''Snow'' is a short documentary film made by Geoffrey Jones for British Transport Films in 1962–1963.

Summary

An example of "

pure cinema Pure may refer to: Computing * A pure function * A pure virtual function * PureSystems, a family of computer systems introduced by IBM in 2012 * Pure Software, a company founded in 1991 by Reed Hastings to support the Purify tool * Pure-FTPd, ...

", the 8-minute-long film shows the efforts of British Railways staff in coping with the 1963 United Kingdom cold wave.

Production

The film had its origins in primary research for a documentary about the

British Railways Board British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. Jones' test research coincided with one of the coldest winters on record, and Jones approached BTF producer

Edgar Anstey Edgar Anstey (16 February 1907 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England – 26 September 1987 in London, England), was a leading British documentary film-maker. Anstey was educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys and Birkbeck College. He spen ...

with the idea to contrast the comfort of the passengers with the efforts of the railway workmen in keeping trains going in the frozen conditions. Work began on the documentary straight after gaining approval, and Jones and cameraman

Wolfgang Suschitzky Wolfgang Suschitzky, BSC (29 August 1912 – 7 October 2016), was an Austrian-born British documentary photographer, as well as a cinematographer perhaps best known for his collaboration with Paul Rotha in the 1940s and his work on Mike Hodges' ...

travelled around the country filming scenes for the rest of the winter. The film was edited to a re-recorded version of

Sandy Nelson Sander Lloyd Nelson (December 1, 1938 – February 14, 2022) was an American drummer. Nelson, one of the best-known rock and modern jazz drummers of the late 1950s and early 1960s, had several solo instrumental Top 40 hits and released over 30 ...

's '' Teen Beat'' by

Johnny Hawksworth Johnny Hawksworth (2 February 1924 – 13 February 2009) was a British bass player and composer who lived and worked in Australia beginning in 1984. Biography Born in London in 1924, Hawksworth initially trained as a pianist, but also pla ...

, expanded to twice its original length by accelerating the tempo over the duration of the film.

BBC Radiophonic Workshop The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was one of the sound effects units of the BBC, created in 1958 to produce incidental sounds and new music for radio and, later, television. The unit is known for its experimental and pioneering work in electroni ...

composer

Daphne Oram Daphne Blake Oram (31 December 1925 – 5 January 2003) was a British composer and electronic musician. She was one of the first British composers to produce electronic sound, and was an early practitioner of musique concrète in the UK. As a co ...

then added various effects to the soundtrack.

Accolades

It was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in 1965.Short Film Winners: 1966 Oscars
/ref>

References

External links

* *{{IMDb title, 0059731, Snow 1963 films 1960s short documentary films British short documentary films 1963 documentary films British Transport Films 1960s British films

Summary

Production

Accolades

See also

References

External links