National Interest Picture Productions was a British film production company set up in 1925 by film director Albert E. Hopkins and cinematographer
Reginald Wyer. Based in
Wardour Street in London's
Soho district, it was originally called Publicity Pictures and at first concentrated on producing animated advertising films, short entertainment films, and music features.
[''British Film and Television Yearbook'' (1952)]
"HOPKINS, A. E. C."
Volume 4, 178.
The company developed a technique for producing
color motion pictures, known as "Spectracolor". Their 1936 film adaptation of Gounod's opera ''
Faust'', which was filmed in spectracolor, was one of the earliest colour motion pictures made in Britain. However, according to
Richard Fawkes
Richard Brian Fawkes (31 July 1944 – 7 January 2020) was an English writer and director.
Early years
Fawkes was educated at the Royal Masonic School, Bushey, then spent eighteen months as an instructor at the Outward Bound School in Kenya w ...
, writing in ''Opera on Film'', "not even that distinction could save it from being dire. ''Faust'' has gone down as being the worst operatic film ever made." Two other spectracolor films were released that year, ''The Midshipman'' and ''Railroad Rhythm''.
During World War II, the company began making training films for the British Armed forces.
After the war, Hopkins and Wyer changed the name to National Interest Picture Productions and continued to make training and information films for the armed forces and pharmaceutical companies until at least 1965.
Reg Hill
Reginald Eric Hill (16 May 1914 – 1999) was an English model-maker, art director, producer, and freelance storyboard artist. He is most prominently associated with the work of Gerry Anderson.
Early life
Born on 16 May 1914, Hill started his ...
(later known for his work with
Gerry Anderson on several successful puppet and live-action TV series in the 1960s) joined the company after the war and worked there for twelve years as a model-maker and animator. In 1978, the company went into voluntary liquidation and was dissolved.
['' The London Gazette'' (31 January 1978)]
"Notices to Creditors"
p. 1307
References
Film production companies of the United Kingdom
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