Historic aviation videos

my DVD’s are a mixture of newly-shot stuff, alongside items from my own home movie collection. New stuff includes pieces on a Lola T330 & a 1958 Volpini Formula Junior car. Old stuff includes newly-discovered film from the 1970 British Grand Prix, some demo laps by the likes of Fangio & Moss before the 1967 British Grand Prix and an interview with an amateur film-maker. Look at my profile & check out my homepage.

Just what kind of motorsports videos are you making?

T J

Was watching Avions “Heathrow in the 70s and 80s” last night. Superb stuff. The 8mm stuff seems to transfer quite well to DVD format.

Definitely pre-1980 is the way to go as amateur footage before then would have been exclusively film rather than video. However, amateur video from the early 80s, especially civil aircraft, does not normally see the light of day either. I have some VHS footage I took at Heathrow in 1987 and it amazing how much has changed since then.

Thanks indeed for the info, Albert. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for old film then!

This certainly sounds like the Hendon Air Pageant of 1932. The Rank Organisation made a series of films called “Look at Life” during the 1960s and have just licensed some of their aviation films to DD Entertainment and 125 Video. The latter have just released one on Military Aviation, which arrived today. I’m delighted to say that one of these 10-minute films features the Shuttleworth Collection aircraft in 1962, when they took part in the “50th Anniversary of Military Aviation” display at RAF Upavon in June of that year. Delightful to see the Bristol Fighter and SE-5A both painted silver, the Avro 504 painted green and more. Movietone News and British Pathe both made superb short aviation news films in 16mm, but they capitalise on their archives and would probably charge an arm-and-a-leg for its commercial use!
I can’t imagine any museum hoarding archive film and doing nothing with it, when they could sell DVDs to raise restoration funds? Your best chance is to appeal in forums like this, as there must be many ‘mature enthusiasts’ that have some 8mm or even 16mm collecting dust in their attics, probably mixed up with the family holiday movies. I am involved with a company called Avion Video that are looking for just such archive material and they produce DVDs from it, which you may have seen examples of.

that’s got it!

apologies, that’s quite obviously the WRONG picture, try this!!

thanks indeed for the thoughts, anyone else? As an aside, I stumbled across a small 16mm roll of film recently that is labelled as ‘Royal Air Force Display 1932’, I don’t know where it’s from, Hendon maybe?? I originally thought it was home movie, being onkly a very small reel, lasting approxx 2and a half minutes, but the more I looked at it, the more I’ve come to think that it was a ‘produced’ film that you could buy, has anyone heard or seen of this film too?

The market is actually quite small and pretty well served at the moment. Myself, Planes TV/Aviation Action as well as DD Home Entertainment have the current market pretty well sewn up but if you can get access to some quality archive material then you could find a niche. DD Home Entertainment are always looking for good archive shows so that would be a distribution outlet.

However you’re certainly not going to get rich doing it – I’ve been trying for 11 years and it hasn’t worked yet!

Hi Gary,

This idea was covered a week or so ago by some on the message board. Check this out…

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=58351

thanks for that Albert. If I can unearth old film, then I’m more than willing to include it! I hear what you are saying about current airshows too. Does anyone know of a museum / collection that has any old film?

Apologies, just realised the home movie footage I have is the Shuttleworth Collection, not Old Warden. Well, it IS 5.25 am !!!

The Shuttleworth Collection IS at Old Warden!!!!! :rolleyes:
Further to this, I think you are probably up against some stiff competition if you are hoping to market this commercially. ‘Aviation Action’ have been shooting at air shows, including Old Warden, since the early ’80s and selling videos and now DVDs. I think they have rebranded themselves as ‘Planes TV’.
I think where your real market lies is to produce DVDs from material before video cameras were invented – from 8mm and 16mm cine film or even better from 35mm cine film, but that is very thin on the ground. For example, and I only speak for myself, I would love to have a DVD (not video as I have given up collecting videos)of The Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden taken BEFORE 1980, during the ’60s and ’70s showing all the aircraft in different colour schemes and in the days when the grass wasn’t cut and they had to shoo the cows out before a flying day – real nostalgia!

Apologies, just realised the home movie footage I have is the Shuttleworth Collection, not Old Warden. Well, it IS 5.25 am !!!