Page 33 - Film Facilities & Studios Almanac_ok

New Elstree base for award-laden Joe Dunton MBE
STRIVING FOR PERFECTION
STRIVING FOR PERFECTION
Joe Dunton not only has an unshakeable optimism about the future of the British film industry but also enjoys a perfectly clear vision of his own way ahead. That’s as evident today as when, in the heady 1980s, on a whim, he phoned the Chinese Embassy and got himself a rarely-grant- ed visa to visit the Beijing film studios so he could explore business possibilities in the East.
That enthusiasm was also acknowledged at the beginning of this year when Dunton was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List for his services to the cinema industry. “Must be my year,” says Dunton, for his public gong arrived in the wake of another string of recent honours. There was the John Alcott Award from the BSC for his screen contribution, the camera technicians’ David Lenham prize, the Award Of Merit presented by the Guild Of Production Executives and, just to round things off nicely, the prestigious BKSTS made him a Fellow.
But all this excitement was put aside when,
with his son Lester and long-time colleagues,
who have religiously stuck to him through good times and bad, the tall, genial and greatly respected camera technician spent Christmas and the early part of this year humping heavy engineering gear to new headquarters at Elstree Studios.
The famous complex had been derelict for so long that, apart from far-seeing Paul Welch and dedi- cated colleagues on Hertsmere Council, many thought the days of movie-making at Borehamwood were finally and irrevocably over. The future seemed to be only factories and housing on the land that had once nurtured some of the finest films, British and international, since the early 1930s.
When, in the middle of 1997, he was approached about moving to the re-opened studios, it posed a sit- uation Dunton had first encountered when he origi- nally established his company, supported by the zeal and commitment of the Lee brothers at Kensal Rise and the old Wembley Studios.
With nearby Leavesden and Hatfield emerging as important film centres, he recognised that Hertsmere Council was fostering the same sort of approach at Elstree which had been generated in earlier days. Thus, Joe Dunton and Company established itself at Borehamwood on January 1, New Year’s Day.
Two large workshops, spilling over with camera tracks, dollies and all the other paraphernalia of film- making will house the Ernest Moy film engineering and research side Dunton bought some eight years ago. The old studios’ boiler house is being trans-
formed into very smart, galleried offices. They are positioned at the front of the studios overlooking the high street and will make an imposing sight when emblazoned with the Dunton & Co company logo.
Within the scheme of things being created at the new Elstree, studio manager Neville Reid admits that enticing Dunton to the refurbished site was crucial. “He is such a well-known figure in the industry. I was so delighted he decided to come in,” says Reid.
Since the buy-back of the studios from Brent Walker two years ago, the council has committed £7 million to restoring the studios to their former glory. Already some previous tenants, like the stills depart- ment, have again set out their store. In the endeavour to create a vibrant production village, more than 30 film-related companies are now open for business.
Dunton never originally intended to specialise in camera gear when he first established Joe Dunton Cameras. He left Samuelson’s in 1976 to pioneer video assist which he saw as a great benefit to movie directors whilst viewing rushes. He then saw the necessity of developing the camera side too.
A new career and a new company were born, helped by the Lee brothers, John and Benny, who provided finance and saw Dunton’s enterprise com- plementing their own lighting operation as a realistic alternative to the long established, Sammies. Soon, many of the industry’s leading directors and camera-
men were beating a path to his door and before long his gear and expertise were being utilised on upwards of 40 productions a year.
However, things were to go wrong when Dunton and the Lees became involved with Panavision. This eventually saw his departure from the partnership: “I began my association with John and Benny on a handshake, and we parted the same way,” he explains. Suffice it to say, he was soon again an active force with the purchase of the long-established camera equipment and research company, Ernest Moy.
Today, Moy looks after the engineering and research while Dunton & Co handles cam- era manufacture and rental. There’s also a third arm, 235 Research, based at Wembley, a fifty-fifty partnership with Panavision which is involved with the rental and manufacture of anamorphic cine lenses.
And, every fifth week, he heads for the States where Dunton & Co has a camera manu- facturing and rental outlet at Wilmington in North Carolina. It’s the company he originally cranked up on April 1, 1991, the day he opened the doors of his London operation. He had
found a niche in North America catering for a veteran core of dedicated film-makers such as director Robert Altman and DP Fred Elmes. Television now has an important role in his future Wilmington plans.
Last year, Joe Dunton notched up around 12 new productions from his UK base, staffed by fourteen, among them Jeremy Thomas’s All The Little Animals, Stephen Frears’ The Hi-Lo Countr y and Brian Gilbert’s acclaimed Wilde, with Stephen Fry.
The awards are a tribute to his dedication but it’s the constant striving for perfection that has seen him and his team constantly experiment and inno- vate down the years, that has ensured success.
There was, for example, the camera inserted into a watch for DP David Watkin on Barbra Streisand’s Yentl. Then how about that easily-erected Ladderpod rostrum based on the principle of three ladders being placed against each other so allowing camera, direc- tor and camerman ease of movement? Not to mention the design of an accurate anti-vibration tracking sys- tem for the camera dolly. The vision continues; just the office has moved! ■ JOHN WILLIS
All The Little Animals was photographed by Mike Molloy BSC and originated on Fujicolor Motion Picture Negative.
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