Bank, to help their Relationship Managers Identify the ﬁnancial services their customers really need.