Jules Greenway Jules Greenway

Jules Greenway www.gtc.org.uk www.gtc.org.uk Jules Greenway Jules at the GTC Awards 2012 with wife Cindy and son Dan Swinging the Mole crane on Christmas Top Tracking the Heron with Ron Green on camera of the Pops 1965, with The Kinks. Ron Green is Location drama was fun - seen here, a complicated and The Tremeloes performing on the front with Keith Salmon on Camera 2 set-up for Growing Rich, which entailed circling on the Heron around a two-hander several times in each direction training (the official training at Jules: Yes, the great thing was that on a Money Programme with a trainee that today.” It was brilliant really, you Wood Norton came six months later the crews had so many people. There director. I had a repo that had to got to drive all these fantastic cranes by which time, of course, you knew was a senior cameraman, three other happen during a VT insert but she got and things. everything and gave all the lecturers a cameramen, numbered two to four, herself in a muddle with where each hard time). and two dolly operators known as camera was and cued me to move. Paul: Do you think people miss out by Your first task on the crew was to trackers. Then there were a couple of I didn’t, because I could see what not tracking those dollies, the Heron, learn to ‘eight’ a cable, which doesn’t dog’s bodies at the bottom (like me), would happen, but when screamed and so on? sound very much, but it was quite a who would do general duties – cable- at thought ‘Oh well’ and dutifully skill to acquire, especially with the bashing, assisting or whatever. trundled across shot behind the Jules: I think so, because it was a presenter! In those days we couldn’t very good discipline. Even though you speak directly to the gallery. During weren’t doing the camera or looking My first crew was that of the legendary rehearsals if you needed to converse through the viewfinder (although you with the director you gesticulated to usually had a monitor so you could Jim Atkinson, father of the idea of using a pedestal the nearest boom op and he would see the shot), the discipline you learnt to execute camera moves on drama, as opposed to position the mic near your face. was positioning the camera in exactly just being a means of moving to a new position the right place in order to achieve a Paul: Can you remember the first particular shot. And, of course, the programme you worked on? cameraman might have, depending big, thick, heavy camera cables in There were 20 crews and each on the size of the programme, reams Jules Greenway those days. We also learnt how crew specialised in a particular area, Jules: I can’t actually remember but I of shot cards. So, your job was to put to attach a thinner cable, like a like drama or light entertainment. think it was one of the current affairs him in exactly the right place. You had video cable, by wrapping it round In a normal week you would do one shows. I know it was in1963. And to come up with your own system of in alternate directions so it can be of the crew’s speciality programmes my very first job, apart from all the marks on the floor so that you knew removed easily – I’m always amazed – either a big drama or episode of cable-bashing and so on, was tracking where to put the dolly. There was also when new recruits have not seen this a series, or similar production for a motorised Vinten with the senior a bit of intuition involved because, simple technique! So, you literally light entertainment – and then for cameraman on the front. This was a if the actors didn’t hit their marks joined the crew as a general dog’s the other couple of days, you would very steep learning curve, because it precisely but you were on the ball, you A job well done body, called ‘Crew Relief’. do what we called the ‘run of the was literally my first week. He pointed could alter the position of the dolly My first crew was that of the mill’ stuff: current affairs, children’s at it and said “Right, you’re driving so that the cameraman was in the legendary Jim Atkinson, father of programmes, and so on. The recipient of this year’s top GTC Award, the Television Cameraman’s Award (TCA) is a very popular and well-known cameraman, the idea of using a pedestal to execute With the crew being so big, the camera moves on drama, as opposed senior cameraman could crew from Jules Greenway. His long career spanned nearly five decades and took Jules through the cycle from BBC to ITV to feelance. Along the to just being a means of moving to a the bottom on these programmes. way he witnessed multiple changes of technology and work practices, while amassing a credit list of iconic TV programmes featuring new position. Working with Jim, you So you would get to do a camera on a roll call of major stars. Shortly after Jules had visited Birmingham to pick up his GTC Award, he sat down with friend and fellow were his personal cable-basher, tea shows like Jackanory or Tonight, while GTC member, Paul Baldwin, for a chat during which Paul drew out of him many recollections of a life well spent in TV. boy and - believe it or not - cigarette the senior guys would do the assisting hider. He smoked in the studio (strictly and tracking etc. It was a brilliant against BBC fire regulations) and way of learning. Playschool was Paul: So, Jules, where do we start? I went down for that fantastic the exit and the other the cupboard. visited every BBC building in London had a cunning way of holding the lit particularly good – the opening shot You had such a long and interesting interview, in the boardroom with four I discovered later, chatting to and were then treated to a series ciggy inside his cardigan pocket if involved tracking in and pulling focus career. How did it all begin? people and me timidly sitting on a colleagues, that several of us had tried of lectures, the most memorable of he saw a fire officer approaching. If on the clock, then tilting down/pulling chair opposite. It was funny really to go through the broom cupboard. which was ‘What would happen in the the cardigan had been removed for focus again to see what was on the Jules: Well, I replied to an ad in the because I was one of those – you have We always joked that it was one of event of Nuclear War?’, delivered by a comfort he would slip the cigarette roundabout. Or, if you were on Camera Radio Times, which was amazing probably come across others – who, the reasons they chose us! very upright military gent who issued to you and you then had to stroll 3, you had to zoom through the round, really. I wouldn’t be here today had having got through this frightening dire warnings about the aftermath of nonchalantly into the scene dock with square or arched windows! my father not seen the ad, as I hadn’t board with the four people, then Paul: And what was your first job? such an event and the need to shelter it hidden from view! Most of the current affairs spotted it. He said, “Look at this, why attempted to leave via the broom from ‘the foul insidious dust’! programmes were live, which was don’t you try for it?” and I decided to cupboard! There were two doors in the Jules: We started with a week’s Then you went straight to Television Paul: The crew system was a great discipline for learning your craft. Jules collects this year’s TCA from GTC President Dick Hibberd. Jules is the give it a go. corner, one on each wall - one was induction course, during which we Centre (TVC) and joined a crew for wonderful way to learn though. I remember I was once on Camera 3 fourth member of the legendary Crew 7 to receive the Guild’s top award 52 Autumn 2012 ZERB Autumn 2012 ZERB 53 Jules Greenway www.gtc.org.uk www.gtc.org.uk Jules Greenway a year in Tech Ops (for sound and it hurt! The result was the stopping tend only to remember the highlights. the regular uses was on Playschool. cameras). ITV relied on the BBC to do didn’t happen and we crashed into the It would be great to be able to look It meant you could zoom through the all the training for it. That changed wall. There was a tinkling sound from back at every single week and see all appropriate window, square, round later on, and the good ITV companies inside the camera, and the cameraman those things you actually worked on. or arch. The zoom lenses came in developed their own training schemes, looked round and said, “I think the I know one or two colleagues who gradually at first but then they became although they took far fewer people tube is broken”. Everything stopped have done that, and it is very nice the norm with the advent of colour on, maybe one or two at a time. and the engineers came whistling out when they look at it and say, “Did you (and not everybody may not know the from their little cupboard.

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