South Island Sequences For Film About Pacific

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28425, 4 November 1957, Page 7

South Island Sequences For Film About Pacific

The filming of the South Island sequences for the full length twohour film. “Cinerama-South Pacific" will begin today. An Australian flying-boat landed on Lyttelton harbour yesterday afternoon bringing with it members of the United States film company. Dudlev Pictures Corporation. The co-producer of the film and the director for the South Island sequences <Mr Richard Goldstone) said he was impressed with what h? had seen of the South Island. ••It was beautiful flying down by the alps and I cannot wait to see more." he said. No decision will be made on where filming will begin until about 9 a.m. this morning. It w ill depend on the weather, said Mr Goldstone. If the weather is poor outside of Christchurch, the flming of the Christchurch street scenes may be carried out today. South Island sequences will take about eight minutes in the completed film and will include Milford Sound, high country sheep Stations. and alpine scenes. Mr Harry Wigley who will be flying aircraft for the South Island se-

quences will arrive in Christchurch this morning. Three Cameras The Cinerama process required three cameras for filming and three projectors for screening. The US e of three cameras placed a great deal of work on the cameraman and many difficulties that do not occur with ordinary motion picture making arose, said Mr Goldstone. When completed, the film will be shown to about 45.000.000 ■ persons but it will not be shown | in New Zealand as the cost of converting a theatre to show Cinerama is only economic where there are more than 2,000.000 persons in the immediate locality There were 20 theatres in the United States and about 12 theatres elsewhere had been converted. The cost of admission was about £1 a ticket, said Mr Goldstone. Each film ran one or two years at a theatre. The effect on tourist trade in New Zealand would be great, said Mr Goldstone. ‘'People have no idea what is down here and this will show New Zealand in a perspective not shown before.” The flying-boat being used for the filming is owned by Ansett Airways of Australia and is piloted by Captain L. L. Maundrell with Captain H. Purvis as copilot. A fresh to strong northeasterly wind and an ebb tide had raised a choppy sea which did not make the landing easy for the aircraft. Three runs were made while pilots surveyed the position. On the fourth run the aircraft came in lower and touched down just outside the moles. Cook Strait Filming The flying-boat left Sydney at 5 a.m. on Saturday and arrived in Wellington at 3 p.m. Yesterday it left Wellington at 1.15 p.m. and the camera crew filmed the Cook Strait area. also Pelorus and Queen Charlotte Sounds. It passed through the moles at Lyttelton at 4.56 p.m. "None at all.” said Captain A. R. Champion, harbourmaster at Lyttelton when he was asked if the arrival of the flying-boat at

I such short notice had caused any • inconvenience. "We are always at hand to do just those sort of things and I have a good and willing staff.” . „ Captain Champion said that r ?L ail L Maundrell. commander of the flying-boat, had telephoned him from Wellington yesterday , morning to make arrangements. Mooring gear for flying-boats . was kept on the tug wharf and Wfien the tug had finished an- • other job early in the afternoon, , the moorings were put down. The crew of the pilot cutter Wairangi j was called out to keep the fair- . way clear of small craft. The i launch, Ruahine. which is low enough in the water to pass under ; the wings of a flying-boat, was . used to take the passengers off. Filming in the South Island will be completed by the end of this > week and the aircraft will leave . Lyttelton next Sunday for Auck- .; land and then fly to Sydney.