MOLLY'S MEMORIES

Anyone climbing the very precipitous wooden stairs from the Control Room to the Gallery, would bumble along, waiting for eyes to adjust to the dimness, and trying to identify those working there. The first shape would be the girl on the "grams", who watched the whole thing in reverse through a mirror reflecting the monitor pictures. The rest were in three rows. In front the Sound Mixer closest to the screens. He could spot those mics, and mic shadows coming into the edge of the picture, and warn Sound Floor, through the intercom mic of approaching moves needed. Directly behind him, and in the best position for viewing screens and studio was the Producer, the Script Assistant; closely watching and always mobiel was the Senior Maintenance Engineer.

Behind the Producer and somewhat highter than the others was the Vision Mixer with her camera knobs, knobs big enough to fill the hand, and the cue buttons for preview. A later modification came with the installation of cut keys. The pictures took 2 seconds to appear when faded up. This called for a technique of fading in the next camera before taking out the first one. To some extent this could be regulated by the speed of the fade up and out, but to beat that 2 seconds we had to come up a stop or two before we needed it, and then bring it in fast and out fast to get an approximation of a cut. But soft fades, and dissolves were a delight to achieve.

The equipment we were using was as installed when the service first started before the war. It was dusted off, checked, and rechecked; valves, (yes, valves) replaced, bits rewired, switches cleaned, and the rest of it. Some modifications were made, but essentially it was the same gear when we started transmission in time to telecast the Victory Parade.

Producers then, as I expect still do, wanted more than the equipment could provide, but the ingenuity and co-operation of the crew with their widely differing jobs, background, and war-time experiences, was offered unstintingly for the good of the show.

It was a time of great activity, alternating with waiting, periods of great excitement alternating with frustration, but a time of being in at the start of something worthwhile, of being alive.

Molly Brownless, (nee Heritage, then Frood)