New phonograph scene in film

[WDC]

Last Friday I finally was able to confirm the appearance of one of my Graphophone machines in the just started film 'A Dangerous Method', where I attended the studio shooting in Cologne last year and I now feel urged to share some of my impressions.

The film just started last week in Europe and will start in the US on Nov 23. I was hired to set up a phonograph for music therapy scene. The director gladly selected one of my Columbia machines, which apparently looked more unusual as the more often seen Edison machines. So, it now shows an 1896 Columbia Type A Washington DC in there.

The scene was supposed to play in 1906, so I did everything in my power to get the phonograph part authentic as possible and not showing anything post-1906.

I equipped the machine with an early style 20" Columbia brass horn and a 1903 crane which has a great matching shape. It was lots of fun and the prop department did really a marvelous job with building the whole interior of a turn of the century sanatorium inside the studio.

Of course, the sound had to be dubbed in later. It had to be certain part of the Valkyrie, and that bothered me. That certain part was never recorded on cylinder.
Just in case, I prepared a CD with a transfer that I had done few years before. It was the fantasy from Valkyrie and was recorded in Germany on Edison 2-minute in 1905. After three months uncertainty, I received a mail from them to tell me that the director David Cronenberg and the score writer Howard Shore decided to use the real deal instead of some 1940's recording.

So, what you can hear is not the machine but still a genuine Edison 2-minute cylinder record as shown on the phonograph. The cylinder was an originally shot Edison 2M which I had wiped off with turpentine and prepared with a blank groove.

Just 20 seconds after the shooting of the phonograph was done, I walked by from the behind to turn it off. The camera, a huge Arricam ST 35mm, was still rolling, and just before reaching the lever one of the two parallel mainsprings broke with a loud BANG.
The bedplate with the topworks popped about 7 inches high out of its case within a fraction of a second. This machine has no spring barrels, so it could expand easily.

I never had a broken mainspring before and now it had to happen here, unbelievable. However, the shooting was just done and they had everything they needed, so I was quite lucky. The crew behind the camera was standing around with open mouths. I guess nobody could imagine how much power hides in one of these machines. Gladly, there was absolutely no damage at all, just an impressive special effect. I hope they'll put it to the outtakes when they release it on video next year. They surely have it on film with a close up of 8 inches!

Unlike TV crews, these people were very easy to get along with and never lost their professional attitude. I was quite surprised about this huge difference to television. I can truly say that I had a great time. The film itself did absolutely meet my personal taste.

The cylinder transfer is currently the record of the month on my personal website.

[transformingArt]

Great! It's very nice of you to share this wonderful story. I'm very interested in see this film soon, not only because of the soundtrack, but the whole plot sounds really interesting and I love David Cronenberg / Keira Knightley! I'm hoping that I could see this film in Korean theaters soon, although I wonder if this film actually would show in this country.

I listened the Walkure cylinder on your website - it sounds wonderful for its time, and it is really something that the film would use the original 100+ year old Edison cylinder recording as a soundtrack.

Just checked out the IMDb info and discovered you were listed as "a miscellaneous crew"!

[phonogfp]

Norman,

Very nice! The film sounds intriguing - - I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Thanks for taking the trouble to make the scene historically correct. How many times have we seen a cowboy walking through a room in the 1880s past a Standard Talking Machine Model A or an Edison Standard?

I was interested in how you dated the horn crane until I saw the photos. You must be a subscriber to The Sound Box... ! The crane is a Tea Tray Company No.12A, and the patent was indeed filed in February 1903. Good for you!

George P.

[Andersun]

Congrats! I will have to see the film here in the U.S.. It is really nice to see a Director who cares about detail with respect to originality. Usually you see a crap-o-phone! Your machine is really beautiful especially with that horn on it!

[Valecnik]

What a great opportunity to help make sure the machine is historically correct. It makes the film so much more credible to see this period machine instead of a 1920's HMV or worse yet, a crapophone!

I do also like the idea of having a "Music Therapy Room". In fact, I have one at home. I find the therapy quite helpful.

[OrthoSean]

I do also like the idea of having a "Music Therapy Room". In fact, I have one at home. I find the therapy quite helpful.

You've just described the room in my house that was intended to be used as a dining room, and I agree, the therapy I get almost nightly is a wonderful thing!

Sean

[WDC]

That said, the phonograph just shifted between two music therapy rooms.

And they really did give good credits, the only thing I demanded for giving them the cylinder transfer. I was quite surprised to see in the end credits, that they did not change any character from what I had emailed them.

George, to my shame I must have missed that sound box article, but I am a CAPS member. The patent date is stamped into the top rod of the crane, that's where I got the info from.
But great to know now what brand it is. I just think the shape is matching pretty well to the early style horn. I have to write Tea Tray 12A down somewhere. Thanks for pointing it out once again.

They paid a lot of attention to small details, like the galvanometer, an early kind of a polygraph, which you can see in the trailer. The little machine in the glass tube took one man over three weeks to build. But instead of a original electrodes, they have a little integrated servo motor and an external box with a knob to control the tiny round mirror inside.

It was a great opportunity to finally have direct influence on putting a phonograph historically correct in such an environment.

In case someone hasn't found it yet, here's the trailer:

[youtubehq]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=664eq7BXQcM[/youtubehq]

Interestingly, the German trailer shows a little more skin than the English one.

[TinfoilPhono]

That's terrific, Norman. I'm so glad they listened to you on the music, and paid attention to historic detail. I drive my wife crazy picking apart anachronisms in 'period' movies. A lot of directors have remarkably little concern about authenticity.

I need to see that film jsut to enjoy the immersion in that time period, which appears very realistic in the trailer.

[bostonmike1]

AN EXCELLENT JOB WELL DONE!! I HAVE A QUESTION THOUGH. MY COLUMBIA TYPE A NEW YORK HAS ONLY ONE MAINSPRING. COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY WE DIFFER. THANK YOU.

[Lenoirstreetguy]

Norman....How marvellous that they consulted someone who actually knows his machines and then actually listened to what you had to say. A friend of mine here who works in set design in the movie industry consulted me once about a few details concerning appropriate machines and records, but they ignored everything we said and used a completely inappropriate portable .
The cylinder sounds wonderful. I'm always amused by the whole concept of two minutes of Wagner...of all composers he's the last that should be compressed!

Jim